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Post by Dave Homewood on Dec 26, 2017 19:48:57 GMT 12
Did anyone here ever have a school visit to an airport or an aerodrome back in your school days? And if yes, did it inspire you to get into aviation or seek a career in an aviation field?
Sadly, though we have Hamilton Airport just down the road from Cambridge at Rukuhia, I never got to have a school trip to the airport. I'm just curious as to whether airports and aerodromes/aero clubs etc actually invite and host school classes. And are teachers and schools enlightened enough to take kids along and show them the world of opportunity in flying and the world of aviation?
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Post by scrooge on Dec 26, 2017 20:05:53 GMT 12
I recall hosting a couple of visits- at least 1 kindergarten and 1 primary level. Plus some school holiday program stuff.
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Post by isc on Dec 26, 2017 20:35:51 GMT 12
Yes, while in my last year of school, three of our class did an airport visit of sorts, we got taken from Dunedin, to Woodbourn for a long weekend, return flight in a Hastings to the Boy Entrant School, but I think you really mean the class going just down the road to the local airfield, even a topdressing strip in action with someone to tell what's going on. isc
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Post by Peter Lewis on Dec 27, 2017 6:58:24 GMT 12
SPANZ used to do short joyrides for schoolkids back in the day.
Sadly, these days airfield staff are too busy putting up their "KEEP OUT - AVIATION IS HAZARDOUS TO YOUR HEALTH" notices to be interested in hosting schools.
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Post by Dave Homewood on Dec 27, 2017 7:09:35 GMT 12
Fly DC3 does rides for kids, they did one for the Warbirds member kids on the same day as our recent Forum Meet.
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Post by Bruce on Dec 27, 2017 9:03:34 GMT 12
Yep, definitely did a school trip to Hamilton Airport when I was in primary School. Visited Robertson Air Services and sat in a Fletcher, and went inside an Air NZ Boeing 737 at the terminal (they still flew them in to Hamilton then...) Got some Air NZ lollies! Airport Fire service did a demo. Thinking back, although I was already an aircraft nut, the visit certainly helped cement it!
I'm involved with a local ICONZ (Boys Brigade) unit, and we've visited the Airport Fire station several times - great blokes who love doing demos with the fire trucks!
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Post by chbessexboy on Dec 27, 2017 9:44:52 GMT 12
Though not a school visit, a family friend who was mad on aircraft (having witnessed air battles over England in WWII) took his son along to the local airport to inspire him to become a pilot. After talking his way into the control tower, he tried to impress upon his son the wonder of flying as they watched commercial aircraft arrive and depart. The son leaned forward and looked down at the ground staff driving converted Ferguson tractors towing baggage trailers and, to his father's disappointment, announced THAT was what he wanted to do - and he eventually did!
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Post by davidd on Dec 28, 2017 9:35:17 GMT 12
Education trips were few and far between when I attended a tiny school on Banks Peninsula in the late 1950s/early 60s (in fact I only recall one, in which a few local parents took us to Christchurch to see the Queen Mother being driven around Lancaster Park in a very shiny Landrover in 1958. However I think this was more a "British Empire" thing than being concerned with learning about local industries or the wielding of political power and the operation of democracy. However I well remember our only other trip, which occurred in 1964 when I attended Hoon Hay School in Christchurch for a year, I still have the itinerary for this trip, which was a visit to the NZ Capital, with a return voyage there and back (both at night) by the USS Coy's MAORI from memory, a great adventure. I do remember that we visited Parliament (although nothing much going on there, but we were given brief explanations as to how it was all supposed to work), and a visit to Wellington Zoo, where I took some of my first photographs, including the local pelican, as well as the large head of a very inquisitive emu, who seemed to find camera lenses very interesting. Also a visit to the weather station well up on a hilltop (name escapes me, but was a very important place at the time, stated with letter K?) I think we also visited the Wellington Railway Station which was considered to be a bit of an architectural marvel, and it did indeed impress us all. Will have to dig out this old stuff sometime. However the main point is that I had never heard of airports ever being considered of any interest to the general public, not being worthy of serious study. Of course some kids by that time were being taken (usually by Dad) to local airports or even topdressing strips to see aircraft in action, and thousands were visiting their local airport anyway as just a part of normal life, picking up and depositing relatives from other parts of the country, much like bus stations or seaports. And the airports at that time often went to the trouble of providing viewing areas for visitors to "watch the action" as well as waving to arriving or departing relatives. Those were the days!
David D
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Post by Dave Homewood on Dec 28, 2017 10:38:27 GMT 12
As far as school trips went for me, I recall visiting the Cambridge Fire Station and being taught all about the engines and about fire prevention. We also had a class visit to Hamilton Zoo when I was about ten years old to see their two lion cubs, which we were really lucky to get to pat on the head. And vaguely I seem to recall we had some school visit to the Mystery Creek Museum to look at the Clydesdale horses but I don't really remember anything about it.
