Wanganui Aero Club preparing for thousands of visitors as open day looms

Wanganui Aero Day takes place on January 18. Photo / Supplied

Wanganui Aero Club was “overwhelmed” by the popularity of its last open day, and reinforcements are being brought in for the next one.

Club captain Leanne Morrison said there would be more toilets, food and parking in 2026.

The Wanganui Aero Day takes place on January 18, as part of Whanganui Vintage Weekend.

“We had a really good debrief after the chaos of last year, and spent a lot of time addressing the issues,” Morrison said.

“A couple of years ago, we sold maybe 500 sausages, then it jumped to 1000, then last year, we couldn’t cook fast enough to feed the people.

“Basically, we’ve doubled everything.”

Morrison said the event would feature aerial displays, along with the chance to see aircraft up close.

Planes making the trip include Vaughn Davis’ De Havilland Chipmunk and John Luff’s DeHavilland Venom jet.

The Venom, a Cold War-era fighter jet, was flown by air forces around the world in the 1950s and 1960s.

Legend Aviation was bringing its North American Harvard for paid flights, and the aero club would have at least two planes available for 15-minute flights – “an affordable way to get up in the air”, she said.

“We’re also hoping to get a Lockheed Electra up from the South Island, which is a super cool plane.

In 2025, Davis brought the Chipmunk to Whanganui to meet Royal Air Force veteran Bill Macleod, who flew the Chipmunk while training in early 1972.

Vaughn Davis' DHC-1 Chipmunk is returning to Whanganui for the 2026 Wanganui Aero Day.

“It’s always a bit of a juggling act with the weather for the days before and on the day,” Morrison said.

“That affects which ones can even arrive, but we’ve got a lot of planes in the pipeline.”

Speaking to the Chronicle last year, aero club chief flying instructor Johnathan Mauchline said the open day attracted a few hundred people pre-Covid-19, but 4500 came in 2024.

Morrison said the club had been “overwhelmed” at the 2025 event.

“It was beyond our expectations, crazy, pretty much.

“I’ve found that people who own planes really love sharing them.

“They do it at great expense as well. With some of the jets, the cost of just starting them is mind-blowing.”

Luff told the Chronicle in 2013 that the Venom burned an average of 22 litres per minute, and 70 litres per minute at full throttle and low altitude.

“It’s not the sort of thing you necessarily just take out for a Sunday drive,” he said.

Morrison said club membership was stable.

“Like all clubs, we’d love more involvement from members.

“But for aero day, we get past members, family of members, friends of members, and everyone pulls together.

“It’s a huge number of people we need to get on board.”

The NZ International Commercial Pilot Academy will operate from the aero club until mid-2026.

Morrison said people from the academy would be available to help out gthis month.

“We’ll make the most of the six months we’re all together. I’m sure we can co-exist.”

The Wanganui Aero Day runs from 9am to 4pm at the Whanganui Airport.

Entry is $5 for kids (8 to 14) and 15 for adults ($10 for Super GoldCard holders).

Mike Tweed is a multimedia journalist at the Whanganui Chronicle. Since starting in March 2020, he has dabbled in everything from sport to music. At present his focus is local government, primarily Whanganui District Council.