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Post by ErrolC on Feb 14, 2019 13:10:58 GMT 12
Large aircraft of course look slower - the Catalina isn't that bad, but looks glacial!
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Post by delticman on Feb 14, 2019 13:48:56 GMT 12
[/quote]I saw it 'perform' at Richmond in 1988 - about as exciting as watching paint dry!
Errol[/quote]
More like watching smoke and mirrors with a hell of lot of the former.
Ray
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Post by planewriting on Feb 14, 2019 14:27:05 GMT 12
Put things in perspective Errol and you just might realise that your comment above is irritating to say the least. Masterton, as you well know, is not the size of Melbourne so to see a B-52 at close quarters in rural New Zealand is appreciably different. Consider too that the B-52 you saw at Richmond had not done what will amount to a double crossing of the Tasman Sea purely for our enjoyment. You will also know that there has not been a B-52 in New Zealand before so it will, for many people in the Wairarapa just witnessing it, be something to saviour. Think too about those people who took the steps to organise its being here - they may well be insulted by your off hand comment. I don't know about any experience in organising air shows you may have had but through my direct involvement in organising them I have nothing but praise for those who have arranged its presence.
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Post by mcmaster on Feb 14, 2019 14:38:21 GMT 12
Good on the airshow organisers and the USAF. Comments on whats boring or not needs to be seen in terms of participation, goodwill and showing the flag etc. I remember a RNZAF herc display at Avalon a few years back. Amongst F22s and F16s can seem a dull show but these guys n gals are at the airshow for the reasons above.. And should be appreciated for it.
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Post by Dave Homewood on Feb 14, 2019 15:04:36 GMT 12
I am very much looking forward to it. I have seen a B-52 before, static, on the apron at Duxford, in the snow. That was impressive enough and I did not even get that close to it. Seeing one in the air is something I never thought I'd get to see.
I also know that the airshow organisers have tried to line up USAF Avalon participants in the past to align with WOW and it's never worked out, so this is a huge coup to make things work and to have it happen. Congratulations to all involved in gaining the necessary permissions and sign offs. It also shows the US-NZ military relationship remains healthy despite the regime change in this country and in the USA.
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Post by conman on Feb 14, 2019 15:16:08 GMT 12
The B52 displays I have seen in the UK have been very impressive the way it flies with a nose down attitude is quite unique , and who can ask for more than 8 burning !
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Post by errolmartyn on Feb 14, 2019 16:34:53 GMT 12
Put things in perspective Errol and you just might realise that your comment above is irritating to say the least. Masterton, as you well know, is not the size of Melbourne so to see a B-52 at close quarters in rural New Zealand is appreciably different. Consider too that the B-52 you saw at Richmond had not done what will amount to a double crossing of the Tasman Sea purely for our enjoyment. You will also know that there has not been a B-52 in New Zealand before so it will, for many people in the Wairarapa just witnessing it, be something to saviour. Think too about those people who took the steps to organise its being here - they may well be insulted by your off hand comment. I don't know about any experience in organising air shows you may have had but through my direct involvement in organising them I have nothing but praise for those who have arranged its presence. Er, Richmond is near Sydney, NSW - not in Victoria. And I rather think you mean savour, not saviour. A shame that one cannot express an eye-witness view of one's personal experience here without it being called 'irritating'. Errol |
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Post by errolmartyn on Feb 14, 2019 16:39:42 GMT 12
The B52 displays I have seen in the UK have been very impressive the way it flies with a nose down attitude is quite unique , and who can ask for more than 8 burning ! Er, the Armstrong Whitworth Whitley bomber flew with a distinctive nose-down attitude quite some years before the B-52, so not unique (and no such thing as quite unique - something is either unique or its not). I'll get my coat . . . Errol |
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Post by Dave Homewood on Feb 14, 2019 17:35:10 GMT 12
Errol, I understand your viewpoint. When I was at Temora the display of the RAAF Wedgetail was also like watching paint dry, I think a Goodyear blimp would have beaten it around the display circuit. So I did not find your post irritating, I related to it. But I guess it all depends on the circumstances, maybe at other shows with other crews both aircraft are displayed with a lot more finesse and a bit more punch.
