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Post by shorty on Apr 5, 2010 13:54:11 GMT 12
Heaps of photos in my "Stash" thread of them with Kiwi roundels, I also have the pages out of NZAP2656 (leaflet D/3) detailing it. |
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Post by corsair67 on Apr 5, 2010 14:13:46 GMT 12
Corsair - you are correct about the name! I only picked that up because he was featured in the RAAF recruitment adverts that appeared on TV here last year. I wonder if his callsign will now become "Loon"? ;D |
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Post by lesterpk on Apr 5, 2010 16:55:49 GMT 12
Hi guys, I have about 500 photos from the weekend, but having only got home about 3 hours ago I still need to sort and edit them. Will post some later in the week.
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Post by ErrolC on Apr 5, 2010 18:43:27 GMT 12
Hi guys, I have about 500 photos from the weekend piker! Did you take time off to work rather than take photos!? Once I claim my bag, I'm having dinner with my gf, so don't expect anything from me tonight. |
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Post by skyhawkdon on Apr 5, 2010 20:14:58 GMT 12
Just home so some quick comments on the 3 days. Will download some photos later in the week...
The Friday practice day was a bit of a disappointment. There wasn't much flying compared to other years (sounds like a lot of it was done on the Thursday instead) and very little commentary to let you know what was happening or what was coming up. They were still sorting out the PA system at 4.30pm and we were kicked out of the Silver Pass grandstand just after 4pm despite telling the pimple faced "security guards" that we were waiting for the La9 to take off. I wasn't too impressed having paid all that money for a Silver Pass to be kicked out of the stand before the flying had finished for the day. I had been talking to the Pioneer guys earlier in the day while they were working on it and they said all going well it would do a test flight around 4pm. The new prop only got fitted to it on Thursday with the first engine run since 2006 that day. But when they started the engine they found a wee problem - the prop rotated the wrong way! So off it came to be reassembled properly! I think they worked all night on it. John Lamont was very cautious with it on its test flight, he used a very low power setting for take off. Then once he put the gear up he had an indication problem. The Kitty hawk gave him a visual and confirmed all was OK so he carried on with the test flight. All was good so he did a practice display, quite high up, then a few low and fast passes - that aircraft sure makes a beautiful sound when wound up! It was also disappointing to hear the Hurricane wasn't going to be flying in the show... in fact it never got a mention by the commentary team all weekend - a taboo subject I suspect.
Saturday dawned and thankfully they seemed to have things organised a bit better and the flying was great considering the conditions. The Hornets were good (and were even better on the Sunday), the German wing walking act was surprisingly good, the mad Lithuanian was his usual amazing self - his display with the DC-3 was pure genius (whoever thought that up?). The Zero and Spitfire displays were excellent. It was a fair call to cancel the finale with the cross wind like it was. Oh and did I mention the dust! We were almost praying for rain overnight and got our wish! The next morning was cool and overcast but cleared as the day progressed.
The Sunday flying displays were as good as any I have seen at Wanaka. The finale was just amazing. They had more aircraft in the air than ever before (28 I think it was?). The Vera Lin message and then her song "We'll Meet Again", with the Spitfire doing a display overhead was very moving. The whole crowd were on their feet as a mark of respect.
So overall it was another memorable show and well worth attending. The new organisers did well and would have learnt a few things over the weekend. I'd be very surprised if the whole thing wasn't a huge financial success for them, which bodes well for future shows. Yes the commentary at times was nothing more than verbal diarrhea and Jim H has a bad habit of getting his facts wrong (I wasn't aware that Brendan's Spitfire had been restored by Avspecs!! - that really annoyed me). Fortunately they mostly shut up during the displays when you really wanted to just listen to the aircraft engines.
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Post by Dave Homewood on Apr 6, 2010 13:48:43 GMT 12
What did you all think of Jerry Yagen's Rapide?
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Post by skyhawkdon on Apr 6, 2010 15:21:17 GMT 12
Stunning!
The DH flying display at lunchtime each day was also very good. On Sunday they also did a Tiger Moth air race with a Le Mans start. Dave Phillip's Tiger display opened the show each day and was fantastic (first time I have seen it but I know many of you have seen it at other shows of late). It was done to music.
