Post by Dave Homewood on Jul 6, 2019 12:18:01 GMT 12
Moon landing: Auckland pilot had 'just about forgotten' delivering tape to NZ
Matthew Rosenberg
11:12, Jul 06 2019
July 20, 1969, is forever etched in history as the day Neil Armstrong became the first person to set foot on the moon.
But Auckland pilot Gavin Trethewey remembers it for something else.
On that day, almost 50 years ago, the then-29-year-old completed a return trip to Sydney in record time to collect a video tape of the lunar landings for New Zealand television audiences.
Gavin Trethewey in the cockpit of a B12 Canberra.
Trethewey was working at the Ohakea Air Force base at the time and was tasked with the mission because of his flying expertise.
Leaving on the morning of July 20, Trethewey landed in Sydney and watched Apollo 11 touch down, courtesy of the Parkes Telescope, which treated Australian viewers to a live broadcast.
But those were the days before digital transmission, so Kiwis had to wait their turn. Fortunately for them, Trethewey was a skilled pilot and it didn't take long for him to deliver the goods for millions of eager viewers back home.
Astronaut Buzz Aldrin walking on the surface of the moon during the Apollo 11 mission.
The Farm Cove man set an unofficial trans-Tasman flight record of just two hours and 25 minutes on the return journey, but modestly claims he "didn't really achieve anything".
"The guys landing on the moon, they're the ones who did the big achievement. I just carried the stuff across the Tasman so New Zealanders could see it on TV as soon as possible.
"As soon as the film tape arrived, we threw it in the plane and
Matthew Rosenberg
11:12, Jul 06 2019
July 20, 1969, is forever etched in history as the day Neil Armstrong became the first person to set foot on the moon.
But Auckland pilot Gavin Trethewey remembers it for something else.
On that day, almost 50 years ago, the then-29-year-old completed a return trip to Sydney in record time to collect a video tape of the lunar landings for New Zealand television audiences.
Gavin Trethewey in the cockpit of a B12 Canberra.
Trethewey was working at the Ohakea Air Force base at the time and was tasked with the mission because of his flying expertise.
Leaving on the morning of July 20, Trethewey landed in Sydney and watched Apollo 11 touch down, courtesy of the Parkes Telescope, which treated Australian viewers to a live broadcast.
But those were the days before digital transmission, so Kiwis had to wait their turn. Fortunately for them, Trethewey was a skilled pilot and it didn't take long for him to deliver the goods for millions of eager viewers back home.
Astronaut Buzz Aldrin walking on the surface of the moon during the Apollo 11 mission.
The Farm Cove man set an unofficial trans-Tasman flight record of just two hours and 25 minutes on the return journey, but modestly claims he "didn't really achieve anything".
"The guys landing on the moon, they're the ones who did the big achievement. I just carried the stuff across the Tasman so New Zealanders could see it on TV as soon as possible.
"As soon as the film tape arrived, we threw it in the plane and
."
Gavin Trethewey says the part he played in delivering the moon landing tape to New Zealand was just another day in the office.
When Trethewey landed in Wellington, he was met by a car from the New Zealand Broadcasting Corporation. He gave them the tape and they disappeared off into the distance with the police escort.
Half an hour later, the footage was aired on the news at 7.30pm.
Following his successful mission, Trethewey went on to work as a commercial pilot for 34 years and still flies warbird planes for the New Zealand Warbirds Association.
He already had 13 years of flying experience behind him when he completed the flight, and said planes had always been a big part of his life.
Gavin Trethewey flew a B12 Canberra jet to collect the tapes.
But the flight to Australia and back in 1969 was just another day at the office, he said.
"I'd just about forgotten all about it. But when this 50 year thing came up, it brought up a memory."
Stuff
www.stuff.co.nz/national/113989110/moon-landing-auckland-pilot-had-just-about-forgotten-delivering-tape-to-nz
Gavin Trethewey says the part he played in delivering the moon landing tape to New Zealand was just another day in the office.
When Trethewey landed in Wellington, he was met by a car from the New Zealand Broadcasting Corporation. He gave them the tape and they disappeared off into the distance with the police escort.
Half an hour later, the footage was aired on the news at 7.30pm.
Following his successful mission, Trethewey went on to work as a commercial pilot for 34 years and still flies warbird planes for the New Zealand Warbirds Association.
He already had 13 years of flying experience behind him when he completed the flight, and said planes had always been a big part of his life.
Gavin Trethewey flew a B12 Canberra jet to collect the tapes.
But the flight to Australia and back in 1969 was just another day at the office, he said.
"I'd just about forgotten all about it. But when this 50 year thing came up, it brought up a memory."
Stuff
www.stuff.co.nz/national/113989110/moon-landing-auckland-pilot-had-just-about-forgotten-delivering-tape-to-nz
