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Post by mumbles on Jan 20, 2009 19:35:33 GMT 12
And another selection from the weekend. The P-40 retraction sequence just never looks normal... Checkers Tailchase from the Friday Practice Yak launch, Saturday Closeup of Yak wheel, sans tyre on Saturday..... Maybe over engineering the solution, but I like the way this kid thinks Finally, in the early 21st century the dream of flying cars has been realised..... Checkers launch, Saturday Introducing the P-91 Mushawk For sale or trade: RNZAF issue sport parachute. One careful owner, slight wear and tear. Buyer pickup, no refunds And in all that I missed completely meeting anyone from the Forum. I did see Moeggo from a distance, but I was en route to try and meet Hairy at the designated time and place and was running late. I was a few minutes late and waited a while but didn't see anyone, and when I went back to look for Moeggo to say hello he had disappeared. Oh well, theres always next time
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Post by Dave Homewood on Jan 20, 2009 21:24:19 GMT 12
Regarding the mention of repainting the P-40E and Corsair, despite what the general public might wish, and I'm sure the owners also realise the significance of RNZAF schemes and are aware of the public opinion of preference for New Zealand colours, the paint schemes they currently wear both seem to be in very good condition. A repaint on two aircraft would be hugely expensive just to change the scheme to suit a whim of public opinion. In the past when they were OFMC aircraft their regular repaints were funded by film work, something they don't seem to get here. I'd rather see the money spent on keeping them flying in unpopular schemes till they genuinely need a repaint.
Is that Yak marked '67' a new aeropalne on the scene? I don't think I've seen that one before.
When I was at Wanaka in 1996 the commentary team was anchored by Ian Brodie and Jim Hickey. I thought both were very good in the job. I wasn't at this airshow but I read some scathing comments of Jim's commentary on the NZFF forum too. I found it surprising. He's a genuine enthusiast and aviator and I found him very knowledgable at Wanaka. I also enjoyed the team at Omaka in 2007 of Graham Orphan and Jim Hopkins. A mix of humour and knowledge, though by the third day the scripted jokes were wearing thin.
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Post by ZacYates on Jan 21, 2009 6:37:31 GMT 12
I personally had no problem with Jim Hickey's commentary, although I did cringe whenever Doug Batten was proclaimed as the owner of the Spitfire and the MX2..... It never got too much for me, despite the close proximity of a speaker to us the commentary never drowned out the engine noise . I mean, we heard the impact of the dropped car pretty clearly! Speaking of which, Kate Whatsername from the RNZAF I always enjoy hearing....also enjoyed seeing her mingle in the crowd.....love a woman in a flightsuit
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Post by tbf25o4 on Jan 21, 2009 7:30:34 GMT 12
Re the commentary, I have to agree with other comments that the comentary team seemed more interested in "idle chatter" and themselves. One of the things that has put me off Warbirds over Wanaka! They even had several historical facts wrong with numbers of aircraft used by the RNZAF, the reasons for various colour schemes (ala the white tail on the P40) spoiled what was a pretty good day despite the winds preventing the WWI aircraft displaying
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Post by Freighter5910 on Jan 21, 2009 10:30:48 GMT 12
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Post by corsair67 on Jan 21, 2009 11:17:07 GMT 12
Air show commentary can be very irritating at times - but I'm good at switching off so it doesn't always bother me too much - unless I'm trying to video something! ;D At least you probably didn't have to listen to the PA being over-used as a convenient way for bogans to locate one another at the show, like at Amberley last year! It becomes very tedious when every 15 mins or so there's an announcement like "Would Ashlee, Brittney and Brock please meet Trentt, Ferret and Bevan beside the Holden tent in 5 mins"!
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Post by hardyakka on Jan 22, 2009 18:34:24 GMT 12
Yak 67 is actually ZK-ZAY. It has been around since 1995 but was given a new paint job in 2007. It used to be white.
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Post by Dave Homewood on Jan 22, 2009 19:40:05 GMT 12
Thanks Evan. I wondered if it was a new paintjob.
