04/06/2026
Aviation geek nz got an exclusive look at The Air Force museum of New Zealands new exhibition Tall tails. It’s an awesome site and a must see if you’re in Christchurch. It opens tomorrow Friday the 5th of June. David king public engagement manager tells us about the exhibition. A massive thanks to The Air Force museum of New Zealand.
Two giant aircraft tails are the stars of the show at a new Air Force Museum of New Zealand exhibition.
The tails belong to two national heroes – the Lockheed C-130 Hercules and P-3K2 Orion aircraft - which are now retired at the museum and have been placed in long term storage. The aircraft saved lives and kept our shores safe for six decades.
The Orion retired to the museum in 2024 and the Hercules landed at Wigram in Christchurch on a make-shift runway on its final flight in 2025 – attracting a huge amount of public interest.
The four-engine giants are so large their tails had to be removed so they could fit in storage hangars.
Museum Director Brett Marshall said the storage challenges the size of the tails posed got the team thinking – why not put the tails on display? And Tall Tails was born.
“They’re massive which just happens to make them the best possible demonstration of the difficulties we face to house aircraft of this scale – and so we think they’re the perfect cheerleaders for the campaign.
“Now everyone can come and see the tails, be awed by their size and the scale, and the challenge to build an exhibition space large for the complete aircraft.
“We know there is huge public interest in them and this is a way people can get a glimpse of at least part of them and get in behind our Home for Heroes campaign to build them a permanent home.’’
Tall Tails is free for New Zealanders and is on every day at the Air Force Museum of New Zealand from 9.30am until 4.30pm.
plane planes
Air Force Air Force Museum of New Zealand
Air Force Museum of New Zealand
