Anyone remember filmstrips (! lots of pics)

[hairy]

Found this educational film strip from the age of cheeseyness in a secondhand store recently, apologies for the dodgy scans but it was a wee bit unweildly. I thought you might like to see it.
;D

[hairy]

A few musings............

1) What became of Paul and Megan (she would be 58 now)?
2) Why can't airliners have windows like that now?
3) Re. the Christchurch check-in guy, wouldn't you get arrested for looking at an 11 year old girl like that now.
4) Why would Auckland Radar have an image of Wellington displayed?

[sniff]

A ripping yard!
Lashings of ginger beer, anyone?

Auckland/Whenuapai too.

[Bruce]

Great stuff - I remeber filmstrips like this when I was at School in the early 1980s (Probably strips of a similar age!)
points of note other than those already raised:
The bus taking them to the airport is driving along the North Western motorway - which is deserted!
The Auckland airport is Whenuapai (1961 was pre Mangere)
Everyone gets the really cool NAC flight bags
Cameo Cream Biscuits havent changed at all (At least they get them on their flights...)
The Grandparents can go right to the aircraft to meet arrivals (mind you - see what the Invercargil terminal looked like...)
Kids knew about cups of tea (with saucers)
No-one had to go through a metal detector...

[Dave Homewood]

That is really neat. I also wondered about the bloke at Christchurch. I also note the refreshments on the planes now certainly seem better, but you don't get the chinaware plates. Don't those seats look terribly uncomforable! Those straight backs on them must have been a killer on a long flight.

What is the hat of that chap by the radar? At first I thought it was an RNZAF badge, is it?

I've not seen anything like this before, how are these filmstrips presented? At first I though you meant an actual moving image film, but then I noted the subtitled writing. Is it a movie or is it like slides? I don't understand.

[Bruce]

They were slides on a continous roll of film, advanced frame by frame through a special projector (Which also did conventional slides.
The great grandaddy of PowerPoint!

[Dave Homewood]

I see, thanks.

It's pretty responsible of the young lad to go to the travel agent and book himself and his sister on! Mind you kids probably do the same thing now, via the net.

[Dave Homewood]

I'm going to move this into the civil aviation section, I think it's ,ore appropriate there.

[chrisnpl]

The gentleman at Christchurch check-in does look a little creepy - but ah well, maybe it was a more innocent age! In a way, the ladies look a bit creepy - or at least fake - too!
As to the radar, I am wondering if Auckland did not actually have that kind of radar at the time, and it was only installed in Wellington.
Like others I strongly suspect that photo was taken at RONGOTAI tower... and one of the "Whenuapai" apron photos is taken at Christchurch (large rectangular signs)

The Reserve Bank Calculator gives the cost of the ticket at around $330 today - likely enough that was each way, at half fare!

As to the motorway - my guess is the photo was taken at Te Atatu Road - what does everyone else think?
I miss the big windows, but not the seats in aircraft from that time... I was born well after the Viscounts left New Zealand's skies, but my first flight was in a screeching Friendship...

To back up my comment on the radar - here is a quote from Whites Air Directory, Vol. 12., 1961...

WHENUAPAI INTERNATIONAL AIRPORT

Public Facilities:
Dining room and restaurant, Cafeteria, News Stand and Magazine Stall, Souvenir Bar,
Government Tourist Bureau and tourist agencies, Mutual Rental Cars, Airport Taxis, Candid Camera Service, Bank of New Zealand, Post and Telegraph Office, Free Car Park.

Facilities for Operators:
Port of Entry: Whenuapai is a designated port of entry having full immigration and customs facilities.
Fuel: Full fuel and oil, including turbo fuels from depots operated by Shell, Standard Vacuum, British Petroleum, and Caltex.
Hangarage: Very limited, but adequate outdoor parking
Maintenance: Full engineering services are available from Tasman Empire Airways Ltd., Pan American World Airways, and New Zealand National Airways Corporation.
Operations: The Auckland Air Traffic Centre is located at the airport. There is also an airport meteorological station. The operations branches of operating airlines are also located on the airport.

