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Post by praxis on Dec 26, 2017 20:46:08 GMT 12
A quick note to confirm that the Napier Aero Club will be hosting the air event associated with Napier's Art Deco Festival on 16-18 February 2018. Confirmed aircraft attending at this point includes the Roaring Forties Harvards, RNZAF Black Falcons Texans, Tiger Club De Havilands and Air Chathams DC3.
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Post by praxis on Jan 29, 2017 20:19:59 GMT 12
As one of the organisers of Napier's Aero Deco I can advise that there is seemingly little prospect that aircraft at Napier for the weekend will make any appearance over the weekend at Masterton. The visiting pilots have re-affirmed the on-going committment they have to the Aero Club and the Art Deco Festival.
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Post by praxis on Jan 22, 2017 19:04:21 GMT 12
The J2 is Kip Netherclift's.
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Post by praxis on Jan 22, 2017 16:24:04 GMT 12
The Napier Aero Club has confirmed the aircraft that will be attending this year's Aero Deco at Napier on 17-19 February. Aero Deco is organised by the Club as part of the City's famous Art Deco Festival. The aircraft attending are; 8 Tiger Moths, Fox Moth, Gypsy Moth, 2 Ryans, Mustang, Spitfire, Kittyhawk, 6 Harvards and the Catalina. Also, fingers crossed that a 1938 Piper/Taylorcraft J2 Cub will also be present if the post-rebuild test flights and certification are completed by then. Aircraft displays flown along the City's Marine Parade precinct as a traditional part of the Festival's entertainment for Festival-goers in Town will be at 7.45 pm Friday, 12.15 pm Saturday and 2.00 pm Sunday. An RNZAF Texan will be part of the traditional twilight display on Friday evening. Commercial joyrides under Part 115 certification will be available at the airport in a variety of the aircraft attending.
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Post by praxis on Nov 16, 2016 14:34:55 GMT 12
The Napier Aero Club confirms that all the main building blocks are now in place for another Aero Deco to be held at Hawkes Bay Airport on 17, 18 and 19 February 2017 as part of Napier's famous Art Deco celebrations. In the past the aviation activities for the weekend were classified more informally as a "Fly In". However, from 2017 it will be a full-fledged Air Event with all flying being under the NZ Warbirds umbrella and their CAA Part 149 licence. Confirmed aircraft at this stage include P51 Mustang, TRIX Spitfire, NZ Warbirds Harvards and their Roaring Fourties team, about 8-10 Tiger Moths and like de Havilland biplanes, and the Catalina. Displays over the City are confirmed for Friday (twilight) and Saturday and Sunday lunchtimes, and planning is in progress for some displays over the airfield as well. In the past the Aero Club has sometimes been surprised (and delighted) when some other interesting aircraft arrive with little advance notice. Passenger flights in a variety of vintage aircraft will be available with operators holding Part 115 adventure aviation licences. Its all shaping up to be another great weekend. Pack your Art Deco costumes and enjoy the atmosphere and all round fun that is Art Deco.
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Post by praxis on Mar 25, 2016 18:47:13 GMT 12
Re ZK-CIX. I was at WoW in 1996. Unless my memory after 20 years is failing me ZK-CIX was not a Buchon. I'm fairly sure that it was the genuine article, a Me109G fitted with the Daimler Benz engine. At a pub in Wanaka on the Saturday evening Jack Stafford introduced me to Mark Hanna, who was piloting the 109 at the airshow. Perhaps this was the same aircraft that Mark was flying when he crashed in Spain.
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Post by praxis on Mar 9, 2016 19:49:36 GMT 12
Whoops. In the third line above I meant to say that it is Art Deco (not Aero Deco) that is attracting an international reputation.
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Post by praxis on Mar 9, 2016 19:46:14 GMT 12
Napier Aero Club is the organiser of the annual Aero Deco weekend based at the Hawkes Bay airport. This is traditionally held in conjunction with and as part of Napier’s hugely popular and city-wide Art Deco programme. The success and attendance at Aero Deco continues to grow and is now attracting an international reputation. As a consequence of a significant amount of sponsorship and support arranged by the Aero Club the aircraft displays along Napier’s waterfront are free entertainment for the thousands who view them from the Marine Parade and beachfront. These aerial displays, one of the City’s popular showpieces for the Art Deco celebrations, are flown at scheduled times published ahead in the Art Deco programmes, on Fridays, Saturdays and Sundays of the Art Deco weekend. The organisation needed for putting on the next Aero Deco requires a lot of lead time and advance planning on the part of the Aero Club. The Club has clarified with the key owners and operators of pre 1945 civil and military aircraft who traditionally attend Aero Deco that, as in the past, their intention is to attend the Aero Deco set down for 17 – 19 February 2017.