I just look forward to the spectacle of the huge bomber in the air, something I've never seen. If it's slow and dull, that's OK. If it's low and fast and loud, even better.
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Post by conman on Feb 14, 2019 17:36:30 GMT 12
The B52 displays I have seen in the UK have been very impressive the way it flies with a nose down attitude is quite unique , and who can ask for more than 8 burning ! Er, the Armstrong Whitworth Whitley bomber flew with a distinctive nose-down attitude quite some years before the B-52, so not unique (and no such thing as quite unique - something is either unique or its not). I'll get my coat . . . Errol I would suggest that “quite unique” is an entirely acceptable turn of phrase, maybe not in a literal sense but certainly in usage, unfortunately I am not old enough to have witnessed the Whitley flying, and I dont believe there are any currently in operational condition, wrong side of the bed ? |
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Post by saratoga on Feb 14, 2019 17:48:37 GMT 12
What sort of height is the flyby likely to be?. Most of their mission profiles were low level interdiction, so a below 1000ft through Wairarapa would be impressive.  |
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Post by colford on Feb 14, 2019 18:07:41 GMT 12
Maybe I am a bit luckier in having seen B-52s perform flypasts on a number of occasions here in Australia, including what was a rather sedate and very tightly constricted by safety restrictions flypast at the Bicentennial Airshow at RAAF Base Richmond way back in 1988 (oh God I'm feeling old!!).
Before that a B-52 had performed a flypast at RAAF Fairbairn in the mid to late 1970s as a part of the RAAF Air Force Week series of airshows that used to be conducted. In that instance it came in low, popped up over a ridge to the left of the crowd line and conducted a fast and low flypast along the crowd line, then a couple more passes 'clean' and 'dirty' before making a final departure back to whence it came, in that instance I believe it was operating out of RAAF Base Darwin and had conducted a part of its flight using the Low Jet Routes that had been promulgated in the Northern Territory and parts of Northern Queensland so it was in technical terms a training exercise.
Most recently in August 2016, two USAF B-52s from Guam made a flypast over Canberra for the 50th Anniversary of Long Tan Day. Those two made a number of passes over the ceremony and parts of Canberra, and as it happened their holding pattern - low level - before their flypasts was literally based around where I was working at the time. Having two B-52s doing tight circles at low level close to you is a sight to behold, and certainly more awe inspiring than the simple flypast done back in 1988 at Richmond. Some of my co-workers at that time couldn't quite believe their eyes, and ears.
I hope that the airshow organisors, can with the co-operation of the NZ Civil Aviation authorities, safety requirements and the operational requirements of the USAF B-52 command structure, arrange for the B-52 to give those at Wairarapa a good display. If they plan it well, he might be a bit lighter on fuel for his flypast and then hook up with a tanker over the Tasman for a top up into Avalon.
Would have loved to have made it to Wairarapa this year as it looks to be potentially a very good airshow, but unfortunately family commitments at present mean I can not get to far away from home. So looking forward to all you lucky so and so's who do get to attend posting plenty of updates and photos!
