Wings Over Wairarapa 2015

[Dave Homewood]

Of course Pete. You have to attend!

[kiwithrottlejockey]

At this stage, I'm rostered on late-shift all weekend, which basically rules me out of even attending the airshow as I'd have to leave around 1pm each day. I put in for leave over that weekend about ten months ago, but was turned down flat by my boss (no doubt because he has had the squeeze put on him by the company bean-counters, so he is trying to keep his overtime bill down). So because of that late shift, it rules me out of even attending a get-together on the Saturday evening as I won't be finished work until around 9:30pm.

However, I've always had a Plan B, which is to wait until about a week to ten days before the airshow, then put in for a single lieu day on either the Saturday or the Sunday. That application bypasses my boss altogether and goes straight to the roster co-ordinators in Auckland, and they are often prepared to put in a lot more effort to cover a shift than my boss can be bothered doing. I'd say I've got about a 50-50 chance of getting a lieu day on one of those days. I'm going to go for the Saturday, because then I'd also have the Saturday evening free, which would work out great for a catch-up.

With regards to the Horseshoe venue, the public bar we met in last time is gone completely. Trust House have turned that bar into a more upmarket restaurant/bar called The Farriers. It does still have a small sports bar in an annex off it (with the TAB and gaming machines), but it is way too small for our purposes. However the menu at Farriers is really great and the prices of the various menu items are very reasonable, plus if it is fine weather, there is now a heap of shaded outdoor seating, so I'd say definitely go for The Farriers as a place to meet. Everybody knows where it is, which is a huge plus. The only issue is that the place has become considerably more popular since it was upgraded, so if there is going to be quite a crowd, it would pay to perhaps make a booking, just to cover our arse and make sure there will be space available. It probably isn't necessary to do so right now, but it could be a good idea to look at making a booking by about the Tuesday or Wednesday prior to the airshow weekend.

[Dave Homewood]

Thanks for the inside knowledge Bruce. Are there any alternate bars you might suggest that might be better suited? Or shall we stick with Farriers?

I hope you get that Saturday off, it wouldn't be the same without you there!

[suthg]

There's a smart one down at Kuripuni The Trading Post, but it is likely to be booked out too, being smaller and dearer? We could go to the RSA...

[Dave Homewood]

I think Farriers should be fine, it's nice and central and within walking distance to my accommodation.

[kiwithrottlejockey]

The good thing about The Farriers is it's real easy to find for anybody from out of town.

The directions are simple....go to the roundabout at the northern end of the town area of Masterton and there it is.

And if the weather is fine, it is a really neat spot at the outside tables. Temperatures have been really warm at night in Masterton lately.


I'm going to send in the application tomorrow for a lieu day on Saturday 17th January.

It should be processed within a couple of days and I'll know by this coming weekend whether I've got it or not.

There are three or four Wellington drivers who are always up for a bit of overtime working on their rostered days off covering Masterton jobs, so provided they aren't all spoken for already (or on leave), I should be okay, provided my boss doesn't stick his oar in and veto any overtime. And I will pick up another lieu day working late-shift on the Monday, replacing the lieu day I use up.

[suthg]

Good luck Bruce. We hope to see you then!!! Crossed fingers etc... yes, that bar/brasserie should be fine!!

[corsairarm]

Mt wife and I are going to be there on the Saturday but as we are training up from Wellington we can't make it to any gathering on the Saturday night. May see you around the airfield though.

[dodgy]

I cannot go till Sunday as I have an MBA course on Saturdays for six weeks (groan..). If others want to meet Sunday night, or somewhere on the Sunday at the show, please let us know.

[suthg]

There will still be quite a few of us around Sunday night, leaving Monday.

[kiwithrottlejockey]

from the Wairarapa Times-Age....

Chance to put on a sartorial show

By SUSAN TEODORO | 6:50AM - Wednesday, January 07, 2015


GLAMOUR: A visitor to an airshow in Goodwood UK, dressed up in period costume.

