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Post by Bruce on Nov 6, 2006 8:19:11 GMT 12
When setting up the Black Sands beach landing event, some of the Microlight club people made the statement that Gibson's Beach (North of Raglan) had been used as a landing area by "Mosquitos during the war". Obviously this couldnt have been the case as RNZAF mossies only arrived postwar. However, has anyone come across any reference to large military aircraft operating of North Island West Coast beaches either during WW2 or postwar? is this story just an "Aviation legend"?. Certainly there is enough room on the beach for large aircraft, but why would they need to use it? Any clues?
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Post by corsair67 on Nov 7, 2006 10:22:01 GMT 12
Bruce, I was wondering if it maybe could have been an emergency landing spot for some aircraft that were low on fuel on their way back from Pacific operations? My North Island geography isn't crash hot, so I could be way off the mark here!
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Post by flyjoe180 on Nov 7, 2006 15:13:57 GMT 12
Here you go: Reckon anyone flying back from the Pacific would have been well low on fuel if they made it as far as the Raglan area. Maybe the beach landings were done as training exercises? Landing on beaches in New Zealand was commonplace years ago.
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Post by corsair67 on Nov 7, 2006 19:34:32 GMT 12
Thanks for that, Joe: man I was miles away from where I was thinking Raglan was! I've been living in Australia too long! ;D
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Post by Peter Lewis on Nov 7, 2006 19:38:19 GMT 12
Kaitaia was set up primarily as an emergency field (hence the closure of Awanui, which was too small). I was told years ago that Matamata was also for emergency use, but could never work that one out (for geograpical reasons!).
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Post by Dave Homewood on Nov 8, 2006 12:45:47 GMT 12
Matamata was an RNZAF station but was built, like others, as an emergency reserve station in case the Japanese tried to invade and were bombing the coastal stations from their carriers. Matamata is more inland than the Zeroes and things could fly, but Hudsons, Venturas and B-17's could operate from there. Te Pirita (NZ's biggest ever airfield) was set up in the same manner. Reserve, not used.
I have never heard of Gibsons Beach as an RNZAF landing ground but yes maybe it was a postwar exercise. The Vincents used to land on the beach at 90 Mile Beach often, as the crews went hunting for shellfish for the mess (unofficial landings of course). Maybe the Mossie pilots were fishing or surfing?
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Post by Bruce on Nov 8, 2006 12:59:18 GMT 12
Certainly some very fat mussels can got off the rocks at the end of the beach, maybe 75sqn had a "do" in the mess!
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Post by flyjoe180 on Nov 11, 2006 8:08:28 GMT 12
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