Ticket sales for next year’s Warbirds Over Wanaka International Airshow are up by twenty percent, compared to the same period prior to the 2012 airshow, according to event manager Mandy Deans.
Ms Deans suggested more people were pre-purchasing tickets because the airshow is always kept interesting with new acts and that it boded well for a strongly supported airshow. There was no chance of tickets selling out for the Easter Holiday event as there was ample space and infrastructure for accommodating large crowds at Wanaka Airport.
“It’s great to have such strong ticket sales at this stage. The airshow is run mostly by volunteers and it’s hugely encouraging that people are supporting what we are doing here.” Ms Dean told us.
Businesses are also getting in behind the event once again with all available space for food stalls sold out six months out and with good interest from aviation and other stall holders.
Around eighty percent of the 320 volunteers who helped run the airshow in 2012, had re-registered to assist with the next airshow in six months time. Many new volunteers had answered the call but the airshow’s volunteer manager, Mo Schofield, still has room for more, Ms Deans said. “Various clubs such as the Wanaka Bowling, Nordic Ski Association and Cromwell Rotarians will be helping also to raise funds for their groups, some with the busy ground display area.”
New ground displays would include 30 MG cars, an array of classic cars in various stages of restoration, modern high-tech Ford cars and an array of sport aircraft.
Organisers hoped interest in the event would be further boosted when a “very special” aircraft act was announced in a few weeks time.
Meanwhile, the Warbirds Over Wanaka Community Trust has welcomed the announcement of funding for the next airshow from the Queenstown Lakes District Council’s new major events fund. Warbirds Over Wanaka will receive $55,000 from the fund towards the costs of staging the 2014 airshow.
Trust General Manager Ed Taylor said the announcement was wonderful news. “It’s great to have the local community getting in behind our event in this way. At the end of the day the benefits from Warbirds are felt across the district,” said Mr Taylor.
The airshow, scheduled for April 18th, 19th and 20th, has now been running for 25 years. Click HERE to visit the air show’s website.
Born in Milan, Italy, Moreno moved to the U.S. in 1999 to pursue a career as a commercial pilot. His aviation passion began early, inspired by his uncle, an F-104 Starfighter Crew Chief, and his father, a military traffic controller. Childhood adventures included camping outside military bases and watching planes at Aeroporto Linate. In 1999, he relocated to Atlanta, Georgia, to obtain his commercial pilot license, a move that became permanent. With 24 years in the U.S., he now flies full-time for a Part 91 business aviation company in Atlanta. He is actively involved with the Commemorative Air Force, the D-Day Squadron, and other aviation organizations. He enjoys life with his supportive wife and three wonderful children.
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