Remembering 747's at WLG

[zaphod]

[/quote]Lachan - I do not have any photos, but I was on that flight and your details are largely correct.  It was a flight from Melbourne to Auckland.  We tried to land twice at Auckland but had to abort both times.  You could not even see the wing tips.  The pilot said we were diverting to Christchurch.  We asked the flight attendant why we were not going to Wellington, and she told us the run way was too short in Wellington. Then, just as we were flying past Hamilton, the pilot announced that Christchurch was fogged in as well, and we were diverting to Wellington!  We looked at the flight attendant, and she just gave us a slightly frightened look and shrugged.  The pilot never formally told us that no 747 had ever landed at Wellington fully loaded before (we found that out from the newspapers the next morning), but he did come down extremely low over the bay and slammed the engines into reverse as soon as we touched down.  We probably took 3/4 of the run way and there was a line of fire trucks already out waiting, but in the end it worked out well.[/quote]

Cheers for posting confirmation. Must have been an interesting landing! Do you happen to have the exact date of the flight? I know there was something in the newspaper at the time, but haven't been able to search it out.

[slackie]

Was talking to a colleague only yesterday about the United 747 in WN. He was in the tower for the departure... it apparently had most of the passengers aboard that it had landed with (only loosing a few that WN bound anyway). He said that it lined up at the end of the RWY, the crew "fed it the fat" and it rotated only about halfway down and climbed "like a homesick angel"... obviously it had a light fuel load but that would still have been a cool sight to see... I just love the 747!

[vs]

This vid on Air New Zealand's Boeing 747 200 has a interview with the Captain who flew the airplane into Wellington for the last time

[Dave Homewood]

On these occasions why was Ohakea not an option?

[vs]

The first flight in the late 80's was a proving flight (I believe before Ohakea was available for use as an alternate) The second Air NZ flight in there was to help celebrate the opening of the new terminal. I believe only one flight (United) ever landed there as an alternate.

[furd]

Jan 7, 2014 9:28:47 GMT 12 vs said:

The first flight in the late 80's was a proving flight (I believe before Ohakea was available for use as an alternate) The second Air NZ flight in there was to help celebrate the opening of the new terminal. I believe only one flight (United) ever landed there as an alternate.

I have followed this thread with some interest as I was involved in the Wellington landing trials carried out at Auckland. A search of my logbook reveals the following; 9 Oct 1987 ZKNZX Wellington landing trial, duration 1:15. Crew, Lindsey Caudwell, Ian Hutchins and myself. The landings were conducted with a max landing wgt of 230,000 kgs and using "Max" auto brakes. We found the stopping distance with 'Max" braking was with such deceleration that we were not able to get beyond the reverse idle detent before having to cancel the use of reverse thrust. After a couple of landings using "Max" braking the use thereafter of "Med" brake selection was a better option. A good part of the landing trial was spent flying around with the gear extended to cool the brakes. The actual Wellington landings were completed a few days later. To my knowledge, Wellington was never used by the B747-219 and Ohakea became available as a standard alternate a short time later and remains so to this day.

[Dave Homewood]

Thanks for that info Furd. Good stuff.

[vs]

Flight Engineers on the first flight (747 200 they were part of the crew) I believe were Chief Flight Engineer Don Olliff and Deputy Chief Flight Engineer Peter Allen

[furd]

Jan 7, 2014 13:05:54 GMT 12 vs said:

Flight Engineers on the first flight (747 200 they were part of the crew) I believe were Chief Flight Engineer Don Olive and Deputy Chief Flight Engineer Peter Allen

Yes, more than likely it was Don and Peter, as I was out to VYR a couple of days later. I'll be seeing them at a function on Thursday and will confirm the Wellington crewing. The only other occasion an ANZ B747-219 landed at Wellington was in June 1999 captained by Pete Waller for the opening of the new terminal.

[avenger]

The UAL B 747 into Wellington was 8th October, I don't have the year but most probably 1991 as inferred earlier.
The first flight into Wellington by AirNZ aircraft was indeed a proving flight
to validate the possible use as an alternate for the direct LAX - AKL flights. Interesting but the intent was never to actually use the airport as a regular alternate but the availabilty enabled the aircraft to continue for a landing at AKL when being below pre-defined enroute fuel levels a diversion to an enroute alternative would have been the only other option.
To reassure forum members and readers, there were other protections developed within this policy that ensured safety.
RNZAF Ohakea for non technical reasons was not considered at this time as a regular alternate but it was availabe as a suitable length of concrete but could not for a period be 'flight planned' as an alternate.

