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Post by Dave Homewood on Nov 17, 2006 11:14:01 GMT 12
I have received an email from a lady called Sue Payne who says her father was involved in a rocket launch conducted by the RNZAF for the University of Canterbury physics department.
She says it was launched from Birdlings Flat, which is on the bottom of Banks Peninsular, in around 1962.
She was looking for photos. Now I'm curious too. I never knew the RNZAF ever dabbled in rocketry.
Does anyone out there know anything more? Or was it a state secret?
Cheers
Dave
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Post by corsair67 on Nov 17, 2006 11:30:14 GMT 12
Dave, the University of Canterbury did launch several rockets from a concrete pad at Birdlings Flat during the 1960s, but I can't remember why.
I think it had something to do with weather research, but I'm not sure.
I believe that the concrete pad is still out there somewhere.
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Post by phil82 on Nov 17, 2006 13:29:14 GMT 12
The RNZAF did quite a bit of rocketry actually; Venoms and Canberras for starters....mind you they were usually aimed at a taget on the grouind, and not the sky!
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Post by Dave Homewood on Nov 17, 2006 13:48:16 GMT 12
Well yes, rockets as weapons - ture. But I assume we are talking space rocket type things? Or missile type rockets?
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Post by Bruce on Nov 17, 2006 15:00:15 GMT 12
It wasnt part of the "Canterbury Project" investigating rainmaking was it?
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Post by corsair67 on Nov 17, 2006 15:35:40 GMT 12
Bruce, you could be right there.
I've been looking on Google for anything about it, but haven't had any luck. The only stuff I've come up with is the fact that Uni of Canty has several radars out there for analysing the atmosphere and meteor dust.
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Post by Dave Homewood on Nov 24, 2006 20:18:55 GMT 12
I have found some more information:
From New Zealand Wings Magazine, timeline article "Fifty Years of the RNZAF - A Chronology" Part IX by David Duxbury. It states:
"23/563: The RNZAF enters the rocket age. Three ARCAS high altitude weather rockets, provided by NASA, are launched from a site at Birdlings Flat, near Christchurch on 23/5/63, 3/9/64 and 9/12/64.
A joint RNZAF/Canterbury University team was formed for this project.First rocket reached altitude of approximately 40 miles; 2 minutes 45 seconds."
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Post by shorty on Jun 9, 2008 9:26:01 GMT 12
At the time my Dad was a retread GSH at No 1 ED at Hobby and he bought home the tailcone of one of these rockets (with it's four fins) which ended up as the newspaper tube in the letterbox of our house in Western Springs.
It was still there when the house was sold 18 months ago.
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