VISITORS to Wings over Wairarapa next week will be able to get into the classic mood and become real participants in the show by dressing up in period costume as part of a competition at the event.

Organiser John McMullen, vice-president of the Sport and Vintage Aviation Society, said the family-friendly competition was designed to encourage people to take part, rather than just attend as spectators.

“It's an opportunity for the whole family to get involved and get into theme,” he said.

“People can take part in the event rather than just watching.”

“We would love to see people really getting into it.”

“The airshow is more than an airshow and we want to grow that.”

The idea is based on the Goodwood Revival in the UK, a classic vehicle show, where huge portions of the crowd dress up in the style of an era of their choice.

Some people already come to Wings in costume, but this year the organisers want to encourage it.

“We are happy for people to come dressed up at any time, but this is taking it to the next stage and allowing the audience to participate,” said Mr McMullen.

“A lot of people are into vintage and retro fashion.”

Mr McMullen said it was not a typical modern fashion parade and was purely retro.

The competition has prizes for best-dressed woman and best-dressed man and will be run using social media.

Entrants will be able to post photos of themselves to Instagram as well as Facebook and Twitter using the hashtag #wings2015.

The competition will be judged by the end of the event with the two best dressed contestants each winning a gold pass to the 2017 airshow.

www.nzherald.co.nz/wairarapa-times-age/news/article.cfm?c_id=1503414&objectid=11382862

[suthg]

Well, after hanging out for fellow aviation enthusiasts to help share a motel unit in central Masterton, I have finally been successful with getting a couple as late starters and also a well known single member - avid airshow enthusiast and photographer - who thinks he is now able to take Friday off work and travel down. Otherwise my 19yo son would fill the single bed, but he can stay home and feed the cats and mow the lawns (and pigs might fly too...). At this stage, all beds are filled with forumites and partners

[Peter Lewis]

Have finally taken the plunge and bought two day passes for Friday - myself and missus - and my gold pass for Sat and Sun. I suspect more shoes will be acquired over those two days.
We have rented a cottage near Masterton, and will be in residence there from Wednesday night to Sunday night.
Are starters for the evening gathering as well.

[Dave Homewood]

Great Peter, see you both there.

[kiwithrottlejockey]

I spoke to KiwiRail's central roster co-ordinator for rail operating staff on the phone yesterday, and he doesn't think he'll have too much of a problem covering my late-shift next Saturday (the boss is on leave at the moment, so won't be around to veto overtime by somebody else to cover my shift) and he says he's about 95% certain he can give me my lieu day. He's going to let me know by Tuesday morning at the latest, so hopefully they won't have sold out of Saturday gold-passes by then.

In the meantime, we should start thinking about the meet-up on Saturday evening. Unless anybody has any objections, I guess we'll make it at The Farriers (click on the hotlink — same place as last time two years ago, but considerably re-modelled & enlarged, more upmarket, and still easy to find for out-of-towners), and to guarantee us some space (it is a very popular venue) I'll go and see them next Thursday and make a booking in the name of The Wings Over New Zealand Aviation Forum. If I could have a rough head-count by then, that would be great as I could let them know approximately how many people to expect (give or take a few, naturally).

Perhaps another thread is in order where you can post if you are attending (I'll start one with my name, and everybody who thinks they will attend can copy the list to a new message and add their name to it). Also indicate whether you would prefer to sit inside, outside, or are happy with either. And I guess we'll need to work out roughly what time so I can let the manager of The Farriers know when to expect us.

[Dave Homewood]

Yep, The Farriers it is Bruce, and I'll let you sort out the thread and other arrangements, since you're Our Man in Masterton. Cheers. How's the weather looking for next weekend?

[suthg]

Probably partly cloudy, dry, light - moderate winds, variable, remnants of a blocked HIGH to he east, so it's shape may move and vary when trying to forecast right now.