Over on the WIX Forum they are setting up a Warbirds photo competition with some really top prizes. Some of you guys should enter I reckon, especially the Harvard oops!
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zkarj
Warrant Officer
Posts: 35
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Post by zkarj on Jan 23, 2009 18:37:50 GMT 12
That and the fact that the speakers were so loud and hard to escape. They needed to be higher, or placed at the back of the crowd. My brother called me on the cellphone to see where we were and his opening line was "We'd better be quick before this idiot starts talking again!"
Those "dumb nicknames" are part of the 'Force. Everyone gets them bestowed - often for reasons they'd rather forget. I find them reasonably entertaining.
Also, don't forget that the only reason the RNZAF are there is to entice "boys and girls" to aspire to an Air Force career. If you don't fit into that demographic, then you're not the one they're trying to please. :-)
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Post by hairy on Jan 23, 2009 22:17:40 GMT 12
That and the fact that the speakers were so loud and hard to escape. A certain short, fat, furry forum member knew where the volume control is on the speaker closest to ARU and himself. Aformentioned speaker got to a much more reasonable level during the day............. somehow. What was driving me nuts was the lack of a delay on such a scattered setup and the loose connections popping and banging through the system..............................and Jim of course.
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Post by Gavin Conroy on Jan 24, 2009 7:45:10 GMT 12
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Post by phil on Jan 24, 2009 21:55:20 GMT 12
I got sick of Jims blatherings. And it was pretty embarrassing the way they both kept labouring the whole female pilot thing ad nauseam. The bit about the lost drivers licence was shocking, they sounded like 13 year old boys seeing a photo of a girl for the first time.
At least Kate did her usual good job. She seems to be the voice of the RNZAF - She does the reading of all the bios at the pilot grad parades too.
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Post by Dave Homewood on Jan 24, 2009 22:33:30 GMT 12
So often at airshows these days the main complaint always seems to be the sound system - both the quality of the commentary or worse the very annoying habit these days of having speakers along the front of the crowdline on poles. It spoils vision, and photography, and especially filming and usually they're so close together and there are so many of them you cannot escape the noise. And often they're far too loud.
The only airshow I've attended in recent years that got it right was Whenuapai Open Day 2007, where the speakers were behind the crowdline and facing the runway, so you could hear them but didn't have to see them. This is how it should always be. Some of these professional soundsystem companies may think they're getting better quality sound or a bit more volume or something by puting the poles in front where they obscure your view, but it's totally not needed. Whenuapai's commentary (Kate again with another English RNZAF lad) was superb. And it was also minimalist - they said enough and not too much.
I don't understand why other airshow organisers don't realise that speakers don't need to be deafening and in your bloody face, and in your photos and on our otherwise lovely film pans.
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Post by ErrolC on Jan 25, 2009 6:07:47 GMT 12
So often at airshows these days the main complaint always seems to be the sound system - both the quality of the commentary or worse the very annoying habit these days of having speakers along the front of the crowdline on poles. It spoils vision, and photography, and especially filming and usually they're so close together and there are so many of them you cannot escape the noise. And often they're far too loud. The speakers for the Taupo Medieval Festival next weekend also have the issue that they are non-period, which breaks the immersion effect they are trying to create. This year, they are being placed on higher poles, which should get them out of everyone's sightlines.
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Post by lesterpk on Mar 10, 2009 22:02:19 GMT 12
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Post by Dave Homewood on Mar 10, 2009 22:21:19 GMT 12
Super shots there Les, a really different angle to see, Thanks for posting these, they're excellent. I especially like the crater lake shots.
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Post by flyjoe180 on Mar 11, 2009 8:51:55 GMT 12
Ditto, great photos and many thanks for posting them.
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Post by FlyNavy on Mar 11, 2009 15:49:04 GMT 12
lesterpk, thanks for the crater helo photos. I never thought a helo could look luverly. ;D
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Post by corsair67 on Mar 11, 2009 16:41:53 GMT 12
They are wonderful photos, Les. Thanks for sharing.
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