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Post by agile on Jul 15, 2009 18:05:39 GMT 12
I love the bicycle in the last shot. Was that the standard mode of transport to the flight line at the time?
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Post by shorty on Jul 15, 2009 19:39:37 GMT 12
Every section had a butchers bike, they kept the groundies mobile. It was amazing what you could get in that basket. (Bloody unstable with too much weight over that little front wheel though!) We had one at the skin bay for carrying rivet guns, dollies, and all the other stuff we needed to do our work.
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Post by alanw on Jul 15, 2009 21:44:28 GMT 12
I love the bicycle in the last shot. Was that the standard mode of transport to the flight line at the time? I recall living at Wigram/Whenuapai,probably Hobby too, you could go on base at most times during the day and guaranteed to see one or two such bikes going some where.... I think from memory they all were black...... If they weren't being ridden they were parked some place conspicuous....
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Post by shorty on Jul 16, 2009 8:23:06 GMT 12
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Post by shorty on Jul 16, 2009 11:07:55 GMT 12
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Post by FlyingKiwi on Jul 16, 2009 19:20:02 GMT 12
Interesting to see an Iraqi Fletcher there.
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Post by Dave Homewood on Jul 17, 2009 16:55:06 GMT 12
Alan, yes all the section bikes I recall seeing were black, but each had an individual sign between the bars (where the advertising normally went on a shop bike) where the section's name usually was painted. Some of them were colourful. No. 3 Squadron (Detachment) at Wigram had one with black and red checkers, and I'm sure CFS had one with red and white checkers too. Others had cartoons, etc.
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Post by phil82 on Jul 17, 2009 19:51:39 GMT 12
Of course the term "Station Bike" had other connotations, namely a reference to certain ladies of flexible morals "whom everyone had ridden!"
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Post by shorty on Jul 17, 2009 21:05:22 GMT 12
Bit of a mixture this time around; First up is "McCreedy", 14's mascot on Vanguard 12 Next up is a Devon parked outside PAC and then a Canberra buzz and break; and finally a Canberra overhead at Tindal
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Post by phil82 on Jul 18, 2009 1:30:01 GMT 12
Shorty; I was at Tindal! And I have some colour slides somewhere. The problem was that I'd no sooner stepped off the Herc when the Squadron WO, an Aussie Police Sgt, and an RAAF Flt Lt Doctor collared me! It turned out ther had been a road accident at Katherine involving an Aust Army truck, in which one person had been killed and the other taken to the local Katherine hospital. I have a rare blood group, B Negative, and they wanted to know if I was prepared to donate to the injured guy, which of course I agreed to. I was taken into Katherine and duly gave blood and they kept me in there until collected next day by the RAAF Doctor with the news the guy had died overnight and they were flying his coffin to Darwin, and for health reasons I was going with him. So I spent the next week in air-conditioned comfort while you lot sweated it out at 40c!! I never bought a beer the whole time I was away!
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Post by shorty on Jul 18, 2009 13:54:47 GMT 12
Had some monuimental sessions at Tindal (What else was there to do at nights??) A couple of "arty" shots of RAAF B 20s at Ohakea and one other thats not quite as aesthetic!
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Post by shorty on Jul 18, 2009 23:04:40 GMT 12
A couple of formation shots, first up a four ship Canberra formation at Tindal Next a fairly well known official shot of five Harvards and a solo A4K from the days when they still wore white tanks, again this is probably a RNZAF Museum photo. Note the 75 sqn marking is still on the fin and hasn't yet been shifted to the intakes.
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Post by phil82 on Jul 19, 2009 9:00:17 GMT 12
Some photos from MY stash . I have, stashed away in a cool, dry, drawer in sealed boxes, some 500 or so colour slides, one or two of which are of aircraft! I haven't taken any slide photos for at least 25 years, so I've been investigating a means of copying them onto a CD to give better viewing and posting access. I looked at buying a special slide copier, but that was expensive for a piece of kit I'd only use once, so I gave that idea away pretty smartly. Then I had an offer in my mailbox from someone offering to do exactly what I was wanting, but at a cost of fifty cents per slide, plus I had doubts about the quality etc. So I gave that away. Then, by sheer chance, I turned up at Te Papa yesterday to meet up with Dave, and he had a mate with him who lectures in photography at the Wellington branch of Massey University! In the ensuing conversation I mentioned my problem and was then staggered by the response! "We have such a machine with a cassette feed at work", he said, "and I'd be happy to put your slides on a disc". The subsequently agreed fee was a bottle of Single Malt. How's that for a deal! So watch this space!
