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Post by stu on Mar 7, 2010 0:07:40 GMT 12
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Post by Kereru on Mar 7, 2010 13:47:40 GMT 12
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Post by Dave Homewood on Mar 7, 2010 13:59:58 GMT 12
Hi Stu, well done mate, for a first go with your new camera at an airshow I think you've done pretty well. And you passed the "can you photograph the Thunder Mustang" test too.
I have to say that the airshow was thoroughly enjoyable. It had a great selection of aircraft in the display with some types not often seen, and some new to me. It had a very good atmosphere, really relaxed and though the organisers might not have liked the fact that the crowd was small, I think that was one of the major attractions. There were no sideshows to tempt along the masses, like boiuncy castles, Nazi re-enactors, tractors, classic cars and all the stuff that seems to clutter airshows these days. It was purely an airshow, and that for me won the day.
It was great to catch up with loads of forum members and to meet a few for the first time. A highlight for me was joining Andrew, Jessica and the crew aboard the Dakota for the trip across from Ardmore to Whitianga. That was superb I must say, the weather was fantastic despite the occasional spot of rain at Ardmore before the flight. The take off was very smooth indeed, better than most modern airliners, and I love the fact that the aircraft stays nice a low so you can see the scenery all the way. Flying over the peninsular was great, what stunning scenery we have in this country. And a nice smooth landing too. Well done Andrew and to your co-pilot who's name I have forgotten. Thanks very much toi Jessica and the team too.
As well as seeing nice displays by my firm favourites like the Thunder Mustang, real Mustang, Me108, Catalina, Harvards, Yaks, Dakota and all, it was really neat to see some unusual types flying displays like the Birddog in its bright orange livery, the Provost, the Beaver which I haven't seen displayed for many years, and a real neat highlight for me was the Devon/Dove display. I had forgotten what nifty things they are. The Jet Ranger spraying the weeds and the Squirrel being put through its paces were great to watch too.
Well done to the organisers and participants of this show, they deserve a great pat on the backs. I should also mention this was my first time ever to Whitianga and I must say what a beautiful setting the airport is in, perfect for an airshow I reckon. I hope they do this again next year.
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Post by philip on Mar 7, 2010 15:31:31 GMT 12
Yep, I was there too and it was a thoroughly enjoyable day. Higlight for me was Phil Hooker showing what a Cessna Aerobat can do. I never knew....
Also very impressed with the low level passes by the lear jet, the trojan, the bird dog, the harvard and yak teams. Lovely day despite the strongish wind which probably kept a few away.
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Post by Dave Homewood on Mar 7, 2010 16:43:45 GMT 12
That Lear Jet was amazing - I had no idea they were so quiet. I have never seen one in the flesh before. What a great and unusal addition to the airshow line up.
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Post by hardyakka on Mar 7, 2010 17:45:51 GMT 12
I agree it was a good day. That wind was quite annoying though. Well done to all the display pilots who took on the 04 crosswind and showed us private pilots how it should be done.
The learjet was very cool. The original models had noisy smokey turbojets but the modern ones are all very quiet turbofans. Smoooooth.
All the usual suspects were there doing a fine job. Formations and solos were all good. Lying in the sun talking bullshit aircraft with fellow planespotters in the gaps between displays was a highlight.
The number of pilots that we rely on to display multiple aircraft is amazing. Andrew Hope, Phil Hooker and Brett Emeny all took to the air multiple times in different machines. Them's da real sky-kings...!
Thanks to Chris and Euan for letting me hitch a ride over in the mighty Piper Arrow.
I hope the MBAC had some major sponsorship as even at $25 a head, the ticket sales from the crowd I saw wouldn't even cover the fuel burned on the day.
