Hours of dedicated practice over almost three years will come to fruition when New Zealand’s newest aerobatic display team makes its debut at next Easter’s Warbirds Over Wānaka International Airshow.

The four-ship Pitts Special display team will perform for the first time at the airshow as ‘Southern Force’.

Team leader Andy Love said from the start the team had been dedicated to getting up to the standard demanded by a world-class airshow like Wānaka, which led them to bring in an overseas mentor, Jeremy Miller.

“This guy is one of the best in the business and the fact that he’d especially come across from Australia meant we were totally invested in learning everything we could from him while he was here,” Andy said. 

Being able to debut their team at Warbirds Over Wānaka is an honour, he said.  

“Doing our first big public display at an airshow of the calibre of Wānaka is a real privilege but we’re up for the challenge.”

Airshow general manager Ed Taylor said he can’t wait to see ‘Southern Force’ wow the crowd next year.  

“I’m picking these guys will be one of the surprise acts of 2026, bringing lots of daring manoeuvres, noise and smoke to Wānaka. 

“These small, colourful bi-planes are always a crowd favourite and having four of them doing their thing together is going to be special.”

’Southern Force’ - Andy Love, Mark O’Sullivan, Lincoln Jones, and Richard Hood - will be displaying on all three days of the airshow (which runs from April 3-5).

PHOTO: Supplied