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Post by Calum on Jan 17, 2007 23:04:17 GMT 12
During my annual trip home, I went over to Classic Flyers at tauranga airfport. Well it was closed so I shot up to the main terminal. Got these 2. Apparently the Bizjet belonged to some South American Millionaire, in town for something... I'll post some shots of Classic wings when it was open    |
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Post by Marcus on Jan 18, 2007 11:09:27 GMT 12
Hi Calum and the thre rest of the group... I went around to Classic Flyers on 07-01-2007... Also noticed the Gulfstream IV.   All the best Marcus |
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Post by Bruce on Jan 18, 2007 11:59:04 GMT 12
I was there the day before! - must have been the "in" place for forumites to visit over the holidays... |
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Post by Calum on Jan 18, 2007 20:05:08 GMT 12
I was there on the 6th as well. From about 10-12.
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Post by Calum on Jan 18, 2007 20:26:11 GMT 12
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Post by Calum on Jan 18, 2007 20:56:42 GMT 12
For those who haven't been there it's worth a visit. The coffee is nice as well. IIt's a great musemn for the kids as they can get in a couple of aircraft (the twin Hunter for one ) and play with them. Here's a shot of the outside.  Italian Gun captured by the AIF in WW2  This display was pretty interesting. It deals with the Rhodesian War. There was a very interesting DVD that had some pretty graphic footage. As I had my little fella with me I could watch it :-(  Chipmunk  |
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Post by Dave Homewood on Jan 18, 2007 21:55:21 GMT 12
What's the story with that Sabre? Is it one of the cache of static ones restored by AvSpecs? Who owns it - the museum itself?
I never realised the Hunter is a two seater. It's always going too fast to see clearly. I'm amazed to hear they let kids play in it. I assume it doesn't have bangseats fitted.
Nice photos everyone. The little chance I got to look at the museum it looks quite neat and innovative, maximume use of small space.
When was the Rhodesian war? 1960's? And what's the story with that WWI German gun, is it real?
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Glen T
Flight Lieutenant
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Post by Glen T on Jan 18, 2007 22:29:36 GMT 12
Hi Dave,
the Sabre is one from the Avspecs hangar - a non flyer.
David Phillips Hunters ... thats a single seater that is the flyer (ZK-JIL) and the two seater that is a static at the museum. David has loaned the Two seater for display .... it was once a gate guard in Singapore, and will be just too expensive to get airworthy unfortunately!! one of its ejection seats is hanging on the wall in the coffee shop and people can sit in the aircraft on one side only... kids cannot (not allowed) to climb or jump all over it!
I took the ejection seat out of JIL in December and am in the middle of doing its annual servicing. Unsure when I'll be back to refit it, but I have photos of David in the a/c from last Jan and from the seat removal if you are interested... perhaps you could start a 'thread' about 'JIL' and I'll post these photos..... by the way, she is the only civvy aircraft in NZ equipped with a live ejection seat... Jim Hickey commented at Wanaka as she flew over that there was no a/c in NZ with live seats ... he needs to get his facts straight about these things before spouting to the public ..ie. check and read my website perhaps ..!!
The guys at the Tauranga museum have done a wonderful job of getting alot of kit together.
cheers
Glen
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Post by Bruce on Jan 18, 2007 22:30:33 GMT 12
There are TWO hunters in the museum, the airworthy single seater and the T7 two seater. the single seater is roped off but nicely displayed. The T7 is display only, and the cockpit has had a little LCD TV installed atop the instrument panel. There is a nice DVD of Hunter aerobatics with cockpit shots so you can sit and dream. It isnt just for kids.... (I'll post a photo later) the aircraft has the 1950s vintage feel and a lovely aged patina. Totally non-ergonomic with controls and gauges scattered all over the show - very similar to the sea fury, and very British. I understand the Sabre is one of the Avspecs batch, cosmetically restored only. A recent arrival is the Fuselage of a US Army Iroquois, which shows plenty of wear and looks like it has had some hard service somewhere. The Heron is now largely together and the cosmetic tidy up is coming along nicely. My parents and I had gone across to Papamoa for a friends wedding, and afterwards (About 1pm - missed you Calum!) I took them to lunch at the Cafe - they reckoned the museum and cafe were both excellent.
