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Post by Bruce on Feb 13, 2016 9:43:25 GMT 12
Best we can tell its BTC. Don't know who owns it, but its at the Golf Rd Airstrip in Kihikihi.
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Post by Bruce on Feb 7, 2016 21:41:10 GMT 12
also great cameos by other superb actors: Bruno Lawrence, John Bach, Don Selwyn and Marshall Napier.
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Post by Bruce on Feb 7, 2016 21:38:34 GMT 12
What I like about the movie is that it is a proper road trip, a snapshot of genuine NZ back in the early 1980s. You get to see places like Kaitaia, Meremere power station, The old Britomart bus station, The burger bar at Ngaruawhia, The petrol station at National Park, Horopito Motors (hasnt changed much!) Wellington and Christchurch railway yards (very different), the Haast road before it was sealed, Cromwell before Lake Dunstan etc... and you even had milkshakes with Egg in them! (at McNabb...)
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Post by Bruce on Feb 4, 2016 11:59:46 GMT 12
Yeah, I worked on it as a trainee back in the early 1990s. I cant tell you anything about the magneto points mod though, I didn't have much to do with the powerplant, other than cleaning many spark plugs! Wal Denholm would be the one who would know. It was an impressive machine to work on - everything was just so big! I got to "fly" it during retraction tests, as the lightest and fittest to pump the hand pump in the cockpit! I really miss seeing it on the airshow circuit as it really was a showstopper.
suthg, I had a look at the Tempest II when it was in NZ and was surprised just how different it was to the Fury - there is very little similarity despite appearances. things like a tubular front fuselage as opposed to continuous monocoque, 2 piece wing panels as opposed to 3 section wing, separate tailplanes instead of a one piece unit - the Fury is much more refined as one would expect.
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Post by Bruce on Feb 3, 2016 19:25:37 GMT 12
I just looked up Keehi Lagoon on Google Earth. It is right next door to Honolulu International Airport (AKA Hickham AFB) probably the largest and best equipped airport in the Northern Pacific! Its not like he was short of options....
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Post by Bruce on Feb 3, 2016 18:26:58 GMT 12
Found on Facebook from Hawaii: www.hawaiinewsnow.com/story/31123468/small-aircraft-forced-to-land-on-water-south-of-oahu-after-experiencing-mechanical-issues?sf20225547=1The pilot of a Cessna 337 Ditched it in a harbour in Hawaii after experiencing mechanical difficulties that prevented the undercarriage for extending. The media is applauding the great skil at carrying out a perfect water landing. What they arent highlighting is the sheer stupidity of the choice to ditch as opposed to carrying out a wheels - up landing at an airport. A key point to consider is the 337 has a single cabin door, on the opposite side to the pilot. Getting out in a water landing situation has significant risks. landing on a hard surface wheels up however has negligible risks in a C337. I worked on repairs to C337 VH-ROY which landed wheels up at Ardmore in the early 1990s. There was next to no damage! The 337 has a structurally strong cabin floor, where the undercarriage motor and gearbox are mounted. Its pretty bombproof so the floor isnt going to crush or do anything nasty. It has a flat bottom, so will sit sit level and track straight (even better if it has a cargo pod!) The rear engine is high mounted, so only the prop tips will strike, It'll still need a bulk strip but you dont get major dynamic twisting. Its one of the best aircraft to land wheels up. Interesting that ditching held more appeal to the pilot in this instance, and goodbye to another Skymaster...
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Post by Bruce on Feb 2, 2016 14:30:48 GMT 12
Those bomb bay doors seem to have been closed really quickly after the bomb release. Slick! Thats becuase they dont actually have a mechanism as such - they are held closed by Bungee action (Cant remember if it is springs or rubber) and the weight of the released bomb pushes them open. the snap shut as soon as the bomb in gone. real high tech!
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Post by Bruce on Feb 1, 2016 20:44:46 GMT 12
The unidentified type behind the dragonfly is the original Barber Snark (Mark1). I'm not sure it ever flew before Bill barber redesigned it into the form of Snark more commonly seen today. I suspect that the shaft drive to the propeller in the tail may have had resonance issues (most shaft drive aircraft do...)