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Post by Deleted on Feb 14, 2019 19:19:09 GMT 12
So last night my wife was Facebook chatting with someone from my work - who she went to school with - and this morning the boss asked me over to her desk to find out what time I needed to leave for Masterton because she'd heard there was something special...after some roster jiggling I'll be going on Saturday and Sunday! My wife got me a B-52 for Valentine's Day! Do you have night court Zac? No, that's only in Manukau I think! I was let go by the court last April and in September I started a new job at a 24h/7d alarm monitoring station. Not the most social hours but it pays the rent! Consider too that the B-52 you saw at Richmond had not done what will amount to a double crossing of the Tasman Sea purely for our enjoyment. It did just that and then some: that example flew from Guam to Richmond and back, without landing, for the sole purpose of a couple of flybys at the airshow. Going by the Bi-Centennial Air Show at Richmond in 1988 I saw it 'perform' at Richmond in 1988 - about as exciting as watching paint dry! Mum recorded the TV version of the Australian Bicentennial Air Show when I was a little one, and it was one of my high-rotation videos growing up. The B-52 in that show was my introduction to the type, so it feels appropriate my first encounter with a B-52 will be in a similar display! For my part I'll be happy with a flyby or two - I see this as a once-in-a-lifetime thing. |
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Post by errolmartyn on Feb 14, 2019 23:04:50 GMT 12
Er, the Armstrong Whitworth Whitley bomber flew with a distinctive nose-down attitude quite some years before the B-52, so not unique (and no such thing as quite unique - something is either unique or its not). I'll get my coat . . . Errol I would suggest that “quite unique” is an entirely acceptable turn of phrase, maybe not in a literal sense but certainly in usage, unfortunately I am not old enough to have witnessed the Whitley flying, and I dont believe there are any currently in operational condition, wrong side of the bed ? That's OK conman, just as long as you don't then complain if media working on the 'in usage' principle display a photo of a Cessna to illustrate an event literally involving a Piper . . .! Errol |
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Post by steveh on Feb 14, 2019 23:27:02 GMT 12
I'm another fortunate enough to have seen the B-52 do its/a thing at Richmond in '88, it may not have been exciting but it was most impressive to my mind, large & somewhat menacing looking. I was amused at how many wrinkles it had but at their age I guess that is excusable,
Steve.
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Post by efliernz on Feb 15, 2019 6:15:34 GMT 12
Going by the Bi-Centennial Air Show at Richmond in 1988 you will get a run by at 800-1000feet (revised), probably to the south, turning around well south and then a northbound run and slow climb out to NW. Remember it will still have a lot of fuel on board so there wont be any thing spectacular. I saw it 'perform' at Richmond in 1988 - about as exciting as watching paint dry! Errol I was there too... my first major overseas airshow as a 20yo. I agree... it came, we saw... bring on the Skyhawks lol |
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Post by ErrolC on Feb 15, 2019 6:20:34 GMT 12
I saw it 'perform' at Richmond in 1988 - about as exciting as watching paint dry! Errol I was there too... my first major overseas airshow as a 20yo. I agree... it came, we saw... bring on the Skyhawks lol It would have been my first overseas trip. My brother went, but I had a university exam on the actual day, dammit! |
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Post by Mustang51 on Feb 15, 2019 7:31:12 GMT 12
Knowing if one had been to NZ beforehand would help me ! The aircraft is not a fighter and I am guessing that their Ops restrictions in the Good Ol' US of A are different to any "overseas" display parameters. I think the same that between 800 and 1000ft and they are not an MXs so their "circuit" return is very large. Can anyone tell us if any B.52 has 'appeared' in NZ before?
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Post by tbf25o4 on Feb 15, 2019 8:54:25 GMT 12
Despite the various comments on how the B52 has been displayed in the past, it is a "new" type to be seen at an airshow in New Zealand and for those who will see it, they will be overall impressed
by its size and noise. Like all large aircraft it may appear to be going slow, but in reality will be passing at a reasonable speed to maintain maneuverability. I only hope that the geography surrounding the Masterton airfield will allow it to carrying out a circling pattern and not just straight runs down the widest part of the valley. Congratulations are in order to the organisers and the USAF for arranging
the visit by a "BUFF"
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Post by delticman on Feb 15, 2019 8:56:15 GMT 12
Knowing if one had been to NZ beforehand would help me ! The aircraft is not a fighter and I am guessing that their Ops restrictions in the Good Ol' US of A are different to any "overseas" display parameters. I think the same that between 800 and 1000ft and they are not an MXs so their "circuit" return is very large. Can anyone tell us if any B.52 has 'appeared' in NZ before? No never. |
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