Peter Jackson Aircraft Collection - "These planes were put through extreme flight tests, put through combat, and they came out OK." Although each plane is worth hundreds of thousands of pounds — and some as much as £1 million — they are not wrapped in cotton wool.
He even owns a silk handkerchief that belonged to German fighter pilot ace Manfred von Richthofen, aka The Red Baron. On the wall is a fabric German cross that Australian troops cut from von Richthofen's downed Fokker tri-plane when he was killed on April 21, 1918. Peter says of his collection: "I don't know how big it is.
Peter Jackson Aircraft Collection
I keep my eye out and if there's something interesting, I try to buy it. William died in 1940 and never got to meet his grandson. Peter says: "I grew up surrounded by veterans of two world wars and listened to the conversations that happened in our house when Dad had friends over and I just got an interest.
‘Used As A Chicken Coop’
From his first movies shot on 8mm film, New Zealander Jackson — now Sir Peter — went on to make some of the greatest fantasy films ever, grossing more than £6billion at the box office with the likes of The Hobbit series and King Kong.
He says: "When I was 12 my parents took me to the UK on a sort of family trip to meet all the cousins, aunties and uncles and we went to Hendon RAF Museum. That was the first time I saw real First World War planes in the flesh and I was pretty obsessed by that stage.”
When he is not researching, producing or directing films, Peter spends his time in the factory, poring over blueprints of old planes to build or searching the globe for rare forgotten aircraft to restore. He says: "When I was 12 my parents took me to the UK on a sort of family trip to meet all the cousins, aunties and uncles and we went to Hendon RAF Museum.
That was the first time I saw real First World War planes in the flesh and I was pretty obsessed by that stage.” When he is not researching, producing or directing films, Peter spends his time in the factory, poring over blueprints of old planes to build or searching the globe for rare forgotten aircraft to restore.
‘Used As A Chicken Coop’
The Omaka Aviation Heritage Center presents two exhibitions, the first being the outstanding Knights of the Sky exhibition, featuring Sir Peter Jackson's collection of WW1 aircraft and artifacts. The story of aviation in the Great War is brought to life in sensational sets created by the internationally acclaimed talent of WingNut Films and Wētā Workshop.
The theatrical treatment is both innovative and visually stunning. "Some people might say it's got out of control — I'd say it's evolved. What I value about the planes, aircraft and collecting artefacts and things is it is a hobby that is something I can do that gets my head out of the film stuff.
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At a secret location in the pretty suburbs of New Zealand's capital Wellington is a factory where Peter, employs a team of 60 craftsmen and mechanics to renovate or recreate the world's biggest collection of fighter planes from the conflict.
On the first day of the Battle of the Somme in France in July 1916, William was injured by machine gun fire and brought home to England to recover. It was then he met Peter's grandmother.
He says: "My mum worked in the de Havilland factory building Mosquitos and my dad was in the Royal Ordnance Corp during the siege of Malta for two years and went on to Italy after that."
He even owns a silk handkerchief that belonged to German fighter pilot ace Manfred von Richthofen, aka The Red Baron. On the wall is a fabric German cross that Australian troops cut from von Richthofen's downed Fokker tri-plane when he was killed on April 21, 1918. Peter says of his collection: "I don't know how big it is.
I keep my eye out and if there's something interesting, I try to buy it. At a secret location in the pretty suburbs of New Zealand's capital Wellington is a factory where Peter, employs a team of 60 craftsmen and mechanics to renovate or recreate the world's biggest collection of fighter planes from the conflict.
'Dangerous Skies' is Omaka's second exhibition and features stories and aircraft from World War II. These tales of daring, bravery and tragedy stretch from the British Isles to the forests of Germany, an embattled but courageous Russia and the steaming hot jungles of the southwest Pacific.
Imagine a Wenn diagram for cars and celebrities. At the intersection you'll find Monica, putting her passion for these fields and English-Spanish double major to work. She's been doing it for the past seven years, most recently at autoevolution.
