RAAF at NZ Airshows

[Dave Homewood]

Great photos Beagle!

[beagle]

See how close you get up to and touch the USAF aircraft in those days.
How many fully armed guards do they have around a B2 or F22

[Dave Homewood]

Yes, quite a contrast in eras eh Beags. Note the Phantom has a shark's mouth and eye.

[beagle]

Yes it was a very common thing on F-4's

[Dave Homewood]

OK. Like American P-40's...

Do you think it would be worth me starting a thread on US military visitors to NZ airshows?

[mumbles]

Mar 2, 2012 21:12:36 GMT 12 beagle said:

Yes it was a very common thing on F-4's

The shape of the F-4E and G variants with the gun/fairing under the meant it was more common on those than other F-4's, and associated with PACAF F-4E's especially.

This particular F-4 is one of my earliest aviation memories ;D.

If I have done my serial sums right it is still around (presuming the serial is 68-0310, since no USAF Phantom could have an FY 80- prefix), preserved at the ROKAF museum in South Korea:

www.5053phantoms.com/photos/displayimage.php?album=38&pid=5353#top_display_media

[mcmaster]

I have fond memories too of the "PN" Phantoms out of USAFB Clark. Recall them at RAAF Williamtown in the 80's and beating up Newcastle Beach, me and schoolmates left very impressed!

BTW, got me wondering if a RAAF Phantom ever made it to NZ?

[Dave Homewood]

I asked that once here and the answer I got was no.

[beagle]

Since they were on a lease, would they have had it written in that they did not go on overseas exercises etc

[strikemaster]

That just solved an ago old mystery. I saw what I thought was a Phantom, around 1981, fly over the house at Turangi. I was 9 but we looked over a small valley and occasionally a Strikemaster or 2 would shoot over the treetops. This would give a great view. I always thought it was an RAAF Phantom and when I checked the dates it made no sense as they were already out of service. I chalked it down to a bad memory. If USAF Phantoms were there in 1981 that would explain it. I could be wrong but I seem to recall a Mirage as well.

That's really cool.

[mcmaster]

Mar 3, 2012 14:49:07 GMT 12 beagle said:

Since they were on a lease, would they have had it written in that they did not go on overseas exercises etc

I don't reckon the lease would have restricted that, would seem a bit limiting. I'm wondering if it was more the poor range of the Phantom, which is why the RAAF was going to lease tankers with the F-4s but the tanker lease never eventuated. Still bit odd that the F-4s seem to stay on the mainland for their time in Aus.. I mean even the very short legged Mirage made it over the ditch

Speaking of mirages, some images from an earlier thread on the RNZAF 50th anniversary show video at Ohakea. No the Mirage is not supposed to be that smokey!

[Deleted]

I'm a bit late - and it's not great footage - but here's my video of RAAF F-111C A8-113 performing at Warbirds Over Wanaka 2006, Craig Whiting and Susan Youngman were the crew:

[chrisr]

Thanks for sharing Zac, the world needs all the F-111 footage it can get.

The Friday morning F-111 display at Wanaka in 2006 in my favourite airshow memory.

It displayed at 10am on a freezing cold morning and the place was absolutely deserted, only a few people at the fence. It was low, fast on fire and absolutely brilliant. At one point the team almost had the wheels touching the runway. Aircraft don't display like that anymore. No peep from the commentary crew either, they either didn't care (or understand the significance) or didn't know what to say.

That display introduced the Wanaka going public to the wonder of an engine in afterburner. That noise bouncing back off the hill behind the crowd can't be recreated in other airshow venues.

A8-113 is ex-USAF 67-0113 which served in the Vietnam war, one source suggests it was the last F-111 to drop bombs over Vietnam. Following the war it returned to the USA but had a mishap in 1977. It was later rebuilt to F-111C standard and sold to the RAAF who operated it until it's returement and is on a display in a museum now.