7.5NM NW Auckland.
Designated International Airport.
Joint civil and military field, light aircraft prohibited without prior permission.
Surface: Multiple sealed strips, longest 04/22 6590ft.
Facilities: Full international facilities, full fuel and oil including turbo, maintenance, and hangarage.
Navigation Aids: Radio: Tower, Approach, Non-Directional Beacon, Distance Measuring Equipment, Radio Navigation with fans, locators, Very high frequency Direction Finder (VDF).
Lighting: Location beacon, hazard beacon, high intensity approach lights on runway 04/22 centre line on both strips with two bars each end runway 04/22, threshold, runway and taxiway lighting, illuminated landing direction indicator, tarmac floodlight, hangar obstruction lighted.
Tel: Auckland 17-049. Elev: 100ft

[Dave Homewood]

I'm sure the RNZAF would have had radar at Whenuapai in 1961 (they had it there in WWII!) but perhaps it was in a restricted area where kiddies were notallowed to be photographed?

You're right about that tower shot not matching Whenuapai though. Perhaps if not Rongotai it may be Christchurch with those hills being the Alps?

Note Whenuapai has free car parking in 1961!!

[Brett]

Whenuapai still has free parking. It is the towing and impound fees that will set you back.

I think the strip was great!

Is the order correct, though? It would have a better flow with some of the slides in a slightly different place.

I have shown it to an ex-Hostie and she got misty-eyed and all "Oh yes, I remember..."

[nzompilot]

There is a very similar video to this on the Classic New Zealand Aviation 1 DVD - also featuring people travelling between Auckland and Invercargill - seemed to be a popular route for making advertising films on

[Peter Lewis]

Don't forget that this promotional item was 'advertising' so parts of it will be ring-ins. 'Paul' and 'Megan' would have been child actors, probably not even related.

The view of the (northwestern) motorway looks a bit strange, I can't relate it to the Te Atatu interchange (no overbridge), I lived in Te Atatu and used this area daily from around 1970. At that time, this motorway ran from Pt Chevalier to what is now Westgate, the Pt Chev - City extension did not come until the 1980s.

The children (and other passengers) are dressed in their best clothing for the trip, no jeans hoodies or trainers when you traveled by air in those days. Given the airfares charged - $330 one way half fare, so $660 full fare and no early purchase/standby/economizer fares at that time - only the affluent could be NAC travelers.

My first ever long trip was Whangarei-Wellington with my father. That involved the railcar from Whangarei to Auckland, then the overnight Limited train down to Wellington - and he was traveling on business!
A few years later I flew to Nelson for an air scout camp - NAC Dominie Onerahi to Whenuapai, Viscount to Wellington, DC3 to Nelson. The same for the return trip, except the Viscount flight was late arriving at Whenuapai, and the Whangarei Dominie had already departed so we did the final leg to Whangarei as 4 hours in a NAC Bedford bus.
Lad, we had it tough in them days!

[Dave Homewood]

Thanks to Fair Go a few weeks back Peter, you can claim back a partial refund for being bunged on a bus. Might be worth claiming based on the inflation rate!

[paddy]

My first ever long trip was Whangarei-Wellington with my father. That involved the railcar from Whangarei to Auckland, then the overnight Limited train down to Wellington - and he was traveling on business!

Ahh the old Cabbage Train. Second class smoker

The Airforce's method of transporting the lowly AC's and LAC's

Anyone remember

[stu]

This brings back memories of not only school days and filmstrips but also visits to Hamilton airport as a young chap, standing by the outside departure gate and reveling in the prop-wash and smell of a Viscount.

My mother also has an old newspaper photo of the Japanese Prime-minister on his arrival at Hamilton many years ago doing the photo-op thing and shaking hands with a very little Stu. I can't remember it but she keeps saying how horrified she was as we went there for a "Sunday drive" in our daggy old clothes and all of a sudden this gaggle of dignitaries with accompanying media swarmed into the terminal and there we were like possums in the headlights.

Cheers,
Stu.