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Post by phil82 on Apr 1, 2012 8:53:45 GMT 12
The Russians had a Space Station named Mir in orbit for a number of years, but which orbit finally deteriorated and it was deliberately crashed into the Pacific in 2001.
Ever since there have been a number of people here on this planet who didn't belong here, but have no means by which they could return to their own.
Included in this list are those who decided [and I won't say 'in their wisdom because they have none!] That the AL Spitfire couldn't do its display because the show was running over schedule. Excuse me!! WTF planet are they from? People attend an air display to see aircraft displayed and a decision is made not to display one of THE most significant aircraft in New Zealand and, indeed, the world.?
As a now somewhat vintage airman I must pay tribute to all the guys and girls in uniform who did a superb job in difficult circumstance despite being possibly cognizant that directing traffic wasn't mentioned when they signed on. However, a bollocking should be delivered to whoever decided they could stand out in the sun all day without a wide-brimmed hat! Some of them had a decidedly pink tinge when I left!.
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Post by eieio on Apr 1, 2012 9:17:35 GMT 12
I went by bus from downtown Auckland to the 92 show at Mangare, Before we rip up the Airforce we all know their finances are running on reserve. A couple of "Forcers" mentioned money relative to the parking stuff up, man[woman] power is probably a major problem for such an event
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rhyno
Flight Lieutenant
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Post by rhyno on Apr 1, 2012 9:19:54 GMT 12
Unfortunately it looks like this airshow will be remembered for the traffic chaos and little else which is a real shame. To have looked forward to this for such a long time, and after a tough few months, spending 9 hours in the car, missing a large portion of the day is nothing short of gutting.
A ticket refund is but a token gesture to the hundreds of dollars spent in time off work and fuel getting there, in tough times for some. Now whilst they cant reimburse money spent getting there, saying "we screwed up"instead of ducking for cover and finger pointing, would help. And for those of you that where lucky to have a fantastic day, spare a thought for those who didnt, and imagine how you would feel.
And Flyrnz.."I can see my car from there!"
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Post by phil82 on Apr 1, 2012 9:47:29 GMT 12
It's a matter of perception I guess, but until you have seen that All Black ANZ 777 close-up on the ground, you don't appreciate how huge it is!
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Post by thebrads on Apr 1, 2012 10:02:08 GMT 12
More gold reporting from the countries finest: (Check out the caption)  |
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Post by Naki on Apr 1, 2012 10:11:03 GMT 12
Ahh yes the jet Spitfire...
Was there traffic issues coming from the North as well?
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Post by sqwark2k on Apr 1, 2012 10:50:49 GMT 12
We left Palmy later than planned at approx 0900. Hit slow traffic abeam NZFI and then crawled to a point 4km's short of Speedy Road. That's when I got the iPhone out and check for alternate roads towards Ohakea. Found a route but umm and erred about leaving the stationary queue in case we got stuck in another and worse off. After another 5-10mins of stationary deliberation we thought had nothing to lose so, so pulled out of traffic and backtracked 500m to green road and headed south for about 3km, turned right onto Taipo Road and paralleled the main road towards Ohakea. Zilch traffic, 100km/hr, brief stop to cross SH1 intersection and then back to 100km/hr til we got to Tangimoana Road which leads to the base. Watched the hunter display from the queue on the road beside base then by 1025 we were parked on the airfield parking about 100m from the crowd line which was parallel with the taxiway/runway. So after a late start and initial slowness ended up having a dream run (in context to 1000's of others) and a primo park and view for the day. Quick exit via same route at end of day. Will remember the stay off main roads tactic for next time but might try the hire a scooter for the day to make fun of getting there whilst cruising past stationary traffic.
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Post by phil82 on Apr 1, 2012 11:25:28 GMT 12
Not a complaint you understand but.......the two commentaries for the Texan and C17 displays seemed to be scripts which had little bearing on the displays...almost a script and a tad disjointed;"The Globemaster Three will now approach from your right" when it was at the 027 end" . The American Texan commentary was even worse, and delivered in a monotone which suggested the writer wasn't actually watching the display!
The lovely Sqn Ldr Kate does a good job and seems to be the commentator of choice for any air show the RNZAF attends....... Jim Hickey on the other hand need to learn hwen to say nothing!
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Post by sqwark2k on Apr 1, 2012 11:36:27 GMT 12
Agree the C17 and AT-6 Texan commentaries were sterile and sales pitch orientated. Big gaff with the C17 on your right call when it was miles to the left. Not as spectacular as I'd heard and looking forward to for the 17 but still impressively huge.
