power lines on Queenstourn Hill station. As a result of the crash Wallis broke his back which required steel plates to be inserted in his spine. He remained partly paralysed in his left leg, which required him to use a steel (later titanium) calliper extending from the thigh to shoe. Wallis managed to continue his flying career despite the injury. In 1984 he purchased a North American P-51 Mustang from John Dilley of the USA. Painted in RNZAF colours, it attracted much media attention as the first flying Second World War fighter seen in New Zealand for some years and played a major part in the 1980s and 1990s expansion of the Warbird movement in New Zealand. The purchase of this aircraft caused him to establish the Alpine Fighter Collection. Spitfire purchase In October 1988 he sold his P-51D Mustang which allowed him to purchase a Supermarine Spitfire Mk XVI, RAF serial TB863 from Stephen Grey in England. He obtained his rating on the aircraft at RNZAF Base Whenuapai in Auckland with the help of Stephen Grey. After giving a display at an airshow at Ardmore Airport in January 1989 he headed south to Masterton. While on the way he ran out of fuel after misjudging the Spitfire's fuel consumption. He managed to divert the aircraft to Waipukurau airport but during the final approach the engine failed and he crashed it damaging the undercarriage and propeller. It took nearly a year to restore the aircraft to airworthiness. In November 1992 he again crashed the Spitfire when he was caught by a wind gust when attempting to land at the RNZAF Base Woodbourne in Blenheim. As a result, the left undercarriage and left wing were damaged. New Zealand Fighter Pilots Museum He was a driving force behind the establishment of the New Zealand Fighter Pilots Museum which was built alongside the Alpine Deer Group offices at the Wanaka Airport. It was opened in 1993 by retired Group Captain Colin Gray. In a nearby hangar was located the Alpine Fighter Collection. Its first curator was Ian Brodie. Restoration of the Polikarpovs After attempting to find in Russia suitable Messerschmitt Me-109 or Focke Wulf 190 wrecks to restore and after being swindled of US$12,000 for three non-existent Antonov AN-2 biplanes Wallis concentrated on obtaining the remains of crashed Polikarpov aircraft. Eventually by 1993 he had purchased sufficient remains to have six Polikarpov I-16s