NZFF

Posted: **Thu Nov 08, 2012 6:04 pm**

Hi there everyone.
My high school graduation, of all places, was at the Wigram Air force Museum last night and I, being part of my schools technical crew, was there today packing up all our gear. I saw the aircraft being moved out onto the tarmac from another hanger to be moved back into the aircraft hall and i could not resist taking a closer look.

Here is a shot of one of the A-4 skyhawks sitting outside.. lovely aircraft.

Cheers,
James.

Posted: **Thu Nov 08, 2012 6:36 pm**

Great Pic James Thanks for Shareing

Posted: **Thu Nov 08, 2012 7:11 pm**

Arr the Bonus of being schools technical crew , as they a small aircraft by the standards of other mil types but you get up and close they are big, another perspective is getting around the second story walk around ..see people standing beside it .. it them reduces its size back to a small aircraft . Great Photo James

Posted: **Thu Nov 08, 2012 7:43 pm**

Wonderful shot .... the old girl looks great.

Posted: **Thu Nov 08, 2012 9:23 pm**

What are the two things on the inboard stations? They don't look like bombs or drop tanks?

Posted: **Thu Nov 08, 2012 9:31 pm**

J7G wrote:
QUOTE (J7G @ Nov 8 2012,10:23 PM) <{POST_SNAPBACK}>
What are the two things on the inboard stations? They don't look like bombs or drop tanks?

I would say they would be the SUU44 store , the rocket a single coned sonar dispense .

Posted: **Fri Nov 09, 2012 5:30 pm**

Why would an A4 be dropping sonar though?

Posted: **Fri Nov 09, 2012 5:36 pm**

It is listed in RNZAF Skyhawks , recall seeing this in my book Carrier Air Group Commanders , developed the use on the Essex class that carried almost a Skyhawk wing on board during the 1960s/70s .

Posted: **Fri Nov 09, 2012 5:55 pm**

Well bloody hell, the 60s strikes again!

Posted: **Fri Nov 09, 2012 7:23 pm**

Thanks for the comments!
It was so great to see them out on the tarmac.. It makes them look like they are still in service and not museum pieces, especially the Skyhawk sitting there with its 'remove before flight' tags blowing in the wind.

Cheers,
James.

Posted: **Fri Nov 09, 2012 7:45 pm**

Makes you realise just how big the Avengers were! Thanks for the photos.

Posted: **Fri Nov 09, 2012 8:04 pm**

Again James

, J7G , there is a old story back in the late 40s 1950 the one aircraft flew a rugby to a game and back . This aircraft was taxing around Wigram in 79 .

Posted: **Fri Nov 09, 2012 8:07 pm**

Did you get a closer shot of the Mustang and Spitfire together?

Posted: **Fri Nov 09, 2012 8:29 pm**

Naki wrote:
QUOTE (Naki @ Nov 9 2012,9:07 PM) <{POST_SNAPBACK}>
Did you get a closer shot of the Mustang and Spitfire together?

Posted: **Fri Nov 09, 2012 8:32 pm**

Awesome. Thanks

Posted: **Sat Nov 10, 2012 12:02 pm**

J7G wrote:
QUOTE (J7G @ Nov 8 2012,10:23 PM) <{POST_SNAPBACK}>
What are the two things on the inboard stations? They don't look like bombs or drop tanks?

Further follow up these tubes were use for many applications , one shot was flare dispenser used to hi-light during antishipping at night ground attack but was also used for rescues , one shot was single flare or a four shot sonar bouy use as a smoke and dye marker.

Posted: **Sat Nov 10, 2012 4:49 pm**

That's really interesting. So presumably the anti-shipping use was before they got the Kahu upgrade, since they could have just locked on with the radar instead of a visual run. Interesting stuff. Thanks for going to the effort, Ian.

Posted: **Sat Nov 10, 2012 5:28 pm**

J7G wrote:
QUOTE (J7G @ Nov 10 2012,5:49 PM) <{POST_SNAPBACK}>
That's really interesting. So presumably the anti-shipping use was before they got the Kahu upgrade.

Yes indeed , pre-Kahu everything was dumbbomb and training exclude the TAs , for example the the early was simply aim and fire with a little squirt of cannon

NZFF

One from Wigram