|
Post by Bruce on Mar 13, 2005 19:22:36 GMT 12
I was just looking at the Cambridge Airforce pages and noted that Cambridge used to have its own airfield at the trotting club Raceway. Reading the newspaper clippings it is quite impressive the councils eagerness to provide an air field for the town. What would be thier current attitude I wonder. Quite a few Cambridge people own aircraft, which are generally based at Hamilton, however in the last few years Airport development has pushed up hangar rentals and landing fees and generally light aircraft owners feel they are being pushed out of the airport. There are at least 4 homebuilt aircraft under construction or recently completed within a few Km of town, and the area is an ideal location for a "Satellite" airfield for the region. Somewhere near Rotoorangi or Goodwood would be ideal. The only problem is the Resource management act and the fact that anyone can make a fuss and stall the project (Unless its power pylons). To overcome this, an "airfield company" would need to buy a big enough patch of land to have a buffer zone. What are peoples general feelings on the idea? anyone have any ideas how to beat the RMA?
|
|
|
Post by Dave Homewood on Mar 13, 2005 19:40:27 GMT 12
I have not yet discovered when (and if) the Cambridge airfield was officially closed. Perhaps you're still entitled to use it!
There used to even be an airline service between Cambridge and Hamilton in the 1930's. The pilot was the very famous pilot Mac Macgregor from what I've been told. Not a scheduled airline, but in fact pretty much a charter business because if you wanted to go to Hamilton and didn't want to take the train ot the ferry on the Waikato, you could fly with him and land at Claudelands! Apparenly no-one sane used the road, it was too rough until it was sealed just before the war! Hard to believe all this, our own aerodrome, airline, ferry, railway and SH1 being unusable even for horses!
The last to go was the railway of course which was a huge shame.
|
|
|
Post by Bruce on Mar 13, 2005 19:54:33 GMT 12
Hmmm, perhaps I could fly to work (in Hamilton)
|
|
|
Post by Dave Homewood on Mar 13, 2005 20:30:41 GMT 12
Great idea - and te uni has that huge field no-one uses. You know thge one - should be carparks! You could land there.
|
|
|
Post by Bruce on Mar 14, 2005 18:15:34 GMT 12
Trust me... Ive had a look at the Uni playing fields, which are plenty big enough - the only problem is the High voltage arrestor wires on that cross them on pylons. For a while there was a nice private airstrip just out of town on the road to Karapiro, had a good Hangar that was home to a Tiger Moth. The place was sold sometime in the 1990s - and the new owner obviously isnt a plane owner. Anyone want to buy shares in an airfield venture!... we could base our Tempest, Sunderland and Vulcan there...
|
|
|
Post by Dave Homewood on Mar 14, 2005 19:02:11 GMT 12
Ah yes, those pylons would be a bother. I have seen someone flying quite a large biplane model there one day, not too far from the pylons either.
I remember that Tiger Moth, it used to be over Cambridge often. Is the airstip this side of Karapiro or the other side? The other side is all millionaire's houses now!
Sadly there's power lines across the lake too that may hinder our Sundy
|
|
|
Post by Bruce on Mar 14, 2005 19:37:56 GMT 12
The airfield used to be just out of town, a couple of hundred meters past the Lamb st / Browning st Intersection, about opposite the old (and historically significant) Pukemiro Dairy factory. I think the Tiger was the one Russ Rimmington owns now.
|
|
|
Post by Dave Homewood on Mar 14, 2005 19:50:59 GMT 12
Interesting. My Dad and others used to fly model aircraft on a strip just about there or a little further on, where baby pine trees were grown. That was late 1980's though. The Tiger was 1990's wasn't it?
Didn't Russ Rimmington used to be a politician of some sort? Mayor of Hamilton or something, wasn't it? I didn't know he flew.
|
|
|
Post by Bruce on Mar 14, 2005 20:06:03 GMT 12
Yeah Russ was Mayor of Hamilton before the one before the they have now He is an aviator, he flew his Tiger at the opening of the new Hamilton Airport Terminal. Appears to be pro-aviation, but made a mess of virtually everything else. Should get on well with Ewan Wilson, But doesnt seem to! The forestry plantation is about half a Km further down the road from the airfield. You can still see the Hangar if you look to the Left passing the old dairy factory. (just pass the cattle underpass) There are fences across the strip new and the tress have grown a bit big across the end. no sign of the place being up for sale in the near future though, Would be worth investigating.
|
|
|
Post by Dave Homewood on Mar 14, 2005 20:15:49 GMT 12
Yep, I know where you mean now. I didn't realise that was a hangar.
How about a stip on the flatter side of Cambridge, the big plains around Monavale? Or is that too swampy?
I still think it woul be great to get a strip back by the racecourse, even if it is a little further over.
