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Post by Dave Homewood on Jul 18, 2006 18:26:58 GMT 12
I saw on the news today that several airliners (ten jumbo jets?)were diverted to land at Ohakea due to fog at the main internatinal airports. Some sat there for hours apparently.
Must have made things interesting at OH to hear so many jet engines in the circuit again.
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Post by phil82 on Jul 18, 2006 19:03:23 GMT 12
Well, I saw only four on the news! It's not the first time it's happened that a unique combination of weather factors has meant Ohakea was the only alternative.. Air New Zealand over the years has put a DC8 and an Electra in there. Can't have been much fun for passengers whose last stop was Bankok to spend a further three hours sitting on board at Ohakea, which would have no show of coping with such numbers.
The building which now houses the Ohakea Museum was originally an ANZ,[and NAC] building.
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Post by xr6turbo1 on Jul 18, 2006 19:07:25 GMT 12
Does anyone have any photos of them parked at Ohakea?
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Post by phil82 on Jul 18, 2006 19:09:06 GMT 12
No doubt we'll get some. The guy speaking on TV is the Ohakea PRO!
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Post by Dave Homewood on Jul 18, 2006 19:11:43 GMT 12
The PRO is a Flight Sergeant these days?
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Post by Dave Homewood on Jul 18, 2006 19:13:28 GMT 12
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Post by phil82 on Jul 18, 2006 19:21:13 GMT 12
Yep. Paul Stein. He was the PRO whom I dealt with when I attended the final disbandment.
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Post by phil on Jul 18, 2006 19:47:48 GMT 12
I think there were six in total. I'm pretty sure there were not ten, and two had already left when the news crew arrived. I must admit I didn't bother going to have a look myself though.
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Post by phil82 on Jul 19, 2006 19:06:51 GMT 12
There's always a tale or two........I recall an ANZ DC8 diverted to Ohakea, and it needed fuel, so the tanker boys turned up and did the deed, except a spillage occurred for some reason. Fuel spillages are not at all unusual, and the firemen know exactly how to deal with them, so they were called to deal with this one. As it happened, the guy doing the wash-down was ex-RAF and had huge experience of this sort of thing with Victors and Vulcans, and he was using some fairly high-pressure fog which sort of emusifies the fuel, when he became aware of some directions being yelled at him by the First Officer of the DC8. This guy, complete with hat and gold braid, was being a complete arse and was largely ignored, but persisted in issuing pointless instructions until our hero with the hose finally turned to him with one hand cupped to his ear, and promptly soaked the ANZ guy from the waist down. Exit one very wet co-pilot.
I was once chased by a USNavy Constellation at Ohakea, but that's another story!
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Post by Dave Homewood on Jul 19, 2006 19:10:34 GMT 12
Hehe, great story. Was the ex-RAF chap you Colin?
Please tell the Connie story, please...
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Post by phil82 on Jul 19, 2006 20:26:39 GMT 12
No names no pack-drill; let's say I knew him well. He later became a Sqn Ldr!
You may recall some years ago that a Deep Freeze aircraft, a C121 Constellation, took off from Harewood en route to Hickham Air Force Base in Hawaii, and shortly after take-off some disgruntled female made a 111 call to the police advising there was a bomb on board. The aircraft was diverted to make an emergency landing at Ohakea, but somehow the reason was given to ATC as "expolosives on board". Now all you plumbers and cracker-stackers will know that it is not unusual for a military aircraft to carry things that go bang in the night, so the landing was more or less normal, with me driving a Landrover with a couple of armourers out to escort the aircraft to the pan. We had no comms with the pilot, so we got in front of him before he turned off, and set off fairly slowly. All I could see were these four huge PROPELLERS and they were getting very close, so I went faster, and faster, to the point where we were really travelling at what I considered an excessive speed. So, I pulled off the taxiway, and gave this guy the fingers as he went past, then followed him to the end of 4 Hangar where he was stopped. Then all hell broke loose. Every door on the aircraft opened, and ladders appeared, and sailors and crew alike leapt out and were running in all directions. We were a bit mystified still, but armourers being armourers, they collared the aircraft Captain, a USN Lt, who explained they weren't in fact carrying explosives, but had been advised there was a bomb on board. The armourers politely told him to shift the bloody aircraft in that case, which he did. They left the next day! Some time later, the female wwho made the call was fined a very significant amout by a Court in Christchurch!
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Post by Dave Homewood on Jul 19, 2006 22:59:31 GMT 12
Crikey Colin!
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Post by Calum on Jul 21, 2006 15:50:21 GMT 12
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Post by phil on Jul 21, 2006 17:37:38 GMT 12
They were taken by my flatmate, it doesn't take long for pics to do the rounds!
And the weather is always nice at Ohakea....
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Post by xr6turbo1 on Jul 21, 2006 18:12:32 GMT 12
Very cool photos, Thanks  |
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Post by phil82 on Jul 21, 2006 19:13:42 GMT 12
Very nice photos...It didn't take long!
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Post by Bruce on Jul 21, 2006 20:53:16 GMT 12
awesome photos - you dont see a sight like that at OH very often!
Just for interests sake its worth noting that the Atlas Air Boeing 747 at least wouldnt be full of inconvenienced travellers - its a -400F Freighter. (Note no cabin windows and the "small" upper deck, but with Winglets). The other machines include an ANZ B777, Thai A340 (Nice looking airliner IMO) and Singapore Airlines and Air NZ B747s - quite a party!
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Post by Bruce on Jul 21, 2006 20:56:36 GMT 12
BTW - can anyone spot the Historic Flight Harvard?
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Post by Calum on Jul 21, 2006 22:10:09 GMT 12
Yup
And the historic flight Iroquois and Suoix :-)
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Post by Calum on Jul 21, 2006 22:11:12 GMT 12
They were taken by my flatmate, it doesn't take long for pics to do the rounds! And the weather is always nice at Ohakea.... Yeah right Phil, ;D ;D ;D |
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