The Wings Over New Zealand Show

Guest: Fling Officer John de Hoop (RAF 1810752, 191161) Wireless Operator-Air Gunner

Host: Dave Homewood

Recorded: ‎19th of November 2013

Released: 29th of May 2026

Duration: 1 hour 6 minutes 13 seconds

John de Hoop was a Londoner who joined the Royal Air Force in 1943, and trained as a Wireless Operator-Air Gunner. The following year he was posted to No. 75 (NZ) Squadron at RAF Mepal, as a Wireless Operator on Avro Lancasters, in the crew captained by New Zealand pilot F/Lt Wylie Wakelin DFC. His final few ops were flown with S/Ldr Bob Rodgers as his captain.

This recording was made at the time using Skype, as John lived in the UK. It was recorded as part of a wider WONZ Show project I was working on at the time that ended up not proceeding to completion. So it seems like it’s about time to share it with listeners.

John passed away on the 7th of August 2016.

John de Hoop (Photo via Dee Boneham)

Two more photos of John, from Dee Boneham.

Quick Links:

•  John de Hoop obituary on the 75 (NZ) Squadron Blog

•  The Wylie Wakelin Crew on the 75 (NZ) Squadron Blog

•  The Bob Rodgers Crew on the 75 (NZ) Squadron Blog

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

Guest: Warrant Officer Leslie James Olsen N74992

Host: Dave Homewood

Recorded: ‎18th of March ‎2026

Released: 24th of May 2026

Duration: 1 hour 55 minutes 48 seconds

Les Olsen joined the RNZAF as a Boy Entrant in January 1952. He trained as an Armourer in 1953, and ended up working on numerous units and squadrons over the next two and a half decades, working on guns, cannons, ejection seats, helicopter winches, torpedoes, turrets and more.

Les serviced armament equipment on Vampires at Ohakea, Canberras and Iroquois at RAF Tengah in Singapore, and he was one of the first Armourers to work on the new Lockheed Orions when they arrived at Whenuapai in 1966.

He talks about being on the duty crew when No. 75 Squadron RNZAF Canberra WF915 went missing in a storm off Malaya and F/O David Finn was killed. (Les misremembered the Canberra’s serial number.) And he talks about being the first RNZAF member to drop a torpedo since WWII. And he tells lots of other great stories.

Les is also the Armourer trade’s historian, keeping records of all the RNZAF Armourers through the decades right back to the beginning of the trade. He talks about how this came about and what records he keeps, including theories about service numbers for Armourers early in WWII.

Anyone who can add information, photos, memories, documents or anything else that might help Les’ research, he can be emailed at [email protected]



Les Olsen’s Boy Entrants Course. Members of No. 5 Draft, Boy Entrants School, practicing drill. Boy Entrants School, RNZAF Station Woodbourne.
L-R: Front rank; Joe Wipani, Murray McIvor, Kerry McKee, Gerard Brown.
2nd rank; Les Olsen, Gordon Browne, Bert Sergent.
3rd rank; Murray McIvor, Bruce Moonie, Dave Jowett.
4th at back: John Barrow (part obscured), Keith Libline. (It’s his hat on ground at right).
Air Force Museum of New Zealand photo DM233-52, 08/06/1952

Les Olsen’s Boy Entrants Course. Members of No. 5 Draft, Boy Entrants School, watching General Service Instructor, Corporal Lionel Piggott, demonstrating the correct stance for firing a rifle during Weapons Training at the Boy Entrants School, RNZAF Station Woodbourne.
L-R: Brian Churcher, Kerry McKee, Murray McIvor (part obscured), Keith Libline, John Barrow, Bill Moore (at back), Murray Hutchins, Colin Carr, unknown, Milton Mathieson, Bert Sergent, Les Olsen, Keith Turnbull, Alan Powell, Gordon Browne (at back), Bruce Moonie, Joe Wipani, Phil Jones.
Air Force Museum of New Zealand photo DM234-52, 09/06/1952.

Trainee Armourers watching the instructor, Mr. Frank Field, describing the parts of a weapon. No. 1 Technical Training School, RNZAF Station Hobsonville. This would have been the course before Les’ one, as he was still at Woodbourne on this date, but it nicely represents his Armourer trade training. Air Force Museum of New Zealand photo DM278-52, 17/07/1952

Quick Links:

• The Royal New Zealand Air Force

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

Guest: Air Commodore Stuart McIntyre CBE, DFC

Host: Dave Homewood

Recorded: ‎25th of ‎August ‎2025

Released: 15th of May 2026

Duration: 1 hour 2 minutes 21 seconds

Air Commodore Stuart McIntyre CBE, DFC joined the Royal New Zealand Air Force on the 31st of August 1949. Following an elongated flying training phase, he converted onto the then-new de Havilland Vampires. He ended up deployed to Cyprus with No. 14 Squadron in 1952, and then returned to Ohakea, New Zealand and No. 75 Squadron in 1953, where among his duties he led an aerobatic display team. He then returned to Cyprus in April 1955 for a second tour, now as Flight Commander of No. 14 Squadron.

