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Post by lesterpk on May 6, 2006 20:07:31 GMT 12
Hi all, dont know if these have been seen here before but thought I'd share anyway. First, an A-4 going past HMS Illustrious at wave top height. Note the trails in the water, this guy is low!!.  Next is a 727 coming too close for comfort to a big hole the ground while practicing for an airshow.  Enjoy, Les. |
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Post by phil on May 6, 2006 21:15:25 GMT 12
Wow, that 727 is pretty low, me thinks they might have misjudged that one a bit...
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Post by Calum on May 6, 2006 23:33:27 GMT 12
The RNZAF 727's used to do a great airshow display. The 757 display is pretty good as well. As I overheard a Yank saying at Avalon 2005, "Watch these guys.... See, You can tell it's a leased aircraft "
I just laughed :-)
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Post by Dave Homewood on May 7, 2006 20:16:18 GMT 12
Great stuff Lester. I had seen the Boeing photo in NZ Wings back in the 1990's but it's such a stunning shot it's always worth seeing again.
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Post by trimotor on Oct 25, 2014 15:35:38 GMT 12
I was at WP on the day of that 727 display practice, which was for the Timaru airshow in about 1987-88, and knew the FO pretty well. The apparent 'lowness' is partly a function of the position of the viewer-the ground is not level, though the aircraft was quite low. The AOC did prevent the TU display happening though... 727 displays were then not done for some years, though I was lucky enough to do several some years later, including formation with C130 and P3-something that had only (then) recently been back in vogue, after a near mis years before which injured some of the crew.
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Post by phil82 on Oct 25, 2014 22:06:23 GMT 12
I was aware of at least two RNZAF pilots caught low flying, one kicked out and the other permanently grounded , the former for hitting a Works and Bricks truck with his wingtip on Himatangi Beach in a Harvard, and the second for unauthorised low flying in a Vampire.
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Post by beagle on Oct 26, 2014 10:10:40 GMT 12
wasn't there a certain Andover pilot told off re an incident with a hang glider or similar.
If so was he the same pilot who rolled an Andover
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Post by trimotor on Oct 30, 2014 19:48:45 GMT 12
There were a few low flying incidents on the Andover around that time, though the pilot that was eventually formally found to have barrel-rolled the Andover was not the pilot that was told-off for the hang-glider incident, as I recall. That was another well-known pilot with an ejection history.
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Post by Dave Homewood on Oct 30, 2014 20:59:14 GMT 12
It was alleged that someone also barrel rolled one of the NATTS Friendships. Any gen on that?
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Post by baz62 on Oct 30, 2014 21:18:07 GMT 12
Yep. Kel Alderidge (sadly no longer with us) did it. He was an instructor on the Friendship and a friend of mine said he had to do it to pass his check ride!
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Post by trimotor on Oct 30, 2014 22:35:15 GMT 12
Low flying incidents were frequent (by comparison) at Ohakea, some falling into folklore -starting with trees and telephone wires being brought back to OH wrapped around various parts of the A4. One of the last and most eye-watering was with a Macchi along Himatangi beach, in about 1994. The Op Flight pilot (now out, but perhaps best to remain nameless) and his back seat pax (another Op Flight guy) had apparently met a couple of young girlies the night before and arranged to fly past where the girlies were planning to be sunning themselves the next day. The first 'error of judgement' was that the portion of beach was just outside the Coastal low Flying area. Never mind: when did rules ever get priority over testosterone? So, our steely-eyed wonders flew past at very high speed (420kts, if memory serves) and VERY low level. The subsequent review of the HUD tape showed 20ft on the rad alt. Quite when it changed from 10 to 20 no-one knew, so they could have been anywhere between 11ft and 29ft ago. Based on the actions of the spectators SEEN IN THE HUD VIDEO, diving behind rubbish bins and lying in gutters, it was probably the former. Then the boy wonder cranked on 30 degrees of bank. The wing tip was certainly no more than 10ft from the ground then. The wake blew some surfboards over that had been stuck vertically into the sand. Apparently, the police were called.
A reception was waiting on their arrival back at the Sqn. The Base Commander (BC) was grim-faced. The tape was reviewed, then it was commanded that the tape be taped-over to prevent it becoming OH legend. I have the tape -it has been taped over. The highly experienced knucks at 14 at the time (Oz and others) described the low flying as the lowest they had ever seen and were not sure they could/would want to replicate it. Courts Martial were convened (as I recall): regardless; punishment for the PIC was a year's loss of seniority (I think - quite a big punishment in the longer term) and posting (ground job, I recall, though he ended-up on the P3).
The back-seater's punishment escapes me, but he was recorded on the video's audio cheering the pilot on. It wouldn't have been that bad if they hadn't gone back for another go.
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Post by aircraftclocks on Oct 31, 2014 0:47:10 GMT 12
I recall being told not to go out on to the line one day on 14 Sqn. This was in the mid 80's and an aircraft had just landed. We were told not to approach this aircraft until the CO had inspected it. The CO made his inspection and there preceded to tear strips off the pilot. All in plane sight but not hearing distance.
The crime... collecting samples of pine trees in the nav lights of one of the tip tanks.
