skyman
Flight Lieutenant
Posts: 82
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Post by skyman on Feb 3, 2018 13:40:02 GMT 12
In February last year I watched a Cessna 172 circling around the Windermere area of Tauranga for 5 to 10 minutes. Its only marking was "POLICE5".
Then again this morning and a return this afternoon circling over the same area for 5 to 10 minutes was a Cessna 172 marked as "POLICE8", same aircraft maybe? Same reason too?
Is February the best time for spotting the illegal crops, or is there some other attraction? It is a concern that the police seem interested an area so close to the city which requires the use of aerial observation.
Al
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skyman
Flight Lieutenant
Posts: 82
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Post by skyman on Jan 12, 2018 13:40:31 GMT 12
The drogue towing winch was indeed fitted when required to Dak NZ3546. During the last 10 years or so of Dak drogue towing the winch had a more powerful electric motor fitted to shorten the time it took to wind in 6,000 feet of wire cable. It would be great to see it on display, and as I understand it was also used in Avenger drogue towing.
Shorty's suggestion to graft the Canberra B(I)8 nose onto the RAAF B20 has some merit as B(I)12 Canberras served our country well for over 10 years. While the B20 is a fine aircraft and served Australia well it doesn't have too much association with the RNZAF except when visiting occasionally. Any B20/B(I)12 composite displayed in RNZAF colours should be noted as such and credited to the RAAF as well. I would love to see a Canberra B(I)12 on display, it was a fine aircraft.
Al
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skyman
Flight Lieutenant
Posts: 82
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Post by skyman on Dec 8, 2017 20:52:06 GMT 12
We are very fortunate to have had guys like Cecil Franks with the foresight to record these historic events photographically and in writing. In the photos we see life as they saw it on the front line and their relief during and after their remarkable escape. I wonder if there are other similar records hidden away in someone's attic? What a brilliant record.
Al
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skyman
Flight Lieutenant
Posts: 82
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Post by skyman on Nov 15, 2017 15:18:31 GMT 12
I recall having read or being told that the Hastings had a "crash cut-off" switch in the nose which would cut-off all electrics, including to the engines, in the event of a crash. In "our" Darwin crash I was informed the aircraft had a bird-strike on the nose on take-off which actuated this cut-off switch thus stopping all engines. I may be wrong, but that is what has stayed in my mind over the years.
Al
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skyman
Flight Lieutenant
Posts: 82
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Post by skyman on Oct 12, 2017 18:38:18 GMT 12
I photographed this aircraft on the tarmac at Tauranga airport on 16 March this year. Maybe someone's eyeing up the real-estate or they've come for another party!
Al.
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skyman
Flight Lieutenant
Posts: 82
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Post by skyman on Oct 11, 2017 13:20:48 GMT 12
Don, the Vampire pilots were Denton, Dovey and Lloyd, although I don't know which Lloyd brother it was.
Al.
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skyman
Flight Lieutenant
Posts: 82
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Post by skyman on Oct 10, 2017 20:31:52 GMT 12
I recall that day quite clearly Don, we had three Vampires over the range and once they had expended their practice weapons the range party drove out to the target area. The pilots spied us in the area and proceeded to beat us up, getting lower at each pass.
With my (then) trusty camera in hand I climbed onto the platform mounted over the Landrover engine and started shooting, at one stage I thought it wise to duck immediately after I pressed the shutter (I believe that was after the above photo) and I must have got about 5 or 6 shots before they headed off back to base. I can still remember who the pilots were.
Sometime later one of those pilots was doing his orderly officer duty and inspecting the barracks one night and I showed him the slides I had taken. I think he was a bit surprised at how low they had come but was very impressed with the photos, though a few were a bit blurry, I can't think why :-).
Al.
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skyman
Flight Lieutenant
Posts: 82
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Post by skyman on Oct 10, 2017 16:39:40 GMT 12
I'd be interested in knowing how the low flying Vampire shot got into this collection. This photograph was taken by me at the Raumai air weapons range north of Ohakea while I was standing on the front of the range Landrover sometime in March 1966. I still have the original slide photograph in my collection, one of many I took during my time in the RNZAF.