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Post by phil on Apr 1, 2012 11:52:35 GMT 12
However, a bollocking should be delivered to whoever decided they could stand out in the sun all day without a wide-brimmed hat! Some of them had a decidedly pink tinge when I left!. Really? The dress instructions that were promulgated at WP for those heading down (either as indulgence or duty to assist) listed RNZAF issue SUN HAT as an approved head dress for the day. Actually the only time I've ever worn that monstrosity is at Ohakea air shows! |
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Post by JW on Apr 1, 2012 11:53:06 GMT 12
Putting the traffic issues aside, I think it was a good event. Got to see quite a few aircraft that I hadn't before, the two Spitfires, the Avenger, Corsair, B777 and the RAAF Hornets. Just a shame that they had parked the Vampire, Hunter and Strikemaster nowhere near the crowds so they could get pics.
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zolteg
Flight Lieutenant
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Post by zolteg on Apr 1, 2012 11:57:07 GMT 12
That's a bit odd about the 757, it did a great display practice last week, I wonder why it didn't display at the air show. It did - early on. I saw glimpses from State Carpark 1. |
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zolteg
Flight Lieutenant
Posts: 82
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Post by zolteg on Apr 1, 2012 12:04:53 GMT 12
We left Palmy later than planned at approx 0900. Hit slow traffic abeam NZFI and then crawled to a point 4km's short of Speedy Road. That's when I got the iPhone out and check for alternate roads towards Ohakea. Found a route but umm and erred about leaving the stationary queue in case we got stuck in another and worse off. After another 5-10mins of stationary deliberation we thought had nothing to lose so, so pulled out of traffic and backtracked 500m to green road and headed south for about 3km, turned right onto Taipo Road and paralleled the main road towards Ohakea. Zilch traffic, 100km/hr, brief stop to cross SH1 intersection and then back to 100km/hr til we got to Tangimoana Road which leads to the base. Watched the hunter display from the queue on the road beside base then by 1025 we were parked on the airfield parking about 100m from the crowd line which was parallel with the taxiway/runway. So after a late start and initial slowness ended up having a dream run (in context to 1000's of others) and a primo park and view for the day. Quick exit via same route at end of day. Will remember the stay off main roads tactic for next time but might try the hire a scooter for the day to make fun of getting there whilst cruising past stationary traffic. I contemplated tearing down Tangimoana Road, but thought 'nah, if that was available they'd be diverting everyone down there to spread the load between front & back gates. More fool me... Was mightily surprised some enterprising folk from Bulls & Sanson weren't out on bikes with chilly bins full of drinks & icecreams though, selling up on State Carpark 1. |
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Post by phil82 on Apr 1, 2012 12:06:00 GMT 12
I only saw two people wearing it.[the wide-brim hat].and monstrosity or not it does the job, which the standard headgear doesn't!
I also noted, as at all air shows in NZ and Australia, that most spectators are into monstrosity-type head gear.
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Post by corsair67 on Apr 1, 2012 12:17:00 GMT 12
The traffic management thing makes me so cranky, because it will reflect badly in the media on the RNZAF - when the RNZAF obviously aren't solely to blame for this problem. A number of complainants in online newspapers comments sections have stated that at no point did they see any Police directing traffic at any of the main choke points - which if true, is not a good thing to hear at all.
And as to the comment about Air Force man/womanpower shortages possibly being an issue, weren't there local Rotary or other voluntary organisations on duty too helping with parking marshalling, etc? If not, then maybe next time they should look at getting these organisations in to assist?
Also, it is sad that this occurred as we know that the RNZAF can put on a cracker of a show at Ohakea to a similar sized crowd, with seemingly very little or no traffic chaos at all.
Anyway, I hope no one in the Air Force is hung out to dry over this to save someone else's arse - but I do hope that the mistakes made in this PR disaster can be learnt from and the next air show runs more smoothly.
Also, I'm interested in Phil82's comment about some rather pink looking Air Force personnel that had been standing out in the sun all day without hats - do RNZAF personnel even get issued with wide-brimmed hats nowadays, or only the baseball caps?
