AOPA Turbine Pilot Magazine - February 2019 - 58

OVERLOOKING LAKE WAKATIPU and in the shadow of The Remarkables mountains, Queen-

stown on the South Island is well known for adventure sports and vineyards (below). Warbird
restorers use World War II drawings to exactly replicate the originals (right). The New Zealand
Warbird Association hangar is chockablock with pristine restorations (bottom right).

customer. The pristine fuselage sits on a wooden jig; the massive
1,300-horsepower Allison V-12 engine rests on a pallet nearby.
Eventually the big engine will be nestled into the center fuselage, a long two-piece driveshaft passing beneath the cockpit to
the propeller. During the war, a 37 mm M4 cannon in the nose
fired through the propeller hub.
This particular airframe was left in the jungle in the South
Pacific after the war. By the time it was pulled out, most of the
metal had corroded away. McSweeny says only about 50 percent
of the metal by weight will be original by the time he is finished.
While he is proud of his craftsmen, he admits that the castings
and forgings of the original airplane were "masterful." "We can't
replicate them," he says.
The project progressed rapidly and the airplane was beginning taxi tests when we followed up with McSweeny in December,
with first flight expected by Christmas.
We find throughout New Zealand that pilots go out of their
way to showcase aviation in their country. Ardmore pilot Phil
Pacey generously taps his friend Steve Horne to show us around
the Auckland region. I climb aboard Pacey's Cessna 210 while
photographer Chris Rose joins Horne in his Cessna 182 with a
Peterson's Performance Plus King Katmai mod kit on it; in other

58 | AOPA PILOT February 2019

words, it has a canard. Our excursion takes us around Auckland and
ultimately to Meadowlark Strip in Waiau Pa, a grass field stuffed
between sheep pastures. Inside a nondescript hangar on the edge
of a pasture, Tony Antonievich operates Auto & Aero Restoration, a
funky little operation that specializes in hot rod and airplane projects. Inside, though, there's an eclectic collection of all sorts of
vehicles under various stages of restoration, from a travel trailer (a
caravan in Kiwi parlance), to a firetruck, a couple of hot rods, and a
Boeing Stearman. Antonievich, a commercial helicopter pilot and
airplane mechanic, seems to relish showing visitors around his shop.
"It's not about the cars. It's about the people you meet as result of
the cars. Same thing with the airplanes," he observes.
While some parts of the world almost seem to shun aviation-
governments doing their best to rid the skies of little airplanes and
to mop up small airports-New Zealand seems to be a pilot's playground. Lots of airports, spectacular scenery, good weather, and
wildly enthusiastic aviators. They admit to similar problems faced
by other pilots-burdensome government regulations, high prices
for parts and fuel, landing fees, airspace fees, and plenty of other
issues. But the Kiwis roll with it and don't let the challenges get in
the way of a good time. It's a special place for aviators.
AOPA
EMAIL thomas.haines@aopa.org

AOPA Turbine Pilot Magazine - February 2019

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