[kevsmith]

Post by Dave Homewood on Mar 1, 2012 at 10:26pm
Of course there is the possibility that Royal Australian Navy aircraft and helicopters may also have attended our airshows?

And Neptunes? Orions? Hercules? Boeing 707's?
..........................................................................................................
Dave, I remember Aus Navy Gannets flying over Auckland in formation many years ago which had been well publicised. Can't put a year to it, but around 1960-61. There was another formation of a type that I do not remember at the same time, possibly single engine so they could all have been off an RAN aircraft carrier (HMAS Melbourne?). The Gannets made an impression on me because of the Double Mamba driving contra-rotating props.
Kevin

[Mustang51]

Dave, I am certain RAAF Hawks at Wanaka....seem to remember seeing two on the ramp at Queenstown and, again from memory, one had a busted canopy from hitting a bird during low level 'manoeuvres' through the mountains with its wingman/woman/person/thing.

[Dave Homewood]

Correct Ando, Hawks have appeared there several times since I started this thread 14 years ago.

[colford]

RAAF Hawks were certainly in attendance at WOW 2018.

Sunday 2nd pass along crowd line - "Because I was inverted..........."
RAAF Hawk WOW 2018 by Colin Ford, on Flickr

Sunday last pass along crowd line for top view.
RAAF HAwk WOW 2018 Top Pass by Colin Ford, on Flickr

[mcmaster]

Interesting how visits to NZ by RAAF fast jets seems to have reduced. Maybe due to no RNZAF fighters to play with and maybe the mountain low flying skill thing is less important for training these days, less airshows? Mirages, Hornets, pigs and Hawks many many visits. Super Hornet (1 visit via Auckland for new a/c ferry flight), Growler zero visits, F35 zero visits.

re the Hawks they even recorded their low level training flights.

[davidd]

Earliest RAAF (or RAN for that matter) aircraft to appear in NZ was a Supermarine Seagull III amphibian, about 1929/30 (?) which landed at Wigram from one of Australia's cruisers after combined exercises in NZ waters I think. The crew (of 3?) of this aircraft all left their signatures at the "Bush Inn" (watering hole for NZPAF/RNZAF officers in Upper Riccarton) and their visitors. The aircraft was duly photographed at Wigram. I don't think any more Australian aircraft were seen in New Zealand until AFTER WW2 (although it is possible that the odd Lancaster, Dakota or Catalina did visit during war). Postwar visitors were more common, with at least one amphibious Catalina at Wigram (1948?) from McQuarries Island, also Lincolns escorting first group of ex-RAAF Mosquitos to NZ in 1946, and through 1950s and 1960s there was a steady procession of Canberras (including 1953 Air Race ones), Lincolns and Dakotas from East Sale (School of Air Navigation), and later also Neptunes and some of their early (C-130A) Hercules. There were also Naval visits with aircraft carriers potwar, such as Gannets, Sea Venoms, and some helicopters including Bristol Sycamores (only ones to come to NZ?), maybe also Fairey Fireflys? Also late in WW2 (or just after) we had a visit from an RAAF Liberator or two. This list simply assembled from memory, so bound to be others to be flushed out. During WW2 we almost certainly hosted RAN Walrus aircraft aboard our, as well as Australian cruisers - they tended to be swapped between Commonwealth cruisers with very little comment - although they eventually had to be returned to the proper owners, especially if the respective navies carried out a census of all their aircraft.

Of course we saw plenty of visits from RAAF Caribous and F-111s as well as Hercules and Orions from the 1970s onwards, on routine exercises, as well as HS 748s (which had replaced the Dakotas at East Sale) and those Mirages IIIs. Probably also VIP Viscounts and Convairs?

[Dave Homewood]

Feb 5, 2024 14:15:50 GMT 12 davidd said:

(although it is possible that the odd Lancaster, Dakota or Catalina did visit during war).

RAAF Lancaster "Queenie VI" did visit New Zealand in 1943, and while it did an extensive tour of flyovers up and down NZ, I don't think it attended any airshows.