Al.
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skyman
Flight Lieutenant
Posts: 82
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Post by skyman on Aug 21, 2017 20:17:09 GMT 12
Well, maybe I won't shed as many tears as to what is happening to "our" Hobsonville next time I'm there; I'll be able to sink a few in the old Sunderland hangar and reminisce with the new locals.
Al
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skyman
Flight Lieutenant
Posts: 82
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Post by skyman on Aug 21, 2017 20:10:43 GMT 12
An interesting observation regarding this Sabre; the Aerospace Museum at San Diego has a Sabre on display with exactly the same markings - and it's in far better condition. But I have no doubt that Classic Flyers Sabre will be in great shape when it eventually emerges from the restoration hangar.
Al
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skyman
Flight Lieutenant
Posts: 82
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Post by skyman on Aug 21, 2017 20:01:10 GMT 12
For those of us who have spent the majority of our air force careers working with (and also those who flew) jet combat aircraft, the return of the "sounds of freedom" to Ohakea skies is most welcome. I am sure a lot of Bulls folk will feel the same way.
If it wasn't for the Clark-led Labour government the welcome sound of jet aircraft would never have left the skies of Ohakea and New Zealand could have held its head high working alongside our ANZUS partners and others.
Al
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skyman
Flight Lieutenant
Posts: 82
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Post by skyman on May 17, 2017 16:42:06 GMT 12
While on an electronics training course at Wigram in 1967 we had several ATC trainees in our barracks. From our conversations with them we gathered they were receiving flying training in Harvards in order to have an appreciation of flying and communicating with ATC while doing so.
This to me made a lot of sense as it would have made the trainees better controllers with an appreciation of both sides of the job once they became qualified.
Al
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skyman
Flight Lieutenant
Posts: 82
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Post by skyman on Apr 6, 2017 17:58:05 GMT 12
As mentioned by sailorsid the wire HF aerial is attached to the fin tip but is attached at the forward end to a short blade-type attachment alongside the right rear of the pilot's canopy with another longer blade aerial (VHF/UHF?) to the right and slightly rear of the HF aerial attachment; the longer blade aerial is directly above the equipment hatch. When no step ladders were available, such as during stop-overs on a deployment and/or when there was no-one to give you a leg-up on to the wing for access to the top of the fuselage, the blade aerial was (carefully) used as a hand-hold while climbing using the battery access hatch and the equipment hatch above it as foot-holds, but this method of access was, of course, frowned on by our supervisors.
Al
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skyman
Flight Lieutenant
Posts: 82
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Post by skyman on Apr 5, 2017 17:16:27 GMT 12
I was a member of 75 Squadron RNZAF (with Skyhawks) when the Falklands war started and because the Argentines were using Skyhawks too most of our squadron members took a close interest. One of the surprising things to us that the media came out with was the fact that quite a few of the bombs dropped on British warships failed to detonate. Why the British military didn't muzzle the media from the very beginning to prevent such a fact coming to light we never knew. The more dud bombs the Argentines dropped the better.
The reason for the failures to detonate was obvious to 75 Squadron, especially the armourers and probably the aircrew too; they were dropping too low and/or had too long an arming time on the fuzes which didn't allow time for the bombs to arm once released. 75 Squadron was familiar with this problem which did happen to us on a (very) few occasions when pilots were concentrating on the target and overlooking their drop altitude.
How many British lives were lost because of this stupid media revelation we may never know. If it wasn't for this media f***-up the Argies may have continued dropping duds in their ignorance.
Al.
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skyman
Flight Lieutenant
Posts: 82
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Post by skyman on Jan 15, 2017 16:05:46 GMT 12
Great article Zac and nice to see a great aircraft in RNZAF colours. I personally think the Venom would look better without the turned-up Swiss nose-cone, the DH nose-cone seems to look more classy. But, beggars can't be choosers, a flying Venom in RNZAF markings is a heap better than none at all.