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Post by shorty on Jul 19, 2009 11:29:28 GMT 12
A second stash thread sounds great! I look forward to it In the mean time how about some foreign Canberras starting with two shots of a RB-57F ,with a wingspan about twice that of a standard Canberra (and two extra engines), captured at Tengah during Vanguard 9 The Long winged series of B-57's were built because the USAF didn't have the money to design the NEW recce airplane they wanted but they had lots of modification monies to spend. Thus the long winged B-57 program cost MORE than if the USAF had just purchased the new airplanes they wanted in the first place. Sounds like the reason that the UH-1 that crashed on Mt Cook was rebuilt instead of being replaced. There was money in the maintainance and repair budget but not in the capital expenditure fund. hence as long as you had a makers plate you could "repair" the aircraft by fitting all new parts around the original plate! and then we have two 81 sqn aircraft with a 45 Sqn T-Bird between them. Notice the black smudges on the light grey finish, caused by the exhaust of the cartridge starters. A T-Bird Hunter is visible in the background. Also note the monsoon drain in the foreground, these were very deep and the downfall (literally) of many a drunken airman. Also a hiding place for snakes, scorpions and other nasties.
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Post by shorty on Jul 21, 2009 20:05:58 GMT 12
A Canberra coming home over 14s flight line at Tengah,you can just make out a Vulcan parked beside the two Canberras (and facing the opposite way.) Next we are back at Ohakea where a formation practice was taking place in readiness for a fly past. Not all aircraft were available for the practice hence the gaps in the formation and the inclusion of a T 13
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Post by shorty on Jul 23, 2009 9:51:37 GMT 12
As a short break from Canberra and Singapore type we'll have 3 that are quite different Omaka about 1970 Ohakea 1969 and TTS Woodbourne 1968
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Post by Dave Homewood on Jul 23, 2009 10:08:19 GMT 12
Shorty, is that four-ship formation of Canberras in post # 871 made up from RNZAF Canberras, or RAAF as seen in the previous post? I like the Canberra shots a lot, especially the large formation photos. I'll bet that sounded awesome! Any idea what the formation flypast was for that they were practicing?
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Post by shorty on Jul 23, 2009 10:27:37 GMT 12
The four ship were ours, if you look close you can make out the bubble canopies (as opposed to the "goldfish bowl" type) The Aussies never had that style and neither did the resident RAF Sqns (45 and 81) at Tengah
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Post by shorty on Jul 23, 2009 11:29:54 GMT 12
Just for Dave another of the formation: And now for one of my favourite photos. Taken at Tindal during exercise Townhouse in June 1969 it is a time exposure of a Canberra night start up and taxy. To explain what is happening. The row of red dashes behind the aircraft is the flashing light on top of a Landrover doing a runway check. The white curve is the landing light as the aircraft moved off and turned to to it's left, visible in this stripe is the green flash of the nav light. The taxy light by the nose gear ios also lighting up the bottom of the fuselage and inner wing and the crew door is also letting light out prior to it being closed. (This was left open until the last possible moment) The three red spurts of flame can be seen coming from the starter cartridges for each of the engines. The bright light in the cockpit is the pilot shining his torch onto his hand signals. In front of the aircraft is the marshaller (Shorty Cullen) with his wands. Holding them down by his side, sweeping them up and down to his side for the flap indication, holding them together over his head for bomb bay closed and making a cross up to the left for divebrake positions. The whole exposure was about 4 to 5 minutes and my camera was sitting on a servicing ladder. Enjoy!
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Post by phil82 on Jul 23, 2009 13:30:32 GMT 12
Shorty, but didn't 81 Sqn at Tengah have the Canberra PR9....which had a canopy similar to our B12 but hinged at the back. A longer nose though!
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