As a young kid I think I visited Hamilton Airport once, late at night, with the family, to pick up one of Dad's friends who'd returned from England. Very vague memory but the plane he arrived in was a Viscount I think. Probably around 1977 or so. We went to the big airshow there in 1980 and also a big event at Te Kowhai in 1980 too, but I don't recall much at all about either. My next airshow did not happen till about 1987/8, at Hamilton Airport, a small warbird fly in (Harvards, Rapide and a Hawker Demon replica) which is the first real awakening to warbirds for me I think. We visited Auckland Airport once or twice in the mid 1980's too, not to pick anyone up etc, just because Dad wanted to go and watch the big jets i think, so it was a big day out for us small town kids. I remember being amazed by the 747's. Back when AIA had a whole floor for viewing planes and the tarmac from.
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Post by camtech on Dec 28, 2017 19:15:06 GMT 12
Being of a serious vintage, I have no recollections from school days of trips away from school. In fact, the earliest I can recall would be visits to Wigram and Burnham for school cadet training and in later years, school geography trips to Rakaia Gorge and a trip to Wellington with the 1st XI Soccer team as part of a sporting interchange. Yeah, I know, boring, but that was my education.
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Post by isc on Dec 28, 2017 20:20:53 GMT 12
When I was in Form 2 at Dannevirke North school, we went on a trip north to Hastings an Napier, we visited a cargo ship, a plastics factory, Plix Pastic Products I think it was, then, of all places we went to Rothmans cigarette factory(no free samples). isc
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Post by kevsmith on Dec 29, 2017 1:24:13 GMT 12
I was recently asked if I had any contacts at Moorabbin Airport that could organise a trip for kindergarten kids (and their parents and teachers) to have an introduction to aviation. My contact was the owner and CFI of TriStar Aviation, a Flying School at Moorabbin and she set up a number of contacts including the Aerodrome Lessee who extended the list of contacts to other operators and organisations on the field. Apparently the visit went extraordinarily well and the person who originally asked the question of me was very well pleased and impressed by the whole visit. So - a little research can still go a long way in this day and age. And for me - there were no such trips when I was at school but we did have one big sporting trip. I went to Penrose High School (foundation Student). We raised the money by a paper drive for travel by NAC DC3 from Whenuapai to Paraparaumu, then Tieri for the Maadi Cup schools eights rowing event at Lake Waihola in 1958. This was when it was a boys only event and we were unplaced on the day. The return journey was by train from Dunedin to Christchurch, then on the Union Company ship TEV Hinemoa overnight to Wellington and then the 3.30pm express to Auckland. I have photos of the school group about to board the DC3 at Whenuapai. Best wishes to all for 2018!  |
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Post by Dave Homewood on Dec 29, 2017 9:02:23 GMT 12
I never knew the Maadi Cup was held elsewhere, these days it's only ever held here in Cambridge, on Lake Karapiro, or alternate years at Lake Ruataniwha in Twizel.
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Post by rone on Dec 29, 2017 9:43:13 GMT 12
In ancient times the Maadi Cup was also competed for at Wanganui ( no H in it back then either )
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Post by thomarse on Dec 30, 2017 13:52:22 GMT 12
No "H" in it in my estimation now either
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Post by kiwithrottlejockey on Dec 30, 2017 17:46:37 GMT 12
When I was in Form 2 at Dannevirke North school, we went on a trip north to Hastings an Napier, we visited a cargo ship, a plastics factory, Plix Pastic Products I think it was, then, of all places we went to Rothmans cigarette factory(no free samples). isc Depending on how old you are, you may have known my uncle (my mum's older brother) who was a GP in Dannevirke for a few decades. Dr Bruce Hunter was a Handley-Page Halifax pilot during WWII, then went to medical school after he returned from the war. |
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Post by isc on Dec 30, 2017 20:12:57 GMT 12
I was there 58,59,60, at Dannevirke North, 2yrs, and Dannevirke High. I seem to remember a Dr Hunter, but I don't know where that was. isc
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Post by kiwithrottlejockey on Dec 30, 2017 21:10:08 GMT 12
He was definitely a GP in Dannevirke during those years.
We used to see him regularly when we were kids, because he used to drive up to Hastings to see his sister (our mum).
Also, he used to purchase a new Jaguar from Ross Dysart & McLean Motors in Hastings every couple of years, trading in the old Jag.
Bruce Hunter was also a general surgeon at Dannevirke Hospital. When he retired as a GP in his early 60s, he purchased a farm a few miles out of Dannevirke, but kept current as a surgeon for a few more years. He used to do one day of operations a week at Dannevirke Hospital. The hospital staff used to tell visitors to the hospital who asked how many surgeons they had, “we've got three general surgeons, plus a local farmer comes in one day each week to do a few operations” which used to raise a few eyebrows. We all used to get a lot of laughts out of that.
And to get back on topic, our uncle never touched the controls of an aeroplane again after returning from WWII.
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