RNZAF Aerobatics Teams

[Dave Homewood]

Yes, this is odd. I got the same message from Chris Newey as he looked up Buck's logbook too. Either the newspaper put the wrong name in, or Buck did not log the two display flights.

It would be interesting to see what was written in Lester and Cohen's logbooks. I have a copy of Ron Cohen's later logbook that starts in July 1938, so that does not help me.

[Dave Homewood]

Thanks to the ever helpful Matthew O'Sullivan at The Air Force Museum of New Zealand, I now have a copy of Ronald Cohen's logbook which covers that 1937 period.

On 5 March 1937 he flew Vildebeest NZ101 to Wanganui for the North Island Air Pageant, with LAC Johnston and LAC Granger onboard. The was a 2.5 hour flight.

On 6 March 1937 he flew Vildebeest NZ101 at the pageant, with LAC Johnston and LAC Granger onboard, for a 1 hour 10 mins flight, noted as being "Formation".

On 7 March 1937 he flew Vildebeest NZ101 with LAC Johnston and LAC Granger onboard, for "Return", a 2 hour, 20 minute flight.

So I am guessing when the newspaper stats that the Vildebeests flew two displays, yet Cohen seems to have only flown one long flight, they probably did not land. They probably took off, flew a display, then tootled off elsewhere for 50 mins, then returned to do the second display and land.

But, would they have flown formation aerobatics with two crew onboard in the back? I am sure that is possible, a No. 1 GR Squadron Vincent was lopped during the war at Waipapakauri with the squadron's mascot dog onboard with the crew! And the crew in the back of the Vildebeest and Vincent used Monkey Straps to stay in the aircraft during manoeuvring. So maybe these guys were strapped in and went along for the ride during formation aeros?

[Dave Homewood]

Also between the 19th and 23rd of February 1937, Cohen flew six different Formation practice flights at Hobsonville, so I am guessing this will have been them working up their display routine. Most were 25 mins long.

[tbf2504]

Dave, I reckon that what we are reading in these articles is the very old terminology. In the early days of aviation such displays as formations etc were generally described as "aeronautics" or "aerobatics" but was not in the format that we currently accept; i.e. aeronautical manoeuvres that include the aircraft performing in out of normal straight and level flight.

[davidd]

Dave, some more Wigram diary notes which may be new to you, which mention flying displays by the station Harvards.

21/2/48, Otago Centennial Air Pageant at Taieri, 3 Harvards (including "099") left Wigram to give formation aerobatics display, (pilots) F/L R K (Robert Keith) Walker, F/L S M (Max) Hope, F/L J L Scott. Other RNZAF aircraft attending included 5 silver Mosquitos, of 75 Squadron, one Dakota, the Meteor, and an (RAAF?) Lincoln.

24/10/48, three Harvards to Timaru for South Canterbury Aero Club display.

20/3/49, three Harvards to Auckland for RNZAC Pageant at Mangere, 15 minute formation display. Pilots were F/Ls J P O'Donnell, J L Scott (DFC), and S M Hope.

4/6/49, 3 Harvards and one Oxford (pilots F/Ls J P O'Donnell, J L Scott, S M Hope, and S/L R Y Powell, RAF, presume last is an exchange pilot, and flying Oxford), to Invercargill for Southland Aero Club Pageant.

2/2/52, 3 Harvards and one Mustang to New Plymouth Aero Club Pageant, pilots F/L C J Berryman (Mustang), F/L N Lawson, RAF (exchange pilot?), F/L T R Rabone, and F/O H G Bennett (changing of the guard?)

8/3/52, Air Force Day, Wigram, open to public. Flying displays included P-51 (F/L C J Berryman) and 3 Harvards in formation aerobatics, also 9 Harvards in "W" formation (and Vampires).

[Dave Homewood]

Nov 14, 2024 8:49:34 GMT 12 tbf2504 said:

Dave, I reckon that what we are reading in these articles is the very old terminology. In the early days of aviation such displays as formations etc were generally described as "aeronautics" or "aerobatics" but was not in the format that we currently accept; i.e. aeronautical manoeuvres that include the aircraft performing in out of normal straight and level flight.

Yes, quite possibly. But the first instance where I discovered that there was a Vildebeest three-ship team that did aerobatics was in a book written in the 1980s. And the Vildebeest was definitely capable of aerobatics, including loops. Given that the most prominent thing in the world for Air Forces in the late 1930s were the Hendon Airshows that got huge coverage in our media, and given that many of the senior Vildebeest pilots had done time with the RAF, I could certainly see them wanting to emulate the RAF teams by showing off their new bombers in this way.

Perhaps they were only flying around in formation and doing breaks, maybe they were doing barrel rolls and loops too, we shall never know until better evidence is found - and that is exactly what I have been looking for. I am not sure one way or another yet.