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Post by obiwan27 on Jun 18, 2009 15:35:01 GMT 12
Hi folks. I thought I'd share my best ever aviation related experience and encourage other forum members to do the same. Luckily in my case I have photos to go with it so if you do as well that's great but otherwise regale us with your experience. On Sunday May the 21st 1994 on a spur of the moment decision I decided that I'd go for a flight in a Tiger Moth with 'Wigram Barnstormers' who were operating out of Wigram back then. It was a typical fine, sunny and calm Autumn day and I didn't have long to wait to get airborne. Kitted out in Sheepskin flying jacket, helmet and (ski) goggles it was off into the wild blue yonder. Flying in a Tiger Moth was such a cool experience, especially as I'd read about the experience of many wartime RNZAF pilots doing their initial flying training in them and going solo I could finally enjoy the sense of freedom and delight in flying in such an iconic aircraft. The icing on the cake was doing a loop over the airfield and getting my picture take at the top of the loop.  Chocks Away!!!!  Yes, I'm enjoying the experience :-)  Whoohooo!!! I was buzzing for acouple of days after this. Who needs drugs when you can go flying?  |
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Post by baz62 on Jun 18, 2009 15:45:40 GMT 12
Ahem I believe I was there too!! ;D
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Post by obiwan27 on Jun 18, 2009 15:59:11 GMT 12
Yep, I must have been in a good mood that day, I think I shouted you a flight too!!
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Post by b10m on Jun 18, 2009 22:03:56 GMT 12
Palmerston North, 197something, I was a very new and young Traffic Officer, who on this particular day was wasting Departmental time watching planes at Milson.
I don't remember how it came about, but I was offered a ride up to a topdressing strip on the top of the Manawatu Gorge with a pilot whose name, if I rememeber correctly, was John Death prononced De'ath.
We took off in a Piper Tri Pacer and proceeded to the strip where we did a couple of Touch and Go's and then landed. If I remember it was to see if the strip was suitable after some storm damage. I was very apprehensive about the landing (and in fact the whole flight, exciting in all as it was) cause I would have had a lot of trouble explaining to the Senior Traffic Officer how I had gotten myself killed in an airplane accident while on duty. However, I need not have worried as we landed back safely and I continued on patrol with no one being the wiser.
Great flight and it also ensured that if John Death ever got pulled up by me he was sure to be let off with a warning.
Then there was the Tiger Moth flight over Hamilton Island, but thats for another time.
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Post by Dave Homewood on Jun 18, 2009 23:09:06 GMT 12
My most exciting and memorable flight was from Wigram to Wanaka in Sir Tim's TBM-3 Avenger "Plonky" with the P-40K in close formation. Sitting in the turret and watching Tom Middleton dash away from us and go do some aeros or manouvres before pouring the power on and catching us up to rejoin was magic. I could see the smile beaming on his face all the way and I'm sure he could see mine. We also did low passes over a few airports on the way, from memory Ashburton, Timaru and Tekapo, to show the new aircraft in its new RNZAF scheme off to the natives. And at one point in the mountains our pilot (I think it was Arthur Dovey) spotted a rainbow and we flew down and went through it - something I never knew was possible till that day.
Close seconds to this would be my flights in the RNZAF's Tiger Moth from Wigram including being allowed to do a few aeros mysekf, a ride with Simon in the Thunder Mustang which was an awesome experience, and a ride with Andrew and the crew in the DC-3. I've been very fortunate. One of my RNZAF Iroquois experiences also sticks in my mind, we were picked up off a farm where we'd had an exercise at the bottom of Banks Peninsular, and as we left a storm rolled in from the south. I was in one Iroquoi and there was a second one beside us. We flew low and fast along the coast heading westwads in the pouring rain and there were massive dark cliffs, the size of Dover sort of thing, and we were flying just at cliff-top level but maybe 300 metres out to sea. With the sound of the wocka-wocka and that sight out the window in front of me, it was like being in a film!
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Post by DragonflyDH90 on Jun 21, 2009 22:36:20 GMT 12
May have been Rex Dovey Dave, not sure if Arthur flew the Avenger but pretty sure Rex did.
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Post by Dave Homewood on Jun 22, 2009 1:35:25 GMT 12
Correct. I knew it didn't sound right when I wrote it. Sorry to Arthur and Rex for my error. I'm not even certain if it was Rex flying it. I know when it arrived at Wigram it was Mark Hanna flying it, but when we'd painted it and were delivering it south it wasn't Mark, he'd left. I didn't really get a chance to speak with the pilot, just the engineer who strapped me in. If he's out there, thanks, it was a memory that will last forever.
