1966 Auckland Airport Opening Airshow

[Dave Homewood]

The following information comes from the programme of the event on the day for the official opening of the Auckland International Airport on Saturday 29th of January 1966. Can anyone here please help me to fill in ZK-registrations and serial numbers of the aircraft, and also names of the pilots and aircrew members? Also any other interesting details?

Saturday 29th of January 1966
Flying Programme

Light Aircraft - Manufacturer's Handling Display
9.30am to 10.00am

Ultra Light Aircraft Club - Druine Turbulent Ultra Light Aircraft handling display

Airwork (NZ) Ltd - Piper Twin Commanche handling display

Aero Engine Services - Mooney 21 handling display

Seabrook Fowlds Ltd - Morane Saulnier Rallye handling display

Airwork (NZ) Ltd - Piper Cherokee 6 handling display

Victa (NZ) Ltd - Victa 115 aerobatic display

Auckland Flying School - Cessna 150 handling display


Light Aircraft - Agricultural Aircraft Display
10.30am to 11.00am

James Aviation Ltd - Tiger Moth Aerial Display I know that this was ZK-AJO which was then owned by Dereck "Bill" Kain of Raglan, later of Cambridge, who was asked if they could borrow it back for the airshow. I know he flew it up there and back from Mangere but I'm unsure if he did the actual air display, I think he may have. it involved dropping superphospate - as I suspect the other topdressing machines did too

Glen Murray Syndicate - Piper PA18 and Airwork (NZ) Ltd - Piper Pawnee Combined Aerial Topdressing Display

Thames Aerial Topdressing Co. - Fletcher James Aviation Ltd - Ceres Combined Aerial Topdressing Display

Barr Bros. - Cessna 185 - Barr Bros. Beaver - Combined Aerial Topdressing Display

Thames Aerial Topdressing Co. - Piper Pawnee Aerial Spraying Display


Waitomo Aircraft Co. Ltd - Airtruck Aerial Topdressing Display

Marine Helicopter Ltd - Hughes Helicopter Aerial Spraying Display


Adastra Ltd - Snow Aerial Topdressing Display

James Aviation - Douglas DC3 Aerial Topdressing Display


Light Aircraft - Parachute Club, Gliding Club, Helicopter Display
11.30am to 12.00 noon

Combined Parachutes Clubs massed parachute display, 33 parachutists jumping from 2500 feet and landing on dropping zone on airfield

Auckland Gliding Club formation gliding display following release at 3000 feet

Alexander Helicopter Services helicopter handling display

Westland SRN 5 Hovercraft handling display


Official Opening
12.30pm

Introductory Remarks by Chairman of Airport Division, Auckland Regional Authority Mr. R. Bennett, MBE

Address by Mr. H.G. Lambie, Chairman Auckland Regional Authority

Address by the Prime Minister Rt. Hon. Keith J. Holyoake, C.H.

Official opening by His Excellency The Governor General, Brigadier Sir Bernard Ferguson, GCMG, GCVO, DSO, OBE

Combined Aero Clubs and P-51D Mustang Display
1.30pm to 2.00pm

Auckland Aero Club mass take-off followed by a display of Formation Flying, Solo Aerobatics and Synchronised Aerobatics

Fox Moth - early passenger aircraft flying display

North American P-51D Mustang This was John MacDonald in ZK-CCG

Civil Transport Aircraft
Jet Turbine Aircraft and Hovercraft Display
2.20pm to 2.50pm

Air New Zealand Douglas DC8 take-off and climb

British Aircraft Company BAC1-11 (G-ASYE) take-off and climb

Westland SRN 5 Hovercraft handling display

British Aircraft Company BAC1-11 (G-ASYE) handling display

Air New Zealand Douglas DC8 handling display

Qantas Empire Airways Boeing 707 scheduled arrival from Sydney

Military Aircraft
3.00pm to 4.17pm

A stream take-off of four RAAF Mirages. The four aircraft involved included A3-23 and A3-24

A formation flypast of 13 Harvards of the RNZAF followed by a co-ordinated solo and formation aerobatic display by four Harvards - I know the display team pilots but not the other nine

