Flying a unique survivor: the Avro 626

Avro 626 NZ203: survivor of the pre-war Royal New Zealand Air Force, and the sole example of its kind in the world. Just one pilot can still claim any experience on this delightful biplane, thanks to its brief post-restoration flying career nearly 40 years ago
Three of the RNZAF’s four Avro 626s in formation over the Port Hills, near Christchurch, with NZ203 in the foreground.
Three of the RNZAF’s four Avro 626s in formation over the Port Hills, near Christchurch, with NZ203 in the foreground. RNZAF

Barn find: the very words are alluring, conjuring up images of something old, rare, maybe valuable, definitely historic. This came true for the Royal New Zealand Air Force in 1980. At the time, the service was seeking to perform a major aircraft restoration as the centrepiece of a great project — an RNZAF Memorial Museum, to be formally opened during 1987, on the occasion of its 50th anniversary.

The RNZAF Museum at Wigram, Christchurch, now called the Air Force Museum of New Zealand, is a small but high-quality treasure-trove commemorating the men, women, aircraft and times of the country’s military aviation. In a prominent position is its oldest inhabitant, a distinctive silver biplane, Avro 626 NZ203.

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