Earlier posts referred to Don Olive when actually it's Olliff.

[wordsmith]

Feb 26, 2010 15:14:06 GMT 12 kiwithrottlejockey said:

Feb 26, 2010 10:12:41 GMT 12 yak2 said:

Had the 'pleasure' of flying into Wellington in an ANZ DC8 in the mid 70's.

Ditto....I flew from Sydney to Wellington in an Air NZ DC-8 in December 1974. Most of the passengers on the flight were Aussies and I got the impression many of them were on their first trip to Wellington as they were astounded at looking up at houses above the aeroplane while approaching above Evans Bay. I can recall the landing took up virtually the entire length of the runway.

One of my friends in Wellington is the son of the pilot (Captain Geoff White) who flew the first Air NZ DC-8 into Wellington for the initial trials, then flew the first commercial DC-8 service out of Wellington bound for Sydney. A couple of deacdes earlier, Geoff was the co-pilot (with Captain Cliff le Couter) on the last Short Solent flight from Sydney to Wellington (in 1954). Geoff once told me that they got their hands smacked for carrying out a low flight over downtown Wellington, right along Bunny Street (the then equivalent of today's CAA had their offices in Bunny Street right across the road from the Railway Station) before landing in Evans Bay. Not the sort of thing you'd get away with today with an airliner full of fare-paying passengers.

Geoff White retired to the Sunshine Coast in Queensland where he still lives today, apart from occasional visits to NZ.

Hi. I came across this site searching for information on Geoff White. He piloted the plane on my mother's first flight to Melbourne in 1959, where she was travelling to be reunited with a dashing Australian she'd met at church in her hometown Christchurch! My grandmother mentioned Geoff in her diary, no doubt pleased that her daughter was in safe Air New Zealand hands. I've written about it on my blog: cookcleanmakemarry.

By the way, according to my Air NZ Junior Jet Club Flight Log Book (a treasured possession), my flights to NZ were all on Electras up until Dec 1971, when we travelled on a DC8 for the first time.

[Deleted]

Does anyone have the Reg of the United 747-200 that diverted to Wellington on the 8th October 1991?

[delticman]

From Aerolog/AHSNZ, 0810/1991 N4728U, Boeing 747-122 from Honolulu after a missed approach at Auckland. Flew back to Auckland that day.

[Deleted]

Thanks very very much!!!!

[pvsjetstar]

I can recall a Pan Am B747 inbound from Honolulu to Auckland, diverting from Auckland-Christchurch due weather. Shortly after heading to Christchurch, the crew realised they had insufficient fuel and re-diverted into Ohakea. In those days Ohakea's runway was a bit narrow and the power from the 747 engines smashed a whole heap of runway lights as it took off back to Auckland after refuelling. This of course was before United took over after Pan Am closed their doors! Can't remember the date.

[Deleted]

Pan Am 747s had a habit of crashing into runways lights

[Deleted]

Sorry to be the next again in the thread, but just does anyone know the date when ZK-NZZ did its trials at at Wellington.

I have found this article in the Pacific Wings Archive which was in the DEC/JAN 1988 NZ Wings and states last month.

www.pacificwingsmagazine.com/system/files/articles/1987_oct_dec.0041.pdf

If anyone has pic please put them on the thread.

On another note;

There must be more pics of the SPs at Wellington around also, and I someone must have taken film!!!

[Deleted]

Feb 26, 2010 10:45:53 GMT 12 vs said:

I will ask my father where they flew on the first flight into there. To my knowledge, Air NZ have never had a 747 400 fly into Wellington. The Lord of the Rings aircraft was a 400. United have diverted there a while ago

According to NZ Wings a Air New Zealand 747-400 ZK-NBS did link below (third page top left).

www.pacificwingsmagazine.com/system/files/articles/1990.0001.pdf

This from Air NZ history page;

December 16 1989 - Air New Zealand's first B747-400 arrived at Auckland from Seattle. The following day it flew from Christchurch to Hong Kong, on lease to Cathay Pacific.

(Yes I know no mention of Wellington)

Does anyone know if it was the 16th or 17th, please let me know.

[pilotpotters]

[nzav8a]

There are photos of the SP's first visit to WLG here Aussieairliners