A landing of an RAF Vulcan displaying drag chute

Flypast by one RNZAF Short Sunderland

A co-ordinated flypast of the following aircraft:
1 x RAF Avro Shackleton
1 x RAAF Lockheed Neptune (A89-309)
1 x USAF C-141 Starlifter (38090)
1 x RAF de Havilland Comet
(the Shackleton, Neptune and Comet detached and flew to Whenuapai, the C-141 landed at Mangere)

A formation flying and solo aerobatic display by four RAAF Mirages

Handling display by a US Navy Lockheed P-3 Orion

Stream take-off by two USAF McDonnell Douglas F-4 Phantoms. The aircraft numbers were 37626 and 40694

A handling display including take-off by the RAF Vulcan

A co-ordinated Air/Army tactical display demonstrating the operational deployment of the following aircraft:
1 x RNZAF Auster - Psychological Warfare
1 x RNZAF Douglas C-47 Dakota - Paratroop Drop
1 x RNZAF Canberra }
1 x RAAF Canberra } Air Strike
4 x RNZAF Vampires }
1 x RNZAF Hercules - Assault Landing - Troops
1 x RAAF Hercules - Asault Landing - Artillery
1 x RNZAF Bristol Freighter - Aerial re-supply
1 x USAF Hercules - Aerial re-supply
1 x RNZAF Bell 47G Sioux - Casualty Evacuation

Flight Refuelling Demonstration by a KC135 tanker and two Phantoms of the USAF

A landing by the RNZAF Canberra

A Landing and take-off by a Qantas Boeing 707

Freefall parachute displayby the FEAF team from an RAF Argosy

A co-ordinated high speed and handling display by two USAF Phantoms
Note: the organisers hoped to demonstate a sonic boom during this slot if it was approved. Did this occur?

Landing by Qantas Boeing 707

Formation aerobatic display by four RNZAF Vampires. Again I have this team's details on my site

Any details please?

[fwx]

I was there - no sonic boom I'm sure or I would remember!

[TS]

My Father often talks about this airshow. He has always said he heard a sonic boom and remembers seeing a Phantom (one) fly past with no sound at all followed by the sound seconds later... He also says that the crowd where still looking down the runway when it went past ( not so sure about that one could have been pulling my leg).

Plus with the Freefall parachute team one had a Roman Candle and it would open periodically on the way down and that luckily it opened again just before he hit the mudflats and servived..

I was not their..... Bugger

[Peter Lewis]

That's all a bit of an ask from 46 years ago.

I'd have photos of a fair few of them, but sorting them out . . .
I probably have details in my spotters logbook that I used to assiduously write up in those days, but finding it now would be an task in itself.

The RAAF Mirage were A3-23 24 25 27
The PL-11 Airtruk was ZK-CKE
The Glen Murray Cub was ZK-BRN
The Adastra Snows were ZK-CPG and ZK-CPH
If you check thru my Bristol Freighter thread, there is a photo or two of whatever SAFE B170 was there.

Colin has a photo of the Sunderland flying over.

Snow ZK-CPG and Cub ZK-BRN at Mangere 30Jan1966 Some of the other aircraft at the event can be seen in the background

[Dave Homewood]

Thanks everyone.

So the Phantoms did indeed break the barrier?

As the Safe Air Freighters were not on the programme I guess they must have just been static?

[Dave Homewood]

Also, what did an Auster do that was "psychological warfare"?

[WayneB]

I was there January 29 1966, probably about where the International Terminal is today. As the RAAF solo Mirage dived directly at us then passed low overhead it created a very loud bang, which I realised later must have been a sonic boom. It was frightening and really shook me up. I was only thirteen at the time. During the Air Expo Airshow in 1992 I talked to someone else who also heard it. My son Dale overheard him talking about it and introduced us. It seems the sonic boom was only heard at western end of the airport.

[Dave Homewood]

OK, so the Mirage boomed, but did the Phantoms too?

[JDK]

I'm sure you've hit Papers Past Dave, but have you tried Flight Global?

