P-40 To Fire Live Rounds At WOW 2008!!

[Gavin Conroy]

How cool is this going to be:
Latest News

Exclusive Event for Warbirds Over Wanaka International Airshow 2008
25th February 2008:General Manager of Warbirds Over Wanaka, Gavin Johnston, announced today that a warbird would feature in a live gun-firing exhibition for the first time ever at an airshow in New Zealand. "An Auckland based Curtiss P-40 Kittyhawk has been fitted with working guns. The guns will be fired from the aircraft as it takes part in the show", he said.

The Chairman of the Warbirds Over Wanaka Community Trust, Garth Hogan said "The P-40 will fire all six machine guns in an historic re-enactment of attacks on shipping over Rabaul during 1944. The public have never had the opportunity to see such an exciting event. The sound from these guns firing is seriously loud".

As the aircraft passes along the display line at over 240mph (386 km/h) it will fire at the barge in 2-second bursts. In that time the aircraft will have travelled over 700ft and the guns fired more than 60 rounds.

"The sight, sound and smell of these guns firing is a unique opportunity to see what it was like when these aircraft flew in anger during the war", Garth said.

"This event is exclusive to Warbirds Over Wanaka International Airshow 2008. No where else in New Zealand (or the world) will you see anything like it".

The live firing exhibition will take place on both the Saturday and Sunday of the show.

New Zealanders in both the Middle East and the Pacific used the Curtiss P-40 Kittyhawk extensively during World War II. Fitted with six 0.50 calibre guns, the aeroplane was very successful in both the air to air combat and ground attack roles.

Warbirds Over Wanaka International Airshow 2008 will be held at Wanaka Airport over Easter weekend (21-23 March 2008).

[yak2]

They are being very careful with the wording here. In fact I am prepared to offer my services as a live target, provided I am paid expenses!

[skyhawkdon]

They will be firing blanks I presume??!!!

[stu]

Yippeee ... we have a strike force again ;D

[p40fanatic]

Where are the forms? Where do I enlist?

AWESOME! I've been wanting this, dreaming of it, for years and years, and could NEVER understand why not. Wow....first the Brisfit at Omaka, and now the P-40!!!!

*starts shaking with major anticipation*

[flyjoe180]

Maybe the Americans have heard about this live firing display and that's why they are reluctant to let that Spitfire leave! Zac, remember to breathe and eat mate.

[Dave Homewood]

That's not true it's the first time, back in the 1930's and 1950's the RNZAF fired live rounds and dropped live bombs at airshows!

Interesting act too, especially in this day and age of health and safety. I look forward to seeing the DVD.

[phil82]

There will be a few around on this site who've seen live firings, but not at an air show!

I once did a stint at the RAF air-to-ground range at Asahan in Malaya when 20 Sqn Hunter FGA9s were firing their 30mm Aden cannon at hessian targets on the ground. It was a very impressive sound! The ammuntion links were collected in those 36DD cups below the nose [known as Sabrinas after a buxom English lady!], but the shells fell free, to be collected by the locals for the brass content.

[Marcus]

Hi all

A few years ago... 21 actually.... damnn, we are getting old.... we were given a firepower demo by the air force (this being the SAAF not RNZAF) Two Aermacchi MB-326K or Impalas as we called them strafed the hulk of an old VW Combi van (where they so named in NZ as well?) They Imps first attacked with 68 mm rockets and then strafed with their two internal 30mm Defa canon. The sound of the 30mm's going off was unbelievable. It sounded more like a "buuurrrpp" then the "rat - tat- tat" commonly associated with machine guns. After the Impalas had gone an Allouette III took over and fired at the wreck with it's 20mm canon. Awesome sound the weapon made.... The Allo would go into a very tight bank/turn above the target and the flight engineer would let rip with the 20mm. Awesome spectacle.

Marcus

Dust and dirt from the Allouette III's 20mm canon strikes on the "target"



The said Allouette III and it's 20mm



An old print photo I took of a single seat 326K (Impala)

[yak2]

skyhawkdon said:

They will be firing blanks I presume??!!!

Pilots or aircraft ? ;D

[p40fanatic]

Haha!

Superb Marc! That's amazing!

Breathe? Me? Haha! And food only occupies time better spent drooling over warbirds...

[hardyakka]

That. Is. So. Coool!

I remember going to my first ever airforce airshow and seeing "A4 Airfield Attack" in the programme.
I was staring at the diving Skyhawk watching for the cannon flashes... when the "cannon shell" pyros started going off. I was heartbroken and felt soooooo cheated.

This (if it is actually the real story) will be something REALLY different for an airshow. I expect footage to be on YouTube within hours of the event.

[fletcherfu24]

Interesting,a .50 cal needs a safety zone of about 3 1/2 miles,maybe you will need binoculars to see anything?.
No doubt their insurance company is happy to provide lots of cover,literally and figuratively,should they accidentally shoot up the crowd line or inadvertantly strafe Wanaka.
Still a month to April 1 too!.

[phil]

Hmmm, .50 sure do ricochet an awful lot, the macchis had to stop their air to ground gunnery because of this, they kept hitting themselves.

Knowing a bit about safety templates for air to ground ranges, one would expect they will be firing blanks.

Not to mention the the legal issues surrounding civilians firing fully automatic weapons. The only licence under the Arms act that allows this is a 'C' licence with Theatrical endorsement, and then only for blanks. This is what re-enactors use.

[amitch]

Of course they will use blanks.

One airshow was stopped because the risk of sitting on cow poo was such that 2,000 to 5,000 spectators may have been hurt or worse. So there is no way that real rounds would be fired, gosh up to 10,000 could be hurt or worse. Lucky you don't sit in a cow paddock at Wanaka, the wounds could become really infected ;D

[stu]

I hope it's on the correct side of the airfield so they don't blind children by making them look into the sun.

;D