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Post by Calum on Oct 2, 2005 9:21:57 GMT 12
We see the an ex RNZAF Blunty here at Nowra requarly, for airshows and work. Lately it and another (ex Omani IIRC) were doing fleet support for the RAN carrying jamming pods. It bought a bit of a smile to the ex RNZAF guys here (about 10-12 of us), the RAN guys thought it was funny that the A-4's have gone but now there another EX RNZAF a/c working with the Fleet  |
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Post by Dave Homewood on Oct 2, 2005 13:48:21 GMT 12
Welcome Calum. Interesting to hear at least one of our ex-Blunties is still doing military work. Cool.
If you get a chance to get some photos we'd all aprreciate it I think.
Don't hesitate to tell your other ex-RNZAF mates about the forum either... some of them may be interested.
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Post by Calum on Oct 2, 2005 15:44:31 GMT 12
Here's 2 of mine from 1999. There's an airshow here on OCtober 30. I'd say we may see a Blunty there   Here's a low pass at Dunedin ![]() www.gibstuff.net/aircraft/Images/Strikemaster low pass - Dunedin airport.jpg[/img] Here's 2 blunty's taken from a A-4's minipan camera  |
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Post by Calum on Oct 7, 2005 23:17:31 GMT 12
Here's an average scan of a Blunty. This picture was given as a presento when I left 14 Sqn in 1988  |
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Post by Dave Homewood on Oct 7, 2005 23:40:54 GMT 12
Brilliant photos, thanks Calum.
That last one looks familiar, I have a large print of that given to me by the Wigram photogs I think.
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Post by corsair67 on Oct 10, 2005 14:07:51 GMT 12
I love that photo of NZ6374, and in fact they are still selling copies of the poster of that particular image at the Air Force Museum at Wigram. Wish I'd bought one when I was there in June!
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Post by Calum on Nov 4, 2005 21:03:51 GMT 12
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kiwilad
Leading Aircraftman
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Post by kiwilad on Mar 14, 2006 17:23:25 GMT 12
Hi everyone,just a quick question,in those two B/W shots of the blunties, what are the pods/tanks on the inboard pylons?? ,my mate here reckons they are full of beer but i dunno......also what would have been a typical weapons load for an operational strikemaster? did they ever carry an asymetrical load? .Steve.
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Post by corsair67 on Mar 14, 2006 17:58:41 GMT 12
Those pods are rocket pods on the inside pylons and drop tanks on the outside.
I can't ever remember seeing Strikemasters with an asymetrical load, but I'm sure some of the ex or current RNZAF personnel on this site may be able to answer this one for sure.
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Post by Calum on Mar 14, 2006 21:20:47 GMT 12
Hi everyone,just a quick question,in those two B/W shots of the blunties, what are the pods/tanks on the inboard pylons?? ,my mate here reckons they are full of beer but i dunno......also what would have been a typical weapons load for an operational strikemaster? did they ever carry an asymetrical load? .Steve. Thise pods on the inboard station are SULC's "Strategic Underwing Luggage Containers" pretty sure they would often carry 1 PMBR (practice multiple bomb rack) with 6 practice bombs. By operational I assume you mean practice weapons. Don't theink they were ever cleared for live weapons but I could be wrong. I never saw them carry anything but guns, practice bombs, and rockets. They virtually always had the 2 drop tanks so the PMBR and Rocket pods would be on the inner pylons. |
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kiwilad
Leading Aircraftman
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Post by kiwilad on Mar 15, 2006 0:30:53 GMT 12
Thanks guys, much appreciate the info and the quick reply!,have got the venerable airfix bluntie on the to do list ,so on the hunt for all things bluntie.Calum, by guns do you mean like the twin gun pods with a pair of 7.62 GPMG? .sorry 'bout all the questions but this is about the only place i can get the good oil!...how about a strikemaster street running off A-4 alley. cheers Steve.
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Post by Dave Homewood on Mar 15, 2006 8:30:46 GMT 12
Welcome to the forum kiwilad Steve.
Don't worry about asking questions, that is what this forum is all about. We're here to share information and ask about and discuss aspects of NZ aviation, military and civil. So you're most welcome to ask anything you need to know. Someone may be able to answer your queries hopefully.
Feel free to make a post on the "Introduce Yourself" sticky thread in the General board too.
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Post by corsair67 on Mar 15, 2006 8:39:17 GMT 12
The Strikemaster had provision for two .303 machine-guns under the intakes, but whenever I saw them on display at airshows they always had small metal covers over the muzzles. I don't know for sure if they were used or not in RNZAF service, but I always assumed that they would've been used for gunnery training.
