Post by Dave Homewood on May 2, 2022 21:03:33 GMT 12
COMMENT FROM THE CAPITAL
N.Z.’s "V.I.P." FLIGHT LEAVES THE R.N.Z.A.F.
(By CEDRIC MENTIPLAY)
WELLINGTON, December 13.—The establishment of a special-duties flight of luxury aircraft for the carriage of Royal and Very Important Personages throughout New Zealand is apparently a major objective of the New Zealand Government. It is apparent also that this flight is being established completely independently of the Royal New Zealand Air Force, and as part of the Civil Aviation Division of the Ministry of Transport.
In Britain and other British Commonwealth countries the relevant air force has traditionally had the responsibility of operating the Royal or “V.I.P.” Flight. The Royal Air Force is responsible for the Queen’s Flight, and the Royal Australian Air Force flies and maintains Australia’s considerable fleet of special passenger aircraft. In New Zealand, this function was performed for many years by No. 42 Squadron, R.N.Z.A.F. In 1953, a Douglas C 47 (N.Z.3551) was taken out of service, refurbished, and employed as the Royal Aircraft for Queen Elizabeth II and Prince Philip. It is still in service—but there has been no attempt to modernise a Royal Flight in this area.
A very special effort, however, has gone into making the Calibration Flight of the Civil Aviation Division “something extra.” The calibration task is acknowledged to be an important one—but for years it was done by two work-horse Douglas Dakotas, which went as far afield as the Cook Islands and other territories to test and tune navigational aids. In those days, Civil Aviation was an Administration. Today it is part of the Ministry of Transport, a burgeoning empire which also contains divisions of Road Transport, Airport Management, Air Accident Investigation, Economics, and the Meteorological Service.
Recently, the Ministry of Transport has acquired two specially-adapted Fokker Friendship F-27 airliners, named as for the Calibration Flight. Though indistinguishable to the casual eye from the airliners of National Airways Corporation, they carry much extra equipment and tankage. But they do have a significant amount of luxury seating accommodation, suitable for the most important of passengers. These aircraft were recently tried out by the Prime Minister (Sir Keith Holyoake) and a number of his Ministers, on the occasion of the opening of the Comalco smelter project at Bluff. Many “V.l.P.’s” were carried between Wellington and the South, but the services of the R.N.Z.A.F. were not required.
Reinforcements?
The arrival of two fast, modem airliners might be regarded as sufficient for the calibration function — even though the task may have grown since the days of the Civil Aviation Administration Dakotas. But a decision was taken by Cabinet recently to purchase a third Friendship, at a cost understood to be in the vicinity of $600,000. The aircraft considered is a second-hand one (as were some of those bought by N.AC.), but of course will be fully refurbished and fitted With the special equipment so necessary for its new job. The Ministry of Transport will thus soon have the most effective “V.I.P." Flight in New Zealand’s history.
The three F-27 Friendships will not have the accommodation of the normal N.A.C. Friendship (that is 36-40 seats), but this has never been a problem with “V.I.P.” aircraft. In the redesigned Dakota, for instance, the seating was reduced to eight in two cabins.
The Ministry of Transport acquired not long ago a twin-engined Piper Navajo executive-type light plane, which has been doing quite a bit of flying at Departmental and other levels. This would be a useful adjunct to the “V.I.P.” Flight during a Royal Tour.
Services economy
The interesting thing to those interested in Cabinet and Governmental matters is how this dual-purpose flight of expensive aircraft has been allowed to grow at the very time the Royal New Zealand Air Force has had its wings clipped by enforced economies.
The 1971 report of the Ministry of Defence stated that actual flying was held to 90 per cent of the planned level “because of various restrictions.” At the same time transport aircraft of the R.N.Z.A.F. went right on flying long distances into South-East Asia, to Britain and to a surprising number of other places. R.N.Z.A.F. teams in all areas are of proved competence—indeed in some countries are regarded with something like awe by senior officers of allied forces. This is because of the competence of New Zealand crews in keeping obsolescent aircraft (like the 25-year-old Bristol Freighters) flying long distances in primitive conditions, navigating by star-sight (because the ancient radio equipment will not pick up modern signals), and maintaining elderly engines far past their predicted life.
The R.N.Z.A.F. maintains the Central Flying School at Wigram, produces the men with the know-how to fly and maintain our long-range as well as our fighting aircraft, and also has the service efficiency to produce a proper background to a Royal Tour. No. 42 Squadron has had much experience in its 28 years of existence, and has flown many different types of aircraft. If it was intended that the R.N.Z.A.F. should resume its role of “Custodian of the Royal Flight,” there would have been no difficulty in reconverting the crews. Instead of this, it seems that the intention is to pass this function to a non-professional, non-service group, and to employ the R.N.Z.A.F. in a role it has had before, among other things—the role of baggagemaster.
