Beech Staggerwing

The 1936 Bendix Trophy Race-winning Beech C 17R 'Staggerwing' was piloted by two women, Louise Thaden and Blanche Noyes. Olive Ann Beech, a co-founder of Beech Aircraft, eager to increase sales of the Staggerwing and gain more traction, wanted a female pilot to compete with the best pilots in the world. Walter Beech, the CEO and husband of Olive Ann, instructed the women to "open this damn thing up! "and fly the aircraft at maximum power. However, concerned about engine reliability, Thaden ignored the advice and comfortably won the race using just 65% power. It was unusual for a male-dominated Transcontinental Air Race to have female pilots, but in 1936, of eight competing aircraft, three were flown by women. Laura Inglis would place second, and Amelia Earhart in fifth place.

Australia's own Transcontinental Air Race for women was inaugurated in 1953. VH-UXP, a Beech C 17B Staggerwing, won this race with well-respected Australian pilot Hazel Roberts at the controls. Roberts flew the Beech for over six years from her sheep station, Ennis Downs, in Queensland.

Following a six-year 'ground up' restoration in New Zealand, C 17B Staggerwing, VH-UXP, debuted at Classic Fighters 2013. The Beech is almost identical to the famous 1936 Bendix Trophy-winning aircraft. Owners Cam and Tracey Hawley have returned VH-UXP to her original factory-delivered condition. The aircraft is being flown at this year's Classic Fighters by Cam, who likes to say that his day job is to "operate" the Boeing 777, but away from work, he likes to "fly" the Staggerwing.

One of the rarest vintage jet aircraft to be seen flying worldwide is the De Havilland Venom. The Venom was a development of the De Havilland Vampire. It was fitted with a larger engine and thinner wing than the Vampire, although some of its wooden construction remained.
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When the Venom entered service, it was an aircraft that excited its pilots. The leap in performance was substantial, and it was a manoeuvrable fighter bomber with one of the most impressive climb rates at the time.RNZAF pilot Flight Lieutenant Stuart McIntyre described the type as 'Vampires with a hairy chest'.
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The Venom's service life was relatively short due to the rapid developments in jet fighter technology in the 1950s. It had its first flight in 1949 and was retired from the RAF in 1962 but flew in Switzerland until 1983! The type was sold to several other nations worldwide, including Italy, Sweden, Iraq, and New Zealand. The RNZAF purchased sixteen Venoms and allocated them to 14 Squadron, and these aircraft flew 115 combat missions in Malaya.
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As mentioned, the Swiss utilised the aircraft in 1983, when the opportunity to buy and operate a Venom was made possible for a wider group. Many were purchased and flown, but over time, maintaining a high-performance jet like the Venom could be expensive; more importantly, keeping up with the high fuel bill took its toll, with some heading off to museums.
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The example you will see at Classic Fighters is an ex-Swiss machine purchased by John Luff and imported into New Zealand in 2012. It was in excellent condition, so little restoration work was required; John has painted it in the 14 Sqn colour scheme as a tribute to those who flew and maintained them.
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So, make sure to come along and see it. This machine is so rare and goes like a rocket!