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Post by Calum on Jan 18, 2007 22:45:54 GMT 12
David Phillips Hunters ... thats a single seater that is the flyer (ZK-JIL) and the two seater that is a static at the museum. David has loaned the Two seater for display .... it was once a gate guard in Singapore, and will be just too expensive to get airworthy unfortunately!! one of its ejection seats is hanging on the wall in the coffee shop and people can sit in the aircraft on one side only... kids cannot (not allowed) to climb or jump all over it Glen Guess things have changed since last time you worked on it. Kids can and do climb all though it. My boy and I were both "flying it" at teh same time, Throttles and sticks going like mad ;D    |
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Glen T
Flight Lieutenant
Posts: 85
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Post by Glen T on Jan 18, 2007 23:08:32 GMT 12
Great photos Calum, shame you are not around when I'm removing/refitting the seat and canopy. I'd like a good record of whats being done. Its difficult to organise 'non photogs' to get the right kind of photos AND work on the seat as well!! Great to see the kids enjoying the cockpit. Perhaps I was more meaning over the wings and fuselage.. anyways, it sure is great that the public can get to see it, after it sitting in the back of the hangar at Ardmore since 1995! I was going to make up a stand for the seat that is hanging on the wall, so that the kids could sit in it - like I used to do with the Armament displays around the country when we could actually use seats as a crowd drawing display medium. Sadly we are not allowed to include items in our displays now from the ACF!.... Although the Wigram museum are using the F4 Phanthom seat with manican at Airshows - that my mate Max in England built and sent to me ...but alas it went to Wigram first and it never got to OH!!!!
GT
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Post by phil82 on Jan 19, 2007 6:38:35 GMT 12
Would you like to know what a real flight in the right-hand seat of a Hunter is like? Been there, done that! 20 minutes or so of sheer magic!
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Post by phil82 on Jan 19, 2007 6:57:06 GMT 12
In the 1960s, the then Southern Rhodesia was run from Britain, but made a unilateral declaration of indepence to try and avoid black rule of the country required by Britain. In 1964, I think, the then British PM Harold Wilson imposed sanctions on Rhodesia, and a sea and air embargo was imposed. The RAF also had a squadron of Javelins nearby to 'take out' the then Royal Rhodesian Air Force, which had Hunters! The Javelin would have been dead meat but that's another story!
Fast forward to 1974 and I was in ANZUK and living briefly at Changi, which had become a flying training airfield for the newly created Singapore Air Force. A beer in the Mess was a fascinating experience, because most of the flying instructors were ex-RAAF, RAF, and a couple of Kiwis, all serving in the Singapore Air Force. I recall the subject of Rhodesia coming up, and one ex-RAF guy had been on the Javelin detachment. Most, if not all of the pilots in the Royal Rhodesian Air Force were ex-RAF, and many of them known to the Javelin crews. Word had it that both the Brits and the Rhodesians had met in a pub somewhere and reached a mutual agreement that if it push came to shove it would be cameras only and no kills would be possible!
It makes you think when you see what a complete pig's arse Mugabe has made of the country.
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Post by Dave Homewood on Jan 19, 2007 15:49:38 GMT 12
Thanks everyone for the info. I didn't realise both Hunters were at tauranga now, and I was certain the one I'd seen was single seat. Cool, that's sorted then.
Thanks Colin for the info on the Rhodesian war. I knew something had happened there but didn't know what. I believe display pilot Nigel Lamb flew in the Royal Rhodesian Air Force, didn't he? Mind you I don't think he's that old, perhaps it was the postwar Zimbabwe Air Force?
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Post by Calum on Jan 19, 2007 21:51:36 GMT 12
The Herron (?) is looking a bit better this year Here it was in Jan 2006  Now in Jan 2007    |
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Post by xr6turbo1 on Feb 16, 2007 20:28:27 GMT 12
Those Sabre shots are great, must put it on the list when I am that far North next  |
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