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Post by skyhawkdon on Jun 29, 2006 21:05:51 GMT 12
I am currently helping write a book about the RNZAF Skyhawk story (it will be called "Alpha Four Kilo") and it will feature many never before seen photos. If anyone has any RNZAF Skyhawk related photos or stories (no matter how irrelevant you think they might be) please contact me at: don.simms@xtra.co.nz.
There is a unique story to be told and the public of NZ need to know the truth about what an amazing little aircraft the Skyhawk was and what a tragedy it was to just throw it all away.
We want the book to be different to Ross Ewing's "Topped Gun", which in itself was a superb story. I am currently collecting photos to illustrate the book, so if you have any please get in touch. Thanks. Don
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Post by mumbles on Jun 29, 2006 21:30:49 GMT 12
I'm putting together a collection to send to Calum at the moment, you'd be welcome to take your pick. Hard part is getting them all scanned Slowly getting there...
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Post by phil82 on Jun 29, 2006 21:31:24 GMT 12
Do you have this one Don? Sqn Ldr Easthope's last flypast on the day!
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Post by skyhawkdon on Jun 29, 2006 21:45:14 GMT 12
Yep, great shot! But he did some serious damage to the slats on '05 on that display! He pulled 7G in nearly every turn and by the end of the display the slats were totally buggered! He was lucky he didn't tear the left hand one right off the aircraft. We spend several weeks fixing it afterwards, but no perminant damage was done - it needed 2 new slats and all new slat tracks and hardware though! Easty was one hell of a good pilot and a really nice guy. His A-4 displays were the best I had ever seen. Even the ASTI pilots who came over to inspect the aircraft when we thought they were buying them said they had never seen an A-4 display like it and some of them were ex Blue Angles A-4 pilots! I've got the HUD tape of that display Easty did for ATSI - it is quite something.
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Post by skyhawkdon on Jun 29, 2006 21:49:13 GMT 12
I'm putting together a collection to send to Calum at the moment, you'd be welcome to take your pick. Hard part is getting them all scanned Slowly getting there... Thanks I would love to see your photos - I know what you mean about scanning - I've been scanning my collection for the last 6 months! If you can burn me a CD of your collection I'd do the same for you from my collection. My address is 12 Johnstone Drive, Palmerston North.
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Post by phil82 on Jun 30, 2006 9:08:29 GMT 12
Does that mean you have a copy Don; if not I can give you one?
Mumbles has possibly the best shots!
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Post by skyhawkdon on Jun 30, 2006 19:41:35 GMT 12
I have a copy of all the RNZAF Official photos from that day, which is where this great shot of 05 comes from I think. If I am wrong and anyone has good photos please send them to me as the more we have to choose from for the book the better.
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Post by Calum on Jun 30, 2006 23:42:35 GMT 12
HI Don, About time you turned up Here :-)
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Post by Calum on Jun 30, 2006 23:50:06 GMT 12
I've got the HUD tape of that display Easty did for ATSI - it is quite something. Don, Don Don, Why haven't I seen this tape yet :-)
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Post by smithy on Jul 1, 2006 13:57:50 GMT 12
Brilliant news about the book Don. Pleased to hear that you'll be telling the truth of just how good our little A-4s were and what a steaming pile Helen and her gang were telling the public. If you're after pre-orders you can definitely put me down for one.
And I'm also interested in seeing the HUD tape of the display. Is there the possibility of putting it up on Calum's site?
Cheers and once again can't wait to see this book published.
Tim.
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Post by skyhawkdon on Jul 2, 2006 17:06:04 GMT 12
Don, Don Don, Why haven't I seen this tape yet
Time mate! It's on my list of things to do - I want to edit it all properly and put it on a DVD eventually. Getting the book published is No 1 priority at the moment. Once that is out of the way I will do something with all the A-4 footage I have, including the HUD tapes.
All up I have about 6 hours of A-4 HUD footage - most of it I got from the pilots - they all had "skite tapes" of the best/coolest flying they did. Before I left the mob and while I was working for Safe Air (when they were trying to sell the jets) I copied a few of them (including Easty's ATSI display at Ohakea).
Some of the footage is copies of copies so the quality isn't too flash but most of the footage is AMAZING to watch. Most of it is on Sony 8mm tapes and in NTSC format and I don't have an 8mm video camera to even play it. I have a bit on a VHS tape... will see what I can do.