PRESS, 14 DECEMBER 1971
N.Z.’s "V.I.P." FLIGHT LEAVES THE R.N.Z.A.F.
(By CEDRIC MENTIPLAY)
WELLINGTON, December 13.—The establishment of a special-duties flight of luxury aircraft for the carriage of Royal and Very Important Personages throughout New Zealand is apparently a major objective of the New Zealand Government. It is apparent also that this flight is being established completely independently of the Royal New Zealand Air Force, and as part of the Civil Aviation Division of the Ministry of Transport.
In Britain and other British Commonwealth countries the relevant air force has traditionally had the responsibility of operating the Royal or “V.I.P.” Flight. The Royal Air Force is responsible for the Queen’s Flight, and the Royal Australian Air Force flies and maintains Australia’s considerable fleet of special passenger aircraft. In New Zealand, this function was performed for many years by No. 42 Squadron, R.N.Z.A.F. In 1953, a Douglas C 47 (N.Z.3551) was taken out of service, refurbished, and employed as the Royal Aircraft for Queen Elizabeth II and Prince Philip. It is still in service—but there has been no attempt to modernise a Royal Flight in this area.
A very special effort, however, has gone into making the Calibration Flight of the Civil Aviation Division “something extra.” The calibration task is acknowledged to be an important one—but for years it was done by two work-horse Douglas Dakotas, which went as far afield as the Cook Islands and other territories to test and tune navigational aids. In those days, Civil Aviation was an Administration. Today it is part of the Ministry of Transport, a burgeoning empire which also contains divisions of Road Transport, Airport Management, Air Accident Investigation, Economics, and the Meteorological Service.
Recently, the Ministry of Transport has acquired two specially-adapted Fokker Friendship F-27 airliners, named as for the Calibration Flight. Though indistinguishable to the casual eye from the airliners of National Airways Corporation, they carry much extra equipment and tankage. But they do have a significant amount of luxury seating accommodation, suitable for the most important of passengers. These aircraft were recently tried out by the Prime Minister (Sir Keith Holyoake) and a number of his Ministers, on the occasion of the opening of the Comalco smelter project at Bluff. Many “V.l.P.’s” were carried between Wellington and the South, but the services of the R.N.Z.A.F. were not required.
Reinforcements?
The arrival of two fast, modem airliners might be regarded as sufficient for the calibration function — even though the task may have grown since the days of the Civil Aviation Administration Dakotas. But a decision was taken by Cabinet recently to purchase a third Friendship, at a cost understood to be in the vicinity of $600,000. The aircraft considered is a second-hand one (as were some of those bought by N.AC.), but of course will be fully refurbished and fitted With the special equipment so necessary for its new job. The Ministry of Transport will thus soon have the most effective “V.I.P." Flight in New Zealand’s history.
The three F-27 Friendships will not have the accommodation of the normal N.A.C. Friendship (that is 36-40 seats), but this has never been a problem with “V.I.P.” aircraft. In the redesigned Dakota, for instance, the seating was reduced to eight in two cabins.
The Ministry of Transport acquired not long ago a twin-engined Piper Navajo executive-type light plane, which has been doing quite a bit of flying at Departmental and other levels. This would be a useful adjunct to the “V.I.P.” Flight during a Royal Tour.
Services economy
The interesting thing to those interested in Cabinet and Governmental matters is how this dual-purpose flight of expensive aircraft has been allowed to grow at the very time the Royal New Zealand Air Force has had its wings clipped by enforced economies.
The 1971 report of the Ministry of Defence stated that actual flying was held to 90 per cent of the planned level “because of various restrictions.” At the same time transport aircraft of the R.N.Z.A.F. went right on flying long distances into South-East Asia, to Britain and to a surprising number of other places. R.N.Z.A.F. teams in all areas are of proved competence—indeed in some countries are regarded with something like awe by senior officers of allied forces. This is because of the competence of New Zealand crews in keeping obsolescent aircraft (like the 25-year-old Bristol Freighters) flying long distances in primitive conditions, navigating by star-sight (because the ancient radio equipment will not pick up modern signals), and maintaining elderly engines far past their predicted life.
The R.N.Z.A.F. maintains the Central Flying School at Wigram, produces the men with the know-how to fly and maintain our long-range as well as our fighting aircraft, and also has the service efficiency to produce a proper background to a Royal Tour. No. 42 Squadron has had much experience in its 28 years of existence, and has flown many different types of aircraft. If it was intended that the R.N.Z.A.F. should resume its role of “Custodian of the Royal Flight,” there would have been no difficulty in reconverting the crews. Instead of this, it seems that the intention is to pass this function to a non-professional, non-service group, and to employ the R.N.Z.A.F. in a role it has had before, among other things—the role of baggagemaster.
PRESS, 14 DECEMBER 1971
