Mother Lode

[hairy]

I have just obtained the personal paper work of an RNZAF pilot who joined up in about 1952 and it includes everything except his logbook. There is reams and reams of stuff from all his training materials, paperwork from when he was in Cypress and Malaya right to the end of his career in TEAL and Air N.Z.

It will take me awhile to go through it all but I will post the more interesting stuff as I unearth it, as for what I have seen already it is a fascinating insight.

Just to whet your appitites, gems unearthed so far..................

a/ 16mm gun camera "showreel" of ground attack training and air to air against a drogue towed by an Avenger, it is in poor condition but I managed to run it through a projector at work Yesterday and I will transfer it to DVD at some point.

b/ training manuals

c/ The transcripts of a court of enquiry formed in Singapore against him, after he "bounced" an RAF Meteor whose pilot panicked lost control momentarely and lost a tip-tank.

d/ A North American Aviation Corporation pilots knee board, plus 3 others including one still in its box.

e/ A Huntington Jet Provost pilots manual, NOT strikemaster. (was the RNZAF looking at these in the late '50s early '60s)

f/ Drafts of a letter to RNZAF command in 1958 suggesting the formation of an RNZAF Museum at Wigram(!) with suggestions of airframes to include (one suggestion is the "Mitsubishi Zero currently availiable at Ohakea") -if only thay had acted then.

g/ Maps with missions over the Med pencilled on them.

h/ A TEAL Lockheed Electra Pilots Manual.

i/ Complete flight plans for TEAL Electra including weather, nav notes, en-route notes, passenger details etc.

h/ And my favorite peice of paper so far........... a TEAL memo on UFO sightings - "not to be released to the public to avoid negative reactions" - I will post full text soon.

etc, etc

I even have his lucky wishbone in a little green war department bag.

I will keep you posted (pun intended). ;D

[Dave Homewood]

Great stuff. I'm looking forward to hearing more. Especially if there's anything about display flying in any of the RNZAF teams.

[agalbraith]

Wow, sounds like great stuff you have there. I am really keen to know more about the Avenger Target tug footage.................cool!

Anyway please keep us posted

Cheers

Anthony

[hairy]

First tit-bit.................

On a document dated 1954

"Q. What are the primary and secondary aims of the air force?

A. The primary aim of the air force is the protection of New Zealand, Great Britain, her overseas possesions and the British Empire from aerial attack. To attack at the heart of the enemy, destroy his economic, military and industrial systems and break his will to fight.
The secondary aim of the airforce is co-operation with the other two services."

How would that question be answered today?

Possibly..........

Primary aim - To carry the army and look for lost yachties.
Secondary - To carry politicians and reporters on junkets and photo oppertunities.

[hairy]

Tit bit #2

You'll love this one, the 14sqdn pilots in Singapore obviously put on a show at some point and this is the song they sang (sorry, don't know the tune)

I'm a fourteen squadron pilot,
And my name is Joseph Soap,
I left the shores of old NZ.
And my heart was full of hope
Oh, I wanted to be a leader bold
And never do as I was told
But now I'm just a fourteen squadron pilot.

CHORUS:Set your course for Sultans Palace,
Kukub point and China rock.
Whats the course to steer?
It's a crate of Anchor Beer.
Oh, Lagonda says you're in the dark,
The DME is just a lark.
Oh, it's 'orrible to be a Venom pilot.

Oh, you open up the throttle
And expect to get some urge.
The J.P.T. goes off the clock
And all you get is surge.
Oh, no.2 is on the grass
And 3 & 4 are up your -
It's dangerous to be a Venom pilot.

Chorus

You are briefed to fly a battle eight
At fourty thousand feet,
There's blisters on your fingers
And corns upon your seat.
No.6 can only get 9.8
I guess he'll have to isolate -
It's not quite on to be a Venom pilot.

Chorus

It's airbrakes out and throttle back,
Descend at point 8 Mach,
And if you go above it,
You'll end up on your back,
And on pulling through you'll hit the ground,
With a most expensive scrunching sound.
It's dangerous to be a Venom pilot.

Chorus

You're diverted to land at Changi
And your tanks are running dry.
Hemmed in by Far East Transport Wing
You think you're going to die.
Then on touching down you get a red
While V.I.P's fly overhead.
No one likes the poor old Venom pilot.

It's a bit Ain't Half Hot Mum.
;D

[Dave Homewood]

That is a really brilliant piece of RNZAF social histroy, thanks for sharing it Marcus. I love that sort of thing.

[hairy]

admin said:

Especially if there's anything about display flying in any of the RNZAF teams.

Nothing so far on display flying EXCEPT some hand drawn and notated routines, they are undated and look like ideas you would jot down if you were discussing it with someone.

The search goes on...............

[agalbraith]

Great stuff, You have really come across some real gems there!

Keep us posted

Cheers

Anthony

[hairy]

After doing an invantory on the contents of the "Mother lode" I realised their was a heck of alot of very personal items so I decided to do a wee bit of investigation. The end result is I have found the pilot to which it all initially belonged to and what he told me is that he had thought he had lost it all 20 years ago as the result of a v.messy divorce, needless to say I have made someone very happy this christmas, I am going around with it all on Saturday to see him.

[Dave Homewood]

That is awesome mate!

Ask if he has the internet and would like to join us here and share his experiences. Also ask what tune that song went to.