A_P_2015_04

66 African Pilot April 2015

To view probably the best museum devoted to the origins of aerial
warfare anywhere in the world, one has to travel to the somewhat
unlikely destination of South Island, New Zealand. In the heart of
the wine-producing province of Marlborough one will discover the
historic Omaka airfield on the outskirts of the town of Blenheim. Here
a group of local enthusiasts with the assistance of local government
have created an aviation exhibition that is in a class all of its own.
Perhaps because I am a teacher by profession, I tend to look at all
museums in terms of their educational value, both for adults and
children. Unlike most aviation museums that are a collection of static
exhibits, Omaka attempts to put most of its aircraft into context by way
of life size dioramas that each tells a story. Learning about history, in
this case the genesis of the world’s first use of aircraft in a major war

becomes a stimulating and enlightening experience when the exhibits

are presented in such an imaginative fashion.

The museum’s philosophy in designing the displays was to achieve the

maximum degree of realism by using techniques from the film industry.

In this respect, having the well known New Zealand director Peter

Jackson (of Lord of the Rings fame) as one of the trustees was a double

bonus. Not only is this era of aviation his great passion, one on which

he has spent a considerable amount of money collecting aircraft and

artefacts, but his film company is ideally placed to build for the museum

its replicas and lifelike mannequins, together with the realistic settings

in which these appear. Dramatic lighting, also drawing on the expertise

of the film world, further enhances the displays. Another key decision

The museum during the biennial Classic Fighters’ airshow