Stuart and adjutant Flying Officer Laurence Turner sent as one of the advance party to Tengah, Singapore, to prepare for the move of the squadron from Cyprus. The squadron eventually reequipped with Venoms, and went into action against the Communist Terrorists (C.T.s).

In his subsequent career, Stuart become the officer commanding No. 14 Squadron when they were equipped with English Electric Canberra bombers. He then led the team involved in the selection of the Canberra replacement, which ended up as the McDonnell Douglas Skyhawk.

Stuart filled several other roles including Base Commander of RNZAF Base Ohakea, Aide-de-Camp to both the Governor General to New Zealand, and HM Queen Elizabeth II. He also oversaw the creation of the Ohakea Museum. On leaving the Air Force he became Director of Civil Aviation.

Pilot Officer Stuart McIntyre in the cockpit of his No. 14 Squadron Vampire at RAF Station Nicosia, Cyprus, 1953. Air Force Museum of New Zealand Photo NICD156a

Portrait of Flight Lieutenant Stuart McIntyre, pilot with No. 14 Squadron, wearing flying helmet and oxygen mask. RAF Station Tengah, Singapore. Air Force Museum of New Zealand Photo MUS090171

Note: Unfortunately although I photographed Stuart’s logbooks, and you can hear a few extracts from our chatter while I did that at the end of this interview, I completely forgot to get a photo of him on the day.

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

Guest Speakers: Brendon Deere, Tim Costley MP, SQN LDR Craig Clark, FLT LT Stu Glendinning, Roger Dalziell, and SQN LDR Michael Williams

Host: Dave Homewood

Recorded: ‎28th of February 2026

Released: 9th of May 2026

Duration: 3 hours 14 minutes 55 seconds

In this bumper-sized 350th episode in the Wings Over New Zealand Show podcast series, we hear the various presentations given at the Biggin Hill Hangar WONZ Forum Meet at RNZAF Base Ohakea. We were very fortunate to be hosted by Brendon Deere, who is a great supporter of Wings Over New Zealand.

In order we hear from:

Tim Costley MP – Tim is a former RNZAF pilot, and he talks about his experiences in the Royal New Zealand Air Force, particularly flying the Bell Iroquois but also in other types. He served operationally on several occasions. And he talks a little about his current position as a Member of Parliament for Otaki in the National-led coalition government.

Tim Costley (Dave Homewood photo)

Squadron Leader Craig Clark – Craig is the Officer Commanding No. 42 Squadron RNZAF, based at Ohakea, which operates Beechcraft King Air 350s in two roles, two C-12K examples as transports which can carry up to nine passengers , known as Slicks, and two MC-12K used for Air Warfare training and sensor suite training. In this fascinating talk Craig explains how the squadron has been evolving with its previous role of multi-engine training having been phased out, and interestingly the MC-12Ks are being used for actual front line operational missions more and more now, at home and overseas in the Pacific. He also talks about the future of the squadron, and his personal hopes that it will soon be expanded and larger aircraft platforms will be brought into the squadron’s capabilities.

Above: SQN LDR Craig Clark (Dave Homewood photo)
Below: Various photos of the MC-12K King Airs, including the Fiji deployment. (All NZDF)

No.42 SQN’s new Beechcraft King Air 350 aircraft takes it’s first flight at RNZAF Base Ohakea, 14/05/18.

Flight Lieutenant Stu Glendinning – Stu is a pilot and a QFI on No. 5 Squadron RNZAF, also based at Ohakea, flying the new Boeing P-8 Poseidon. He talks about his RNZAF career, including flying training with the RAAF on NZAI CT/4B Airtrainers and Pilatus PC9s, in a rare case where RNZAF pilots joined an RAAF aircrew course. He talks about his progression to No. 42 Squadron and then No. 5 Squadron, and flying the Lockheed P-3K2 Orions. He then transitioned onto the new Boeing P-8A Poseidon fleet and he shares insights into this amazing aircraft. He also tells the very emotive story of his experience as the Search and Rescue Captain on a P-8A when he was scrambled following the sinking of HMNZS Manawanui.

Above: FLT LT Stu Glendinning (Dave Homewood photo)
Below: The No. 5 Squadron RNZAF Boeing P-8 Poseidons (All NZDF photos)

Arrival of the first P-8A Poseidon 4801 to RNZAF Base Ohakea, New Zealand

Arrival of the first P-8A Poseidon 4801 to RNZAF Base Ohakea, New Zealand

Warbirds Over Wanaka 2024.