Fine on Friday, 10kt NW. There is also the remnants of a cold front sweeping through NZ from the Tasman on about Saturday now, with clearing weather after
www.metvuw.com/forecast/forecast.php?type=rain®ion=swp&noofdays=7

Currently, Saturday is looking to be 10kt NW and damp



This will continue to roll forwards each day so I will re-edit the link.


Edited Monday 12th.

[kiwithrottlejockey]

If the airshow was this weekend, you'd all be whinging about the heat.

It's bloody hot in Masterton today (as it was yesterday) and there is absolutely no wind in the town and not a single cloud to be seen.

I've got to go to work in an hour-and-a-half....I hope whoever was on this morning left all of the locomotive cab windows open, or I'll be climbing into an oven.

And....a bit of a hard-case story....I arrived back at Masterton last night at midnight with the last scheduled passenger train from Wellington and as we were putting the train away in the security cage, we discovered that the graffiti artists had hit one of the other passenger trains parked in there (the set that will be running the airshow train next weekend), completely painting one side of two passenger cars. The paint was still wet, so they must have just buggered off before we arrived. They would have had to climb over razor wire to get into the cage. No doubt it will all have been recorded by the various security cameras dotted around the place (the footage from each camera gets recorded at a place in Johnsonville).

[kiwithrottlejockey]

from The Dominion Post....

Magnificent men and their flying machines

By CALEB HARRIS | 5:00AM - Monday, 12 January 2015


BITTEN BY FLYING BUG: Wings Over Wairarapa airshow director Tom Williams with the same
1940 Tiger Moth in which he sat his flight test in Whanganui, aged 16, in 1956. The vintage
aviation society he founded later acquired the plane and, nearly 60 years and nine airshows
later, his anticipation of this weekend’s show is as keen as ever. — CALEB HARRIS/Fairfax NZ.

THE country's oldest aeroplane, one of its newest and some of the world's rarest will bring aviation alive in Masterton this weekend.

More than 30,000 people are expected to spend Wellington Anniversary weekend looking skyward at the ninth biennial Wings Over Wairarapa airshow at Hood Aerodrome.

Director Tom Williams said it would feature flights by extremely rare aircraft, some never before put on public display, from “the world's biggest World War I collection”, the Peter Jackson-backed The Vintage Aviator Ltd in Kilbirnie.

Three particularly distinguished aircraft from different eras would appear side-by-side as part of the show's “100 years of aviation” theme, Williams said.

They were a faithful reproduction of a plane built by Temuka farmer Richard Pearse and — some experts believe — flown by him before the Wright Brothers' history-making flight in 1903, a recreation of an aircraft built by Invercargill cycle mechanic Bert Pither in 1910, and the Royal New Zealand Airforce's newly acquired Beechcraft T-6C Texan II trainer, appearing publicly for the first time at the show.

“People will be able to see how aviation has developed over more than 100 years from Pearse and Pither to the Texan,” Williams said.

Williams, who has been involved with all nine shows, caught the flying bug watching top-dressing planes above the family farm in Hawke's Bay. “I thought, wow, that's something else.”

At 16 he passed his flight test and by 25 he had bought a Tiger Moth, which he used to pick up his wife-to-be Gay on their first date.

“I don't know if it helped or not but we had a lot of fun.”

Later he founded the Sport and Vintage Aviation Society which was the driving force behind Wings, now regarded as one of Australasia's top airshows.

Other programme highlights include an attempt to break the world record for simultaneous operation of World War II bren gun carriers, a freestyle motocross display, food and wine stalls, mock battles, airforce helicopter and Hercules displays, the “Roaring 40s” Harvard aerobatic team display.

In a sign of the future, there would also be a display of drone-type aircraft, which, Williams said, represented a major new frontier for world aviation.

