Classic Flyers Visit Jan 2019

[Calum]

I usually go to here when I'm home each Christmas.


What was interesting was the 5 RAF Wessex helicopters they have acquired, not a type I knew had made it to NZ until I saw them on the classic flyers thread late last year


There are more images in the photo stream if you click on any of the images below



IMG_1147_edit by Calum Gibson, on Flickr


IMG_1090_edit by Calum Gibson, on Flickr


IMG_1093_edit by Calum Gibson, on Flickr


IMG_1082_edit by Calum Gibson, on Flickr


IMG_1085_edit by Calum Gibson, on Flickr


IMG_1119_edit by Calum Gibson, on Flickr


IMG_1071_edit by Calum Gibson, on Flickr


IMG_1110_edit by Calum Gibson, on Flickr



IMG_1114_edit by Calum Gibson, on Flickr

Interesting how light the colours are on this vampire wing

IMG_1105_edit by Calum Gibson, on Flickr



IMG_1086_edit by Calum Gibson, on Flickr

The other thing of interest was a 300 Gal Skyhawk drop tank, attached to the wall. I'd not noticed this before

What is interesting is it is painted in what appears to be the RAN 2 tone scheme. I assume this is one of the ones that ended up in the RNZAF, Why it wasn't painted in the RNZAF schemes over the time I don't know, but the bottom of the tank has been removed so perhaps it was U/S BER before everything got repainted.

For those modelling A-4's in this scheme when flown by the RAN/RNZAF the lighter grey (light admiralty grey BS 381 697) has always been a topic of debate. Most of the images from the time show a definite blue colour, so I've always suggested a light blue, even some the Luftwaffe RLM light blues. .

But viewing what I am quite sure is an Ex RNZAF/RAN 300 gal tank today, whilst the light grey does have a definite blue tinge to it, it is not as bright as (nearly) every image I've seen of a RAN / RNZAF Skyhawk in that scheme. Sure the tank was probably painted 40 years ago but it looks in quite good condition (minus the bottom of course)

I've done nothing to image below bar resizing and converting to jpeg . I left the stuff below and bright orange helmet to give an idea of the other colours around the tank


IMG_1101_edit by Calum Gibson, on Flickr

 

[Dave Homewood]

Apparently the Wessex fleet all left Tauranga on trucks today.

www.facebook.com/groups/871698682953371/permalink/1959332890856606/

[saratoga]

I recall a few 'spare' drop tanks sitting outside the old AMS hangar at Ohakea for a few years before disbandment up until the final disposal/dispersal of airframes to museums, so likely to be very faded relative to the original scheme. Apparently there were about 5 containers of A-4 items exRAN that were never fully unloaded.
The few pics i took of the exRAN A-4Gs in 1984 TRIAD all have a distinct bluish tinge, partly the slide film but also recall at the time how blue the scheme was.

[Naki.]

I saw 3 Wessex’s heading north today on trucks. Not 5.

[Calum]

I'm glad I went when I did then.

There was one by the restoration hangar, the other 4 were across the taxiway (next to the hangar) and not accessible, the photos of those I got by holding the camera over the fence and by using a zoom from the museum side.

Hopefully they'll keep 1, they are cool machines.

[skyhawkdon]

Jan 7, 2019 19:56:03 GMT 12 saratoga said:

I recall a few 'spare' drop tanks sitting outside the old AMS hangar at Ohakea for a few years before disbandment up until the final disposal/dispersal of airframes to museums, so likely to be very faded relative to the original scheme. Apparently there were about 5 containers of A-4 items exRAN that were never fully unloaded.
The few pics i took of the exRAN A-4Gs in 1984 TRIAD all have a distinct bluish tinge, partly the slide film but also recall at the time how blue the scheme was.

The RAN were still finding Skyhawk spares in their stores system right up until the ACF was disbanded. Every now and then they would turn up at 2 Sqn with a new box of bits! There were several containers of "A-4G only" spares that sat at Ohakea outside Main Store for years, until one day, around 1995, we were told they were going to the dump and we had just hours to grab anything we wanted. The Avionics spares in the containers were all supposed to be pre Kahu but once we looked we could see there was heaps of stuff that was still very much in use! I retreived a heap of stuff for the Ohakea Museum and a few bits for the Insty Bay where I worked at the time. As fast as we were grabbing stuff the Suppliers were smashing everything up with a sledgehammer! It was criminal, but orders were orders and no amount of protesting by me could stop it.

[delticman]

Jan 8, 2019 13:31:22 GMT 12 Calum said:

I'm glad I went when I did then.

There was one by the restoration hangar, the other 4 were across the taxiway (next to the hangar) and not accessible, the photos of those I got by holding the camera over the fence and by using a zoom from the museum side.

Hopefully they'll keep 1, they are cool machines.

Um, so there is my trip to Tauranga cancelled next month.

[Peter Lewis]

Good thing I visited and photo'd them back in October.

The quick and the dead!

[saratoga]

Jan 8, 2019 14:33:42 GMT 12 skyhawkdon said:

Jan 7, 2019 19:56:03 GMT 12 saratoga said:

I recall a few 'spare' drop tanks sitting outside the old AMS hangar at Ohakea for a few years before disbandment up until the final disposal/dispersal of airframes to museums, so likely to be very faded relative to the original scheme. Apparently there were about 5 containers of A-4 items exRAN that were never fully unloaded.
The few pics i took of the exRAN A-4Gs in 1984 TRIAD all have a distinct bluish tinge, partly the slide film but also recall at the time how blue the scheme was.

The RAN were still finding Skyhawk spares in their stores system right up until the ACF was disbanded. Every now and then they would turn up at 2 Sqn with a new box of bits! There were several containers of "A-4G only" spares that sat at Ohakea outside Main Store for years, until one day, around 1995, we were told they were going to the dump and we had just hours to grab anything we wanted. The Avionics spares in the containers were all supposed to be pre Kahu but once we looked we could see there was heaps of stuff that was still very much in use! I retreived a heap of stuff for the Ohakea Museum and a few bits for the Insty Bay where I worked at the time. As fast as we were grabbing stuff the Suppliers were smashing everything up with a sledgehammer! It was criminal, but orders were orders and no amount of protesting by me could stop it.

I guess one of those containers must have been the original source of my A-4G 'honeycomb' nose cone.

[skyhawkdon]

There was a brand new complete nose section in one of the crates! I think that went to Nowra for their museum A-4B and is now installed on it making it look a lot more like an A-4G.

[Calum]

All the Wessex appear to be gone. We left from Tga airport this morning and I didn't see any of them, including the one that was outside the restoration Hangar

[l29]

Any info on where and why?

[planewriting]

Classic Flyers Management has made the following comment,"Unfortunately the original owner and the transport company who stored them are still in the throes of disputing some issues relating to these choppers. So what we at Classic Flyers took on as a relatively simple set of tasks now appears to have become somewhat more complicated. With that in mind we have relinquished any interest in them."

[l29]

Thanks for confirming what I had heard in the old gossip channels

[saratoga]

Sounds like the classic(!) game of 'Wheres Wessex' ...Waihi?, Taranaki?, wayward bound..?

[planecrazy]

Great pictures there it is quite some collection.