Peter Jackson causes stir
By TAMMY BUCKLEY - Sunday News
DEREK FLYNN/Marlborough Express
STAR TURN: Peter Jackson caused more of a scene than the mid-air dogfighting when he turned-up at an airshow.
The King Kong of the New Zealand film industry Peter Jackson caused more of a scene than the mid-air dogfighting when he turned-up at an airshow this weekend.
Jackson who is producing a remake of classic World War Two flick The Dam Busters and is an avid wing-nut was seen photographing and filming aerial scenes at the Classic Fighters Omaka 2009 Airshow in Marlborough.
Oscar-winning Jackson was spotted in the corporate section on Friday and yesterday taking footage of a World War One battle re-enactment.
A source told Sunday News Jackson was "happy and smiling" but moved around discreetly.
The Lord of the Rings director is a World War One aircraft collector and some of his collection is included in the three-day show which ends tomorrow and attracts about 40,000 visitors.
He is also the chairman of the Omaka Aviation Heritage Trust, which hosts the biennial show featuring antique and classic open-cockpit biplanes and vintage cabin airliners of the 1920s and 1930s, along with noisy and colourful World War Two winged craft.
The Spitfire, Mustang and Kittyhawk, PBY Catalina, DC3 and Harvards are among those on display that performed aerobatics and mock battles.
An 88mm Flak 37 German artillery gun also featured in the displays. It belongs to Jackson's aircraft restoration and manufacturing company, The Vintage Aviator.
Jackson's attendance at the show sees him taking time out of a busy schedule which includes working on the movie version of Tintin and writing and executive producing The Hobbit.
His latest completed film, The Lovely Bones, is to be released in December and has been picked as a front-runner for next year's Oscars.
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