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Post by FlyNavy on May 13, 2009 17:30:19 GMT 12
Any information on 'portable arrestor gear' testing in New Zealand by your Skyhawks please? Thanks. The text below is from another forum:
"The portable arrester gear was tested about the late 80s sometime around 88 or 89 and at the same time the aircraft were going through their (KAHU) upgrade. I recall reading a newspaper that had a photo of an A4 without the hump testing it in Woodbourne."
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Post by Dave Homewood on May 13, 2009 17:51:17 GMT 12
They were using the portable arrestor gear at Woodbourne in 1989 when i was there, probably about April-Julyish, not certain exactly but that's when I was at No. 4TTS. That was pre-Kahu however I'd guess as we also watched the first ever Kahu being handed over at Woodbourne in a special ceremony during the same period. As there was only one Kahu flying then (a T-bird) and I seem to recall several aircrfat using the arrestor, I'd say most if not all were pre-Kahu.
I have a feeling i saw that arrestor used at Wigram once too. It used to be on the back of a green truck from memory and could be deployed around the place.
At the time as a newbie to the RNZAF I never realised it was anything out of the ordinary and assumed they did carrier landings all the time.
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Post by FlyNavy on May 13, 2009 18:28:36 GMT 12
Dave, Thanks. First I had heard of the portable arrestor gear but not unusual that "I know nothing" about Kiwi Skyhawk ops. I wonder if the gear was ever deployed anywhere? AND where is it today?
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Post by Barnsey on May 13, 2009 19:19:59 GMT 12
We also had a couple of portable TACANs. An expeditionary air force donchaknow!!
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Post by FlyNavy on May 13, 2009 19:29:55 GMT 12
Oh Yeah! Now I recall seeing a piccie of dat TACK an - I'll go look for it now! RNZAF Museum Portable TACAN at Ex. Vanguard 1974; (HMAS Melbourne had a portable but fixed TACAN - the ship moved - not the TACAN).  |
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Post by Barnsey on May 13, 2009 21:05:56 GMT 12
Man portable by the looks!! Duck-egg blue zoombag, hairy chest and dogtags optional!
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Post by FlyNavy on May 13, 2009 21:37:39 GMT 12
Does he wear the DOME as a hat? ;D
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Post by Barnsey on May 13, 2009 21:39:29 GMT 12
 Above picture is of an RAF PAG, but from memory it looks similar to what we had/have. I remember the multiple peg system to tie the trailers down. As Dave has mentioned the PAG was predominantly used at Woodbourne whenever Skyhawk test flights were programmed. As a side note, I see that Ohakea has removed the arrestor gear from Rwy 15/33. The 09/27 gear was not reinstalled after the runway upgrade a couple of years ago. |
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Post by Barnsey on May 13, 2009 21:42:53 GMT 12
You'll note the early attempt at OH&S with the provision of protective equipment - his hands are crossed in the approved manner and are protecting his equipment from the neutralising effects of the high energy microwaves being emitted.
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Post by skyhawkdon on May 14, 2009 7:54:52 GMT 12
The PAG is still stored at Woodbourne I think (as part of the Skyhawk sale package). From memory when we bought it in the mid 80s it was second hand. It was bought primarily for use at Woodbourne when a Skyhawk was doing its post servicing test flights, due to WB's shortish runway. However it was also deployed away from Woodbourne occassionally (only within NZ tho). I don't have any photos of it and would like some if anyone has anything.
That photo of the original mobile TACAN is a cracker isn't it! It used to be deployed by Andover ahead of the A-4s on their SE Asian deployments (usually positioned at Bali) and then was set up at their final destination as there weren't many TACANs around in those days. It was a real perk trip for the Ohakea Ground Radio guys who looked after it. It used to take them a week to get from Ohakea to Singapore, staying in the finest hotels at the best tourist destinations along the way!! The later version of the mobile Tacan was much smaller (manpack v truckpac) but once Kahu came along the A-4s didn't need it any more for naviagation.
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Post by FlyNavy on May 14, 2009 10:01:16 GMT 12
Many thanks, Don, Barnsey & Dave for the info. Very interesting. I understand now about WB requirement for a backup in case of emergency from the testing etc. A lot of military jets have hooks today to catch emergency cables. Pretty shortsighted for NZed not to install them or re-install them on appropriate military runways.
