Croydon Aircraft Company

Last updated

Croydon Aircraft Company logo.png
The Croydon Aircraft Company hangar at Old Mandeville Airfield NZ140315 Croydon Dragon Rapide ZK-AKY 01.jpg
The Croydon Aircraft Company hangar at Old Mandeville Airfield

The Croydon Aircraft Company is an aircraft company in New Zealand. Its main activities include restoring vintage aircraft, providing scenic and aerial experience flights in vintage aircraft, and providing pilot training in vintage aircraft.

It runs the Old Mandeville Airfield, in Mandeville, New Zealand, where it is located.

Aircraft on site and stored in the adjacent museum [1] include several Tiger Moths and other aircraft in the de Havilland family, such as the Fox Moth and a very rare [2] de Havilland Dragonfly. These aircraft are regularly flown.

A replica of the Pither Monoplane was constructed and flown by CAC. [3]

Recently a Beechcraft Staggerwing restoration was completed Around the world in a Staggerwing | D-17S Beechcraft | Captain Biff Windsock | William M. Charney | Reno, NV and other Staggerwing restorations are in progress. A replica of the de Havilland DH.88 Comet is under construction.

The company is owned and run by Colin and Maeve Smith. In 2011, Colin Smith was made a member of the NZ Order of Merit for his services to the aviation and tourism industries. [4]

A popular fly-in and open day is hosted the eighth weekend of every year. Vintage cars, steam vehicles, old stationary engines and, of course, aircraft are on display. Joy rides in vintage aircraft are a feature of the day. [5] [6]

Related Research Articles

de Havilland 1920–1963 aircraft manufacturer

The de Havilland Aircraft Company Limited was a British aviation manufacturer established in late 1920 by Geoffrey de Havilland at Stag Lane Aerodrome Edgware on the outskirts of north London. Operations were later moved to Hatfield in Hertfordshire.

de Havilland Tiger Moth 1930s British military trainer aircraft

The de Havilland DH.82 Tiger Moth is a 1930s British biplane designed by Geoffrey de Havilland and built by the de Havilland Aircraft Company. It was operated by the Royal Air Force (RAF) and other operators as a primary trainer aircraft. In addition to the type's principal use for ab initio training, the Second World War had RAF Tiger Moths operating in other capacities, including maritime surveillance and defensive anti-invasion preparations; some aircraft were even outfitted to function as armed light bombers.

de Havilland DH.88 Comet Type of aircraft

The de Havilland DH.88 Comet is a British two-seat, twin-engined aircraft built by the de Havilland Aircraft Company. It was developed specifically to participate in the 1934 England-Australia MacRobertson Air Race from the United Kingdom to Australia.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Warbird</span> Vintage military aircraft operated by non military forces

A warbird is any vintage military aircraft now operated by civilian organizations and individuals, or in some instances, by historic arms of military forces, such as the Battle of Britain Memorial Flight, the RAAF Museum Historic Flight, or the South African Air Force Museum Historic Flight.

Queen Charlotte Airlines was a Canadian airline founded by Jim Spilsbury that operated on the West Coast of Canada from 1946 to 1955, when it was sold to Pacific Western Airlines. Though the airline grew out of a bush flying operation, it became the third largest airline in Canada.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Beechcraft Model 17 Staggerwing</span> American single engine cabin biplane

The Beechcraft Model 17 Staggerwing is an American biplane with an atypical negative wing stagger. It first flew in 1932.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Museum of Transport and Technology</span> Museum in Auckland

The Museum of Transport and Technology (MOTAT) is a science and technology museum located in Western Springs, Auckland, New Zealand. It is located close to the Western Springs Stadium, Auckland Zoo and the Western Springs Park. The museum has large collections of civilian and military aircraft and other land transport vehicles. An ongoing programme is in place to restore and conserve items in the collections. This work is largely managed by volunteers but, since the passing of the Museum of Transport and Technology Act in 2000, has been supported by full-time professional museum staff. New public programmes and facilities now promote the collections.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Canadian Warplane Heritage Museum</span> Aviation museum in Hamilton, Ontario, Canada

The Canadian Warplane Heritage Museum is an aviation museum located at the John C. Munro Hamilton International Airport in Mount Hope, Ontario, Canada. The museum has 47 military jets and propeller-driven aircraft on display.

de Havilland Dragon Type of aircraft

The de Havilland DH.84 Dragon is a successful small commercial aircraft that was designed and built by the de Havilland company.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Aviodrome</span> Aerospace museum at Lelystad Airport in the Netherlands

The Nationaal Luchtvaart-Themapark Aviodrome is a large aerospace museum in the Netherlands that has been located on Lelystad Airport since 2003. Previously the museum was located at Schiphol Airport.

de Havilland Dragonfly Type of aircraft

The de Havilland DH.90 Dragonfly is a 1930s British twin-engined luxury touring biplane built by the de Havilland Aircraft Company at Hatfield Aerodrome.

