INTERNATIONAL AVIATION LINKS WITH THE WAIRARAPA – A Surprising History!
Dr John Dean
Thursday, 20 November 2025 7:30pm
Wairarapa
Rosewood, 417 Queen Street, Kuripuni
The speaker for our final meeting this year will be Dr John Deane, a former Chief Engineer and Research Manager in the British aerospace industry. After 38 years there John joined Cranfield University for post-graduate teaching and research. He retired in 2021.
John’s vocation is aviation history, researching in archival sources and talking to aviators and people with similar historical interests. He volunteers as a guide with the Shuttleworth Collection in the UK – home of the world’s oldest flying aircraft. In particular, he is part of the education team which conducts visits for local groups and school parties to convey some of the excitement of the aviation world he had himself experienced when a youngster.
Each summer in New Zealand he also volunteers as a guide to the Vintage Aviator collection at Hood Aerodrome here in Masterton. John and his wife Deborah first visited New Zealand as tourists in 2009 (he was a national and international target rifle shooter and had come here for a shooting competition). They now have a house in Upper Hutt which they enjoy each New Zealand summer.
John has a Private Pilot’s Licence and in fact first flew solo on 20 July 1969, the same day Apollo 11 landed on the Moon.
His talk this month is about Wairarapa’s links in historical aviation, taking in some broader connections to a field of worldwide interest.
In what to some may be a surprising fact, aircraft and other major aeronautical items made in New Zealand find themselves in the UK and around the world and, in return, the skies over Wairarapa can reverberate to the sounds of aircraft built in Europe over 100 years ago. Using some examples from the earliest days of aviation he will illustrate aspects of what he sees as the motivations which have inspired others and which he has experienced in the field of historic aviation.
As usual, coffee and tea are available at Rosewood from 7pm. As you know, non-members are welcome, with a $5 koha. High school or UCOL students are welcome with free entry. So bring a friend! This will be the final meeting for our Branch in 2025. NZIIA meetings will resume on 19 February 2026.
The speaker for our final meeting this year will be Dr John Deane, a former Chief Engineer and Research Manager in the British aerospace industry. After 38 years there John joined Cranfield University for post-graduate teaching and research. He retired in 2021.
John’s vocation is aviation history, researching in archival sources and talking to aviators and people with similar historical interests. He volunteers as a guide with the Shuttleworth Collection in the UK – home of the world’s oldest flying aircraft. In particular, he is part of the education team which conducts visits for local groups and school parties to convey some of the excitement of the aviation world he had himself experienced when a youngster.
Each summer in New Zealand he also volunteers as a guide to the Vintage Aviator collection at Hood Aerodrome here in Masterton. John and his wife Deborah first visited New Zealand as tourists in 2009 (he was a national and international target rifle shooter and had come here for a shooting competition). They now have a house in Upper Hutt which they enjoy each New Zealand summer.
John has a Private Pilot’s Licence and in fact first flew solo on 20 July 1969, the same day Apollo 11 landed on the Moon.
His talk this month is about Wairarapa’s links in historical aviation, taking in some broader connections to a field of worldwide interest.
In what to some may be a surprising fact, aircraft and other major aeronautical items made in New Zealand find themselves in the UK and around the world and, in return, the skies over Wairarapa can reverberate to the sounds of aircraft built in Europe over 100 years ago. Using some examples from the earliest days of aviation he will illustrate aspects of what he sees as the motivations which have inspired others and which he has experienced in the field of historic aviation.
As usual, coffee and tea are available at Rosewood from 7pm. As you know, non-members are welcome, with a $5 koha. High school or UCOL students are welcome with free entry. So bring a friend! This will be the final meeting for our Branch in 2025. NZIIA meetings will resume on 19 February 2026.
Membership
NZIIA membership is open to anyone interested in understanding the importance of global affairs to the political and economic well-being of New Zealand.