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Post by Bruce on Mar 7, 2010 18:31:42 GMT 12
Hi wholeheartedly endorse the comments previously posted, the Whitianga show rocked! the atmosphere was great, plenty of space with good lines of visibilty. The crowdline was well marked but not intrusive and the aircraft were parked to allow great photography and viewing. Going by how quickly people got thier lunches and snacks from the Lions Club food tent, that side of things was pretty well run too. The PA system was adequate, although a bit intense in one or two places around the crowd area, making use of the adjacent speedway facilities. Grayson was... well... Grayson!. Petroleum Logistics (Shell Aviation) sponsored fuel I beleive but I do hope that enough was made on gate sales to allow the show to continue in the future. I enjoyed my DC3 flight over and back again - it is definitely easier to get to Whitianga by air than road! Thanks to the Dak crew, it was a real friendly atmosphere - not at all like the average airliner (even baggage loading was fun!) I was initially suffering a bit from camera inferiority complex with all the Forumites with thier new toys, as I couldnt get the camera I normally borrow from work and only had a small video handycam. Andrew (Citabria) however loaned me his new Canon (Birthday Present) as he was really busy flying and didnt have time to learn its traits. I managed to just about fill the memory card! - Thanks Andrew. We'll all have similar shots however as we were all in the same place with similar gear - Next time we have to spread out !  (although talking aeroplane was great!) Memorable moments: Lear Jet display - that thing is so quiet, but handles like a fighter! Phil Hooker C152 display - awesome accuracy and handling. Frazer Briggs model aerobatics Messenger and Me108 battle Yak team - great to see a big team of 8! there was always something happening whilst the others repositioned. Tiger Moth display - awesome handling and tricky conditions. Squirrel vs Subaru WRX - defintely the most expensive sound of the day! in fact all displays were great - hard to pick a favourite! |
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betsy46
Flight Lieutenant
Posts: 85
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Post by betsy46 on Mar 7, 2010 18:56:36 GMT 12
I always like going to Whitianga. They are so friendly there, and they even have given us the use of the clubrooms and kitchen from time to time.
Good old Bruce, (Just above) actually did our baggage loading. I pointed , while Bruce and Dave (Homewood) heaved, lugged, and loaded the freight. (DAK gear for the crew desk,and merchandise, chilly bins, ice, water, tent, signs, tables, chairs, food for a week, overhead gantry, block and tackle, and Andrews new camera.)
I like that Whitianga is so close to AKL, only 20 mins from Ardmore, and that we can have such a great day out. It is a great provincial airshow. It would be a great day out if marketed in AKL.
Can this be done annually? I hope so.
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Post by Dave Homewood on Mar 8, 2010 12:21:44 GMT 12
Here are some photos that I took. First the trip from Ardmore to Whitianga in the Dakota ZK-DAK  Taking off in the Dakota from Ardmore  Climbing over the South Auckland countryside  Bruce, Chris and Jessica  Crossing the coast  Over Whitianga airfield  Whitianga  The marina  Taxiing in past some of the aircraft |
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Post by Dave Homewood on Mar 8, 2010 13:46:40 GMT 12
 Harvard ZK-WAR  Graham Bethell's Mustang ZK-TAF and Dave Phillips' Tiger Moth ZK-BEN, two of my favourite airshow stars  The Chipmunks  The Messerschmitt  The crowdline was not so crowded when we arrived  Stu and Penny arriving in the Robin  The Devon taking off for its display  The colourful Cessna Birddog  A few interesting types framed by the Birddog  Spot the forum members |
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Post by Kereru on Mar 8, 2010 16:39:04 GMT 12
Great shots there Dave. I wondered for a few seconds what was going on here?  Then they broke loose!  Great display guys! Cheers. |
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Post by Dave Homewood on Mar 8, 2010 18:32:10 GMT 12
Great shots there Colin, I never even looked at the parachutes. I was too busy talking I guess.
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Post by Citabria on Mar 8, 2010 18:53:03 GMT 12
Thanks very much for the record of events there everyone, and the kind words. It's really my pleasure to be able to share my training and display aircraft that are really priceless in my eyes. I love a good challenge and if Stu posts "that" DC3 landing shot you will see that I certainly had it ! Apparently Dean told me later just a I got into the flare a huge gust came across the field and short of sticking my arm out to help keep her straight there wasn't anything left. Thanks Bruce for taking all those shots on my Camera, one of these days I figure out how to do it.... funny that's what I think is the hardest part of all. ... Flying Easy ;D .... figuring out how to get the prop to blur on my camera.... impossible  Cheers Andrew |
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Post by FlyingKiwi on Mar 8, 2010 19:18:00 GMT 12
Looks like it was a great show - I was sorry not to make it, but with the recent trip to Tauranga for the airshow there, and funding a parachute drop rating, I haven't had a lot of money to spare.
