xbaggy
Flying Officer
Posts: 61
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Post by xbaggy on Oct 7, 2009 17:26:10 GMT 12
On the single control RNZAF Freighters, the Navigator sat up top next to the Driver. In the Dual control model, his position was downstairs in the nose doors.
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Post by chewy on Oct 8, 2009 19:23:04 GMT 12
Secondry job was to make sure the pilot light didn't go out on the cabin heaters.
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Post by hangartime on Jul 24, 2012 20:16:48 GMT 12
Just read this - as mentioned previous- last flight from Tengah to Whenuapai in detail (if anyone's still keen) Dec 5 '77 - NZ5912 under Sqn Ldr Marbeck flew in a 'Kiwi Black' formation for disbandment Parade .7hrs then onward to final trip home: Dec 7 Tengah to Bali - 6.6hrs Dec 8 Bali - Broome - 4.9hrs Dec 9 Broome - Alice Springs 5.2hrs Dec 9 Alice Springs - Adelaide 5.1hrs Dec 10 Adelaide - Hobart 4.8hrs Dec 11 Hobart - Invercargill 6.1hrs Dec 11 Invercargill - Wigram 2.4hrs Dec 13 Wigram - Woodbourne 1.5hrs Dec 13 Woodbourne - Wellington .6hrs Dec 13 Wellington - Ohakea .8hrs Dec 14 Ohakea - Hamilton 1.6hrs Dec 14 Hamilton - Whenuapai .6hrs 40.9 hrs worth of touring. The last airframe to be retired was 'instructional' airframe NZ5913.....  Someone else also mentioned the sextant. I believe this was John Seeward(?) using one.  |
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Post by Dave Homewood on Jul 24, 2012 21:02:05 GMT 12
Great stuff hangartime. I love the "instructional airframe" beer fridge!
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Post by hangartime on Jul 24, 2012 21:24:14 GMT 12
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Post by Dave Homewood on Jul 24, 2012 21:34:21 GMT 12
Looks like a lot of fun!
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Post by ngatimozart on Jul 24, 2012 22:00:05 GMT 12
If I remember correctly 41 Sqn had both the B170 and the Iroquois. I do remember one story when the B170 first flew in to Vietnam. It was to the big US Base at Da Nang, I think, and as most will be aware then the USAF used to call up ATC prior to landing and say how many turning or burning and if the gear was down and locked. So this particular day a Kiwi B170 calls up and say B170 yadda yadd two barely turning, none burning and gear down and welded. The yanks in the control tower apparently went holy crap whats a B170? A B52's real big, so they cleared all the traffic for about five miles around and start looking for this really large B170. After a few minutes a Bristol Freighter trundels over the boundary fence and touches down, probably with the aircrew having silly grins all over their faces  I remember they used to get a lot of flying hours usually around the holiday periods when one of the Cook Strait ferry unions used to go on strike. Muldoon was a great one for calling in the RNZAF to ferry passengers and cars across the strait. Holiday periods always seemed to attract strikes on the ferries. |
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Post by beagle on Jul 24, 2012 22:02:42 GMT 12
i wonder if any of our PM's went for a ride in them.
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Post by Dave Homewood on Jul 24, 2012 22:37:52 GMT 12
Ngatimozart, according to the documentary about Bristol Feighters in NZ service, called "40,000 Rivets in Formation" from memory, when the first B170 arrived in Vietnam an American ath the air base was heard to ask, "Is that the airplane or the box it came in?"
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Post by ngatimozart on Jul 25, 2012 17:10:57 GMT 12
That wouldn't surprise me. Haven't seen that doco so will go & look it up.
I have a query about the final flight back from Singapore. The legs between Bali and Alice Springs. Did they actually go to Broome as in Broome WA? Seems to me a rather extensive dog leg or is it a typo? I would have thought it would have been Bali - Darwin then Darwin to Alice Springs.
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Post by baronbeeza on Jul 25, 2012 22:01:13 GMT 12
It may seem like dogleg but Darwin is really a long way East of Bali.
I have done Perth to Bali a few times and then Darwin to Bali many. There is not that much in it.
I just looked at my Google map and Broome is not far off the direct track from Bali to Alice.