[phil82]

Oct 20, 2012 21:32:46 GMT 12 Dave Homewood said:

Thanks everyone.

So the Phantoms did indeed break the barrier?

quote]
No,not to my recollection, and I was at the show. There were shuttles running from Ohakea, and I went up on a USAF Tanker, and came back on a C97!

[Dave Homewood]

James, Papers Past only covers up to and including 1945 at this stage.

[AussieBob]

Aerial view of Auckland Airport on opening day
When: 29 January 1966
Format: 1 b&w original negative(s).; Glass negative, 16.4 x 12 cm.; Horizontal image.; Single negative.
Description: Aerial view of Auckland Airport on opening day, Mangere, Manukau City. Photographed by Whites Aviation 29 January 1966.

ndhadeliver.natlib.govt.nz/view/action/ieViewer.do?dps_pid=IE1290010&dps_custom_att_1=tapuhi&dps_dvs=1350735450286~718&dps_pid=IE1290010&change_lng=en

[phil82]

I've been thinking....and reformatting the memory cells, and I'm fairly certain there were no sonic booms at Auckland, and the reason for that lay in an earlier event in 1963 at Ohakea when an F105 produced one over Santoft and half the farmers in the Manawatu claimed broken windows, though oddly there were none broken at Ohakea, so the word went out...no sonic booms.

[starr]

Dave, will try and remember who was flying which Ag aircraft on the day. I loaded them all at Ardmore before going to Auckland.
Bill Peterson was flying AZL.
Bill and I went to 4 airshows in January 1966 with AZL. 1st Jan at Kaipara Flats (Landed there after completing demo. The next Saturday was at Taupo, two weeks later at Opotiki and final weekend at Auckland.
The following weekend Bill slipped on the ladder after refuel-ling at Ardmore, breaking a bone in his foot and spent 6 months off work.

[Dave Homewood]

Thanks for that info Dave, it's much appreciated.

As we have conflicting memories over the sonic boom/s, I may have to consult the archive of the New Zealand Herald or Auckland Star when I get time, and get to the appropriate library.

[phil82]

There is a CAA Regulation on sonic booms! I don't know when it was amended but I do recall that, after the F105 incident at Ohakea, there were local rules in force for the visiting aircraft, bearing in mind NZ didn't have anything that could produce a sonic boom anywhere!

91.805 Aircraft sonic boom
(a) No person may operate an aircraft at a Mach number greater than
0.92 unless approved by the Director and in compliance with any
conditions and limitations specified in the approval.
(b) No person may operate an aircraft that has a maximum operating
speed in excess of a Mach number of 0.92 within the territorial limits of
New Zealand unless the information that is available to the pilot-incommand
includes flight limitations to ensure that flights entering or
leaving New Zealand do not cause a sonic boom to reach the surface
within New Zealand.
(c) A pilot-in-command of an aircraft that has a maximum operating
speed in excess of a Mach number of 0.92 must comply with the flight
limitations required under paragraph (b).

[shorty]

I was there too Dave and I cannot recall a sonic boom. I have previously posted photos that I took at the event, I tink they are somewhere in my "stash" thread, When I go onto broadband I'll post some more. latest promise is that it should be available in "3 months", I'llbelieve it when it gets here!

[The Red Baron]

www.ecasttv.co.nz/program_detail.php?program_id=39&channel_id=60&group_id=66

I was there..Iwas 6 and my front teeth had fallen out.. ;D

[starr]

Interesting only one Ag aircraft shown. The Te Kuiti built PL11 Airtruck.
Can't remember any sonic boom.
Something else not stated or shown was the two NAC DC3s ground looping trying to turn off the runway too quickly on the high speed taxi way.
Ossie James kicked himself for not getting a movie shot of the first one, and when we told him another one was coming in he said that it couldn't happen twice. How wrong he was as the second one was more spectacular. There were 4 DC3s landing one after another. DCA's one first, then NAC, next SPANZ and finally NAC. I know the pilot of the second one and also who his passengers were, but will not embarrass him.

[delticman]

Did Jack Worthington fly the Airtruck?