The New Zealand Fighter Pilots Museum was an aerospace museum located at Wānaka Airport on New Zealand's South Island. It closed in March 2011 and was replaced in December 2011 by the Warbirds & Wheels museum of military aircraft as well as classic and vintage automobiles and motorcycles.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Vintage Wings of Canada</span> Aviation Museum in Quebec, Canada

Vintage Wings of Canada is a not for profit, charitable organization, with a collection of historically significant aircraft. The facility is located at the Gatineau-Ottawa Executive Airport, Quebec, Canada. It was founded by former Cognos CEO and philanthropist Michael U. Potter. Most aircraft in the collection are in flying condition, or being restored to flying condition.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Omaka Aviation Heritage Centre</span> Aviation Museum in Blenheim, New Zealand

The Omaka Aviation Heritage Centre is an aviation museum located at the Omaka Air Field, 5 km (3 mi) from the centre of Blenheim, New Zealand.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Morton Air Services</span>

Morton Air Services was one of the earliest post-World War II private, independent British airlines formed in 1945. It mainly operated regional short-haul scheduled services within the British Isles and between the United Kingdom and Continental Europe. In 1953, Morton took over rival independent UK airline Olley Air Service. In 1958, Morton became part of the Airwork group. Morton retained its identity following the 1960 Airwork — Hunting-Clan merger that led to the creation of British United Airways (BUA). The reorganisation of the BUA group of companies during 1967/8 resulted in Morton being absorbed into British United Island Airways (BUIA) in 1968.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Canadian Air and Space Conservancy</span> Aviation museum in Edenvale Airport

The Canadian Air and Space Conservancy was an aviation museum that was located in Toronto, Ontario, featuring artifacts, exhibits and stories illustrating a century of Canadian aviation heritage and achievements. The museum was located in a hangar that once housed the original de Havilland Canada aircraft manufacturing building, but in September 2011 the museum and all of the other tenants in the building were evicted by the landlord, the Crown Corporation, PDP. The site was slated for redevelopment as a new sports centre but after closing the museum the development was placed on hold. The museum is developing a new location and its collections are currently not available for public viewing.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Air Travel (NZ) Ltd</span> Airline in Hokitika, New Zealand

Air Travel (NZ) Limited, a small airline based in Hokitika, was the first airline in New Zealand to fly licensed scheduled air services. They took delivery of their first De Havilland biplane aircraft at the end of 1934 and made it their business to carry passengers, mail and freight to remote parts of the West Coast. Their ambulance services were particularly welcome. They were well known outside their region for taking tourists to the Franz Josef and Fox glaciers.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Historic Flight Foundation</span> Aviation museum in Spokane, Washington

The Historic Flight Foundation (HFF) was an aviation museum located at Felts Field in Spokane, Washington. The museum collected, restored, and flew historic aircraft from the period between Charles Lindbergh's solo Atlantic crossing in 1927 and the first commercial flight of the Boeing 707 in 1957, a 30-year period when airplanes evolved from relatively simple wood and fabric biplanes to commercial jets. The museum was previously located at Paine Field in Mukilteo, Washington, but relocated to Spokane during the spring of 2020 due to the presence of commercial air service at Paine Field.

The Beechcraft Heritage Museum is an aviation museum at the Tullahoma Regional Airport in Tullahoma, Tennessee. It is focused on the history of the Beech Aircraft Corporation.

References

  1. "Gore NZ Our Heritage". Archived from the original on 6 January 2006. Retrieved 11 January 2011.
  2. "Oldprops De Havilland Dragon/Dragon Rapide/Dragonfly Census".
  3. "Rare piece of aviation history taking to the skies". 3 News . 21 March 2010. Archived from the original on 30 September 2012. Retrieved 26 September 2011.
  4. Pokoney, Cassandra (31 December 2010). "Hill leads lists of New Year honours". The Southland Times . Retrieved 26 September 2011.
  5. Gerken, Sonia (23 February 2010). "Old birds please crowds at Mandeville fly-in". The Southland Times . Retrieved 26 September 2011.
  6. "Things To Do In New Zealand: Attractions & Activities". www.newzealand.com.