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Post by Bruce on Jan 28, 2016 21:28:04 GMT 12
I thought we had pretty much covered future RNZAF transports to death in another thread?
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Post by Bruce on Jan 26, 2016 22:30:21 GMT 12
The most likely explanation I have is that somewhere under that cloud layer is a factory or power station with 2 chimneys emitting warm, moist air. I've seen similar odd cloud formations above the huntly power station when the Waikato basin is fogged in. Random shaping and pixellation combined with the human tendency to see faces in random patterns turns it into a "cloud walker"...
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Post by Bruce on Jan 26, 2016 18:53:54 GMT 12
Both fantastic bits of news! Also, the 5th is the 80th anniversary of prototype Spitfire K5054's maiden flight. Just FYI Does anyone know anyone with a large scale model of the Spitfire Prototype? I'm guessing we wont be allowed to paint Doug's Spitfire pale blue!
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Post by Bruce on Jan 26, 2016 11:56:32 GMT 12
I thought that was quite fun, but the initial effect was spoiled somewhat by badly mis-timed supporting commentary. A very good demo of why it is stupid to take on the AOS and dog squad! they mean business...
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Post by Bruce on Jan 24, 2016 16:06:35 GMT 12
definitely not B777 construction - thats more rocket like.
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Post by Bruce on Jan 20, 2016 22:10:35 GMT 12
Despite the way its being promoted, this route isn't really aimed at general tourist travelers - it will however be very popular with Government officials, civil servants and business people, and fares will be less of an issue...
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Post by Bruce on Jan 20, 2016 11:52:41 GMT 12
Does anyone know the date that DH89 ZK-AKU returned to the air after its restoration at Ardmore? Not to the day, but it was WFU in April 1992 and restored in October 1994. I think these photos show an earlier restoration - 1970s. The centre airfield Hangars at Ardmore are visible in the pics, and these were long gone by the 1990s.
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Post by Bruce on Jan 19, 2016 22:13:32 GMT 12
The Meteor and Mosquito pics are definitely at Rukuhia (the RNZAf / James / PAC apron) and the DC-3 is ZK-AZL at the Mystery Creek Fieldays site, sometime not long after its initial "restoration" in the mid 1980s at a guess.
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Post by Bruce on Jan 19, 2016 19:51:06 GMT 12
There's apparently a large tract of land in Northland where a stone village was discovered and the Government fenced off many acres around it, closing any entry, and even now there are archaeologists working there in secret to determine what it was all about. That must be true as I read it on the internet (Trade Me discussion group from memory), and one of the respondents was a Maori guy who said it was true! Yes, Thats the Waipoua forest ruins - very odd goings on around that...
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Post by Bruce on Jan 19, 2016 17:04:49 GMT 12
I find Pre-Polynesian settlement theories to be very interesting - however they are also very politically charged!. I've read of a number of theories, each with some form of evidence (some better than others) ranging from Phoenicians, Egyptians, Tamils, Portuguese, Spanish Chinese and even Celts. Not all are credible, but worth weighing up the evidence. Unfortunately those engaged in heritage matters now have the opinion that " we know the Maoris were first, anything that suggests otherwise must be discounted. The exact opposite of normal scientific practice of analysing evidence and changing the theory if necessary to reflect that. Noel Hilliam, an aircraft homebuilder and former driving force of the Dargaville Museum has fallen foul of "Heritage Experts" for raising the subject based on some enigmatic finds he unearthed in his shipwreck hunting activities. The "Kaimanawa Wall" "Waipoua Forest Ruins" and "Maunganui Bluff Observatory" have been poorly investigated and allegations of heavy handed bullying raised. Would be interesting to see from a neutral viewpoint what is actually at those sites...
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Post by Bruce on Jan 17, 2016 17:15:33 GMT 12
Not too many enemy gunners in Antarctica! The Full colour insignia is still used and current, but most combat aircraft "in theatre" now have lo-viz monochrome markings.
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Post by Bruce on Jan 16, 2016 15:30:31 GMT 12
Either or is good with me. The tricky part is finding somewhere that has a cub (around Akl). Thats something to worry about once I get my PPL and some more hours under my belt first. I can recommend the Citabria guys in Auckland for tailwheel training. ZK-CIT out of Ardmore, see www.citabria.co.nz
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