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Post by Ykato on Jun 24, 2011 15:59:16 GMT 12
RNZAF Aermacchis Go On The Market The Air Force's retired Aermacchi jet trainers are up for tender, Defence Minister Wayne Mapp announced today. The aircraft were withdrawn from service when the Air Combat Force was disestablished in 2001. They will be sold on an "as is, where is" basis, the Minister said. Full item Here: www.voxy.co.nz/politics/rnzaf-aermacchis-go-market/5/93144 |
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Post by Chris F on Jun 24, 2011 16:40:10 GMT 12
Wonder if any are purchased by New Zealand buyers and we see a couple still flying here?
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Post by Dave Homewood on Jun 24, 2011 17:25:40 GMT 12
Hmm, so there were 18 aircraft.
One was crashed and the remains went to the Ohakea Museum, now the property of the Air Force Museum of New Zealand I suppose.
Three will go to national Museums and 13 are for sale by tender. So what happened to the 18th one??
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Post by lesterpk on Jun 24, 2011 19:40:56 GMT 12
Another had a wheels up landing and wasnt repaired IIRC.
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Post by obiwan27 on Jun 24, 2011 20:24:03 GMT 12
Anyone have a feeling of Deja vu?
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Post by skyhawkdon on Jun 24, 2011 20:54:44 GMT 12
At least 3 are going straight to museums (hopefully with all their avionics intact!).
I'm surprised none appear to be going to GTW to replace their Strikemasters. If the RNZAF gets a new advanced trainer it will be a tandem ejection seat equipped aircraft and the seats will most likely be very similar to the Macchi's. Since 2001 the RNZAF hasn't trained their new armourers on ejection seats (it was removed from the syllabus). All that will have to be re-learned. The Macchi would provide a perfect training aid. Far better than the old Blunty.
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Post by vs on Jun 24, 2011 22:09:48 GMT 12
They are going to need a bigger hangar at Wigram with all the new arrivals....2 x A4, P40, Bell 47 (has one been allocated yet?) and now a 339 in a short space of time...hope they make it big enough for a 727!
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Post by flyjoe180 on Jun 24, 2011 22:13:56 GMT 12
Is there much left of the 727?
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Post by skyhawkdon on Jun 25, 2011 8:32:31 GMT 12
The museum's expansion plans are well advanced. I just hope the current financial situation doesn't scupper their plans. Once complete they will be able to display all their aircraft and still have room for more in the future. This will free up the current storage hangar for more restoration work.
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Post by baz62 on Jun 25, 2011 14:23:41 GMT 12
I emailed this to the NZDF and the Government Tender Service:
"From Wayne Mapp's Media statement:
"We have carefully considered the future of the 16 aircraft. Their age and condition means that they are no longer suitable for military training."
Good luck selling them after that stupid statement. Right up there with labour saying the Skyhawks were past it to get rid of the Comabat wing then saying they were in great condition to try and sell them!"
Hee hee they'll send the SAS round to take me out for that crack. ;D
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Post by motoxjase on Jun 25, 2011 14:46:23 GMT 12
The museum's expansion plans are well advanced. I just hope the current financial situation doesn't scupper their plans. Once complete they will be able to display all their aircraft and still have room for more in the future. This will free up the current storage hangar for more restoration work. Hopefully the plans include room for a C130 and P3 when one-day in the future they are retired!  |
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Post by obiwan27 on Jun 25, 2011 15:43:57 GMT 12
Note to (any) NZ Government - do not try and sell any ex-RNZAF military hardware, you are crap at it. As Baz says, you do not bag a fleet of aircraft that you're trying to offload into the market as the corresponding sales pitch will be undermined = NZ Government speak with forked tongue.
You'd think that the polly's would have learned from the Skyhawk debale but no, Dumb and dumber!!
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Post by murray86 on Jun 25, 2011 20:08:25 GMT 12
C'mon guys,
the sale of the skyhawks was never a goer. The updated Kahu avioncs were the only thing they had going for them. They were worn out, well past their use by date and beyond it. The betrayal of the airforce by der Furher Helen and her ideologically blinkered eyes prevented us from upgrading, moving into modern technology with a capable platform that would have let us do our job of supporting our grunts in the field, while being able to survive against modern anti-air weapons. The yanks who were looking at them were dreamers and would have had to compete with the crowd who got the israely A4's.
It would have better right from day one to put them up for private buyers and museums, as many espoused at the time.
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Post by yogi on Jun 25, 2011 22:25:23 GMT 12
murray86 this thread is on macchis.
While most of us probably agree with some of your post, the skyhawks certainly were not worn out (im sure this can be backed up by more knowledgable people than myself) and if need be could have served in their role providing close air support for many more years, I was lucky enough to have just recently seen one in the flesh and it looked in pretty good condition from where I was standing especially considering it had been sitting outside for the last 10 years!
I think it would be better to use the macchis than let them sit and rot even if they do have some faults because we just arent going to sell them.
But what would I know.
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Post by nige on Jun 25, 2011 23:27:39 GMT 12
Well Don here on the forum has told us the Skyhawks fate if the F-16 deal went thru - US Govt would have taken care of them for us and got some use out of them by another "friendly" (hopefully Don's forthcoming book has all the juicy details). But when the F-16 deal was scrapped by Miss HC and then when she decided to scrap the Skyhawk ACF, yes I agree, a sale (in that situation) was never a goer....US Gov approval and 9/11 seemed to scuttle that idea! (Hmmmm ... Wonder if the then NZ Gov bothered to ask US Gov in 2001 whether a sale would be approved? If not, then the then NZ Govt were duh-heads! But if they did, then the shear deception and arrogance of the then NZ Gov on the people of NZ eg saying they would be sold and money re-couped, means the then NZ Govt was a fraud! Hmm ... wonder if there is a Wiki-Leaks cable from the US Embassy that exposes this aspect)?  |
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Post by corsair67 on Jun 26, 2011 11:37:48 GMT 12
Mr Nichols, if you're out there - a Macchi would make a nice hangar companion for Strikemaster NZ6370..... |
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Post by Dave Homewood on Jun 26, 2011 19:01:42 GMT 12
Can you imagine it at an airshow of the near future, a No. 14 Squadron Tribute Flypast with:
- Harvard
- P-40E
- Corsair
- Vampire
- Venom
- Strikemaster
- Macchi
All we'd need to complete the set is an Oxford, a Canberra and a Skyhawk.
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Post by strikemaster on Jun 26, 2011 19:19:07 GMT 12
Sounds like a plan, Dave.
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Post by furyfb11 on Jun 27, 2011 11:17:40 GMT 12
Don't think you will see a Venom Dave.
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Post by Dave Homewood on Jun 27, 2011 12:58:08 GMT 12
Is the Venom totally written off then?
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