Aviator and deer industry pioneer Sir Tim Wallis has died at age 85.
From Greymouth, Sir Tim built a career which began with his family's timber business, while he enjoyed spending much of his free time hunting deer and developing live capture methods now used across the globe.
He became one of New Zealand's wealthiest businessmen through deer farming - and as his wealth accumulated, he began to buy and restore old World War 2 planes.
What began as a hobby grew into the New Zealand Fighter Pilots' Museum in Wānaka and the Warbirds Over Wānaka air show which Sir Wallis founded in 1988 as a way to share his collection.
Airshow pilot John Lamont met Sir Tim at the first Warbirds Over Wānaka event in '88, and has flown at every show to date.
He says his friend Tim came up with ideas nobody had ever dreamed of, including iconic mock-warplane attacks at event finales.
Lamont spoke to Ingrid Hipkiss.