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Post by slackie on Jun 25, 2009 20:22:21 GMT 12
My most memoriable aviation experience (and I'm still buzzing from it) was on the Monday following the '08 WOW show when Rob organised me a ride in his Su29 with none other than the man himself....Jurgis Kairys.  Before  ...and after....still smiling! |
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Post by Dave Homewood on Jun 25, 2009 21:56:20 GMT 12
Wow, now that is a flight to remember!
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Post by Bruce on Jun 25, 2009 22:38:28 GMT 12
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Post by stu on Jun 25, 2009 22:57:49 GMT 12
Fascinating thread and some very memorable flights by the look of it  Got me thinking, I've had a great deal of fun in a reasonably varied array of aircraft (mainly as a passenger) but the one that I'd have to rate as my best experience to date was seemingly mediocre in comparison involving an aircraft type I've flown over 100 times. By way of a background, as a youngster (about 8) my dad would occasionally fly from Hamilton to Raglan and back with my sister and I - an event that I'd eagerly look forward to and remains a very happy childhood memory. In November last year I flew down to Raglan for the Black Sands fly in accompanied by my daughter. Call me an old sap, but it was a quite poignant moment as I landed. Here it was a generation later and I was in the pilot's seat taking my daughter to the same airfield. Of course, her being a teenager meant that I was greeted with some form of monosyllabic grunt in reply. A close second was the following month when my dad was over from Tamworth and 36 years after he took me flying I was able to repay the favour. Must be getting sentimental in my old age  |
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Post by b10m on Jun 27, 2009 11:33:31 GMT 12
Fascinating thread and some very memorable flights by the look of it Got me thinking, I've had a great deal of fun in a reasonably varied array of aircraft (mainly as a passenger) but the one that I'd have to rate as my best experience to date was seemingly mediocre in comparison involving an aircraft type I've flown over 100 times. By way of a background, as a youngster (about 8) my dad would occasionally fly from Hamilton to Raglan and back with my sister and I - an event that I'd eagerly look forward to and remains a very happy childhood memory. In November last year I flew down to Raglan for the Black Sands fly in accompanied by my daughter. Call me an old sap, but it was a quite poignant moment as I landed. Here it was a generation later and I was in the pilot's seat taking my daughter to the same airfield. Of course, her being a teenager meant that I was greeted with some form of monosyllabic grunt in reply. A close second was the following month when my dad was over from Tamworth and 36 years after he took me flying I was able to repay the favour. Must be getting sentimental in my old age Nice one Stu  |
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Post by baz62 on Jun 28, 2009 11:57:10 GMT 12
My best aviation experience to date occurred in Feb 2007 at the Great Plains Fly - In at Ashburton. I scrounged a ride with Richard Royds in 1942 Auster Mk V ZK-ARR from Ashburton to Mespotamia Station in the headwaters of the Rangitata River. Richard let me fly the Auster most of the way, and coming up out of the Rangitata Gorge and looking over the valley where Mesopotamia and Mt Potts station lay was amazing. Cant wait to make the flight in my own aircraft!  Ooo a Mk 5. Didn't know about this one. Can't see the nose properly Bruce but do you know what she's powered with? Not the 0-290 I'd say but the 0-320 Lycoming??My old MK5 had the silver RAF scheme post war but I found the WW2 camo underneath...................yes the fabric on the wings was THAT old! 40 years at the time!! Baz |
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Post by Bruce on Jun 28, 2009 12:48:24 GMT 12
Richard reckoned it was the original engine, so that would make it an O-290 I guess, I didnt get a look at the powerplant other than in passing. It is pretty original, except the interior was refitted to civilian config (red Leather seats and sidewalls) sometime in the 1950s. If I recall correctly the RAF serial is TG272. It still has the flat panel military windscreen.
Richard is one of the owners of Mt Cook SkiPlanes, although I'm not sure where ARR is normally based, I think it is a local Ashburton machine.
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Post by baz62 on Jun 28, 2009 14:14:13 GMT 12
Ok thanks for that info Bruce. If it is the original 0-290 thats great as there aren't many left with the original wartime engine. I only knew about AVH which has the engine from my old Auster 5 AUH.
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Post by Peter Lewis on Jun 28, 2009 19:56:10 GMT 12
If I recall correctly the RAF serial is TG272. TJ272, later VR-RCA and VH-RCA |
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