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Post by Dave Homewood on Apr 6, 2010 15:35:31 GMT 12
It is great to hear that the older classics got a decent showing at the show this time, usually in the past at Wanaka they got little more than a formation flypast. Dave's display is one of the best on the airshow circuit of any aircraft type in my opinion. It's really good that the audience down south got to see his amazing skills and precision.
I hope we see some photos of the three Rapides and Dragonfly all together. Was the DH84 Dragon there too?
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Post by baz62 on Apr 6, 2010 15:57:29 GMT 12
Well i've missed a good show by the sounds of it. I'll have to get the DVD then.
So. Ahem. Um.Err.
Is it too soon to start the Classic Fighters 2011 thread? ;D
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Post by ErrolC on Apr 6, 2010 16:20:34 GMT 12
I hope we see some photos of the three Rapides and Dragonfly all together. Was the DH84 Dragon there too? We had the Mandeville trio (Rapide, Dragonfly, Fox Moth), plus Rapide (G)-ADDD. It was fairly murky when they flew, my photos aren't great from the memory of my quick review a couple of days ago. |
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Post by Ykato on Apr 6, 2010 17:30:28 GMT 12
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Post by skyhawkdon on Apr 6, 2010 18:56:55 GMT 12
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Post by kiwithrottlejockey on Apr 6, 2010 20:38:57 GMT 12
Is it too soon to start the Classic Fighters 2011 thread? ;D Well....I can skite about the fact that I came home from WOW with a handful of Classic Fighters 2011 Gold Passes (I didn't just pay for them [with cold hard cash], but actually walked away from the CF tent with the passes in my hand). ;D |
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Post by kiwithrottlejockey on Apr 6, 2010 20:44:31 GMT 12
There were no WWI aircraft at Wanaka this year which was a bit of a surprise. I guess we will just have to go to Omaka next year to see them! Don't forget Wings Over Wairarapa 2011 at Hood Aerodrome (where the biggest collection of airworthy WWI aircraft are based), as well as the upcoming TVAL mini-airshows at Hood. It was quite interesting talking to some of the Aussies near me in the Silver Pass grandstand at WOW — many of them are very much aware of what is happening at Hood and are making plans to be at next year's Wings Over Wairarapa airshow. |
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Post by baz62 on Apr 6, 2010 20:54:43 GMT 12
Is it too soon to start the Classic Fighters 2011 thread? ;D Well....I can skite about the fact that I came home from WOW with a handful of Classic Fighters 2011 Gold Passes (I didn't just pay for them [with cold hard cash], but actually walked away from the CF tent with the passes in my hand). ;D Good I'll have two please ;D (Well the price is right ha ha) Did I ever tell you I think you are a top bloke and a fine upstanding member of this website? ;D |
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Post by vs on Apr 6, 2010 21:16:06 GMT 12
Not much room left for the Vampire to take off!!!!! Was the Navy Blue T6 there? (66 I thinK)
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Post by shamus on Apr 6, 2010 21:56:39 GMT 12
I think your photos are great, skyhawkdon, not having been there at Wanaka, I enjoyed every one of them.
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Post by joesmith on Apr 6, 2010 22:20:04 GMT 12
Yes... another fantastic WOW airshow, especially on Sunday. Worth the trip just to see the Zero.  Stand out display for me was the La-9. Great to see John Lamont giving it plenty of air time before her departure to a new home in the USA. |
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Post by Dave Homewood on Apr 6, 2010 22:53:55 GMT 12
I'm with Shamus, I liked every one of your photos Don. Well done!
Seeing all those yelllow Tiger Moths lined up is neat and rather nostalgic.
So are there currently four flyable DH89's in NZ but just two made it to the airshow then?
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Post by beagle on Apr 6, 2010 23:02:07 GMT 12
Next time Dave. we will save up and go next time as I heard there could be a flying ex RNZAF A-4 that the Wings over New Zealand Aviation Forum Syndicate purchased nice and cheap.
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Stand out display for me was the La-9. Great to see John Lamont giving it plenty of air time before her departure to a new home in the USA.