Al.
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skyman
Flight Lieutenant
Posts: 82
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Post by skyman on Oct 9, 2016 18:31:51 GMT 12
Charleston is in South Carolina, Dave.
Al.
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skyman
Flight Lieutenant
Posts: 82
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Post by skyman on Oct 2, 2016 15:39:29 GMT 12
A very successful 75 Squadron reunion has just concluded at Classic Flyers Museum, Tauranga, alongside A-4K Skyhawk NZ6201. With, I believe, some 230 members and guests attending over the weekend, opinions are that it was the best yet. With the reunion celebrating 100 years since the squadron's formation in the UK, we had three USAF pilots attend who had been on exchange postings to 75 Squadron, one Draken International pilot who still flies ex-RNZAF Skyhawks and members from Australia and further afield to help us celebrate this great occasion.
Those people who, for whatever reason, elected not to attend, missed out on a grand celebration. It was not just a reunion of 75 Squadron aircrew, but a reunion for ALL personnel who had served on 75 Squadron, and we all mixed freely no matter whether air- or ground-crew or previous rank, swapping stories and memories of past events. We ground-crew were somewhat out-numbered by aircrew this reunion, but we ALL had a great time none-the-less, and Andrew Gormlie and his staff at Classic Flyers are to be congratulated for their great venue and service throughout the three days of the reunion.
I especially encourage ex-75 ground-crew to sign-up with the association in order to attend the next reunion in two years time, you will find it a very worthwhile get-together as I have found in past years. The squadron served New Zealand proudly from 1946 when the squadron number was gifted the the RNZAF, until it was controversially disbanded in 2001. Please sign-up to ensure 75 Squadron endures in the minds of New Zealanders and is not forgotten.
Ake Ake Kia Kaha.
Al
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skyman
Flight Lieutenant
Posts: 82
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Post by skyman on Aug 28, 2016 16:09:45 GMT 12
Regarding skyhawkdon's story (Aug 3 2009) about 74 Squadron's tiger's head and having only recently come across this thread about the Lightnings of 74 (Tiger) Squadron, RAF, I can add to their tiger's head "liberation". During 14 Squadron's last deployment to Tengah, Singapore, in 1970 before our Canberras were sold to India, all 74 (Tiger) Squadron personnel were away from their flight-line one day in May, a fact which became known to the above mentioned 14 Squadron member. As I was "between tasks" at that point I was hurriedly summoned to drive a tractor from 14 Squadron's line about 500 yards along to 74 Squadron's line with Barry as passenger. He raced into their line-office and raced out again several minutes later with something wrapped in a blanket, jumped on the tractor and told me to drive like hell back to our flight-line, he then disappeared into our pack-up store. He later told me he had just secreted 74's tiger's head in a bale of rags which were ready to go back to NZ with the rest of us very soon after. Upon finding their tiger's head missing 74 Squadron guys immediately came to us demanding it back. As I understand it from there, Barry pointed to one of our C-130s which had just taken-off and said they were too late. And as previously mentioned the tiger's head later appeared in the W/Os' and SNCOs' Mess at Ohakea. When I visited the mess in 2012 it was still mounted there looking in better shape than the last time I saw it. Al.
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skyman
Flight Lieutenant
Posts: 82
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Post by skyman on Aug 28, 2016 15:28:50 GMT 12
"It had reportedly been "borrowed" from 74 Sqn RAF in Singapore by either 14 or 75 Sqn" Correct. I believe that it was Barry Dorr who liberated the tigers head. it hung in the Sgts mess at Ohakea for years. Glad to hear that it is being preserved.
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skyman
Flight Lieutenant
Posts: 82
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Post by skyman on Aug 25, 2016 14:11:09 GMT 12
Great photos, although the first and tenth appear reversed. The weapons instructor officer could well be instructing aircrew on gun safety. The wearing of F/S caps while working on aircraft must have been a right pain, I'm glad that wasn't carried through to my time.
Al.
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