Calum, I'd forgotten about the luggage containers in service: were they a specially built item, or were they simply a modified rocket pod?
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Post by Dave Homewood on Mar 15, 2006 9:20:53 GMT 12
I don't know a lot about the luggage containers that attach to hard points but I know the Skyhawks also had them. One took off from Woodbourne in 1989 and the container fell off just after liftoff. It took out several rows of grape vines as itlanded, a good thing it wasn't over the town!
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Post by Calum on Mar 15, 2006 22:05:47 GMT 12
The Strikemaster had provision for two .303 machine-guns under the intakes, but whenever I saw them on display at airshows they always had small metal covers over the muzzles. I don't know for sure if they were used or not in RNZAF service, but I always assumed that they would've been used for gunnery training. Calum, I'd forgotten about the luggage containers in service: were they a specially built item, or were they simply a modified rocket pod? Not sure to be Honest. |
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Post by phil on Mar 16, 2006 16:24:18 GMT 12
The Strikemaster had provision for two .303 machine-guns under the intakes, but whenever I saw them on display at airshows they always had small metal covers over the muzzles. I don't know for sure if they were used or not in RNZAF service, but I always assumed that they would've been used for gunnery training. Calum, I'd forgotten about the luggage containers in service: were they a specially built item, or were they simply a modified rocket pod? The guns were 7.62mm (not .303) M032 machine guns. Basically the L7 GPMG (MAG 58). They were used extensively in RNZAF service for gunnery training. As far as I know (it was a bit before my time) the luggage pods were modified rocket launchers. They certainly were on the A4. |
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Post by corsair67 on Mar 16, 2006 18:11:40 GMT 12
Thanks Phil! God knows what the hell I was thinking when I wrote .303! ;D
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Post by paddy on Apr 14, 2006 12:48:01 GMT 12
The Strikemaster had provision for two .303 machine-guns under the intakes, but whenever I saw them on display at airshows they always had small metal covers over the muzzles. I don't know for sure if they were used or not in RNZAF service, but I always assumed that they would've been used for gunnery training. Calum, I'd forgotten about the luggage containers in service: were they a specially built item, or were they simply a modified rocket pod? The guns were 7.62mm (not .303) M032 machine guns. Basically the L7 GPMG (MAG 58). They were used extensively in RNZAF service for gunnery training. As far as I know (it was a bit before my time) the luggage pods were modified rocket launchers. They certainly were on the A4. The 7.62's were very dangerous on the ground especially the port one (I Think) due to the direction of feed being changed from the standard GPMG. The links used to foul on the feed lip and jam the bolt. When disarming a blocked gun the first action was to open the feed cover thus releasing the bolt and allowing it to chamber and fire 1 round. This happened at least twice while I was at Ohakea (74 to 79) A new procedure was developed to hold the cocking stud back while opening the feed cover and removing the ammunition. This failed once as the internal cocking stud cam had fractured allowing the gun to chamber and fire. Needless to say all trades took gun safety very seriously on the Strikemaster! Paddy |
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Post by aileronroll on Apr 28, 2006 23:35:24 GMT 12
This is a really excellent thread !
As a young ATC cadet in the early 80's I use to see quite abit of the Strikemaster when we were shipped to Ohakea every May school holidays for a base visit or course. 75 Squadron were always on exercise, and 2 Sqn had yet to be formed. The 14 Squadron Air and Ground crews always looked after us well.
In 1986 I (got very lucky) was sent to Falcon's Roast in Gisborne for a week. Each night in the tented bar was made to feel very welcome by the student and instructor pilots.
From memory the guy who hit the power lines (over his mates parent's farm ?) got a "severe repremand" and lost a years seniorority.... think he was then send to fly Andovers...then later went to Air New Zealand.
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Post by phil on Apr 29, 2006 10:09:24 GMT 12
An interesting note about the guy who hit the power lines.
At the time of the accident the Blunty fleet was undergoing a mod that involved fitting an MDC to the canopy. MDC is the thin zig-zag shapped explosive for blowing the canopy to pieces on ejection. Prior to this the canopy had to jettison before the seat would go, much like the A4. Fitting the canopy MDC shaved some time off the ejection sequince, I can't remember how long but it was relatively long, perhaps as much as 0.3 - 0.5 of a second.
At the time of the crash, some of the aircraft had the mod done and some had not. Fortunatly for the pilot he was flying a modded aircraft, because during the investigation they found that the seat had left the airframe almost exactly at the point of impact. That extra few tenths of a second had saved his life.
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