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Post by Dave Homewood on Sept 30, 2005 14:20:06 GMT 12
1. Why is ZK-DAK, the Warbirds flagship Dakota, not in the colours of the RNZAF C47 NZ3501 "Popeye" as originally intended?
2 Which Harvard was the first official New Zealand Warbird?
3. What was the first ex-military aircraft in NZ to be displayed on the airshow circuit?
4. Name the wingwalker who broke a world record atop of a Tiger Moth at the February 1990 Ardmore airshow.
5. The Confederate Air Force have/had two barnches in NZ. Where?
6. Where did the Roaring Forties Harvard display team make their international debut?
7. Who brought Mustang ZK-TAF to NZ to join the airshow and warbirds scene?
8. Name the prominent New Zealand warbird display pilot who was tragically kileld in a Pitts Special crash (and is very sadly missed)
9. At which airshows did Avenger 'Plonky' display in its USN George Bush colours in NZ? And who flew it?
10. What was the RNZAF's first airshow display team (a historical one!)
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Post by corsair67 on Sept 30, 2005 14:31:45 GMT 12
2. ZK-WAR (I don't know it serial number!)?
3. P-51D ZK-CCG?
6. Richmond, NSW 1988?
7. Sir Tim!
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Post by Bruce on Sept 30, 2005 16:27:02 GMT 12
1. High Vis invasion stripes are helpful in Ardmores busy circuit
4. rusty Butterworth
5. North Shore (Dairy Flat) Dunedin
9. Air Expo 93 Mangere, Ardmore? Ray Hanna
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Post by Dave Homewood on Sept 30, 2005 17:04:14 GMT 12
1 - Correct
2 - Correct - though I've just discovered it was not the first Warbird in the Association, that was Chipmunk ZK-RL, and ZK-WAR was the second official NZ Warbirds Assoc. aircraft
3 - Correct
4 - Correct
5 - North Shore Correct - but is the other Dunedin?
6. - Was it as early as 1988?
7. - Correct, Sir Tim Wallis
9. Yes, Air Expo Mangere, not Ardmore (as far as I know) And not Ray Hanna from what I remember
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Post by Dave Homewood on Oct 1, 2005 13:23:42 GMT 12
Any more takers?
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Post by Parrotfish on Oct 2, 2005 0:24:30 GMT 12
8. Tom Middleton
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Post by Dave Homewood on Oct 2, 2005 0:26:18 GMT 12
8. Correct - RIP Tom
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Post by Dave Homewood on Oct 2, 2005 21:55:19 GMT 12
OK here are the other answers
5. Yes Dairy Flat but my understanding was there was also a branch at Christchurch, which used to be based around the operation of a Harvard. Is this not correct or no longer the case?
6. My understanding was their debut was a free display over Sydney Harbour to promote an airshow they were to appear at. They used Australian based Harvards. I think this was 1990. I may be completely wrong of course.
9. Plonky displayed at the Mangere airshow as Bruce says, and then at Wigram Wings and Wheels the following week or so. The next day we began stripping Bush's scheme and painting Ladd's scheme, and by the next weekend (or maybe the one after that?) Plonky was displayed at the opening of the NZFPM at Wanaka. I was present for all three displays, and my memory has it that the pilot was Mark Hanna (he definately flew it from Auckland to Wigram as I have photos of his arrival). I may be wrong about the displays, who usually flew it in the UK? And who usually flew the Zero?
10. The RNZAF's first Aishow display team comprised of three Vickers Vildebeest in a team formed to promote the RNZAF at the opening of Rongotai aerodrome in 1938. They did formation flying, including loops!
Overall a poor effort on my part, I should have got all my facts straight before posting these questions. Sorry. If anyone can prove me wrong on these points, fire away - Im keen to learn the truth. Cheers.
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stephen
Leading Aircraftman
Posts: 0
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Post by stephen on Oct 3, 2005 1:07:10 GMT 12
Warbirds c47...not in the colours of the RNZAF transport squadron?...I would have thought the reason was to give it a more international recognition...was the circuit high visability really the reason...?I would love to see it a replica of RNZAF ww2 dak!
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Post by Dave Homewood on Oct 3, 2005 2:04:55 GMT 12
Yes, that is the reason they made the decision. When it was first annouced the Dak was coming to NZ, they said it would be in an RNZAF wartime scheme. An article was even written in NZ Wings by Popeye Lucas's daughter (or was it his wife, forget now) about the scheme and how thrilled the family was that the NZ Warbirds were planning to recreate Popeye's plane.
But in the next issue of Wings they announced the decision was reversed because the scheme would blend in too much with the hills and countryside aroung Ardmore, and as its the busiest airport in the country with hunderds of syudent flights a day, it was too dangerous to be invisible in the circuit. Sound thinking but a real shame. I wish at least a static C47 could be put into 40 or 41 Sqn wartime colours.
The scheme they settled on of course sticks out much more with its stripes and brighter roundels, plus the big WB in yellow. Apparently it's a genuine RAF scheme of a plane flown by an RNZAF pilot on D Day so still has NZ connections, and also represents the Warbirds with the big WB.
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Post by hairy on Oct 4, 2005 9:32:12 GMT 12
The CAF did have a South Island squadron, the "Penquin Squadron", with the local leader being non other than Ian Brodie but it dissolved in the early '90s with the Harvard being shipped to Auckland and subsiquently being sold to Australia  where it is now airworthy in Queensland (I think). In regards to the WB Dak, it really, really needs repainting it really is starting to look shabby, see below...  |
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Post by Dave Homewood on Oct 4, 2005 14:18:41 GMT 12
Wow, I hadn't seen the Dakota for a while. It really has lost its gloss.
Who actually owns the Dakota? Is it a syndicate or a company or what? Repainting it won't be cheap.
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Post by Bruce on Oct 4, 2005 14:47:38 GMT 12
That is a typical issue with dark paint finishes kept outside. the top layer of paint oxidises under UV light. ZK-DAK is maintained by Aeromotive at Hamilton, and while I was there we were constantly doing paint touch ups. The aircraft has already been repainted several times - in the same scheme. The simplest fix is actually a cut and polish, which is quite effective but VERY labour intensive.
The aircraft is owned by a syndicate of mainly ex airline pilots, but for CAA purposes it is operated by a company which holds the Air Operators Certificate.
Some thought was given to a "Blue stripe" scheme but that would have much less public appeal. - Pity, it would be more practical.
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Post by Dave Homewood on Oct 4, 2005 16:35:27 GMT 12
By Blue Stripe do you mean the postwar VIP scheme?
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Post by Bruce on Oct 4, 2005 18:41:57 GMT 12
Yeah, the "blue circle airlines" scheme :-) like the RNZAF Museum example. Very tidy and smart, but people tend to be drawn to camouflage "warbird" schemes.
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Post by Dave Homewood on Oct 4, 2005 21:49:55 GMT 12
It would be nice if maybe the Dakota guys could be persuaded to paint the Dak in an RNZAF Pacific scheme ithe the blue/white/blue/(yellow) roundels and perhaps Popeye nose art temporarily for an airshow like Wanaka or Omakawhere the traffic would be more controlled than the Ardmore circuit and it would show up better against the dry summer tundra. I just think it'd be nice to see No.s 40 and 41 Sqn's wartime efforts celebrated if only for a weekend.
I do love the scheme they use now though. And thanks to the Eta Ripples commercials it's an icon so it shouldn't change permanently in my opinion.
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where it is now airworthy in Queensland (I think).
