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Post by Dave Homewood on Jun 30, 2006 19:40:38 GMT 12
A pity. His early life must have been fascinating - he must have met dozens of pioneers pass through his early life.
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Post by skyhawkdon on Jun 30, 2006 21:32:52 GMT 12
A classic RNZAF Official photo showing a very war'y A-4 down low and pulling some G . Note the 100lb LGB's on the inboard wing stations.  |
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Post by Calum on Jun 30, 2006 23:59:03 GMT 12
I think all the Blunties and Macchi's could tow the banner (maybe someone who worked on them could answer that - I only ever worked on Skyhawks). On the Macchi I think the cable was attached to the speedbrake, so when the speedbrake was opened it released the cable and the banner dropped to the ground before the Macchi landed. Takeoff was just a case of hook the cable on at the end of the runway and away you go! The banner had small wheels on it so it followed the aircraft along the runway on those until it got airborne. There was no winch or anything. It was just a fixed length cable towed behind, much like a glider is towed aloft. Dunno about the Macchis but the all the blunty's could. We used to super glue little banners made of toilet paper to the back of flys in the 14 Sqn line hut during banner towing seasons ;D |
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Post by Dave Homewood on Jul 1, 2006 11:02:12 GMT 12
On a related note to our F-16 deal... www.dnaindia.com/report.asp?NewsID=1038668Bush seeks Congress nod to placate Pakistan with F-16s Friday, June 30, 2006 12:50 IST Sridhar Krishnaswami WASHINGTON: Apparently to placate Pakistan which is sore over the nuclear deal with India, the Bush administration has approved the sale of 18 new F-16 fighter jets with an option of offering 18 more to Islamabad as part of a $5 billion weapons deal. The administration has notified about the proposed sale to Congress which has 30 days to review the offer. Unless Congress passes a legislation to block the deal, it will go ahead. The package sent to Congress include the approval of sale of 18 new fighter jets with an option for Pakistan to buy another 18. An offer to upgrade its existing fleet of 34 old model F-16s, manufactured by US aerospace company Lockheed Martin, was also part of the deal. The notification coincides with the passage of a crucial bill by two Congressional panels seeking the implementation of Indo-US civilian nuclear deal, which stipulates the sharing of civilian nuclear technology and know-how with India. "We formally notified to the Congress about our intent to sell F-16 aircraft to Pakistan," a senior US State Department official told PTI. "This sale is part of a larger effort to broaden our strategic partnership with Pakistan and advance our national security and foreign policy interests in South Asia," the official said. "Pakistan is a long-term partner and major non-NATO ally of the United States," he said. |
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Post by smithy on Jul 1, 2006 14:16:52 GMT 12
Slightly off topic but when I lived in Bodø, Norway in 2003 and 2004, my office window looked out towards the Royal Norwegian Air Force base where 331 Squadron are based equipped with F-16s. I was further lucky where the runway ran at a 90 degree angle to my office so I was treated everyday to frontrow seats watching them fly off on their morning and afternoon sorties.
I was also lucky enough to go on a tour of the base for work and see the F-16s up close and watch them take off from the side of the runway one day. Great stuff but always reminded me of what might have been here in NZ.
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Post by corsair67 on Jul 2, 2006 21:15:22 GMT 12
Now that's something I'd love to have: an office window that faces towards low flying F-16 Vipers!
Do you have any photos, Smithy?
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Post by smithy on Jul 2, 2006 21:54:49 GMT 12
Hi Corsair, actually I have a few snaps saved on CD. I'll try and dig them out for you.
Cheers,
Tim.
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Post by corsair67 on Jul 3, 2006 10:22:08 GMT 12
Tim, if you manage to find them, I'm sure everyone on the forum would love to see them.
Cheers,
Craig.
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Post by Dave Homewood on Jul 5, 2006 16:34:54 GMT 12
I just saw this on eBay. Made a bit prematurely methinks.... but undoubted collector's item now  |
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Post by flyjoe180 on Jul 12, 2006 18:28:45 GMT 12
Yep, that would be a cool playground toy, but also a permanent reminder of what Helen's Government has done, so i would think it unlikely that we will see a Skyhawk-slide or Kahu-roundabout.
Crazy... the decision can be paralelled with one of us cancelling our insurance policies because we never needed them before in the hope that we will never have an accident or house fire. Hope we never have to claim...
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Post by Dave Homewood on Jul 12, 2006 18:59:10 GMT 12
The way I see things is one of the primary tasks of a defence force is to protect and act as a security measure to a country's wealth. The Government is always bleating on how well NZ business is doing and how much better they have made the economy. But now that wealth is not protected as well as it was. So, if the businessmen and farmers etc are all doing so well, why not impose a small tax on business that goes specifically to those that protect them - this is not just the Defence Forces who most people think are only there to stoip armies invading. They do much more and they need much more attention in terms of new equipment, recruiting and training, as well as operational capability.
But as well as Defence, also the Police, Customs and MAF. These four sectors are all areas that have suffered from lack of budget and resources. Why, I simply cannot understand when we are in a period of great economic boom.
Yet they say there is not the money to fund Defence and other important departments. Well, in this user pays age, business and communityshould contibute more to their own safety and security. Particularly in terms of MAF and Customs where nowadays snakes, siders, fire ants, bee veroah, moths and tree viruses are all slipping into this wonderful country - practically all since the Govt cut 250 Customs and MAF staff a few years back. They are much worse and more realistic threats than the thought of invasion by the Indonesians or anywhere else. Biological threats could cripple the country economically. If I were in power I'd be making these four areas among the highest priority for budget and resource increases, up there with education and health. And no matter how I might hate Brash and his mob, to use his phrase, many of the programmes of pure monetary waste that Labour has and is implementing would be "gone by lunchtime".
We talk about the need for a strike wing, the need for more helicopters, more C-130's etc. These all seem so obvious even to the casual enthusiast who has or has not been in the military. Why can parliamentarians with all their defence advisors not see it too?
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Post by phil on Jul 12, 2006 19:36:37 GMT 12
Because it doesn't buy as many votes in south auckland as handing out more welfare does, thats why.
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Post by Dave Homewood on Jul 12, 2006 21:55:02 GMT 12
There are now the lowest beneficiary numbers for 25 years. They must be making savings there. 40,000 people.
A few of them could be gainfully employed in an expanding military i am certain. Others could be used as targets.
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Post by phil on Jul 12, 2006 22:09:22 GMT 12
It's hard enough recruiting the people we want in the airforce, never mind forcing people we dont want to be in it.
Perhaps the infantry has some openings
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Post by Dave Homewood on Jul 12, 2006 22:18:13 GMT 12
Believe it or not there are some intelligent hard working people on the unemployment lists. There's no reason to drop standards in selecting them. Two doors, one for those qualified and willing to join, one for the target fodder...
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