Shipboard aerial radiation could KILL! It was creepy to have to stand outside a painted line but NOT inside (thank goodness the square of the distance rule for radiation is real). On another note: Sadly the chap at Nowra (I think he was a civilian but may have started out in the Navy beforehand) who serviced the TACAN & building for years, died from the PCB contamination there. I think it was really a very bad situation in the building. I believe his family were eventually compensated - that is how I read about it some time back in a newspaper.
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Post by ox on May 14, 2009 11:48:41 GMT 12
The later version of the mobile Tacan was much smaller (manpack v truckpac) I vaguely remember a portable TACAN when I was at Tac Comms at Hobsonville, can't remember it ever being used. |
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Post by Dave Homewood on May 14, 2009 11:57:28 GMT 12
Did you guys know there's a special arrestor gear set up at Mangere for catching the Space Shuttle should anything go wrong during a launch. That would be an impressive day's spotting for Colin and the gang up there!
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Post by harvard1041 on May 14, 2009 12:25:28 GMT 12
Ah - here's a thread I know a (little) bit about....was OIC Portable Arrestor Gear (PAG) at WB at the time - 1988-89...it was purchased as part of the KAHU work...idea being to always have it at the 'long' end of the runway for all KAHU flights- should there be a problem. First 'traps' were done pre-NZ6254 (KAHU T-Bird prototype)...but not by much...Steve Moore was the pilot on the first couple of traps. Good gear...and a good team effort at WB - lots of trades involved. Think it went to OH when the first two aircraft went up to 2 Sqn.
KAHU was at the time called KAHU 1 (wing rebuild) and KAHU 2 - (avionic upgrade) ... but the wing rebuild program had been going for some years by then...ever since Ced Seater came back from Pensacola and we got the ex-RAN wing jigs. First two KAHU prototypes- 6254 and 6205 - were done by AMDF in the main ARS Hangar - and the subsequent production ones down the road at Safe. Lots of work was done in-house (and within NZ) of course - great experience for all involved.
Other interesting job at the time was the rebuild on NZ6218 which had rolled over at Townsville a year or so earlier...ton of work on the rebuild at the time - Dave Mitchell, Rag Gordon & Mike Tunnicliffe did (another) great job on it.
Rgds
Hvd1041
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Post by Dave Homewood on May 14, 2009 13:07:49 GMT 12
Thanks for the detail John. So my 20 year old blurred memory of seeing several aircraft arresting was probably just the one aircraft a few times over then? Sorry about the confusion, and obviously what I saw did take place after the handover parade then. That's the parade when the Defence Misinster was given a flight. We all watched as he climbed in and hoisted himself up by grabbing the yellow and black handle! Warren Cooper from memory.
Is that the same Dave Mitchell who was later Warrant Officer at the museum?
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Post by harvard1041 on May 14, 2009 13:41:08 GMT 12
Hi Dave
There were several days of PAG training...and several traps each day...so your memory may be fine...PAG operated at WB for 2+ years I think...ended up being used on post-Group flights as well.
Secretary was Frank O'Flynn at the time I think...we had a 'big' KAHU NZ6254 unveiling in the P-3 end of the ARS Hangar with lots of media etc ...and I think some sort of parade when the first production ones came out (think I dodged all but one parade during my 3 years at WB !?!).
DM - no the 'other' one - P-3 Sgt then A-4 F/S.
In my opinion, KAHU was a good example of Service & Civilian cooperation - something NZ is reasonably good at - one advantage (over say the typical RAN or RAAF Project) is the much smaller size - and better communications achieved.
Rgds
Hvd1041
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Post by Dave Homewood on May 14, 2009 14:42:48 GMT 12
I recall the photo of the Defence Minister (yes it might have been O'Flynn but as an ex-RNZAF pilot you'd think he'd know better!) appeared on the front page of the Dominion next day with his hand on the ejection seat handle. Not certain of the date but sometime mid-1989. We 4TTS guys were there on the parade simply as rent-a-crowd to make it look important for the press I guess.
I just looked up the list of Ministers of Defence on Wijipedia, and we were both wrong, it was Bob Tizard (also an ex-RNZAF pilot!!)
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Post by FlyNavy on May 14, 2009 17:06:09 GMT 12
Anyone grabbing the primary eject seat handle like that was likely to be EX a lot of things - subsequently. ;D
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