Zac Yates

About Zac Yates

Zac, born and raised in New Zealand, grew up immersed in aviation, with his father working as a helicopter crewman and living at Wanganui Airport. His passion for aviation started in childhood, building scale model kits and following the global warbird scene. He later trained as a journalist but found mainstream media unfulfilling, leading him to pursue a career as an aircraft maintenance engineer.

Now residing in Blenheim, near the historic Omaka Aerodrome, Zac studies at RNZAF Base Woodbourne and aspires to become a private and warbird pilot. Known as "Handbag" in aviation circles, he shares his love for aviation through photography and writing, connecting with enthusiasts worldwide.

Another crowd favourite, the Grumman TBM-3E Avenger "Plonky", getting near the end of some major engineering work in time for Wanaka. [Photo via Warbirds Over Wanaka]

Just Over Two Weeks to Go Until Warbirds Over Wanaka 2024

March 12, 2024 Zac Yates 0

PRESS RELEASE Brendon Deere and his team at the Biggin Hill Historic Aircraft Centre at RNZAF Ohakea can’t wait for Warbirds Over Wanaka this Easter. They’ve been on a mission to have not one but […]

Some of the students responsible for the memorial. Back row (from left) Victor Pysson, Lennert Verhelst, Wout Vandeghinste and Bjorn Willems. In front are Alanis Seys and Laurien Snaet. Absent is Noah Cneut. [Photo via Lieven Vandecaveye]

Belgian Students Create Memorial to WWII RNZAF Pilots

March 11, 2024 Zac Yates 2

Lieven Vandecaveye teaches mechanics at the Free Technical Institute in Torhout (Vrij Technisch Instituut Torhout, VTI) in the Flemish part of Belgium, 10 miles from Bruges and 23 miles from Ypres. He is an amateur […]

USAAFHT Fundraiser to Preserve Part of Eighth Air Force Base

February 27, 2024 Zac Yates 0

PRESS RELEASE The USAAF Heritage Trust (USAAFHT) is the result of a quest, extending back several years, to find a suitable location to create a heritage center for the USAAF in the United Kingdom during […]

Sea Fury VH-HPB, formerly the Reno racer Sawbones, is unpacked in Australia after purchase by Paul Bennet. [Photo Paul Bennet Airshows via Facebook]

Sea Fury Sawbones Sold to Australia

February 17, 2024 Zac Yates 2

By Zac Yates Australia will soon have a flying Hawker Sea Fury for the first time in close to a decade as the crowd favorite Reno racer Sawbones has been purchased by warbird and aerobatic […]

[Photo via Brunswick Naval Aviation Museum]

Brunswick Naval Aviation Museum Fundraising to Repaint P-2 Neptune

February 17, 2024 Zac Yates 0

By Noah Stegman Rechtin Following the completion of a project to renovate the entrance to its building, the Brunswick Naval Aviation Museum (BNAM) in Brunswick, Maine, United States has begun another effort. The museum, located […]

XB259, the last surviving example of the Blackburn Beverley, has been at Fort Paull near Hull since 1974. [Photo via Solway Aviation Museum]

Museum Launches Fundraiser to Save the Last Blackburn Beverley

February 11, 2024 Zac Yates 0

By Zac Yates Solway Aviation Museum in the UK has launched a £60000 funding appeal to rescue and preserve the world’s only surviving Blackburn Beverley transport aircraft. The last of only 49 ever built, the […]