While Darwin has the feel of being close to Asia and you can catch a flight after work and be drinking in any number of Asian cities that night Perth is not so far removed either.
I went to go down to Perth from Darwin for a contract.... rather than pay Qantas Domestic I went by budget carriers via Singapore. The fares worked out much the same.
I see that there are flights from Hedland to Bali, many of the FIFO miners are now living in Bali and commuting from there. I get the impression the flights are popular and often full. The flight looks about the same distance for both Perth and Denpassar.
5 hours for the Freighter shows just how quick it would be these days, possibly 2 hours or less.
The RNZAF 727's must have shrunk the distance from Singapore to NZ considerably, just a few years after the retirement of the B170 at that.
Hobart to Invercargill looks pretty good when compared to some of those other legs also.
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Post by hangartime on Jul 25, 2012 22:40:52 GMT 12
Glad you could answer that baronbeeza. I've copied it verbatim from the original Log Book from my late father. Totals up to just under 4,500hrs on B170's, Orions and Devons etc and a Nirmod at Kinloss from various sqaudrons.  These alot of stuff in there that the RNZAF went to that I've never heard of (I'm sure it's ok and not 'secret') and as for 'VIP's' - even these trips were noted so. Even a couple of 'incidents' noted as emergency landings due to engine failures and test flights. There's also alot (I mean ALOT) of terms I don't know like 'MCT' 'Rocketing' 'Acron' 'Subex' Aswex' and terms like 'Bombing' 'Test flight' etc which are self explanatory. All noted with airframe serials, hrs, captain and duty type. Includes medicals and tyope ratings at the front too in pink slips/card format. |
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Post by strikemaster on Jul 26, 2012 12:00:31 GMT 12
A mate of Dad's flew on Freighters during the Vietnam war. Last visit over Dad got to seeing a few Freighters so was reminded of a story he told. Apparently the throttles needed to be locked together on take off and the pilot didn't. So one engine dipped and the aircraft didn't have enough herb to get off the ground, probably listed too I'd imagine. Dad's mate reckoned it was the closest he got to death in Vietnam.
Freighters are a bit before my time, but man, they look awesome. Flying warehouses indeed. Neat pics.
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Post by ngatimozart on Jul 26, 2012 16:31:13 GMT 12
It may seem like dogleg but Darwin is really a long way East of Bali. I have done Perth to Bali a few times and then Darwin to Bali many. There is not that much in it. I just looked at my Google map and Broome is not far off the direct track from Bali to Alice. While Darwin has the feel of being close to Asia and you can catch a flight after work and be drinking in any number of Asian cities that night Perth is not so far removed either. I went to go down to Perth from Darwin for a contract.... rather than pay Qantas Domestic I went by budget carriers via Singapore. The fares worked out much the same. I see that there are flights from Hedland to Bali, many of the FIFO miners are now living in Bali and commuting from there. I get the impression the flights are popular and often full. The flight looks about the same distance for both Perth and Denpassar. 5 hours for the Freighter shows just how quick it would be these days, possibly 2 hours or less. The RNZAF 727's must have shrunk the distance from Singapore to NZ considerably, just a few years after the retirement of the B170 at that. Hobart to Invercargill looks pretty good when compared to some of those other legs also. Thanks for that. I should've looked at Google Earth. My sister lives in Port Hedland and my nieces are always off to Bali for about same price, Port Hedland - Perth. The Pibara & the Kimberlea is where the Aussie SAS play. Not that hospitable sort of place out of town. There was also a RAAF B24 base in the Pilbara not far from Marble Bar during WW2. |
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Post by davidd on Jul 26, 2012 16:58:32 GMT 12
Hangartime,
Acron = absolutely no idea.
MCT = Monthly Continuation Training (Pilots had to fly a minimum number of hours per month to remain "current" and I believe these flights were used to practcice any exercises in which they might have been considerd "rusty" - landings and take offs (circuits), instrument flying, single-engine flying, for instance (just guesses)
Subex = presume submarine exercise, although you would imagine that anti-submarine exercise would be more to the point (as below).
ASW = presume anti-submarine exercise.
Rocketing = I presume carrying out rocket-firing practice, either dead or alive.
David D
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