NZFF

And I thought posting pics of this year's Wanaka took a while!


Here's a few shots my dad snapped off the day before the RNZAC's annual pageant in 1989. For that year Wanganui Airport was the location, and from the looks of the programme there was a fine variety of aircraft attending. Mum, Dad and I had a great look at the arrivals - we lived less than 100m from 11/29!


Harvards ZK-ENF and -ENG at rest on a glorious summer afternoon.

Fokker Triplane, RNZAF Herc and A-4s, Aero Work flying their Fletcher team (dropping coloured water from the hoppers, not smoke!), a powerpole installation demo with JetRanger HTM (which Dad flew on occasion), and the heavy metal warbirds.


Devon ZK-CBK. This was one of the aircraft which returned to Wanganui for the Aero Club's 75th anniversary bash a coupla years back. We need these birds here more often!

We haven't had a proper airshow since this one. We had some warbirds come down for Labour Weekend 95 (I flew in the Dak, we got buzzed by the 40s!), the Aero Club had their 75th anniversary fly-in, but nothing on this scale has been seen since.


Harvard ZK-ENE - last I heard this bird was in USN colours and based at Wanaka.

Sigh........as I was only 18mth old at the time, all I have to "remember" it by are a copy of the programme, these pics and a video I was lucky enough to borrow from a gentleman who was there. Great stuff!


Replica Plans Se.5a ZK-SET, now unairworthy and kept at the Wanaka Transport Museum. She fought against Fokker ZK-FOK at the show.

And now, the Heavy Metal component! Excellent!


The mighty Hawker Sea Fury. This was exported in 1999 to Oz, and her current owner is now in jail for tax fraud. His entire collection, including the old AFC Yak-3 and several other warbirds, was seized by the Aussie Feds earlier this year.


NZ's first warbird import, the P-51D Mustang ZK-TAF, was flown (apparently to perfection) by the venerable TT Bland. Judging by the three minutes of video'd performance I;ve seen, it was the greatest Mustang show Wanganui's ever seen.


Finally, the good old Venom. Hard to believe that in two years' time she'd be written off after landing short at Ardmore. I think we still have another Venom in NZ, also registered ZK-VNM, though I haven't heard much of her for a few years.

Thanks for putting up with my little nostalgia trip guys! I always enjoy reading your feedback, though of course I can't take the credit this time.

Aren't those pics just the coolest ever! I have saved every one of them to my hard-drive.
Thanks K5054NZ.

love that venom
i think i might have been in wanaka in '89. wouldn't have remembered it because i would have been 4

They are very cool pics! I like that angled shot of the P51!

I love that shot of the Sea Fury, Albatross, I seem to think you had/have one of those in your hangar, do you have a link to it?

Alex

Sure do in case anyone else wants it:
sfre11.zip and sfre1u.zip (the update) at flightsim.com

Awesome aircraft in the sim and for real

Awesome photos! Was that the S.E.5 replica that crashed at the Mangere Air Expo?

Brilliant shots, nothing beats the sun beating down on those shiny metal bodies

Like you, my parents also took me to my first airshow when I was very young. The location was Dunsfold (EGTD), and all I can remember was seeing RAF Tornados and Harriers with sharp toothed mouths painted on their noses to make them look scary!

Since then, I have visited dozens more airshows and museums as I have been growing up and to this day, still blame my parents for my obsessive passion for aviation.

Trolly, I'm in the same boat. It's all mum and dad's fault! It didn't help that he flew for a living, and that our house was ON the airport. If any of you have ever been to NZWU, you may remember a small cottagey-type-thing which has a blue roof? It used to be the Wanganui Commercial Pilots School lecture rooms - and my first house!


I;m glad you guys like these so much! It really is great to look back on shows like this one. And Codge, I'll pass on to Dad how much you like them.

Kiwi - quite possibly. I have the official vid of that show (thanks to Mum for taping it, and to TradeMe for having a proper published version!) of Air Expo '92 and I'll check it out tomorrow. It may have been Tom Grant's ZK-TOM, but I think you're right.

Albatross - that's it! Thanks a million, I've been wanting a Fury for ages! I may just be able to recreate these pics in FS if I can find a good-looking Venom.... B)

Now, if you guys are lucky enough, tomorrow I'll post some pics I took when I walked out to the airport just for the hell of it.

Yep, they are awesome pictures, I love the colouring and the angles, the picture-taker has a way with the camera that's for sure!

Thanks for sharing mate.

Theres only one small detail missing from these pictures and it is !!!!!HELICOPTERS!!!!!

K5054NZ wrote: Kiwi - quite possibly. I have the official vid of that show (thanks to Mum for taping it, and to TradeMe for having a proper published version!) of Air Expo '92 and I'll check it out tomorrow. It may have been Tom Grant's ZK-TOM, but I think you're right.

I've actually got the official video too, but I moved house recently and I don't think my chances of finding it in the near future are too good.

squirrel350 wrote: Theres only one small detail missing from these pictures and it is !!!!!HELICOPTERS!!!!!

Well Squirr, when I get access to a scanner again I'll get some of the dozens of pics Dad took whilst co-piloting JetRanger ZK-HTM in 87-89. I can't make any promises though.

The good ol' JetRanger what a fine machine just like the "Squirrel" I had a flight in Volcanic Air Safaris Bell 206 what a dodgy piece of flying metal that was I had to hold my seat belt on because it wouldnt click or adjust it I could have had some one else sitting on my lap on that flight hahaha oh well good flight any way I look forward to those pics when and if you get them.
Scott