I'm told the Southern Cross landing on Taylor's farm, which was Victoria Road, just down from the footy clubs. A lot of aviation took place there. It was also the gold course and polo club at one stge. Might be good for a strip now? Probably too many fences or hedges now.
|
|
|
Post by Dave Homewood on Mar 14, 2005 20:18:05 GMT 12
Imagine how cool it would have been flying in from Hamilton in Mac's plane, chasing the steam train all the way! The line goes right past the strip so it'd make a great race. I wish I could paint, I'd do an aviation artwork of a 1930's plane lifting off from the racecourse paddock over the Camridge branch line train.
|
|
|
Post by Bruce on Mar 14, 2005 21:24:22 GMT 12
anything west of a line from Monavale to St Peters is inside the Hamilton Airport Control zone, which makes things awkward operationally. East of there is good, I understand that at one stage 1980s I think there was a small microlight airfield in Mclarnon Rd which runs from Monavale to Rotorangi Rd. Lots of Horse studs around that area though, and the owners of those are not only picky about aircraft flying over, they are very influential. Hautapu area wouldnt be bad, although Horses do their thing around there as well. The River flats around SH1 south east of the town are good but once again high land values, lifestyle blocks and those flamin horses again... (there is actually a farm for sale in that area now that would be ideal) I think the area back behind the Karapiro Rd, toward Rotorangi has potential. Basically, I say forget the Horses, Cambridge Town of Horses is so Last century - How abou Cambridge Town of Light Aircraft - I'd vote for that. BTW I can paint - I'll think about a DH60 and the racecourse...
|
|
|
Post by Dave Homewood on Mar 14, 2005 21:45:30 GMT 12
Hard to believe it was the racecourse people fully behind the aerodrome, eh! 1929 horses must have been tough!
By the way, Karapiro Road and Roto-o-rangi are on opposite sides of the river. Karapiro road is the one that branches east from SH1 at Mobil Karapiro. Did you mean Roto-o-rangi Road - the one that goes from Leamington to Karapiro Domain?
Ooh, please get cracking on the painting. One of the DH60's from Cambridge, thought to have been Teddy Harvie's, was bright red. I wish I could find out his registration serial, and the same goes for the headmaster at St Peter's on Hamilton Road's DH60. Someone out there must have a register of 1930's rego's.
|
|
|
Post by Bruce on Mar 15, 2005 7:19:38 GMT 12
Yeah strictly the road is Maungatautari Rd, RotooRangi rd goes to... well, Rotoorangi! Everyone on our side of the River calls it The Karapiro road, it all gets confusing. SH1 is actually called Tirau Rd, But Ive never heard it called that! Re the Dh60s, I could probably find the regos, otherwise the painting could use the time honoured technique of putting the Wing in the way of the Rego....
|
|
|
Post by Dave Homewood on Mar 15, 2005 23:22:31 GMT 12
Ah, the painting challenge is on. Since you can paint and I cannot (very well) I decided to cheat and make an artist's impression of what a painting might possibly look like. This is a computer generated 'painting' created by layering several different images over one another and manipulatingthem to create one false image. Then a few tricks are used to attempt to make the photos look like paint. I chose a random serial, not sure if it was ever used on a real plane. Sorry this is so crap, one hour's rushed job. I just hope it inspires you to do a great painting to outshine this one. Consider yourself non-commissioned.
|
|
|
Post by Bruce on Mar 16, 2005 21:03:04 GMT 12
Theres a lovely Red DH60G just restored to the air in Northland - ZK-ADT (is that where you got your pic from?). This machine was flown from the UK to Australia, then shipped across the Tasman by Stan White in the 1930s. It has been restored by a school woodwork teacher from Wellsford (would have loved to be in his class) at one stage it was being worked on in the lounge and hallway of an education board house! The craftsmanship is superb - keep an eye open for it. Might get around to the painting after Easter - I need to get the wings of my plane put together.
|
|
|
Post by Dave Homewood on Mar 16, 2005 21:45:11 GMT 12
That's a co-incidence. No I didn't use the Northland one. This was a G-registered UK one. I made up the rego randomly!!
If you need a hand fitting the wings, Mike and I will probbaly be able to lend a hand mate. Let us know.
|
|
|
Post by Bruce on Mar 17, 2005 21:22:40 GMT 12
Heres a couple of my Aeroplane orientated paintings - I have also done plenty of historic mining scenes and some landscapes:(Note compression of these images has caused loss of quality) This one below is currently on display in Frans Cafe: Media is acrylic on board. All paintings are currently for sale, proceeds to Bruces aeroplane fund
|
|
|
Post by turboNZ on Mar 17, 2005 21:51:03 GMT 12
Great pics, Bruce !!! Excellent stuff !!!
|
|
|
Post by Dave Homewood on Mar 18, 2005 14:57:45 GMT 12
Very nice, Bruce. Thanks for sharing them with us.
|
|