The show runs from Friday to Sunday, with jet flights over Wellington offered on Monday.

www.stuff.co.nz/dominion-post/capital-life/64854464/Magnificent-men-and-their-flying-machines

[Dave Homewood]

MEDIA RELEASE

Monday, 12th January 2015

RARE WW1 AIRCRAFT TO TAKE TO THE SKIES AT WINGS OVER WAIRARAPA

Some of the world’s rarest WW1 aircraft will take to the skies in Masterton this week during the Wings Over Wairarapa airshow.

The official flying programme for the three-day biennial airshow, being held at Hood Aerodrome in Masterton this Wellington Anniversary Weekend (January 16 – 18th 2015), was released today with one of the highlights being a special evening show on Friday night commemorating WW1.

An original RAF BE.2f aircraft, the only one in the world flying; a Bristol F2B, one of three originals in the world and two FE2bs, the only ones in the world are part of an incredible line-up taking to the skies during Friday night’s evening show from 5.30pm – 7pm. They will then return to the skies on both Saturday and Sunday, forming part of an exciting and diverse flying programme that celebrates 100 years of aviation history.

The rare WW1 aircraft are part of The Vintage Aviator Collection, the largest collection of flying original WW1 aircraft in the world and permanently based at Hood Aerodrome.

Wings Over Wairarapa event manager Jenny Gasson says the unique growl of WW1 aircraft will provide visitors with a sound heard nowhere else in the world.

“When visitors to this month’s Wings Over Wairarpa airshow hear a unique growl coming from the skies above, they will learn it comes from some of the world’s rarest WW1 aircraft that we are so fortunate to have based here in Masterton,” she says. “They will form part of an amazing three-day flying programme that celebrates 100 years of aviation.”

Other rare WW1 aircraft include the Sopworth Snipe, one of only four flying in the world; and a very French Fighter, the Hanriot HD1. Most are powered by original WW1 aero engines and the reproduction aircraft and engines are made by specialist engineers and high skilled craftspeople in The Vintage Aviator’s Wellington based workshop.

The Vintage Aviator Operations manager Sara Randle says, weather conditions permitting, the WWI fighters will be involved in a series of mock dog fights, aerial manoeuvres and flybys.

"To see an original WW1 aircraft flying is an incredible rarity and visitors will be in for a treat,” she says.

They will also be flown by highly experienced pilots who have spent the last few months practising their amazing manoeuvres.

“Even a highly competent modern pilot would be pretty much at a loss at first, because these aircraft are so different, in the same way that a 1917 – 18 motorcar is totally different to its modern counterpart.” says John Lanham, a former RNZAF strike-wing commander and warbird pilot. “The pilots need to understand and compensate for these differences. By modern standards the aircraft are relatively slow, are primitive and unstable but highly manoeuverable”.

The Vintage Aviator’s WW1 aircraft form part of an amazing line-up of aircraft at Wings Over Wairarapa 2015. They will feature alongside a reproduction Richard Pearse aircraft, and a replica 1910 Pither Monoplane – (the only one in the world) both unique examples of their originals that were built over 100 years ago – WWII aircraft; the New Zealand debut of the RNZAF’s Beechcraft T-6 Texan trainers, the NH90 and A109 helicopters and the recently refurbished and upgraded Hercules.

At the other end of the technology spectrum there will be a large number of Remotely Piloted Aircraft System (RPAS or Drone) many of which will feature in the RPAS industry tradeshow.

As well as all the excitement above the ground, there is just as much excitement on the ground thanks to mock battles; static displays including a combined Defence Forces interactive camp; children’s entertainment, contemporary and vintage military vehicles; a retail village and a wine and food village.

The full flying programme is now available at www.wings.org.nz.

Tickets for the 2015 Wings Over Wairarapa event are now on sale through websites www.ticketdirect.co.nz and www.wings.org.nz. For more information visit www.wings.org.nz or our Facebook page WOWairshow or follow us on Twitter@WOWairshow.

ENDS