Brendon Deere – Our host for the event at the Biggin Hill Historic Aircraft Centre, Brendon spoke about his Biggin Hill Trust collection of warbirds that are based at Ohakea. They include his Supermarine Spitfire IX PV270, North American P-51D Mustang NZ2423, Grumman TBM Avenger “Plonky”, and North American Harvard IIa NZ1037.

Brendon Deere

Roger Dalziel and Mike Williams – In a very rare opportunity, the audience were able to hear from two Grumman Avenger pilots, Roger Dalziell who flew the Avengers in the RNZAF from Ohakea in the early 1950s; and Squadron Leader Mike Williams who is a current instructor pilot based at Ohakea, and is the current pilot of Plonky, the Biggin Hill Avenger, with the Air Force Heritage Flight. He explains the work of the Heritage Flight, which Mike himself was behind the creation of. Roger is the last known pilot who flew original RNZAF Avengers still living today. Mike had just arrived back at Ohakea following flying a display at New Plymouth in the Avenger, and the two pilots compared notes on flying Avengers 75 years ago and now.

Roger Dalziell, left, and Mike Williams, right.

Above and below: Mike arriving back at Biggin Hill Hangar from his display at New Plymouth, just before speaking alongside Roger.

Quick Links:

• The Biggin Hill Historic Aircraft Centre

• The Biggin Hill Historic Aircraft Centre on Facebook

• The Royal New Zealand Air Force

• The Beechcraft King Air 350 in RNZAF Service

• The Boeing P-8A Poseidon in RNZAF Service

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

Guests: Bil Thuma, Don O’Rorke, Arthur Palmer and Dave O’Malley

Host: Dave Homewood

Recorded: ‎24th of ‎March ‎2026

Released: 14th of April 2026

Duration: 57 minutes 40 seconds

A search is currently underway with the aim of locating the remains of a missing Lockheed Ventura, AE665, which vanished in WWII off the eastern coast of Canada. The crew onboard were an ANZAC crew who included the pilot and captain, P/O Donald Shaw Cormack RAAF, the navigator P/O Stanley Joseph James RAAF, and the wireless operator-air gunner Sgt Thomas Matthew Hunter RNZAF.

They were training at No. 34 Operational Training Unit, RAF Pennfield Ridge, in New Brunswick, Canada, as part of the British Commonwealth Air Training Plan, with the intention of gaining the necessary skills of a crew destined for RAF medium bomber squadrons.

The aircraft crashed into the sea off the Canadian coast on the 26th of January 1943, and vanished.

All these years later the pilot’s nephew, real estate businessman Don O’Rorke of Queensland, Australia, and his old school mate, anthropologist and pilot Arthur Palmer, have embarked on a mission to locate the aeroplane and find some closure for the families of the lost men. They brought Canadian-based geophysicist Bil Thuma into the team, who is renowned for finding missing aeroplanes – perhaps the best known examples being The Lost Squadron of Lockheed P-38 Lightnings and Boeing B-17 Flying Fortresses under the ice in Greenland. That expedition resulted in the recovery of the famous P-38 that was restored and now flies in Rod Lewis’s collection as Glacier Girl.

Also joining the chat in this episode is well known Canadian aviation historian and writer Dave O’Malley who gives some background to the flight and the work the men were doing.

They also talk about another crash site of a separate No. 34 Operational Training Unit Ventura, AJ211, that crashed just a few weeks later on the 8th of February 1943 on a similar training flight from Pennfield Ridge. That accident also claimed the lives of two Australians and a Kiwi onboard. They were pilot Sergeant Hubert Burnham RAAF, navigator Sgt Phillip Edmond RAAF and wireless operator-air gunner Sgt John Hogan RNZAF.

And an overwhelming theme of this episode is the ongoing impact on families of the loss of their airmen 80+ years ago in WWII, and making sure they are not forgotten.

Quick Links:

• Aircrew Remembered on the loss of Ventura AE665

• The loss of Lockheed Ventura II AJ211

• The Last Flight of an Australian Bomber

Above: A Lockheed Ventura II, AE658, just a few serials away from the identical aircraft tat the team is seeking under the ocean, AE665.

Here is a video version of the episode

The article that Don mentioned that appeared in The Australian newspaper.

Pennfield Ridge Air Station

Pennfield Ridge Air Station

Above: The Ventura Hunters

The plaque commemorating the crash site of Venture AJ211

The impact crater made by AJ211

The plaque commemorating the crash site of Venture AJ211

Above: The brother of the airmen Sgt Hubert Burnham RAAF visits his grave.

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