Chipmunk Blue

Chipmunk Blue is a 3-ship display team of De Havilland Chipmunks, flown by pilots and aircraft from New Zealand Warbirds at Ardmore. Classic Fighters 2025 is the team’s debut appearance. The display features a series of 3-ship passes and formation changes, followed by a solo aerobatics sequence by Blue 3.

While the De Havilland Chipmunk is a pilots’ favourite and a delight to fly, its small operating speed range and 145 horsepower engine make it challenging to fly accurately in formation – making whoever is on the outside of a turn work especially hard.

Blue 1 (lead): Dave Brown. Dave is a flight examiner, former airline pilot and ex-RNZAF Skyhawk pilot (he also once tried to teach Blue 3 how to fly a Strikemaster). Dave also leads the Harvard display team, The Roaring 40s.

Blue 2 (wing): Mike Wood. Mike is a co-owner of Chipmunk RFS and also flies and part-owns an Ardmore-based Harvard. By day, Mike is a partner in an Auckland accounting firm.

Blue 3 (wing/solo): Vaughn Davis. Vaughn flew C130s in the RNZAF and recently acquired and restored Chipmunk 65. He works in advertising and regularly appears on RNZ’s “Ask the Pilot” segment.

Blue 4 (ferry pilot): Chris Tennent-Brown. “CTB” is a bank economist 9-5 and keen warbirds pilot at weekends. CTB also flies the Harvard and CT4B Airtrainer. We’re working on making “Silent 4” stick as a nickname…