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Post by Dave Homewood on Oct 22, 2012 14:28:27 GMT 12
As the 1966 Auckland Airport Opening Airshowthread is bringing up some great details and photos, and especially since today is Labour Day (as was the day that Wellingotn Airport opened) I will do the same here:
Does anyone have the registrations, pilot and crew details and anything more to add on the following aircraft that displayed during that airshow please?
RNZAF Handley Page Hastings
RNZAF Short Sunderland NZ4113 - Pilot Mal Gunton, 2nd Pilot Robin Klitscher, Flight Engineer Ray Tocker - any other crew members?
RNZAF de Havilland Vampire team of No. 14 Squadron No. 1 = Colin Rudd, other members Peter Rhodes, T.E. Enright and Russell Branks. Does anyone know the latter three's positions and which aircraft serial each used?
RAAF Lockheed Neptune
RAAF English Electric Canberra B20
RAAF C-130 Hercules
US Navy C-54 (of Operation Deep Freeze)
NAC Vickers Viscount
3 x Avro Vulcan B.1 of No. 617 Squadron - one was XH498 that touched the runway hard - who were its crew, and who were the crews of the other two Vulcans plus those aircrafts' serial numbers?
Handley Page Herald
Any details and additions would be very welcome please.
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Post by phil82 on Oct 22, 2012 15:58:51 GMT 12
Vulcan pilot was Sqn Ldr Tony Smailes. Aircraft was B1 XH498
Crash Fire Flight at Ohakea still have on display an excellent set of photo's of the landing there.
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Post by Dave Homewood on Oct 22, 2012 19:19:03 GMT 12
Thanks for the pilot's name. Would there have been a full crew onboard each Vulcan? Any idea of other crew names?
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Post by delticman on Oct 22, 2012 19:20:46 GMT 12
I think the opening was on the Saturday and on the Monday there was an airshow at Ohakea
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Post by JDK on Oct 22, 2012 20:12:55 GMT 12
Thanks for the pilot's name. Would there have been a full crew onboard each Vulcan? Any idea of other crew names? Surely you haven't forgotten this thread, Dave? ... forum.planetalk.net/viewtopic.php?f=2&t=8900Think the crew's names are in there somewhere. The rest entertains, too. Don't forget Flight Global for show reports, btw. Regards, |
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Post by Dave Homewood on Oct 22, 2012 20:34:54 GMT 12
I had forgotten that old thread. Back when there was lively discussion on the Planetalk forum, sadly it's pretty dead there these days. I'll see what I can find in that thread.
I tried Flight Global for the 1966 Auckland airshow and found nothing other than the Belfast taking the hovercraft from the UK to NZ. I find their search engine pretty hopeless.
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Post by Dave Homewood on Oct 22, 2012 20:52:00 GMT 12
I now realise why I had forgotten that thread. I have a headache from skimming through it.
I only found Smailles mentioned. Not the rest of the crew. Unless I missed it?
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Post by JDK on Oct 22, 2012 21:41:46 GMT 12
I now realise why I had forgotten that thread. I have a headache from skimming through it. I only found Smailles mentioned. Not the rest of the crew. Unless I missed it? Headache? I'm not going to read it again, I developed a nervous tick! ;D Sorry, I skimmed most of it, so I don't know. The crew will be listed somewhere. Yes, Flight's search engine is pretty rubbish, but if you know a date of an event, you can page through the area where it's likely to be reported, i.e. shortly afterwards. Also sometimes worth a look for lead-in items. Regards, |
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Post by phil82 on Oct 22, 2012 23:51:39 GMT 12
The Vulcan crew are listed in full on"PPRUNE: Did you fly the Vulcan" but it's a long read!
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Post by Dave Homewood on Oct 23, 2012 0:45:36 GMT 12
I have just wasted the best part of an hour trying to search that htread and found nothing. The search engine on that forum is crap.
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Post by phil82 on Oct 23, 2012 6:43:33 GMT 12
I have just wasted the best part of an hour trying to search that htread and found nothing. The search engine on that forum is crap. True, but nevertheless the information is there, because I've seen it, but as I say....it's a long thread! |
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Post by Dave Homewood on Oct 23, 2012 10:33:57 GMT 12
In the meantime some other aircraft that appeared at this airshow include:
RNZAF Devon (in silver livery)
RNZAF Beaver NZ6010
RNZAF CFS Wigram Harvard Team (I don't know the team for this season)
RNZAF Bristol Freighter
There were actually three RAAF Canberras present and at least two flew
As well as the C-54 from operation Deep Freeze there were at least two Hercules and a Globemaster II
The USAF supplied F-100 Super Sabres and RF-101 Vodoos too.
There was an RAF Comet 2, and also a lare low wing transport that looked a lot like a DC-6 in RAF markings, maybe a Brittannia? Or did they use the DC-6?
There was an NAC DC-3, a SAFE Freighter, and DC-3 ZK-AZL was there.
Lastly the Fokker F-27 Friendship demonstrator appeared there.
Any clues to identities and crew details please?
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Post by Dave Homewood on Oct 23, 2012 11:09:38 GMT 12
The only extra name I found during a second search of that Pprune thread was Bob Mitchell, who's name I'd already found elsewhere. Was there only two crew aboard?
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Post by phil82 on Oct 23, 2012 11:20:53 GMT 12
The only extra name I found during a second search of that Pprune thread was Bob Mitchell, who's name I'd already found elsewhere. Was there only two crew aboard? No, it was a full crew of five. |
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Post by planecrazy on Nov 1, 2012 21:30:55 GMT 12
Wasn't the opening of Wellington when a Sunderland did a touch and go on the runway?
Ripped out bits of the hull, always wondered what happened when she eventually put
down on the water, did she sink?
The Vulcan also went off the runway and did an emergency landing back at Ohakea. Was it windy
on the day of the show?
Sign of things to come, Wellington is the only airport I have been in a commercial aeroplane that has had to go around, until I started living out in the Tasman, now I have done quite a few!
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Post by Dave Homewood on Nov 1, 2012 21:40:18 GMT 12
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Post by planecrazy on Nov 1, 2012 21:48:29 GMT 12
Wow that is great, my late father grew up in Wellington and he witnessed the events of the day. I have a VHS video somewhere which shows both incidents, the Sunderland bounced quite hard from memory!
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Post by eieio on Nov 3, 2012 14:33:30 GMT 12
Herald was in command of Sqd. Ldr Hazeldon , HANDLEY PAGE chief test pilot, aircraft was the prototype
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Post by kiwithrottlejockey on Nov 4, 2012 13:46:17 GMT 12
I was there with my Mum's cousin, Allan Macaulay (of Aviation Radio).
I was only 5½-years-old, but I can remember heaps of it.
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Post by Dave Homewood on Nov 4, 2012 17:00:59 GMT 12
Herald was in command of Sqd. Ldr Hazeldon , HANDLEY PAGE chief test pilot, aircraft was the prototype Thank you Bruce. |
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