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Post by ErrolC on Mar 8, 2010 20:30:45 GMT 12
Looked like a great day, thanks too for the photos everyone.
Andrew, figure out how to set the shutter speed (something like 1/250 generally works). Then you 'just' have to track well enough to get everything-else-NOT-blurred.
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Post by stu on Mar 8, 2010 21:35:33 GMT 12
I love a good challenge and if Stu posts "that" DC3 landing shot you will see that I certainly had it ! Apparently Dean told me later just a I got into the flare a huge gust came across the field and short of sticking my arm out to help keep her straight there wasn't anything left. You mean this one?  The gusting crosswind certainly looked like a handful. It wasn't too bad when I landed - although I had to stop the Robin from wandering off as I crossed the threshold - but it certainly seemed to became a big factor later on. Very convenient of it to swing more down the runway at the end of the day ;D As for the day itself, I can only echo what's already been said. Probably one of the more enjoyable shows I've been to in a long time. The added bonus of being able to fly to it certainly helped, even if a bit of a headwind meant that 1.9 hours was entered into the log book at the end of the day. From the perspective of a non-aviation buff, Penny (my passenger and work colleague) who was really keen to " go for a flight in a small plane" and had only come along at the last moment as my daughter couldn't make it, was planning to wander into town while the show was on. Instead, she stayed and watched the show, later remarking how it was the first one she'd been to and how much fun it was when she had anticipated it would be boring. I agree that one of the highlights was the WRX vs Squirrel drag race. After spending a ridiculous amount of time changing the most inaccessible spark plugs on my WRX, I was wishing it would similarly make a loud and terminal bang with suitable amounts of black smoke out the exhaust pipe such was my loathing for it by this afternoon. As also previously mentioned, it was good to catch up with a small forum gathering. With regard to the photos, thanks for the compliments but with over 1500 taken (LOVE this new camera) - the law of averages says some must have come out. Photoshop also helped by cropping a few that were not quite in the correct part of the frame but were otherwise ok. I still have a lot to learn (and a lot more photos to wade through). To those who gave me advice, many thanks and top marks to all those who took such great shots of the day and made them available on the forum Finally..... Guess who ;D  A true professional at work.  Cheers, Stu. p.s. as it was my first time landing at Whitianga, are those hills near the end of the runway as close as they seemed when I turned onto base for 04? Probably being a bit over cautious on the day, but I turned onto base early and basically did a glide approach until just prior to flaring. I'm sure those that have been there many times will tell me they're further away than I thought |
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Post by Dave Homewood on Mar 8, 2010 21:56:06 GMT 12
Great shot of the Dakota mate. Not such a great shot of me though. Your new camera must have a very wide angle lens...  |
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Post by ErrolC on Mar 8, 2010 22:09:42 GMT 12
Great shot of the Dakota mate. Not such a great shot of me though. Your new camera must have a very wide angle lens... I was taking photos at our corporate Golf Day on Friday. A few had to be deleted on safety grounds - if they were ever shown in public the subjects would hurt me! |
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Post by FlyingKiwi on Mar 10, 2010 17:17:40 GMT 12
The hills seemed pretty close the first time I visited Whitianga too! I did appreciate that enormous runway though.
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Post by hardyakka on Mar 11, 2010 20:47:52 GMT 12
Stu, at unfamiliar airports, the hills always look closer the first time. First time I flew in to Omaka in a C152 I nearly overshot because of the feeling I was terrain-following down a hillside. Just unconsciously pulling back a bit to keep the ground away. Taking off from Kaikoura first time towards the Sou'West feels like you are going to plow straight into the cliffs. It is quite amazing the tricks your eyes play on you when you are unfamiliar with the surroundings.
Luckily the Yak doesn't like long, shallow final approaches. Abeam the threshold, power back, prop flat, and down she comes keeping in tight and well away from those nasty bits of elevated earth...
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