Vulcan at Hamilton Airshow!!

[Dave Homewood]

There is an old March 4th, 1972 programme for a Waikato Aero Club airshow held in Hamilton, and according to the blurb one of the aircraft in attendance was a Vulcan B. MkII.

www.trademe.co.nz/Books/Magazines/Automotive-aviation/Aviation/auction-310789584.htm

Also in attendance were:
Skyhawk
C130H Hercules
Iroquois Helicopters
Strikemaster
Harvard
and much more.

Was anyone from the forum there for that show? I was just 1 years old then and doubt I was there. Dad probably was though.

I'm certain a Vulcan could not land at Hamilton, even now with the runway extended both ways. Would it have operated out of Ohakea for this appearance? I had no idea Vulcans had been into Waikato airspace. I'd love to see photos form this airshow.

[stu]

I was thinking about this some time after posting the message below and in hindsight, I'm pretty sure the aircraft I saw had a delta wing. The 1972 time-frame would make me almost 7 so would be about right.

Oct 17, 2006 19:22:21 GMT 12 stu said:

Just browsing this thread and it's stirred a memory that someone may be able to help with ...

I vaguely remember at a reasonably young age being in the Rukuhia area with my father during an air show (pre-1974 I think as I was still living in Hamilton at the time).

A very large and strange military jet flew overhead and my father said that it was a Vulcan bomber from the RAF. Of course, since then I have come to know what a Vulcan looks like but at the time I had no idea and now, 3+ decades later, I can't be sure of what I saw as the "I was told so, so it must have been" adds a bias to any mental image I try and form.

Does anybody know if any Vulcans ever visited at Hamilton and if so, what year? Mainly just a personal thing to justify, or otherwise, a long held belief that I have seen one in the flesh.

Cheers,
Stu.

[Bruce]

The famous "RNZAF" - roundel incident happened to XH562 on 2nd March 1972 so that sounds like a suitable candidate.

[furyfb11]

Indeed it was. The Vulcan did a couple of touch and go's as part of it's display...have some photo's somewhere. There is a story about that after the Kiwi roundels were applied the aircraft visited Christchurch. As it taxied in an American officer noticed the kiwi roundels and said "I didnt know the RNZAF had Vulcans".Oh yes" replied a kiwi officer "it's the first of ten we are getting"

[kiwithrottlejockey]

I was 5½-years-old when the airshow opening Wellington Airport was held and I can still remember the spectacle of Vulcan bombers. I was fortunate enough to attend the airshow with my Mother's cousin, the late Allan Macaulay of Aviation Radio fame. So I gained access to a few places where the public weren't allowed, including a visit to the control tower.

A few years later, at the official opening of the present Hawke's Bay Airport at Napier, a Vulcan bomber put on another awesome display. I presume it would have been temporarily based at Ohakea. That airshow must have been in about 1962 or 1963, so I would have been either eight or nine years old.

[Dave Homewood]

I'm glad we have cleared up that long held mystery in the back of your mind Stu.

I'd love to see those photos if you can find them please Dave.

[dakman]

Re the Vulcan at Napier
In 1962 XL392 was here for
the Empire games so its very
likely this was the aircraft you saw

[Dave Homewood]

I had saved that airshow programme to my watchlist and then forgotten about it. No-one bid on it so i was made an offer lower than the asking price, and thought what the heck. So i now have it here.

It's quite a lot of pages for a 1970's airshow prgramme. Many of the pages have adverts of course, but an overwhelming theme is the adverts for the RAF. they must have been having a big push for kiwi recruits. There are lots of aeroplane profiles, RNZAF and RAF.

There's a list of all the NZ aero clubs at that time with the names and addresses of the regional club presidents, if anyone is interested.

There's a fair bit on the Vulcan, as you'd expect considering it's star of the show. The crew are listed as:
Wing Command Ron Dick (Captain)
Flight Lieutenant Adrian Sumner (Co-pilot)
Flight Lieutenant Bob Sinclair (Navigator Radar)
Flight Lieutenant John Clark (Navigator Plotter)
Flight Lieutenant Maurice Stocks (Air Electronics Officer)

They were from No IX Squadron, RAF Akrotiri. Ron Dick was the Squadron Commander.

[gw]

Aug 16, 2010 14:30:52 GMT 12 stu said:

I was thinking about this some time after posting the message below and in hindsight, I'm pretty sure the aircraft I saw had a delta wing. The 1972 time-frame would make me almost 7 so would be about right.

Oct 17, 2006 19:22:21 GMT 12 stu said:

Just browsing this thread and it's stirred a memory that someone may be able to help with ...

I vaguely remember at a reasonably young age being in the Rukuhia area with my father during an air show (pre-1974 I think as I was still living in Hamilton at the time).

A very large and strange military jet flew overhead and my father said that it was a Vulcan bomber from the RAF. Of course, since then I have come to know what a Vulcan looks like but at the time I had no idea and now, 3+ decades later, I can't be sure of what I saw as the "I was told so, so it must have been" adds a bias to any mental image I try and form.

Does anybody know if any Vulcans ever visited at Hamilton and if so, what year? Mainly just a personal thing to justify, or otherwise, a long held belief that I have seen one in the flesh.

Cheers,
Stu.