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Post by praxis on Feb 13, 2016 21:21:11 GMT 12
Another name to add to the list is Lieutenant Michael Scott Campbell Gordon, a pilot from Hawkes Bay who served with 70 Sqadron Royal Flying Corps. His son, also Michael, lives in Napier and has an interesting collection of his father's photos and other artefacts. As well as photos taken on aerodromes there are a lot of aerial photos of the France/Belgium battlefields. There is a particularly interesting oblique of Ypres showing the town as a pile of rubble.(by the 1960's buildings in Ypres were rebuilt, stone by stone from the rubble,to be virtually identically the same as they were before the war started). There is also a windscreen off Gordon's aircraft with a bullet hole through the glass - said to have been fired by the Red Baron, so the story goes!
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Post by praxis on Apr 5, 2015 16:32:00 GMT 12
Hawkes Bay Today Saturday April 4, 2015 BRUNTON Eric Richard (Dick), WWII, RNZAF, Flight Lieutenant, 226 Squadron, Service No. 415237. On April 1, 2015 at the Hawkes Bay Hospital. Dearly loved husband of Yvonne. Loved father and father-in-law of Richard and Nicole, June and Michael Hall, and Neville and Sally. Grandad of Richard. Brother-in-law of Katheryn Truscott.
After training in NZ and Canada Dick was posted to RAF Station Swanton Morley in Sep 1943where he joined 226 Squadron 2nd Tactical Air Force and flew B25 Mitchell bombers on medium altitude day missions over enemy-occupied Europe. The flak was often so heavy on these missions that the crew wore goggles and tin hats over their helmets to protect against shrapnel. After a tour of 31 missions he was he was posted to RAF Experimental Station Boscombe Down as a test pilot flying the new Bristol Buckingham - an aircraft with twin 2550 hp engines that never became operational. He was then transferred back to Swanton Morely to join 2 Group Support Unit flying supplies backwards and forwards to the squadrons which were by this time following close behind the Army in Europe completing his second tour of duty. In 2003 Dick published his book "My War 1939-1945 The Memoirs of a World War II Bomber Pilot". He was aged 93.
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Post by praxis on Oct 24, 2014 20:36:54 GMT 12
Another Kiwi Mitchell pilot is Dick Brunton. Dick flew B25's with 228 Sqn RAF as part of the 2nd Tactical Air Force. Most of his operational flying was daylight ops over the Low Countries in the lead up to D-Day. He still lives in Napier. Around 2005 he published his own book entitles "My War 1939-1945 by Flt Lt E R (Dick) Brunton.
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Post by praxis on Jan 9, 2014 21:29:52 GMT 12
Just came across this thread. I recall Jack Stafford telling me once that he flew a Mustang from the Continent back to RAF Thorney Island - must have been late 1944 or early 1945. I inferred this was the only time he flew a Mustang. As far as I know Max Collett never flew a Mustang but I will ask him to verify this is correct.
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Post by praxis on Feb 7, 2013 18:11:30 GMT 12
Re: Lodestar NZ 3507 on page 35. This photo is from files of late Fl/Lt RD ("Pete") Steel. Pete was second pilot on 3507's flight to Japan for AVM Isitt to sign surrender document on behalf of NZ on 2 Sep 1945. Handwritten note reads "With many thanks for a great trip. L M Isitt AVM 9/9/45." Document confirms that NZ 3507 was first british aircraft to land in Japan after the cease of hostilities.
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Post by praxis on Nov 25, 2012 20:20:29 GMT 12
Flt Lt Bernard (Barney) Gumbley from Hastings did take part in the raid on 12 November 1944 that sank the Tirpitz with the 6 ton Tallboy bombs. However, he returned safely from that operation. He was killed 4 months later on 21 March 1945 when hit during the run-in to bombing the Arnsberg bridge with a Tallboy. The bomb detonated when the aircraft crashed and all 5 crew on board were killed. They have no grave and as a result their names are commemorated at Runnymede. The reduced crew complement arose because Barney's Lancaster was specially modified to carry the 10 ton Grand Slam bomb and this required the deletion of the W/Op and Mid Upper gunners positions.
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Post by praxis on Jul 10, 2012 20:06:50 GMT 12
Ross Ewing and Ross McPherson's book "The history of New Zealand Aviation" states at p55 that: "Almost 1,000 New Zealanders served in the British air services - the Royal Flying Corps, the Royal Naval Air Service, the Australian Flying Corps, and the Royal Air Force - during the First World War." So I guess the list has a way to go yet. Here's a few more names.