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Post by ZacYates on Oct 31, 2014 10:42:55 GMT 12
I would buy a book by you former RNZAF guys even without names being involved. Some of these memories are just fascinating!!
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Post by baz62 on Oct 31, 2014 11:40:31 GMT 12
Actually now I think on it they were doing wing overs not barrel rolls. Maybe he or someone else did do a barrel roll?
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Post by armourerron on Jan 27, 2015 14:12:41 GMT 12
I was aware of at least two RNZAF pilots caught low flying, one kicked out and the other permanently grounded , the former for hitting a Works and Bricks truck with his wingtip on Himatangi Beach in a Harvard, and the second for unauthorised low flying in a Vampire. Back in the day, after pilots had finished their term they went back to civvy street but came back on reserve duty for a week or so each year to brush up on their skills. One of them had gone top dressing in South Taranaki and on one of his reserve duties flights in a 75 sqn Vampire he returned with cow shit in the wheel arches. Plonking a vampire down for a touch and go on a agricultural strip might have impressed his mates, but not the Air Force. He was outta there post haste and that ended his career. From memory I believe he was one of the last sergeant pilots of that time -- the 50s. He's probably the guy you mentioned phil82 |
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Post by phil82 on Jan 27, 2015 15:58:52 GMT 12
I was aware of at least two RNZAF pilots caught low flying, one kicked out and the other permanently grounded , the former for hitting a Works and Bricks truck with his wingtip on Himatangi Beach in a Harvard, and the second for unauthorised low flying in a Vampire. Back in the day, after pilots had finished their term they went back to civvy street but came back on reserve duty for a week or so each year to brush up on their skills. One of them had gone top dressing in South Taranaki and on one of his reserve duties flights in a 75 sqn Vampire he returned with cow shit in the wheel arches. Plonking a vampire down for a touch and go on a agricultural strip might have impressed his mates, but not the Air Force. He was outta there post haste and that ended his career. From memory I believe he was one of the last sergeant pilots of that time -- the 50s. He's probably the guy you mentioned phil82 Nope, he was P/o and it was in the 60s |
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dodgy
Flight Lieutenant
Posts: 89
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Post by dodgy on Jan 28, 2015 15:39:12 GMT 12
Low flying incidents were frequent (by comparison) at Ohakea, some falling into folklore -starting with trees and telephone wires being brought back to OH wrapped around various parts of the A4. One of the last and most eye-watering was with a Macchi along Himatangi beach, in about 1994. The Op Flight pilot (now out, but perhaps best to remain nameless) and his back seat pax (another Op Flight guy) had apparently met a couple of young girlies the night before and arranged to fly past where the girlies were planning to be sunning themselves the next day. The first 'error of judgement' was that the portion of beach was just outside the Coastal low Flying area. Never mind: when did rules ever get priority over testosterone? So, our steely-eyed wonders flew past at very high speed (420kts, if memory serves) and VERY low level. The subsequent review of the HUD tape showed 20ft on the rad alt. Quite when it changed from 10 to 20 no-one knew, so they could have been anywhere between 11ft and 29ft ago. Based on the actions of the spectators SEEN IN THE HUD VIDEO, diving behind rubbish bins and lying in gutters, it was probably the former. Then the boy wonder cranked on 30 degrees of bank. The wing tip was certainly no more than 10ft from the ground then. The wake blew some surfboards over that had been stuck vertically into the sand. Apparently, the police were called. A reception was waiting on their arrival back at the Sqn. The Base Commander (BC) was grim-faced. The tape was reviewed, then it was commanded that the tape be taped-over to prevent it becoming OH legend. I have the tape -it has been taped over. The highly experienced knucks at 14 at the time (Oz and others) described the low flying as the lowest they had ever seen and were not sure they could/would want to replicate it. Courts Martial were convened (as I recall): regardless; punishment for the PIC was a year's loss of seniority (I think - quite a big punishment in the longer term) and posting (ground job, I recall, though he ended-up on the P3). The back-seater's punishment escapes me, but he was recorded on the video's audio cheering the pilot on. It wouldn't have been that bad if they hadn't gone back for another go. I have heard the same story from an aircraft engineer who was based at Ohakea at the time. He shared the names with me. I then shared the story about a particular wing commander who was hated by one and all. Even the armourers bent all the fins on his prac bombs to make him look crap. |
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Post by trimotor on Feb 13, 2015 20:36:39 GMT 12
Excellent! I bet I know who that was too..
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Post by armourerron on Feb 14, 2015 9:43:16 GMT 12
Back in the day, after pilots had finished their term they went back to civvy street but came back on reserve duty for a week or so each year to brush up on their skills. One of them had gone top dressing in South Taranaki and on one of his reserve duties flights in a 75 sqn Vampire he returned with cow shit in the wheel arches. Plonking a vampire down for a touch and go on a agricultural strip might have impressed his mates, but not the Air Force. He was outta there post haste and that ended his career. From memory I believe he was one of the last sergeant pilots of that time -- the 50s. He's probably the guy you mentioned phil82 Nope, he was P/o and it was in the 60s |
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Post by armourerron on Feb 14, 2015 9:46:19 GMT 12
Actually, no. It couldn't have been the 60s because it happened while I was at Ohakea and I left there in 1957.
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