The Wings Over New Zealand Show

Guest: Andy Love

Hosts: Dave Homewood

Recorded: 2nd of February 2026

Released: 2nd of February 2026

Duration:  44 minutes 58 seconds

In this episode Andy Love, air display coordinator of the upcoming Warbirds Over Wanaka 2026 International Airshow gives a rundown of what the public can expect to see, and he warns that tickets are selling out fast.

The three-day show over Easter Weekend – 3rd to 5th of April 2026 – is looking to be a very good one with some spectacular flying acts lined up. Easter Saturday is now fully sold out but there are still General Admission and Silver Pass tickets available for Good Friday and Easter Sunday. Get your tickets here!
https://www.warbirdsoverwanaka.com/httpswww-warbirdsoverwanaka-comairshow/tickets

Also selling fast are the bookings for the various aircraft rides available, so go to the links on this page to make your bookings:
https://www.warbirdsoverwanaka.com/flight-experience

Check out the line up here:
https://www.warbirdsoverwanaka.com/httpswww-warbirdsoverwanaka-comairshow/aircraft-confirmed

The music at the end of this episode is Wild Flower by Joachim Karud.

Guest: Paul Dalley, aka Seaplane Paul

Hosts: Dave Homewood

Recorded: 10th of January 2026

Released: 1st of February 2026

Duration: 3 hour 52 minutes 49 seconds

In this extra-length Wings Over New Zealand Show “Flying Boat Month” episode Dave Homewood speaks with Paul Dalley, who grew up with aviation around him thanks to his grandfather Ian Henry, a well-known propeller maker.

Paul talks about learning to fly, his adventures flying his Piper Cub in Japan while running a language school there, and flying air displays there with fellow Kiwi pilot Robert Fry and others. He talks about flying in Australia where he’d planned to buy a tourism flying business and how things changed. And flying in Papua New Guinea.

And then he ended up purchasing a Lake Buccaneer in New Zealand and he took it up to Vanuatu and achieved his lifelong dream of becoming a flying boat pilot in the Pacific, just like Jake Cutter in one of his favourite childhood television shows, Tales of the Gold Monkey, and the 1992 film Porco Rosso.

Paul has some wonderful adventure stories and ells of some seriously scary moments in the air, in Japan and in the Pacific. He has real insight into the joys of flight too. So sit back and listen to the stories of Seaplane Paul.

Above: The golden sands of a tropical Pacific beach, and Paul Dalley’s Lake Buccaneer flying boat.

Paul Dalley

Paul with his Piper Super Cub in Japan.

Top: Stephen Collins as Jake Cutter with Jack (played by Leo the Dog) in the 1982-82 American television series Tales of the Gold Monkey. Bottom: Jake’s classic Grumman flying boat, Cutter’s Goose. The series was a huge inspiration for Paul that led to his fulfilment of a childhood dream of flying his own flying boat on island adventures in the South Pacific.

Tales of the Kiwi Buccaneer

Paul’s Lake Buccaneer photographed by Peter Lewis.

Paul with Meredith Caisley, left, and Peter Lewis, right, during their Vanuatu vacation flight. Photo Peter Lewis.

More recently when Paul returned to New Zealand and flew for Auckland Seaplanes. He now lives in Picton.

The trailer for the 1992 film Porco Rosso, which Paul discusses.

Guest: Mark Hillier

Hosts: Dave Homewood

Recorded: 6th of January 2026

Released: 13th of January 2026

Duration: 1 hour 33 minutes 35 seconds

In this Wings Over New Zealand Show episode Dave Homewood speaks with Mark Hillier, who is a recreational pilot, a historian, an author and he is Head of Operations at Spitfires.com, the adventure rides company based at Goodwood Aerodrome, Westhampnett, in West Sussex, UK.

Mark discusses his background in aviation, and talks about Spitfires.com and their fleet of aircraft. That includes three two-seaters plus the Silver Spitfire that flew around the world. He also talks about his passion for aviation history, the many books hat he has written, and the veterans he has met along the way.

And he talks about his close connection to the late RAF groundcrew veteran Joe Roddis, who served on No. 485 (NZ) Squadron through that unit’s whole existence. No. 485 (NZ) Squadron’s time based at Westhampnett is also detailed, and also a little history of other squadrons based there and at the nearby RAF Tangmere, which Westhampnett was a satellite airfield to.

Quick Links:

• Mark Hiller’s website

• Spitfires.com

• Mark’s books on Amazon

• Mark’s books at Pen and Sword

• Goodwood Aerodrome (Formerly RAF Westhampnett)

• RAF Westhampnett on Wikipedia

Above Left: The late Joe Roddis. Centre: The book by Joe and Mark. Right: Mark with his RAF Tangmere 100 Objects book.

