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Post by furyfb11 on Feb 24, 2010 13:46:06 GMT 12
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Post by ErrolC on Feb 24, 2010 14:32:06 GMT 12
Great stuff! I have very fond teenage memories of pairs of F-15s taking off and going to near-vertical climb every morning for a week!
Also a F-111 shooting by (about 1km from the runway threashold at Whenuapai) with a F-16 on his tail.
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Post by Dave Homewood on Feb 24, 2010 15:12:31 GMT 12
Fascinating pictures, thanks for posting them. What is the diagonal stripe on the KC-10? Is that just a painted decoration or does it have another purpose?
Does anyone have the results of the exercises? Who wone what, etc?
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Post by furyfb11 on Feb 24, 2010 15:25:15 GMT 12
Strategic Air Command sash.
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Post by obiwan27 on Feb 24, 2010 15:32:38 GMT 12
I remember around this time F111s were based at Harewood for this exercise? Two flew over central Christchurch around 4pm just after I had left work. Either it was for this exercise or possibly another one, around the time that Labour was voted in and relationships with our allies took a nose dive into sh*t creek.
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Post by chewy on Feb 24, 2010 16:52:32 GMT 12
I remember that during the excercise. one of the attacking Blunties managed to score a kill on one of the F16's. I still have the patch from the excercise and a patch given to me by one of the F16 jockies.
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Post by skyhawkdon on Feb 24, 2010 18:55:58 GMT 12
Great photos! Triad 84 was the last ANZUS Exercise that the RNZAF ever participated in thanks to the David Lange Government's anti-nuclear legislation and resulting ANZUS rift...  I was on my Mechs course at Wigram when it was on so missed all the action apart from a few trips out to Harewood to watch the F-111s, AWACS and KC-135s. Some w***er protesters torched the then brand new Brevet Club replica Spitfire during the exercise. They had a "protest camp" set up just down the road, so we went and paid them a visit and had a heated verbal exchange over it! Of course they denied all knowledge... While we were at Harewood one day watching the proceedings from the airport public viewing deck a Mirage did a beat up. Then it came back and did a slow fly by which was lower than we were. As it went past a panel fell off the aircraft onto the airfield grass! So we went and told airport security who hopefully past it on to ATC and the pilot! There were a lot of USAF and RAAF personnel accommodated at Wigram for the exercise. I remember some rowdy nights in the Baggies Club. It was only my first year in the Air Force and it is sad to think that we never saw the USAF here again in force like that... hopefully things will change for the better soon. Anyway here are a selection of photos I have from the exercise. I particularly like the Blunty cockpit photo which is USAF Official      The one of the F-16 coming over the fence at Ohakea is a photo of a photo that used to be in the Ohakea Officers Mess. It is a classic. I've got a lot more but you will have to wait for the Skyhawk book to come out later this year to see them! |
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Post by flyjoe180 on Feb 24, 2010 19:35:29 GMT 12
Look forward to seeing more Don. Wow, a Strikemaster 'shot down' an F16?  |
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Post by Damon on Feb 24, 2010 19:42:44 GMT 12
The F-16 pilot at the time may have had his head up his a.....
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Post by lumpy on Feb 24, 2010 20:16:44 GMT 12
I recall hearing the story going something along the lines of ( for the exercise ) " the Strikemasters were playing the part of Skyhawks , the Skyhawks were playing F16's -- but the F16's really were F16's ( obviously ) . I only heard third hand , and long ago , maybe someone else knows more ?
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Post by Dave Homewood on Feb 24, 2010 20:20:06 GMT 12
It's a good thing there were no trucks driving down that road as the F-16 landed!
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Post by skyhawkdon on Feb 24, 2010 21:15:05 GMT 12
During Triad a RAAF Mirage actually clipped the top of that fence with its undercarriage on landing, breaking the fence battons! If you zoom in on the photo below you can see the broken battons - exactly the width apart of a Mirage's undercarriage! The Mirage in the photo isn't the one in question but is also pretty low! The photo is RNZAF Official.  |
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Post by mcmaster on Feb 25, 2010 1:11:52 GMT 12
When 77 sqn RAAF deployed the Mirages to Ohakea a few squadron records were broken. The number 4 a/c had problems joining the rest of his formation thus establishing the record for the longest rejoin - 1000 miles and nearly 2 hours. Apparently also first solo crossing by Mirage. BTW I have heard there is RAAF Mirage tail at the Ohakea? museum. Anyone know the story behind this? Assuming this was not the bit Don saw fall off ;D Thanks too to Fury and Don for posting excellent images. |
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Post by skyhawkdon on Feb 25, 2010 7:01:20 GMT 12
Yes there was a Mirage tail in the Ohakea Museum. It came from the 75 Sqn (RNZAF) pilot's crewroom. I'm not sure how or when they got it or where it is now? Here is another legendary Mirage photo from their first exercise at Ohakea in 1979. On departure this one flew between the hangars. He is already pulling up in the photo - he was a lot lower than this coming across the grass. Legend has it that the pilot was more than a little worse for wear from a "big"night in the Mess and was grounded as a result of this!  |
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Post by aileronroll on Feb 25, 2010 7:47:00 GMT 12
I think the Mirage tail currently resides in Dr Dave Balwins hangar in Palmerston North, he has some other excellent RNZAF Strike Wing stuff on display in has hangar also, worth a quick visit if your in the area. When Dave was Flt Lt Balwin, Ohakea's Doctor rumour has it he was never available as he spent most of his time in the back of a TA4!
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Post by skyhawkdon on Feb 25, 2010 12:29:41 GMT 12
Top guy is Dave. I'm glad he has aquired a few relics from the defunct strike wing. Now there is a man who is passionate about aviation!
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Post by mumbles on Feb 25, 2010 19:16:35 GMT 12
BTW I have heard there is RAAF Mirage tail at the Ohakea? museum. Anyone know the story behind this? Assuming this was not the bit Don saw fall off ;D Here it was back in early 2007 not long before the museum closed. Since being put on display it was zapped by some passing Swedes by the look of things    I too would be interested to know how we 'obtained' it. Don sign me up for a copy of your book when it comes out, been looking forward to it. |
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Post by skyhawkdon on Feb 25, 2010 20:56:07 GMT 12
RAAF bases in Australia were "littered"with Mirage tails lieing around or planted in the ground as memorials when I was going around Aussie with 2 Sqn in 1991-93. They lost something like 40 of them in accidents so I guess a few tails were recoverable for other uses!
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Post by stu on Feb 26, 2010 10:17:20 GMT 12
Would this be the exercise that provided one of the best sights I'd seen in my time living in Rotorua?
From my viewpoint looking towards Mt. Ngongotaha, two F-16s low across the edge of town toward the lake (left to right from where I was standing) and giving the distinct impression that if you lived part way up Mt. Ngongotaha and happened to look out your window, they would have been almost eye level (probably a bit higher but distance may have created the illusion).
About the same time, I was going for a tramp around the Blue and Green lakes with some friends and we were serenaded by the sound of high altitude, high performance jet engines and associated contrails giving the distinct impression that a fairly decent mock combat exercise was going on.
Cheers,
Stu.
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Post by yak2 on Feb 26, 2010 10:22:31 GMT 12
RAAF bases in Australia were "littered"with Mirage tails lieing around or planted in the ground as memorials when I was going around Aussie with 2 Sqn in 1991-93. They lost something like 40 of them in accidents so I guess a few tails were recoverable for other uses! There are probably a few more littered around Pakistan now  |
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