New Zealand Airshow Display Teams and Soloists
Miscellaneous Military Display Teams
The Hobsonville Aerobatic Team
No. 42 Squadron Harvard Display Team
The Hobsonville Aerobatic TeamThis was a three-ship display team consisting of Vickers Vildebeest biplane reconnaissance bombers that were based at prewar RNZAF Station Hobsonville. This is undoubtedly the first dedicated RNZAF aerobatic display team formed for public displays. Cyril Kay wrote about the team in his 1964 autobiography, "The Restless Sky", thus:
"New Zealand then was a country with a small population in relation to its area, only 1¼ million; and even today it barely tops the two and a half million mark. In such circumstances it would be expected that money for defence purposes would be similarly limited, as indeed it was. If the Air Force then, being the youngest service, hoped to be allotted its due share of the available funds it must put itself in a favourable light with those responsible - the Cabinet Ministers, Members of Parliament, and the general public.
One good way of doing this was to show the aircraft in public display, and to this end the Hobsonville Aerobatic team came into being, with myself as leader and Nugget Cohen and Tony Lester as the other two members, and it was not long before our cumbersome Vildebeest - looping, wheeling, and zooming in tight formation - were featured at most of the aero club pageants and ceremonial events throughout the country."
The Vildebeests arrived at Hobsonville in the period of April to June 1935, and six aircraft served on that station till mid-late 1937, at which point the Vilde's moved south to Wigram to join the Flying Training School there. So this team had to have existed sometime between June 1935 and around September 1937. I don't know if the aerobatic team continued to display once the men and machibes were based at Wigram. If anyone has details of any of this team's displays at air pageants or other events, I'd be keen to hear please. Email me
F/O Cyril Kay
F/O Ronald "Nugget" Cohen
F/O Tony Lester
The No. 42 Squadron Harvard Display Team
The No. 42 Squadron Harvard Display team - 1950
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Visitor's Day, 1950
Note:This team is noted in the programme for the RNZAF Ohakea Visitor's Day on Saturday the 16th of September 1950. The programme notes that from 3.50 till 4.00pm there would be "Formation Aerobatics by Harvards of No. 42 Squadron." This is all I know.
RNZAF Solo Display Performers
No. 41 Squadron Douglas C-47 Dakota
Visitor's Day, 1950
Note:
This flypast is noted in the programme for the RNZAF Ohakea Visitor's Day on Saturday the 16th of September 1950. The programme notes that from 3.00 till 3.10pm there would be "Supply drop by a Dakota of No. 41 transport Squadron."
No. 42 Squadron Auster
Visitor's Day, 1950
Note:
This flypast is noted in the programme for the RNZAF Ohakea Visitor's Day on Saturday the 16th of September 1950. The programme notes that at 3.20pm there would be "Flying Demonstration by an Auster of No. 42 Squadron."
No. 75 Squadron de Havilland Mosquito
Visitor's Day, 1950
Note:
This flypast is noted in the programme for the RNZAF Ohakea Visitor's Day on Saturday the 16th of September 1950. The programme notes that at 3.30pm there would be "Aerobatics by Mosquito aircraft of No. 75 Squadron."
No. 42 Squadron de havilland Devon
Visitor's Day, 1950
Note:
This flypast is noted in the programme for the RNZAF Ohakea Visitor's Day on Saturday the 16th of September 1950. The programme notes that at 3.40pm there would be "Formation demonstration by a Devon of of No. 42 Squadron."
Central Flying School Harvard
December 1968
Harvard NZ1015 of the RNZAF Historic Flight of the CFS
"Harrier Day" Ohakea
RNZAF Wigram
Vampire28th Mar 1955
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Anniversary, Ohakea
Canberra (No. 75 Squadron)18-29 Mar 1961
Accompanying the Central
Flying School Aerobatic
Team on their
'North Island Tour' to...Stratford, Hamilton,Kaitaia,
Kaikohe, Whangarei,
Dargarville, Tauranga,
Matamata, Paeroa,
Thames, Morrinsville,
Gisbourne, Wairoa,
Napier, Hastings
and WaipukurauFlt Lt Barry Gordon
Flt Lt Peter C. Pennell
Pilot
Navigator
Note:Former RNZAF Navigator Peter Pennell has sent this memory of his role in a solo Canberra act in 1961.
"In 1961 while at Ohakea I was teamed up with Barry Gordon in a B.12 for a recruitment tour of NZ. The Red Checkers, accompanied by a Bristol Freighter, toured NZ cities and towns, while we flew in from Ohakea each day 'beating up' two designated towns on the way and putting on quite a display at the airfield where the others were..."
The towns mentioned above are only thoise where the Red Checkers displayed and stayed on their tour. The list does not include the two other towns per display that Barry Gordon and Peter Pennell 'beat up'. Sadly Peter lost his logbook in a fire so this list is all I have at this stage.
Thanks to Peter Pennel for his memories of these displays.
Note:Gavin Trethewey recalls the following about his solo Canberra display days:
"It was a lovely aeroplane and with a minimal fuel load and no weapons it had a good surplus of power. It was theoretically not aerobatic, but if you were careful it could do an impressive display of noise with limited aerobatics.
My standard displays included rolls, an inverted run, a power off loop (pulling up at 400kts with the engines at idle right round the loop).
If the display commenced from take off, I would start with a roll off the top. To achieve that we would get airborne, get the gear up but hold the aeroplane right down just above the ground till 190 kts, then a 3 'G' pull up and over.
Because we had a 4 'G' limit and it was easy to overstress, the gunsight was removed for displays and an accelerometer was fitted in its place so I could monitor the 'G' loading carefully. Lots of fun. We always carried a navigator and they were very brave guys to ride through it all."
Thanks to Gavin Trethewey for his memories of displaying the English Electirc Canberra.
Above: Gavin Trethewey flies past the Ohakea tower at 480kts on his last
Canberra solo display before the Canberra was retired to Woodbourne.
Photo courtesy of Gavin Trethewey
Canberra (No. 14 Squadron)May 1969 Whenuapai Open Day Arthur Dovey Pil
Notes:Arthur Dovey says:
"On looking back thru' the logbook I see a Canberra T13 display
rehearsal at Whenuapai in May 69 followed by a solo display for a
Whenuapai Open Day but I don't remember that at all."
Skyhawk (No. 75 Squadron)Flt Lt Rod Anyan 1975-1976 Various John Lanham 1983-85
Strikemaster (No. 14 Squadron)Garry Rasmussen
Note:Jim Barclay reports that Garry Rasmussen, Nick Pedley and Gavin Howse were all solo Strikemaster display pilots during his time as CO of No. 14 Squadron.
Macchi (No. 14 Squadron)
P-3K Orion (No. 5 Squadron)
and crew
Open Day
and crew in NZ4202
March 2006
Open Day
and crew in NZ4201
with special
No. 5 Squadron
40th Anniversary
Tail Markings3rd March 2007 RNZAF Whenuapai
Open DaySqn Ldr Nielson
and crew in NZ4205
C-130 Hercules (No. 40 Squadron)
and crew
Tiger Moth NZ662 (RNZAF Historic Flight)
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RNZAF Wigram
Avro 626 (RNZAF Historic Flight)
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RNZAF Wigram
Note:Wing Commander John Lanham was the only pilot to fly the Avro 626 after its restoration. The aircraft was retired to the RNZAF Museum.
Bell UH-1H Iroquois6th of Jan 1995 World Gliding Champs, Omarama Sqn Ldr Jim Finlayson
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