The music at the end of this episode is Wild Flower by Joachim Karud.

Guest: Warrant Officer Raymond William Tocker 73469 (18 June 1931 to 24 September 2015)

Hosts: Dave Homewood

Recorded: 11th of February 2013

Released: 6th of January 2026

Duration: 1 hour 15 minutes 32 seconds

In this Wings Over New Zealand Show episode Dave Homewood pulled another previously unpublished older interview out of the archives. The recording is with the late Ray Tocker, who was a good mate of Dave’s. On a visit to Ray’s place, a couple of blocks from Dave’s, Ray began telling stories of his RNZAF service so Dave gained permission to pull his recorder out of his rucksack and hit record.

The result was a great conversation with Ray telling some wonderful and often very funny stories about his days in the RNZAF in the 1950s. The conversation was heavily focused on his days at RNZAF Base Ohakea working in the maintenance hangar on Mosquitoes, Devons, a Grumman Avenger, and more. And he also talks about some adventures when he was a Flight Engineer on the Short Sunderland flying boat, including the incident where he was aboard Sunderland NZ4113 when it scraped its belly along the new runway at the opening of Wellington Airport, and how he repaired the hole to save the aircraft.

Ray was awarded a medal for his actions in saving the aircraft. From Colin Hanson’s By Such Deeds – Honours and awards in the Royal New Zealand Air Force, 1923 – 1999:

TOCKER, Warrant Officer Raymond William, (cvsa).
H73469; Born Ohakune, 18 Jun 1931; RNZAF 14 Apr 1949 to 27 Apr 1973; Engine Fitter, then Flight Engineer.
Citation Queen’s Commendation for Valuable Service in the Air (QB1960): Not available. The following is an extract from a letter to the then Sgt Tocker from the CAS – “This well earned award recognises your personal efforts in enabling the Sunderland damaged at the opening of Wellington Airport [on 25 Oct 1959] to carry out a safe landing on its return to Hobsonville.”

Quick Links:

• Ray’s autobiography Adventures of a Kiwi Airman on Amazon For any inquiries into this book, contact Ray’s daughter Ali, email: [email protected]

Ray Tocker (cvsa) in the centre, representing the Cambridge RSA during an ANZAC Day. Note his Mosquito lapel pin.

Ray Tocker in the centre wit his hand on his heart during a special ceremony that marked the 70th Anniversary of the Amiens Prison Raid held at the Cambridge Cenotaph. You can hear more about this and Ray’s speech in the Amiens Raid episode HERE

Above: Five photos come via Antonio McDonald of that hangar fire at Ohakea that Ray talks about.

Here is an Archives NZ film about that Rongotai Airshow for Wellington Airport’s opening, showing the unfortunate incident for the Sunderland.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cPXcByce_hY

The music at the end of this episode is Wild Flower by Joachim Karud.

Guest: Flight Lieutenant Wilfrid Leopold “Buck” Pound NZ427559 – 21 October 1922 to 27 January 2021

Hosts: Dave Homewood

Recorded: 29th of June 2013

Released: 31st of December 2025

Duration:  53 minutes 23 seconds

In this Wings Over New Zealand Show episode Dave Homewood interviews WWII RNZAF bomber pilot ‘Buck’ Pound. He spent a short time in the Army in Tauranga after WWII broke out, before getting into the RNZAF. His initial training was at Rotorua, and he began flying training at Ashburton on de Havilland Tiger Moths. Next he progressed onto flying Airspeed Oxfords at Wigram.

Upon passing out with his flying badge, Buck was posted to England where he flew more Oxfords, and then onto Vickers Wellingtons at No. 11 Operational Training Unit at Westcott. He and his crew, and his best mate Robbie who was another pilot with his own crew, volunteered to got to Italy. They joined No. 104 Squadron at Foggia, flying Wellingtons in the night bombing role. He talks about some of the experiences he had including a terrifying night when the Wellington was struck by lightning and they lost all their instruments.

Following the tour in Italy, Buck was sent to by converted onto Mosquitoes. And he ended up flying Mosquitoes from Malta in a specialist target marking role.

After the war Buck got into banking and finance. Buck was a member of the New Zealand Bomber Command Association. He passed away on the 27th of January 2021.

Quick Links:

• The New Zealand Bomber Command Association

• The New Zealand Bomber Command Association Facebook Page

Photos from Wilfred ‘Buck’ Pound’s collection, via The New Zealand Bomber Command Association Archive.

The music at the end of this episode is Wild Flower by Joachim Karud