From the Ewing/McPherson book; Air Marshall Sir Charles Roderick Carr, Flt Lt Ernest Taniwha-Matarewha Sutherland, Capt Frank Nuttall, Grp Capt Hugh Reilly and Tom Wilkes.
From "Tiger Squadron" by Ira (Taffy) Jones; Keith Murray - CO of No 10 Sqn. Pilots in 74 "Tiger" Sqn - RH Gray (Wellington), ST Stidolph (Wellington), Wallace Burn (previously listed), Tom Wilkes.
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Post by praxis on Jul 9, 2012 21:27:49 GMT 12
In 1965 a dinner of WW1 airmen was held in Napier. I guess they were all aged around 70 or more at the time. Those attending signed a menu. Here is the list of 37 names. They have been compiled off their signatures so there might be the odd mis-spelling. Some of the names have already been posted but for completeness I will give then all. Gerry Stedman George A Nichols R Nimon LW Lorrigan Jarvis Nelson AM Hyslop Leonard Isitt Garfield Stewart (wellknown locally as Ed Stewart) George Carter Roy Harris D Checley H Williamson Harry Thornton Charles Masson J Clarence Griffith TJ Leighs HRT Humphries FG Bursolem JG McVernon Lawson Field Neville F Harston RA Sheriff GJ Wilde WH Boadle JWS McPherson Gordon Hoskin Harold Beamish RJ Sinclair P Fowler KL Caldwell E Ruddenklau AR Kingsford A Russell A de Bath Brandon HL Bayly RJ Thompson Ian J Keith Names like Sir Leonard Isitt, Grid Caldwell and Lawson Field are well known. Harold Beamish DSC was RNAS and credited with 11 victories. Ed Stewart, R Nimon and Neville Harston became well known business names in Napier/Hastings. Shorty Fowler flew Avro 504K's up and down the country in the 1920's before (I think) opening a garage in Palmerston North. I found a story on the web which said that AR Kingsford became a well known photographer in Nelson.
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Post by praxis on Jul 1, 2012 20:14:07 GMT 12
It could be that at some time after 1923 some more land was acquired to in fact enlarge the airfield. As I recall the part of the airfield to the East of the long straight taxiway/runway was called the "New Field". This allowed an into-wind vector to be used when the good old Canterbury Norwester was blowing (high temperatures and sky full of dust).
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Post by praxis on Jul 1, 2012 19:15:44 GMT 12
You may well be correct about the Sioux. The photo in the Daily Telegraph shows two Sioux flying over a Bristol Freighter and a Vampire parked on the ground. I sort of recalled that the RNZAF got its helicopters about that time in the 1960's, and assumed (seemingly wrongly) that the ones in the photo were RNZAF Sioux. The text with the photo says that the helicopters carried the "Queen of the Air" and her maids. It seems these ladies had previously been selected in some sort of competition. She and her maids landed near the official dais and were presented to Sir Hector. I was there on the day but have no recollection of this happening. When looked back on through 21st century spectacles the concept of a "Queen of the Air" to grace an airshow and be presented like debutantes seems decidedly, shall we say, quaint.
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Post by praxis on Jun 30, 2012 9:13:45 GMT 12
I'm joining this thread nearly 3 years after last post. For other purposes I have been researching material on the airshow for the opening of Hawkes Bay Airport on 15 February 1964. Some of my info is from The Daily Telegragh of 15 and 17 Feb 1964.
The new airport was officially opened by Hawkes Bay-born and raised Air Marshall Sir Hector McGregor - then Air Officer Commander in Chief of the Far East Air Force. He flew out from Singapore to Napier in an RAF Transport Command Hastings, landing at the new Hawkes Bay Airport on Thursday 13 February. The aircraft was there all during his visit. I am fairly certain there was not an RNZAF Hastings present. I wonder if at that time incipient events for the Vietnam conflict were unfolding. At the official opening Sir Hector said " I won't say that I personally arranged for Mr Robert Kennedy [US Secretary of State] to arrange a cease-fire in South-East Asia, but it worked in rather well for me, and meant I was able to come".
The answer to the "mystery" aircraft that did the JATO takeoff is that it was a four-engined Deep Freeze C54 Rescuemaster (military version of DC 4).
There were RAF fly-overs by a Handley Page Victor and a Bristol Britannia (I guess operating out of Ohakea). The C130 was USAF. The RNZAF contingent was led by AVM I G Morrison and their aircraft present included a Canberra, a Bristol Freighter, Sioux helicopters and Vampires of the RNZAF aerobatic team. The "Jetobatic" flew the finale to the airshow and the pilots that day were S/L Brian Stanley-Hunt (leader), F/L F B Flavell, F/O K R Brooking and P/O G R Lloyd
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