Bay of Plenty Times
  • Bay of Plenty Times home
  • Latest news
  • Business
  • Opinion
  • Lifestyle
  • Property
  • Sport
  • Video
  • Death notices
  • Classifieds

Subscriptions

  • Herald Premium
  • Viva Premium
  • The Listener
  • BusinessDesk

Sections

  • Latest news
  • On The Up
  • Business
  • Opinion
  • Lifestyle
  • Property
    • All Property
    • Residential property listings
  • Rural
    • All Rural
    • Dairy farming
    • Sheep & beef farming
    • Horticulture
    • Animal health
    • Rural business
    • Rural life
    • Rural technology
  • Sport

Locations

  • Coromandel & Hauraki
  • Katikati
  • Tauranga
  • Mount Maunganui
  • Pāpāmoa
  • Te Puke
  • Whakatāne
  • Rotorua

Media

  • Video
  • Photo galleries
  • Today's Paper - E-Editions
  • Photo sales
  • Classifieds

Weather

  • Thames
  • Tauranga
  • Whakatāne
  • Rotorua

NZME Network

  • Advertise with NZME
  • OneRoof
  • Driven Car Guide
  • BusinessDesk
  • Newstalk ZB
  • Sunlive
  • ZM
  • The Hits
  • Coast
  • Radio Hauraki
  • The Alternative Commentary Collective
  • Gold
  • Flava
  • iHeart Radio
  • Hokonui
  • Radio Wanaka
  • iHeartCountry New Zealand
  • Restaurant Hub
  • NZME Events

SubscribeSign In
Advertisement
Advertise with NZME.
Home / Bay of Plenty Times

Unique engine collection gifted to Classic Flyers Museum

John Cousins
By John Cousins
Senior reporter, Bay of Plenty Times·Bay of Plenty Times·
2 Nov, 2016 08:30 PM3 mins to read

Subscribe to listen

Access to Herald Premium articles require a Premium subscription. Subscribe now to listen.
Already a subscriber?  Sign in here

Listening to articles is free for open-access content—explore other articles or learn more about text-to-speech.
‌
Save

    Share this article

LABOUR OF LOVE: Bill Janes next to a working scale model of one of the aircraft engines that he donated to Classic Flyers Museum. PHOTO/BENT JANSEN

LABOUR OF LOVE: Bill Janes next to a working scale model of one of the aircraft engines that he donated to Classic Flyers Museum. PHOTO/BENT JANSEN

A huge act of generosity involving at least 10 years of intricate engineering has resulted in Tauranga's Classic Flyers Museum becoming the proud owner of a unique collection of working scale model aircraft engines.

The 13 engines were donated by 82-year-old retired cabinet maker Bill Janes who has a passion for modelling that dated back to his early childhood.

"I am well versed in the idiosyncrasies of old machinery," he said.

He made everything that went into the engines except for the valve springs. "It took about nine months to make one engine."

His gift to the museum depicted the evolution of piston-powered aero engine design, from a 1909 de Havilland to a 1970s era Continental engine that powered Cessnas.

Advertisement
Advertise with NZME.
Advertisement
Advertise with NZME.

Classic Flyers chief executive Andrew Gormlie described them as a lovely acquisition. "We are very pleased that Bill thought of us. We will look after them."

Viewing was by appointment although they were planning special displays where people wandering through the museum would be able to admire them.

"These engines almost defy description because of their complexity and accuracy."

Advertisement
Advertise with NZME.

Almost all the components were machined from scratch in Mr Janes' workshop with little more than a lathe and milling machine.

Mr Gormlie praised the painstaking detailing of each engine, saying Mr Janes was a rare man who achieved an engineering feat of huge proportions.

"It is a very generous thing that he has done."

Mr Janes' deep love of machinery has included restoring nine veteran and vintage cars from the ground up.

"I have been a busy boy over the years,'' he said from his Gate Pa home yesterday."

A huge amount of planning and preparation went into building each aircraft engine, with most involving meticulous research.

He finished making his last engine about five years ago and decided to donate them to the museum rather than risk seeing them split up. "It is the ideal place to exhibit the engines."

The international marketplace for working scale model aircraft engines put the value at between $8000 and $11,000 each, meaning his 13 engines could be worth up to $143,000.

Mr Janes suspects that few other people in the world would have made as many scale model working aircraft engines in the way he did.

He was now in the process of valuing a lot of his other scale models that included ships and boats, a railway engine, a steam truck and a traction engine, in preparation for selling some on Trade Me.

Advertisement
Advertise with NZME.
Save

    Share this article

Latest from Bay of Plenty Times

Bay of Plenty Times

Police search for suspect after man shot in leg

06 Jul 10:51 PM
Bay of Plenty Times

Teen's sudden cancer diagnosis puts close-knit family on 'rollercoaster ride'

06 Jul 06:00 PM
Premium
Opinion

Balancing power: What the employment law changes mean for you

06 Jul 05:00 PM

From early mornings to easy living

sponsored
Advertisement
Advertise with NZME.

Latest from Bay of Plenty Times

Police search for suspect after man shot in leg

Police search for suspect after man shot in leg

06 Jul 10:51 PM

Information sought about man in green coat and gumboots on Pine Drive, Murupara.

Teen's sudden cancer diagnosis puts close-knit family on 'rollercoaster ride'

Teen's sudden cancer diagnosis puts close-knit family on 'rollercoaster ride'

06 Jul 06:00 PM
Premium
Balancing power: What the employment law changes mean for you

Balancing power: What the employment law changes mean for you

06 Jul 05:00 PM
Nine Lotto players win nearly $31k each in Second Division – where tickets were sold

Nine Lotto players win nearly $31k each in Second Division – where tickets were sold

06 Jul 05:31 AM
Solar bat monitors uncover secrets of Auckland’s night sky
sponsored

Solar bat monitors uncover secrets of Auckland’s night sky

NZ Herald
  • About NZ Herald
  • Meet the journalists
  • Newsletters
  • Classifieds
  • Help & support
  • Contact us
  • House rules
  • Privacy Policy
  • Terms of use
  • Competition terms & conditions
  • Our use of AI
Subscriber Services
  • Bay of Plenty Times e-edition
  • Manage your print subscription
  • Manage your digital subscription
  • Subscribe to Herald Premium
  • Subscribe to the Bay of Plenty Times
  • Gift a subscription
  • Subscriber FAQs
  • Subscription terms & conditions
  • Promotions and subscriber benefits
NZME Network
  • Bay of Plenty Times
  • The New Zealand Herald
  • The Northland Age
  • The Northern Advocate
  • Waikato Herald
  • Rotorua Daily Post
  • Hawke's Bay Today
  • Whanganui Chronicle
  • Viva
  • NZ Listener
  • Newstalk ZB
  • BusinessDesk
  • OneRoof
  • Driven Car Guide
  • iHeart Radio
  • Restaurant Hub
NZME
  • About NZME
  • NZME careers
  • Advertise with NZME
  • Digital self-service advertising
  • Book your classified ad
  • Photo sales
  • NZME Events
  • © Copyright 2025 NZME Publishing Limited
TOP