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Post by Chris F on Apr 2, 2012 12:39:55 GMT 12
By the looks of the photos this was an AWESOME Airshow event and many thanks to the RNZAF for making this happen.
For all the people who missed out due to traffic well its disappointing and more so for those with young children.
As a family with young children it is not easy to just get up and go at 5am or to walk 6 or 7km to get to the show...so that is real disappointing to those families affected.
And one must remember that these young children are our future RNZAF and we need them full of buzz from a show like this.
I had my brother and cousin both attend...in fact my cousins husband was a member of the Army team who ropped out of the Huey.
Both said the show was Awesome and the main attraction to them were the F-18 Hornets which left memories they will not forget.
A couple of aircraft pics I did not see but there appeared no T-28 Trojan nor the A-37...are these still in NZ???
Also what was the display of the T-6 Texan II like?
For those that thought the publics interest in our Airforce was dead and forgotton...think again!
Bring on the 80th Airshow and sort the traffic better cause in 5 years the RAAF will be showing off there new F-35's and Super Hornets and if you thought this show was big...think again!
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Post by pjw4118 on Apr 2, 2012 12:42:09 GMT 12
Sorry to learn of the problems, when we landed the queues stretched out of sight. But why ask a Wellington based mob to plan the trafffic. Theres only two roads out of the place and they both head north. Confronted with a big flat plain with roads all around and lots of open space ,no wonder they didnt front, and slept in. You might as well have asked planners from Vanuatu to do it , and apologies to Vanuatu.
Now if they had employed Aucklanders , what a difference, they would have ensured that resealing was booked for the same day as well.
The show was great , too much to see for a one day event, the Tiger Moth aerobatics were quite stunning and perhaps a bit scarey. Not for me lad.
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Post by slackie on Apr 2, 2012 12:58:54 GMT 12
Hmmm... well I had a great day waterskiracing on Taupo with my boy (even if we did run out of gas in his last race on Sunday - DOH!)... glad not to be caught in the traffic nightmare (either airborne or on the ground), but bummed at not seeing the displays. I know all too well the problems of retrieving (and dispatching) airshow iaircraft traffic, and the answer is PROCEDURES, both in the air and on the ground... we've done it for years at Wanaka pretty successfully, and that with some pretty restrictive terrain. The pilot needs to know BEFORE s/he arrives what they can expect, where to hold, what pattern to fly, and what to do once on the ground... a bottleneck (like crossing a runway) can kill the flow and backlogs follow VERY quickly.
Oh well... there's always the 100 year airshow to look forward to!!
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Post by skyhawkdon on Apr 2, 2012 13:07:46 GMT 12
Having spent the day on Base on Friday setting up the 75 Sqn Association area and seeing how they were going to funnel all the cars down one road and through just 2 gates I predicted there was going to be caos! So Graham Bethell and I left Palmy at 7am and were parked on the airfield by 7.30am (I drove up SH1 and through the main gate, flashed my 75 Sqn reunion ID card and we were in!). At that stage they weren't letting the general public in. The bus with all the 75 veterans left at 8am and got stuck in the traffic. Those that could got out and walked from Sanson (and arrived well before the bus!) but obviously the veterans couldn't walk so were stuck on the bus for hours.
We left base at 5pm and the traffic was flowing smoothly with Police manning all the intersections. We got back to Palmy at 6pm. I'm sad to hear about the bad experiences many had in the traffic. It seems the Air Force took no notice of earlier big Airshow traffic plans and lessons learnt. Instead they took the advice of some traffic management consultants (and paid a lot for it no doubt!). It was NEVER going to work the way it was set up. I talked to Air Force people who had experience with previous airshows and they had tried to tell the organisers that it wasn't going to work but were ignored!
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Post by fwx on Apr 2, 2012 13:22:15 GMT 12
Fantastic show - some great aircraft and some great flying. Got there early (TOO early for the front gate to handle!), found the second gate and got a great park and perfect position on the fenceline (between the Beechcraft Texan II tent and the parked-up T-28 Trojan, on the corner right opposite the 777 and Mr Conroy hard at work over by the Yaks).
Dave H, you should have joined us - an un-obstructed view of the aircaft taxiing out, and apart from a couple of parked aircraft in front of us, a reasonably clear view of the displays. For some reason the general punters didn't cotton on to this location until much later in the day.
raptor, I thought the Texan was very impressive, quiet, but very quick and very nimble. Certainly looks the part!
