chasper
Flight Lieutenant
Posts: 80
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Post by chasper on Feb 19, 2014 19:17:04 GMT 12
Having read the Air Force News I have to say that I get a little frustrated with the approach that the purchase of these trainers is some sort of game changar for the RNZAF. This is an Air Force that has more AVM's than it does operational aircraft on most days and would seem to fail miserably when communicating with Government with regard to what it needs and the timing required to achieve those needs. Most Governments are receptive to logical argument and whilst the financial contstrictions have been significant we are in a much better place now. The withdrawal of a C130 from a recent exercise to go to Tonga illustrates how pathetic things have become, one operational C130!! Don't get me wrong, we need these aircraft but we also need to get a senior management team that has gravitas and skills to build from this. Frankly, I don't see it. I suspect that I am about to be shot down in flames...
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chasper
Flight Lieutenant
Posts: 80
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Post by chasper on Jul 4, 2013 14:33:55 GMT 12
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chasper
Flight Lieutenant
Posts: 80
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Post by chasper on Jun 24, 2013 16:00:31 GMT 12
One of my Dad's best mates was Tinny Constance who as a kiwi in the RAF flew these aircraft in the bombing role for a RCAF squadron. He went up against the battle cruisers in the channel dash and I recall him often saying that these aircraft were hopeless right from the get go. Very much a '30s aircraft, underpowered and under armed in comparison to the german aircraft of the time. May well have been better at pinging a u-boat though.
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chasper
Flight Lieutenant
Posts: 80
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Post by chasper on Feb 9, 2013 15:04:14 GMT 12
It is still showing as 'for sale' on the platinum fighters website and they are usually pretty quick to remove sold aircraft.
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chasper
Flight Lieutenant
Posts: 80
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Post by chasper on Jan 29, 2013 18:28:26 GMT 12
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chasper
Flight Lieutenant
Posts: 80
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Post by chasper on Dec 18, 2012 11:58:33 GMT 12
I would certainly hope that open discussion about what has occurred in the past may help to ensure that such actions are not repeated. I spent a number of years in the US as a DOD contractor, mainly with the USAF, and also visited a number of restorers including various CAF locations. I was impressed with the level of support between all parties when it came to restorations,. Everyone seemed to be on the same page and worked towards the common goal of preserving what they had. Only wish this could happen here.
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chasper
Flight Lieutenant
Posts: 80
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Post by chasper on Dec 12, 2012 19:16:38 GMT 12
Almost all of the article is about Glyn's restoration project, is well written and is basically an interview with Glyn and tour of the shed in Drury. The bit that I included was part of the end paragraph pushing the economic advantages of warbird restoration and warbird tourism to NZ. The thought that there were in fact crates of parts for Mosquitos and other aircraft sitting in Woodbourne or where ever seemed too amazing.
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chasper
Flight Lieutenant
Posts: 80
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Post by chasper on Dec 12, 2012 14:53:08 GMT 12
Just read an article by David Child-Dennis in the latest elocal magazine about the restoration of Mosquito YC-Z. excellent article and he states 'There are spares for many aircraft the RNZAF has operated at Weedons and Woodbourne, including spares for the Mosquito, Harvard, Vampire and Canberra. The refusal to allow the release of these vitally important spares to restorers is incomprehensible. The RNZAF stock of aircraft manuals is a treasure-trove in its own right and should be the core facility of a restoration facility'.
I can understand the desire to keep some at Weedons for the museum but surely there must have been some serious effort to get some of this material released as it serves no purpose as is.
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chasper
Flight Lieutenant
Posts: 80
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Post by chasper on Sept 29, 2012 20:02:50 GMT 12
Battled the traffic to get there by 10 but what a day. The fast low passes by the mosquito were simply breathtaking, I cannot recall a more stunning airshow despite having dragged my arse over Europe and the US for a multitude of events. Everyone involved is to be congratulated.
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chasper
Flight Lieutenant
Posts: 80
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Post by chasper on Aug 11, 2012 18:58:08 GMT 12
Oer the next 10-12 years the NZDF has a huge capex expenditure requirement and the driver for that spend will be economics and politics rather than capability and cost. The army neeeds trucks, rifles, artillery, engineering, comms, the navy a tanker and frigates and the airforce transports, trainers and mpa's. The treasury cupboard is going to be as bare as can be over this period as the economy will struggle and we are guaranteed to have a coalition government in this period that includes the greens. This will probably preclude any acquisitions that have a warfighting capabilityso instead of frigates we should assume ex uscg cutters and instead of mpa's assume ex anz atr's with an sar capability or sim. Sad but true I fear.
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chasper
Flight Lieutenant
Posts: 80
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Post by chasper on Jun 8, 2012 21:21:15 GMT 12
Always had parachutes in these old buses, doubt that anyone ever envisaged using one though.
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chasper
Flight Lieutenant
Posts: 80
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Post by chasper on Jun 8, 2012 14:22:55 GMT 12
Smoke filled the cockpit, apparently a problem with a hydraulic pump so full emergency laning
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chasper
Flight Lieutenant
Posts: 80
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Post by chasper on May 14, 2012 14:14:02 GMT 12
Some of our aircrew tried these out about a year ago and I understand were very impressed with them, a big capability step up from our existing version and the general view was that the Australian rejection was more political than anything else. It would be great to have adequate numbers of airframes for a change.
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chasper
Flight Lieutenant
Posts: 80
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Post by chasper on Apr 16, 2012 19:46:37 GMT 12
The AW 101 Merlin uses the same powerplant as the NH 90 (3 rather than 2 obviously) and is classed as an all weather helicopter, wonder why the '90 doesn't qualify? Am assuming that this is purely an engine issue as per the Auditor General's report.
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chasper
Flight Lieutenant
Posts: 80
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Post by chasper on Mar 16, 2012 19:59:58 GMT 12
To be fair though the RNZAF PR team have been rubbish with regard to the NH90 and the A109 arrival. Lots of very bland statements, very little that would interest the public. To me the removal of the photos from this site of the agusta's arriving at Ohakea in crates 'for security reasons' summed up how lost they have become. Yes the NH90's have issues, they will be resolved though and the air force should have (in my view) been very open with the public about what was going on rather than just shutting up and letting non military journo's run the story.
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chasper
Flight Lieutenant
Posts: 80
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Post by chasper on Jan 12, 2012 14:16:28 GMT 12
I was first put on to the Hotshots scene when I was a DOD contractor in the US and happened to bump into a fellow kiwi working on hornets, he said that the navy were somewhat upset about the making of this movie and had ruled that nothing that appeared to be authentic navy could show in the movie, I was told that all aircraft images etc were non usn and that there was a nz photo there but I guess images of aggressor aircraft could be seen as non usn. Cheers.
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chasper
Flight Lieutenant
Posts: 80
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Post by chasper on Jan 9, 2012 15:18:15 GMT 12
If anyone has seen the Top Gun spoof movie 'Hotshots', there is a scene where Lloyd Bridges is in his office and behind his desk on the wall is this photo of the RNZAF Skyhawks in their various colour schemes. I understand that they were not allowed to show any real us navy images in the film.
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