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Post by Dave Homewood on Sept 14, 2022 16:42:51 GMT 12
Orions were flying to Antarctica before that (ever since the 1970s) of course, doing mail drops and then flying back without touching down.
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Post by Deane B on Sept 14, 2022 21:06:46 GMT 12
Orions were flying to Antarctica before that (ever since the 1970s) of course, doing mail drops and then flying back without touching down. In the early 1990's when I was at 5 Sqn, the Maint Warrant Officer (W/O) came into the flightline to say they were sending a P3 to the ice and it would need a search light fitted. One of the newer AC's said "wow that would be a cool flight". The W/O said, "do you want to go - I will see what I can do". The rest of us us tried to restrain our smiles. Two days later the you AC returned to work. "How was you flight" we said. His reply "I didn't know we were not going to land, and even worse it ws dark the whole time. I didn't see a thing". It was mid winter and the mission was a medical drop, so most of us knew what was happening. The young fella found out the hard way!
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Post by Dave Homewood on Sept 14, 2022 21:18:13 GMT 12
Ha, poor kid. At least he can say he did it though.
In 1992 we had a bunch of US troops based in our Wigram hangar packing their chutes during a big ice drop season. I think there were about ten of them. For some reason that year the place they usually used at Operation Deep Freeze at Harewood was unavailable so they were lodging with us for a few weeks and using the hangar space where NATTS used to be to pack or prepare their cargo chutes. It came down from the Flight Commander that the US unit's boss had said that if we'd like, we S&S guys could go on an ice flight with them on a Galaxy or Starlifter, I cannot remember which it was. They had appreciated our hospitality and they enjoyed the Friday afternoon S&S piss up we invited them to. That was the only time I tried chewing tobacco by the way, horrfic stuff.
Sadly as the day drew closer we learned our idiot drunkard Flight Sergeant had gotten gobby about something around the higher ranked Americans at some point after the invitation was accepted, and they withdrew the invitation. It really annoyed everyone else, it would have been an amazing opportunity. Mr Thicky struck again.
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ajmcg
Flight Sergeant
Posts: 20
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Post by ajmcg on Sept 28, 2022 18:30:20 GMT 12
Does anyone know why our aircraft lack the antenna between the observer’s window and the emergency exits. Two each side in a T shape 3/4 up the fuselage. If we’re getting USN specs why are they missing?
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Post by ErrolC on Sept 28, 2022 18:59:47 GMT 12
I wonder if improvements mean they aren't required any more. Do other new builds have them? You can see them upthread.
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Post by camtech on Oct 5, 2022 9:31:17 GMT 12
Second P8 first flight 2 October. We're getting there.
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Post by gibbo on Oct 5, 2022 12:00:15 GMT 12
Does anyone know why our aircraft lack the antenna between the observer’s window and the emergency exits. Two each side in a T shape 3/4 up the fuselage. If we’re getting USN specs why are they missing? Don't know but sniffing around google images I see it looks like the Indian AF ones also do not have these... everyone else's seem to! If we can establish how the IAF ones differ (other than them having a MAD)...!?!
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Post by phil on Oct 5, 2022 19:38:30 GMT 12
Does anyone know why our aircraft lack the antenna between the observer’s window and the emergency exits. Two each side in a T shape 3/4 up the fuselage. If we’re getting USN specs why are they missing? Don't know but sniffing around google images I see it looks like the Indian AF ones also do not have these... everyone else's seem to! If we can establish how the IAF ones differ (other than them having a MAD)...!?! Indian P-8Is have very different mission systems to all the others. When were the photos of ours taken, before or after the mission systems fit? Those antenna may be GFE (Government Furnished Equipment) being installed as part of the Mission systems, and not yet installed at the point the basic airframes are being photographed.
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ajmcg
Flight Sergeant
Posts: 20
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Post by ajmcg on Oct 10, 2022 15:07:59 GMT 12
Photos are from Boeing Feild King County pre fit out. Satcom at the top of the fin and other systems are missing. However NZDF pictures released by Boeing also show these missing. They will probably end up with smaller radomes without the black dot for the smaller new radar after their final fit out. What are those antennas? IFF?
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Post by ErrolC on Oct 18, 2022 19:38:30 GMT 12
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Post by phil on Oct 19, 2022 20:14:41 GMT 12
Have the RAF not cleared UNIPAC for their P-8A? Perhaps rather than the off the shelf US solution from LSI they are faffing around clearing this ASRA.
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Post by ErrolC on Oct 19, 2022 21:04:50 GMT 12
Have the RAF not cleared UNIPAC for their P-8A? Perhaps rather than the off the shelf US solution from LSI they are faffing around clearing this ASRA. Maybe they ordered it before the P-8A capability was planned? Wasn't it an add-on funded by Australia? The RAF also has a lot more A-400Ms than P-8As.
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Post by ErrolC on Oct 28, 2022 5:44:36 GMT 12
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Post by ErrolC on Oct 29, 2022 6:26:44 GMT 12
German P-8 order order cut from 12 to 8
I also note that the second (of six) Korean airframe finished final assembly this week.
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Post by machina on Oct 29, 2022 7:27:01 GMT 12
Let’s pick up those 4 Germans!
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Post by phil on Oct 29, 2022 12:51:43 GMT 12
Have the RAF not cleared UNIPAC for their P-8A? Perhaps rather than the off the shelf US solution from LSI they are faffing around clearing this ASRA. Maybe they ordered it before the P-8A capability was planned? Wasn't it an add-on funded by Australia? The RAF also has a lot more A-400Ms than P-8As. Possibly, but UNI-PAC III is cleared now (as is the older, smaller, UNIPAC II). Possibly procurement delays with UNIPAC III may have pushed the RAF to ASRA.
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madmark
Flight Lieutenant
Posts: 78
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Post by madmark on Dec 4, 2022 7:31:14 GMT 12
Less than 10 days until the first jet turns up!
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Post by ZacYates on Dec 4, 2022 12:30:24 GMT 12
That snuck up on me! Exciting!!
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Post by machina on Dec 4, 2022 13:53:19 GMT 12
How will the squadron operate during the transition? Will it be split between Whenuapai and Ohakea or are the Orions moving down with the arrival of the first P-8?
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Post by phil on Dec 4, 2022 17:42:18 GMT 12
How will the squadron operate during the transition? Will it be split between Whenuapai and Ohakea or are the Orions moving down with the arrival of the first P-8? PTU (Poseidon Transition Unit) has been stood up as a totally separate unit to the current 5SQN, and will operate the P-8A out of Ohakea. 5SQN will continue to operate the Orion for a short while. Once the last Orion is retired early next year, PTU will stand up as the new 5SQN.
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