Full profile Dangerous Skies may be a darker exhibition than Knights of the Sky but amongst the darkness are also moments of light. Such as the tale of New Zealander James Hayter, a pilot in the RAF who was shot down over England only to parachute into the middle of a garden party.
In direct contrast, Southern Russia was the stage for the Battle of Stalingrad, a military engagement that saw terrible losses for Russia and Germany. This section of the exhibition comprises memorabilia and an immersive experience that is both entertaining and chillingly thought-provoking.
William died in 1940 and never got to meet his grandson. Peter says: "I grew up surrounded by veterans of two world wars and listened to the conversations that happened in our house when Dad had friends over and I just got an interest.
In a documentary to be shown on Monday, Peter is shown in the workshop with his team of plane builders, many of whom started out as set designers on Lord Of The Rings, The Hobbit and King Kong.
He said: "When I was 12 my parents took me to the UK on a sort of family trip to meet all the cousins, aunties and uncles and things, so we went to Hendon RAF museum and that was the first time I saw real First
World War planes in the flesh, and I was pretty obsessed by that stage." Peter says: "Because of my day job making films, I ended up with the resources to be able to do this. I come in here and see these planes and I momentarily forget they belong to me.
I get excited, I say, 'Oh my gosh look at that. Oh wow'. The flyable aircraft of this exhibition include a Griffon-powered Mk.XIVe Spitfire, a Russian Yak 3 and the Focke Wulf FW190, the infamous German 'Butcher Bird'.
Let us not forget the men who flew these magnificent machines; this time, women also feature more prominently. Russia's Lydia Litvyak, or the "White Lily of Stalingrad" as she was known in Soviet press releases, was the top-scoring female ace and has been brought to life with a hauntingly life-like mannequin fashioned by the cinematic geniuses at Weta Workshop.
Peter's grandfather, also called William, joined the South Wales Borderers in 1910, and four years later was serving in China when war broke out. In 1915, William, aged 23, was posted to Gallipoli, Turkey — scene of one of the bloodiest battles of the war — where he won the Distinguished Conduct Medal for "conspicuous gallantry", leading his soldiers forward to re-occupy an advance post
. Peter was born in New Zealand in 1961, and rather than telling his son about his own war experiences, William Arthur preferred to speak about his own father and Peter's grandfather's memories of World War One.
On the first day of the Battle of the Somme in France in July 1916, William was injured by machine gun fire and brought home to England to recover. It was then he met Peter's grandmother.
He says: "My mum worked in the de Havilland factory building Mosquitos and my dad was in the Royal Ordnance Corp during the siege of Malta for two years and went on to Italy after that."
From his first movies shot on 8mm film, New Zealander Jackson — now Sir Peter — went on to make some of the greatest fantasy films ever, grossing more than £6billion at the box office with the likes of The Hobbit series and King Kong.
Peter says: "Because of my day job making films, I ended up with the resources to be able to do this. I come in here and see these planes and I momentarily forget they belong to me.
I get excited, I say, 'Oh my gosh look at that. Oh wow'. "Some people might say it's got out of control — I'd say it's evolved. What I value about the planes, aircraft and collecting artefacts and things is it is a hobby that is something I can do that gets my head out of the film stuff.
Peter's grandfather, also called William, joined the South Wales Borderers in 1910, and four years later was serving in China when war broke out. In 1915, William, aged 23, was posted to Gallipoli, Turkey — scene of one of the bloodiest battles of the war — where he won the Distinguished Conduct Medal for "conspicuous gallantry", leading his soldiers forward to re-occupy an advance post
. In a documentary to be shown on Monday, Peter is shown in the workshop with his team of plane builders, many of whom started out as set designers on Lord Of The Rings, The Hobbit and King Kong.
"These planes were put through extreme flight tests, put through combat, and they came out OK." Although each plane is worth hundreds of thousands of pounds — and some as much as £1 million — they are not wrapped in cotton wool.
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