Kiwi Red - excellent webpage

[Dave Homewood]

I discovered this by pure chance tonight and found it an incredible record of the team. I learned a lot from it. It's also written very well with much nostalgia.

www.geocities.com/redkiwi.geo/skyhawk_kiwi_red.htm

I had no idea that the 1990 team had appeared so often arounf NZ in that season. They certainly earned their money, those chaps.

I recommend you take a few minutes to read this site. I have no idea who the author was but I congratulate their attention to detail.

[skyhawkdon]

I agree it is excellent. Gave me warm fuzzies reading it and remembering watching all the Kiwi Red practices over Ohakea (including a few near misses). The viewing area off State Highway 1 used to be full every time they did a practice over base. The 2 Sqn social club did very well out of it as I used to go along the fence selling 2 Sqn and A-4 memorabilia to all the spectators! 75 Sqn never cottoned on to what they were missing out on - but they subsequently did alright out of Kiwi Red related memorabilia sales at all the airshows they did, so I didn't feel to guilty making a few bob for the 2 Sqn social club from their Ohakea practices. Half the time they were using borrowed 2 Sqn aircraft anyway!

[Dave Homewood]

On looking deeper into the website I see it is run by Mark Rogers, or on this forum he's RedKiwi. Did you write that piece too Mark?

I also had waves of nostalgia washing over me while reading it. i saw several of the 1990 displays - Ardmore, and Hamilton twice. Plus I recall several of the live TV coverages such as the Commonwealth Games opening and closure, etc.

I recall when they were in Hamilton I went with my family to see them. It was a Suday afternoon, and i was mightily ipressed. I even bought one of their red hats which I still have. I should look out the photos. I can't recall if that was when the Southern Cross visited hamilton too or not. Must check the photos.

The last time I saw the team was over Hamilton, and i guess it must have been the end of their five day deployment. I was in town but had just got onto the bus to come back to Cambridge. As we were going up the hill at Hillcrest I looked back across the city and could see the team displaying low over Hamilton. Great times.

You don't get a better PR and recruitment campaign for the RNZAF than that season, do you? All this nonsense today of video games and texting, pah!

[phil82]

I saw many Kiwi Red displays, but the very best in my humble opinion was one of the last-mentioned, the one over Wellington Harbour. It was, indeed, a brilliant calm day, and the sight and sound of the break as aircraft hurtled up various streets. or so it seemed, was unforgettable. It's not every day you see an A4 whizzing up Tarankai St!

[corsair67]

I saw the 1987 display at Christchurch Airport; and even though the F/A-18 and F-111 displays were excellent - to me Kiwi Red stole the show on the day.

I was a little disappointed by the lack of unit souvenirs at the Ohakea Open Day last April: 6SQN seemed to be the only ones cashing in on the event by selling caps and patches. At airshows here just about every RAAF unit sells caps, patches, stubbie coolers and shirts for their respective social clubs - I bought 12 stubbie coolers from 6SQN at Richmond in October!

[agalbraith]

Boy, that was a great read.

Thanks

Anthony

[redkiwi]

I wrote this article some years back, the week the Team visited the South Island was certainly an exciting time for everyone down south who had with even the slightest interest in aviation. Even the additional show at Wigram drew a crowd.

I was fortunate enough to get annual leave for the period and followed the Team around Invercargill, Dunedin and Christchurch by road and rounded off the week by catching a special Air New Zealand 737 flight to the Blenheim Airshow.

Great times.

Wing Commander Bates and the RNZAF PRO provided great assistance at the time I wrote the article.

Ross Ewing pick up a piece and included it in his book Topped Gun.

I have more general stuff that I've researched at the RNZAF Museum in Christchurch and will one day sit down and add this to the web site.

Mark

[Dave Homewood]

Mark, congrats on a really great story. I'm glad to see form the comments above I'm not the only one who enjoyed reading it.

Your article provided a lot of additional dates for my airshow site. Now that I have positively identified the author, you, I will credit you for the information. I have also linked to your page.

Well done, and I look forward to the additional stuff you have found too.