Aircraft from different eras to fly over Whanganui and Rangitīkei on Anzac Day

The display team will leave the Ōhakea airbase at 9.50am on April 25. Photo / Supplied

Aircraft will be in the skies above Whanganui and Rangitīkei on Anzac Day, and this year's flypast will hold extra significance.

A collaborative effort between the Royal New Zealand Air Force and the Biggin Hill Trust, it will be conducted as a formal event of the newly formed Air Force Heritage Flight of New Zealand.

The relationship solidifies the importance to the RNZAF of the preservation and promotion of New Zealand's military aviation heritage.

An Avenger, a Spitfire and two Beechcraft T-6C Texan IIs from the RNZAF's Central Flying School will leave Ōhakea airbase at 9.50am on Monday, April 25, before flying over Sanson, Hunterville, Fordell, Aramoho Cemetery, Whanganui, Whanganui Airport, Whangaehu, Turakina, Marton, Feilding, Rongotea and Bulls.

The team is expected back at Ōhakea at 10.37am.

Flight commander of the Air Force Heritage Flight, Squadron Leader Michael Williams, said while all events were eagerly awaited by the crews, Anzac Day had added significance because it represented a "defining moment of New Zealand's military and national heritage".

"It is a special privilege for the pilots – all serving members of the RNZAF - to be able to commemorate the event in machines as special as the Biggin Hill Trust's Avenger and Spitfire.

"Given that the Avenger and Spitfire are tangible examples of New Zealand's operational military aviation heritage, the use of the modern Texan aircraft in the formation links the past with the present and future of the RNZAF."