Avro 652A Anson Mk 1 Series II
The only remaining airworthy Avro Anson Mk1 from WWII, the twin-engine aircraft were a popular coastal reconnaissance bomber that performed anti-submarine, convoy protection and crew training duties. Around eleven thousand were produced between 1935 and 1952 and it may have been one of the first aircraft flown in combat by a New Zealander in the second World War.

Avro MH-120 operated post-war in Australia as a passenger and freight hauler and also appeared in a film about a famous air race, called “Half a World Away”.

Once in New Zealand it was restored to its former military configuration from nearly 70 years ago. The Avro has a wingspan of nearly 17m and is over 13m long.

The turret and military equipment had been re-installed and the aircraft had been painted to represent a machine that flew with 206 Squadron of the Royal Air Force. MH-120 had seating for two pilots, a navigator and a radio operaton. Original public domain image from Flickr