Sorry to hear so many people had trouble getting there or getting in, but a big thank you to the RNZAF for putting on such a great birthday party!
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Post by kiwi on Apr 2, 2012 13:33:15 GMT 12
Having spent the day on Base on Friday setting up the 75 Sqn Association area and seeing how they were going to funnel all the cars down one road and through just 2 gates I predicted there was going to be caos! So Graham Bethell and I left Palmy at 7am and were parked on the airfield by 7.30am (I drove up SH1 and through the main gate, flashed my 75 Sqn reunion ID card and we were in!). At that stage they weren't letting the general public in. The bus with all the 75 veterans left at 8am and got stuck in the traffic. Those that could got out and walked from Sanson (and arrived well before the bus!) but obviously the veterans couldn't walk so were stuck on the bus for hours. We left base at 5pm and the traffic was flowing smoothly with Police manning all the intersections. We got back to Palmy at 6pm. I'm sad to hear about the bad experiences many had in the traffic. It seems the Air Force took no notice of earlier big Airshow traffic plans and lessons learnt. Instead they took the advice of some traffic management consultants (and paid a lot for it no doubt!). It was NEVER going to work the way it was set up. I talked to Air Force people who had experience with previous airshows and they had tried to tell the organisers that it wasn't going to work but were ignored! Thank you for your post . So much for all those wise arses who blame all those who spent hours in the traffic jam instead of watching the airshow for not setting out early enough . And as for we should have learnt from the earlier RNZAF airshow I would have been 7 years old in 1958 hence I was not aware of the earlier stuff up . |
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Post by Deleted on Apr 2, 2012 17:52:02 GMT 12
Rather than re-post, you can read my review of the show here: akahandbag.wordpress.com/2012/04/02/rnzaf-75th-anniversary-air-show/I must say I really enjoyed [...] Phil Hooker's Furio display Really? This, after having said just a month ago modern jets have no place at a warbirds show? You're ok with a light civilian aircraft with no conceivable military use performing at an air show dedicated to an air arm? |
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Post by campbellbox on Apr 2, 2012 18:44:49 GMT 12
My experiences echo Zac's pretty closely (nice blog post Zac). I was down from Auckland for the weekend with my girlfriend. I knew we should really get there a bit early, but she and I were not game to leave at a ridiculous departure time. We left Palmerston North at 9am, which was probably the worst time of all. I was prepared for queue, heck, I was not even that upset when I realised we would not get there until midday. When we didn't actually get onto the base until about 2pm I was a bit hacked off. Silver lining: We got to enjoy a bit of irony  My girlfriend managed to snap a couple of atmospheric pastoral shots while the engine was off:   In all honesty though, the traffic should have been better managed. You can expect enthusiasts to get there early, but families and people with a casual interest should have been able to head along at a reasonable hour for a nice day out. The solo Hornet display pretty much made up for it though. I enjoyed it so much I actually had a laugh. Amazing power, when it did the loop with the square corners I forgot about my aching back and the time in the car and just enjoyed the sight and sound. |
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zolteg
Flight Lieutenant
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Post by zolteg on Apr 2, 2012 19:39:20 GMT 12
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Post by Dave Homewood on Apr 2, 2012 21:09:31 GMT 12
I must say I really enjoyed [...] Phil Hooker's Furio display Really? This, after having said just a month ago modern jets have no place at a warbirds show? You're ok with a light civilian aircraft with no conceivable military use performing at an air show dedicated to an air arm?[/quote] Where did I say that Zac, I don't recall saying that. I agree the Furio was out of place at a military show but I still think the display was great. |
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av8rsm8
Flight Lieutenant
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Post by av8rsm8 on Apr 2, 2012 21:47:57 GMT 12
