Biggen Hill, Ohakea Visit.

Brendon Deere is an extraordinary man. He has managed to provide a unique focus for a group heritage aircraft enthusiasts to create a living museum of some significant RNZAF aircraft from the past. This is no mean feat, which you quickly realise when you have the opportunity to get up close and personal to aircraft that you have seen in books and airshows over one's life. You really begin to marvel at the incredible engineering involved in creating these machines and admiration for those who flew them and the ground crew who kept them in the air, often under arduous conditions.
The crew from the Manawatu Classic Motorcycle Club certainly enjoyed their time listening to Bendon talking about the aircraft and also being able to spend some time studying the detailed engineering and other items in the hangar. The fact that the Spitfire was in same colours as those of his uncle Alan Deere who was an ace in the war and involved in the Battle of Britain certainly added to Brendons talk.
The journey to Ohakea wasn't a great distance from the clubrooms in Palmerston North, but the weather certainly made it a very memorable one. The brave ones rode out in what could be best described as a deluge. It certainly was a very damp group of motorcyclists that arrived at the base, whilst some of us decided on a 'keep dry' strategy and headed out on four wheels. Due to the hangar being on a working air force base we had to go through a security check at the front entrance and after the check and issuing of a visitors pass we made our way around to the hangar.
It was a great visit and a big thank you to Brendon and the crew for sharing this wonderful collection of aircraft with us. My only disappointment was I wasn't able to get out to Ohakea the following Wednesday to see Grumman Avenger out for a spin!