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Post by saratoga on Apr 1, 2012 12:46:08 GMT 12
The traffic problems were front page on the Sunday Star-Times, but the guy who wrote the article on the show described the "F19" display, and the "USAF C130". I've written the following letter to the Editor. "With regard to your article on the RNZAF Air Show at Ohakea, perhaps the numbers quoted [70,000] who tried to attend are indicative of the New Zealand public wanting to see a substantial air display after Helen Clark's 2001 vindictive rampage through the strength of the air force. There has to be a message there that the majority of the aircraft displayed came from other countries! When reporting on such events, it might pay to have a reporter who can actually tell one aircraft from another as Michael Field evidently cannot. The RAAF aircraft were F18 Hornets, and not "F19", and there was no USAF C130 Hercules attending. There was, however, a US Marine Corp KC130!" Inclined to agree, we're starved here for decent military hardware,would have been a fairly quiet show without the Aussies and Yanks.And the warbirds. |
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Post by saratoga on Apr 1, 2012 13:04:20 GMT 12
I must have been one of the (relatively) lucky ones ,only spent 90mins getting from Sanson to Ohakea!
Left Wellington with plenty of time so should have arrived Ohakea about 0830, got to see the Hunter thunder overhead as i was stuck in traffic past the bomb dump.
Through the gates at 1015!.
In all the driving(aka sitting in traffic) only saw one cop ,near Himitangi.
Speedy road ? ,it wasn't yesterday!
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Post by vs on Apr 1, 2012 13:18:12 GMT 12
Traffic was a total nightmare! We took 5 hours from Wellington. It is a shame they did not come up with alternatives.
Flying program me was all over the place....although the flying display was very good. I would have rather have seen the Spitfire display over the furrio. It was good to see the 750XL display and I was very impressed with the NH90 and was amazed how quiet it was.
I also could not understand why they had all the huge camper vans right up by the display line... right in the way! I also thought maybe they could have put some of the static airplanes back behind the display line with a rope around them so they were not in the way of the audience and so that people could go and have a look at them easily without getting in the audience's way....just some thoughts.
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Post by luke6745 on Apr 1, 2012 13:20:32 GMT 12
And as to the comment about Air Force man/womanpower shortages possibly being an issue, weren't there local Rotary or other voluntary organisations on duty too helping with parking marshalling, etc? If not, then maybe next time they should look at getting these organisations in to assist? The marshalling was mostly done by cadets and servicemen. Myself and about 9 other cadets were put in the back of a van to assist with marshalling only to be told 2 minutes later we weren't needed. And I think this was at about 1130-1145. |
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Post by greaneyr on Apr 1, 2012 13:29:10 GMT 12
We left Palmy later than planned at approx 0900. Hit slow traffic abeam NZFI and then crawled to a point 4km's short of Speedy Road. That's when I got the iPhone out and check for alternate roads towards Ohakea. Found a route but umm and erred about leaving the stationary queue in case we got stuck in another and worse off. After another 5-10mins of stationary deliberation we thought had nothing to lose so, so pulled out of traffic and backtracked 500m to green road and headed south for about 3km, turned right onto Taipo Road and paralleled the main road towards Ohakea. Zilch traffic, 100km/hr, brief stop to cross SH1 intersection and then back to 100km/hr til we got to Tangimoana Road which leads to the base. Watched the hunter display from the queue on the road beside base then by 1025 we were parked on the airfield parking about 100m from the crowd line which was parallel with the taxiway/runway. Sounds like we had similar experiences. I initially headed for Speedy Rd, aware that they were going to be diverting traffic down Fagan Rd, but after seeing how slow that was moving (and wondering whether they were maybe giving priority to those already ON Fagan rd) I decided to backtrack. I went all the way back to Tangimoana Rd, which was still a bit slow, but after I ducked down Mcdonnell rd (I think) to the left, I then was able to join Tangimoana road at the last intersection before the base. All up, the entry took around an hour. If everyone did what I did, it wouldn't have been so fast of course. It's only fast because the majority aren't. Getting out was worse for us. It took over an hour to get off the field. What really annoyed me was that, when the 777 was leaving, the ****er behind me in the Mitsubishi Canter who obviously had no experience in traffic took aversion to the fact that, while I was standing outside taking a photo, there was a chance that the car in front of me might move and I wouldn't move to fill the gap. I politely remarked to him that "It's not like we're going anywhere" but in the end I decided I wasn't in the mood for an argument after what was otherwise a really great airshow and one like those I used to remember when I was younger. As an aside, does anyone else consider it a bit rich that motorcyclists were able to glide past stationery traffic in the right lane? I mean sure, motorbikes and all that... but I and countless others in cars could have decided to 'overtake' traffic in the right lane too. At the entrance, a motorcycle would have taken just as much time and effort from marshals as a car would (to check tickets), and most cars were full of people so would have actually been a more efficient way to travel than 4 motorbikes. Ultimately, isn't it just queue-jumping? |
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