well - a blonde chick's take on the air show... it was fantastic - I do wonder why the gates weren't open sooner, may have alleviated some of the traffic issues. My beloved Baz has already explained how we lucked out on getting in swiftly, however we left so early that we would have been through the gates in plenty of time anyway. Highlights for me - the forum meet on Friday, Brendan Deere is a legend! Loved the Avenger - fond memories of standing in front of the one at Wigram, me wearing a long white dress & hubby in a kilt  Seeing the Avenger in the air, huge thrill! And the F18's... what can I say, with fingers in ears they are still LOUD!!!! And the vibration in the sternum as they pass overhead is quite an interesting sensation. would have liked to stay longer but Baz was right in leaving early to avoid traffic, we ended up having a lovely meal back at the hotel & them met a nice couple in the bar - they drove down from Rotorua as their son is in pilot training at Ohakea. A few drams of a nice single malt for me, Baz discovered he likes Jim & L&P... great way to finish the day. Back to ChCh next day - and one of us is on holiday & planning on getting some Auster work done. Yep I'm back at work trying to earn enough money to keep Wanda in bead blasting & primer, along with keeping up the Weasel fuel & treats for the long suffering Roo dog. Baz is sleeping late & kicking back till after Easter. |
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Post by mumbles on Apr 2, 2012 23:10:25 GMT 12
Nice write up Zac. I was lucky enough to get there for the whole show and it was great, but while the individual items were cool, the programme as a whole was a bit of a mess continuity wise. And dropping items like the Spitfire and Vampire/Strikemaster formations while allowing items like the gyrocopter, Furio and PACX to go ahead leaves me still scratching my head. No offence to fans of those acts, but I was questioning their relevance to the theme. |
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Post by DragonflyDH90 on Apr 2, 2012 23:26:22 GMT 12
Just wondered if the aircraft (manufacturers) in question may have paid to have those slots made available to them for marketing purposes. Just think, with all the other Air Force big wigs present and both the PAC 750 and Furio knowingly chasing military contracts in the past(the Calidus gyro could be seen to be aiming at a market kinda similar as well) what better way to showcase a new machine..........
Just thinking out loud....
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dgsg
Flight Sergeant
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Post by dgsg on Apr 2, 2012 23:43:18 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!" Totally agree. Very irksome when it's obvious no attempt at even basic research for accuracy has been made. Happens quite often too. A regular one used to be 'F1-11' for the F-111s. Still, it's a pity (and a bit ironic, eh?) that it's 'Corps', not 'Corp'. Lots of people make that mistake too. French, you see – lots of silent letters.  |
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Post by corsair67 on Apr 2, 2012 23:50:53 GMT 12
Sorry to be so pedantic, but the RAAF fighters are actually F /A-18 Hornets!  |
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Post by phil82 on Apr 3, 2012 0:40:47 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!" Totally agree. Very irksome when it's obvious no attempt at even basic research for accuracy has been made. Happens quite often too. A regular one used to be 'F1-11' for the F-111s. Still, it's a pity (and a bit ironic, eh?) that it's 'Corps', not 'Corp'. Lots of people make that mistake too. French, you see – lots of silent letters. I known it's "CORPS", but my two typing fingers aren't always reliable!  |
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Post by Deleted on Apr 3, 2012 4:12:58 GMT 12
Where did I say that Zac, I don't recall saying that. Pg7 of the Warbirds Over Wanaka 2012 thread: Well, it is a warbird airshow, modern Air Force stuff is just ephemera really. |
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Post by phil82 on Apr 3, 2012 6:07:25 GMT 12
I wonder if anyone can confirm for me that "pedantic nitpicker" is a tautology?  |
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Post by flyjoe180 on Apr 3, 2012 11:58:51 GMT 12
Just wondered if the aircraft (manufacturers) in question may have paid to have those slots made available to them for marketing purposes. Just think, with all the other Air Force big wigs present and both the PAC 750 and Furio knowingly chasing military contracts in the past(the Calidus gyro could be seen to be aiming at a market kinda similar as well) what better way to showcase a new machine.......... Just thinking out loud.... I think you might be on the money there Ryan. I was a bit disappointed for those who went to the show when I heard about Brendon Deere's Spitfire solo display had been canned due to the schedule running late. That alone would justify attending a show, if nothing else. Maybe this disappointment fuelled the 'shit' ratings people have given the Texan II display. A turboprop trainer is never going to compete with a Spitfire display. Or with anything from the era of powerful piston engines. Turbines... yawn. |
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Post by phil82 on Apr 3, 2012 12:46:34 GMT 12
FJ I watched the Spitfire backtrack, then shut down and initially thought there might be a problem, but when I realised his slot had been cancelled, while watching a couple of hoons burn rubber in a Holden and Ford, and I thought WTF!!!!!!
All in all a ridiculously ill-considered decision! Are the Show Committee , whoever, anonymous I wonder?
[The Texan impressed me, although the commentary was dreadful!]
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