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Post by phil82 on Jul 2, 2006 17:32:59 GMT 12
There was some excellent footage of low-flying around the Waiouru area on PPrune, along with that Omani Jag stuff; it may well still be there, I'll have a look.
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Post by skyhawkdon on Jul 2, 2006 21:02:51 GMT 12
There was a video made at Ohakea by the Knucks in the mid 1990's called "The Douglas" which had some great post Kahu A-4 footage on it, all done very professionally to music - much of that was filmed up at Waiouru doing live weapons and lots of low flying.
There was also another one called "75's Greatest Hits" which was also done to music and had lots of HUD kills on F-18's, F-16's etc. I have copies of both them (as well as just about every other movie or footage made featuring our A-4's), but like I said it needs a good sort out... which I will do one of these days!
There was also a movie made of 2 Sqn at Nowra in their final months by an Australian video production outfit - I saw the shorts of the footage in 2002 and it was going to be awesome. Anyone know what happened to it as I never heard anything more of it? It was going to be made into a TV documentary I think. They mounted a special camera pod on the aircraft with forward and rearwards facing digital cameras as well as cockpit mounted cameras. If anyone has a copy of that footage then I would be very interested in trading some of mine!
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Post by mumbles on Jul 3, 2006 16:52:01 GMT 12
There was also a movie made of 2 Sqn at Nowra in their final months by an Australian video production outfit - I saw the shorts of the footage in 2002 and it was going to be awesome. I remember that being previewed in 'Australian Aviation' magazine, and then disappearing without trace. The title quoted was 'Supersonic life'. Pity, I was looking forward to a copy
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Post by smithy on Jul 3, 2006 18:37:26 GMT 12
If you can find out the production company they'll have the masters in storage. Though whether they'll want to share them is another matter...
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Post by mumbles on Jul 3, 2006 18:41:35 GMT 12
Dug out the blurb from the October 2001 'Australian Aviation'. Doesn't add much to the thread but I think its a cracking shot. It doesn't say where it is sourced from so it's probably copyrighted to the magazine..... Incidentally Don I think 'Alpha four kilo' was also the title of an unpublished manuscript on the same subject by the late Ross Macpherson, which I think was to be published in the mid nineties, but never came to pass due to the authors death.
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Post by agalbraith on Jul 3, 2006 20:39:52 GMT 12
Hi Don
I have collected several photos over the years of our Skyhawks. Quite a few at Woodbourne over the years being serviced.
I dont know if they will be of any use, but I have a box load of old and new stuff with a lot of the negs.
Cheers
Anthony
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Post by skyhawkdon on Jul 4, 2006 10:15:48 GMT 12
Incidentally Don I think 'Alpha four kilo' was also the title of an unpublished manuscript on the same subject by the late Ross Macpherson, which I think was to be published in the mid nineties, but never came to pass due to the authors death.
It is based on the same manuscript. Incidentally Ross McPherson/NZ Wings were just going to be the publisher at the time, the writer was/is Nick Lee-Frampton from Wellington. I initiated the original project back in 1994 for the Skyhawk Silver Jubilee (held at Ohakae in Feb in 1995). Unfortunately Ross passed away very shortly after that and the whole thing went into limbo. However Nick and I have never given up and have continued to collect info and photos from the post 1995 era. Ross McPherson was a very nice guy and was a big loss to NZ Aviation.
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Post by skyhawkdon on Jul 4, 2006 10:27:10 GMT 12
I have collected several photos over the years of our Skyhawks. Quite a few at Woodbourne over the years being serviced. I dont know if they will be of any use, but I have a box load of old and new stuff with a lot of the negs.
Hi Anthony, I would love to see your collection. Do you have any of them scanned? Are you in Blenheim?
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Post by Dave Homewood on Jul 4, 2006 12:24:14 GMT 12
I'd like to reiterate the point that the death of Ross Macpherson was an absolutely huge blow to New Zealand aviation (and many other spheres he dabbled in too!). He was a superb chap, always willing to help. I remember numerous hand written notes from him with my Wings subscription which had that personal touch, rather than the almost corporate image of the magazine today. He really knew his stuff well, and was always willing to help others. After many letters and faxes between us i finally met him in person atthe Easter 1995 Hamilton Airshow. We discussed the possibility of me writing a book on Hudsons in service in the RNZAF. he was dead keen to assist and gave me amazing encouragement.
When he sadly passed away, I shelved the idea too. But I resurrected it last year and now it has developed into the General Reconnaissance Squadrons book I am working on. I plan to mention Ross in the credits for his initial encouragement if I ever finish it.
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