Wings Over Whanganui - Aerowork Celebrates 75 Years Of Rural Service

Aerowork today celebrated 75 years at its inception base of Whanganui. Old and young gathered to celebrate a three quarter-century of rural service since topdressing pioneer Wally Harding first converted his Tiger Moth in 1949 to distribute fertiliser on his own high-country station.

The smaller aircraft hangers were the busiest at Whanganui airport today, bustling with farmers and families who turned out to connect with friends and colleagues, and look back at 75 years of Kiwi topdressing history.

Rural pilots who usually quietly and efficiently fly New Zealand’s back-country blocks roared through the skies in a rare public display of their aerial expertise.

CEO of Aerowork and self-described aviation history buff, Harald Hendel, said it was great to have all its people and aircraft together, as well as several aircraft from years gone by.

“Our team serves rural communities across the country. They fly tirelessly to help maintain farms in the most remote parts of New Zealand, so it’s fantastic to have the full team in one place.”

“Aerowork is the only topdressing company with a dedicated team of engineers to build our own aircraft components, and today attendees had a chance to view their technical prowess in action.”

“We also had an original Tiger Moth and a 1950s Fletcher aircraft do a flyby alongside a modern Cresco. Seeing the three generations of aircraft together was something special.”

Flying the three generations of topdressing aircraft were members of the Harding family, descended from Wally Harding, who established Whanganui Aero Work in 1949.

The family company grew to serve farms nationwide, with its skilled pilots often doubling as emergency responders for lifesaving rural rescues well before the introduction of dedicated rescue helicopters.

Whanganui Aero Work was owned and operated by the Harding family until 2004, when it was bought by the current owner, fertiliser company Ravensdown, and later re-named Aerowork.

Richmond Harding, who was CEO at the time of the sale, said that Ravensdown’s science expertise would help develop Aerowork’s aviation and spreading technology.

“Ravensdown has made good on that promise, and we’ve come a long way since then,” says Hendel.

“We now use a world-class GPS system to achieve far greater fertiliser application accuracy, avoid environmentally sensitive areas, and seamlessly interact with farm innovations like Ravensdown’s HawkEye software.

“This gives customers a detailed overview of their nutrient plan, from calculating nitrogen use efficiency, to ordering fertiliser, to proof-of-placement.”

Hendel says the event was a wholesome way to round out a challenging year for Aerowork and its customers.

“The past year has been tough for farmers, and because topdressing is intrinsically tied to the ups and downs of the industry, we’ve been right there with them.

“We’ve been serving some farms for decades, so they’re more than clients – many are friends. Today was a great way to celebrate 75 years of success with them and look forward to the blue skies and fair winds ahead.”

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