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Post by htbrst on Dec 27, 2013 17:18:48 GMT 12
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Post by Dave Homewood on Dec 27, 2013 18:22:52 GMT 12
I recall one fell off on take-off at Woodbourne in 1989 and it went through the neighbouring grapevines causing a bit of damage, apparently.
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skyman
Flight Lieutenant
Posts: 82 
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Post by skyman on Dec 28, 2013 12:58:21 GMT 12
To me this looks very much like a 300 US gallon Skyhawk under-wing fuel tank without the tail-fins. During my time with Skyhawks (and Strikemasters) baggage pods were made from the outer casings of 7-shot rocket launchers and much smaller than a 300 gallon tank and could be carried by Skyhawks and Strikemasters.
Al.
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Post by beagle on Dec 28, 2013 13:08:42 GMT 12
that's what I thought too
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Post by shorty on Dec 28, 2013 15:21:37 GMT 12
I was in the skin bay at Ohakea when we converted the luggage pods and they certainly didn't look like that
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Post by phil on Dec 28, 2013 15:31:25 GMT 12
Luggage pods (SULCS) were converted LAU-10s.
That looks more like the components for the 75 SQN entry in the Raft race, made from drop tanks.
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Post by baronbeeza on Dec 28, 2013 15:40:37 GMT 12
Yep, at least the item on sale is just a photo. A slide at that so there may be a little guessing going on.
The raft race seems entirely feasible, might I suggest this would have been taken before the big day...
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Post by htbrst on Dec 28, 2013 17:47:26 GMT 12
Here is a baggage pod attached to a Strikemaster from a keypublishing forum post which suggests that in RNZAF service it was termed a Strategic Underwing Luggage Container pod  The raft race seems entirely feasible, might I suggest this would have been taken before the big day... Your probably right - I had thought that RNZAF Skyhawks had missed the shark mouth meme, so was keen to find one on one afterall  |
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Post by phil on Dec 28, 2013 18:22:08 GMT 12
I always thought it was Skyhawk Underwing Luggage Container, not sure there is anything 'strategic' about it. I suspect that might be someone making up a designation to fit the letters, but I could be wrong.
Looking at the photo, there are two drop tanks as far as I can make out, making me even more certain it is part of the raft race entry.
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skyman
Flight Lieutenant
Posts: 82
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Post by skyman on Dec 28, 2013 18:38:32 GMT 12
In my day SULC stood for Strikemaster (or Skyhawk) Underwing Luggage Container. These pods were swapped between 14 and 75 Squadron wherever they were needed.
Al.
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Post by phil on Dec 28, 2013 18:45:07 GMT 12
And they are currently sitting at disposals at Auckland, after languishing at 6SQN for the last few years.
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Post by baronbeeza on Dec 28, 2013 19:03:09 GMT 12
A man with a Strikemaster should have one of those for Xmas.
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Post by skyhawkdon on Dec 28, 2013 22:49:01 GMT 12
They are definitely the 75 Sqn drop tanks used on the raft. First time I saw them in No 3 hangar would have been around 1987. From memory they were 300gal tanks. Definitely not baggage pods.
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Post by skyhawkdon on Dec 28, 2013 22:55:44 GMT 12
There was also a "LOX Pod" which was used to transport full Skyhawk 10lt Liquid Oxygen converters around. Woodbourne had no LOX on base so whenever a Skyhawk was coming out of Group another Skyhawk flew down from Ohakea with a full Lox converter in the pod. Last time I was at Ohakea in 2012 the Lox pods were sitting outside the Oxygen Bay. This is a SULC fitted to a Skyhawk  And the LOX PODs as found in 2012   |
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Post by skyhawkdon on Dec 29, 2013 7:28:37 GMT 12
A photo of the SULC that fell off '54 as it did a buzz and break at Woodbourne in 1989. It fell into a vineyard and contained CO2 Sqn (Ian Gore) No 3 SD uniform. He was going down to attend the official handover of the first Kahu production aircraft NZ6255.  From memory the investigation found the thread of one of the lugs failed, possibly from the lugs not being screwed into the pod far enough and/or from fatigue cracks in the threads. Plus they discovered these SULC pods had no maintenance or inspection regime, particularly an NDT inspection of the lugs and threads. |
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Post by Dave Homewood on Dec 29, 2013 9:23:48 GMT 12
It's a lucky thing it was only the vineyard and not houses or a school it fell on, I guess. I remember the incident but thought it happened when the Skyhawks were leaving, not arriving. I also was on the parade for that Kahu handover, and recall the tense few seconds when the Defence Minister used the yellow and black seat handle to pull himself up to the cockpit. Warren Cooper I think it was, wasn't it?
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Post by skyhawkdon on Dec 29, 2013 11:37:27 GMT 12
It was Bob Tizard. Here is a photo of the ceremony (note the Bristol Freighter in the background!)  |
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Post by Dave Homewood on Dec 29, 2013 12:19:03 GMT 12
Ah yes, that's right. And a former RNZAF pilot too, you'd think he's have had some idea what not to use as the hand grip. At least that lot got to sit down and dose off while we were on parade at attention... |
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Post by Dave Homewood on Dec 29, 2013 12:19:58 GMT 12
I think that Freighter is the one that flew out to Canada a few months later, and later crashed, isn't it?
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Post by baz62 on Dec 29, 2013 13:54:35 GMT 12
I think that Freighter is the one that flew out to Canada a few months later, and later crashed, isn't it? It is if it's the same one that went to Wigram first for the Museum. Did the Museum get anything as a trade for the Freighter or was it just money? |
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