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.