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The Bleriot had been used in the film ’“Those Magnificent Men in Their Flying Machines,” and had been imported from England by well known car collector Len Southward. N.A.C. pilot Keith Trillo was helping to assemble and check it in a hangar at Paraparaumu after it's arrival the week before the event, so perhaps mhe also flew it.

The pageant, organised by Kapiti Lions’ Club, was to help to pay for a sporting complex to be built in Paraparaumu.

 

 

 

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Notes: Spectators at an air pageant at Ocean Beach, Mount Maunganui, got an unscheduled thrill when a parachutist fell for several thousand feet with his main parachute opened but not deployed before he used his reserve chute and landed in the surf.

The parachutist, J. Adamson, of Auckland, a member of the R.N.Z.A.F. Aviation Sports Club, was one of five parachutists who jumped from 3200 ft to land in the surf. When Adamson pulled the release on his main parachute after a five-second delay the parachute opened but the lines tangled and he fell to 1800 ft before using the reserve. He landed in the surf and was picked up by a boat stationed offshore. Normally a parachutist jettisons his main parachute before opening his reserve but Adamson found himself unable to get rid of the useless main parachute.

 

 

 

 

Notes: Aircraft from the Marlborough Aero Club entertained spectators at an air pageant at the Puketa airfield and two members of the Wellington Sky Divers’ Club gave two demonstrations of free-fall diving. In the last, from a height of 6500 ft they delayed the opening of their parachutes until they were about 1000 ft from the ground

 

 

 

NZ6208

NZ

NZ

 

Notes: Thanks to Jim Barclay for the information on the Vulcan, and to John Scrimshaw for the Skyhawk information via Jim Barclay

RNZAF McDonnell Douglas A-4K Skyhawk NZ6208 at this Nelson RNZAC
Air Pageant. In the foreground is Flight Lieutenant Sean Robinson, the Maintenance Flight Commander of No. 75 Squadron RNZAF at the time, with Betty Beaumont, who was formerly a pilot with the Air Transport Auxiliaiary (ATA) in Britain during WWII. (Photo unknown, via Jim Barclay)

John Scrimshaw taking off in Skyhawk NZ6208 at the Nelson RNZAC
Air Pageant (Photo unknown, via Jim Barclay)

Above: The No. 50 Squadron Royal Air Force Avro Vulcan XM606 at this
Nelson RNZAC Air Pageant (Photo Jim Barclay)

Above: The Avro Vulcan XM606 at this Nelson RNZAC Air Pageant
(Photo Jim Barclay)

The flying display included aerobatics, parachute drops, displays by the Golden Age Flying Society from Blenheim, glider aerobatics, a topdressing display by four aircraft and formation flying.

To publicise the pageant, the Nelson Aero Club taxied its latest aircraft, a Piper Cherokee 140, down Trafalgar Street, Nelson’s main street, to the church steps. A photograph shows the aircraft on the street with the church steps and the Nelson Cathedral in the background.

About 250 aircraft, ranging from a rotocraft to the R.A.F.’s Vulcan strategic bomber, were at Nelson for what was described as the most comprehensive air pagent held in New Zealand to that date. In the R.N.Z.A.F.

 

Notes: Thanks to Jim Barclay for the information on the Vulcan

More than 30,000 persons attended this Royal New Zealand Aero Club’s pageant at Hamilton. It was postponed from the day before because of rain and cloud conditions.

 

Skydiver Morrian A. Campbell was badly injured when his parachute only partially opened. he spent months in hospital recovering.

 

 

 

Mr B. Smith of Canterbury Skydiving Club took part.

 

 

 

Organised by the Golden Age Flying Society and the Air Training Corps.

Around 4,000 spectators attended.

The Press newspaper reported on the 17th of July 1972, "Three skydivers made jumps from 6500 ft and the flying grandmother, Mrs Rosenea Cherry, of Christchurch, did her first wingstanding and trick shot act. Her mother, Mrs Hilda Alexander, now promoted to New Zealand’s first flying great - grandmother, made her twelfth flight on the wing.

Mrs Alexander’s grandson, Paul, was Snoopy in an epic battle in the sky (shown in the top picture) against the Red Baron in his red Tiger Moth. Aided by simulated ground fire, the Baron was finally defeated and on landing led off the field at gunpoint by Snoopy (bottom).

About $1,000 was raised by the show, to be shared proportionately by the society and corps. The society is raising finance to buy more aircraft or parts, as it is dedicated to preserving flying aircraft in flying condition, according to the president (Mr R. Alexander). The corps hopes to get more outdoor training equipment."

 

 

 

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The Vulcan, Skyhawk and Strikemaster flew in a V formation. This was the first public air display in New Zealand for the Strikemaster type

 

 

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Flypast over the Museum of Transport and Technology

 

 

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An airshow marking the 50th Anniversary since the formation of the Air Force in New Zealand

The 17 Harvards flew in a formation that spelled out the number "50".

The two Sioux performed a 'waltz' to the sound of The Blue Danube. Meanwhile S/L Ralph Simpson stood on a podium in top hat and tails conducting the music.

This was credited as the first performance ever of the No. 14 Squadron RNZAF's Strikemaster display team

 

 

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Due to the fuel crisis, rather than aerobatic teams, the RNZAF sent solo aircraft of six different types.

 

 

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The RNZAF Display was meant to be the 1975 Red Checkers Team but they cancelled that morning. See the Red Checkers page for more details

Any details of aircraft, registrations, pilots, etc would be appreciated

 

 

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On the last day, the 31st of March, Eric Raymond George (Jack) Hanlon, a structural engineer, of Cannington Road, Maori Hill, Dunedin, was killed during the air event. Mr Hanlon’s aircraft and another, piloted by Mr J. T. Grant, of Dunedin, were performing turning manoeuvres about 500 ft above the airport when Mr Hanlon’s aircraft was seen to stall. It plunged nose first into the ground at an angle of about 65 degrees and immediately caught fire. Mr Hanlon’s badly burned body was found alongside the aircraft under a piece of burning wing. The Tiger Moth, which Mr Hanlon owned, was completely wrecked. Mr Hanlon was well known as an aerobatic flyer and balloonist. As well as the Tiger Moth, he had a high performance glider and a hot air balloon at the pageant. The investigation concluded that the pilot had suffered some sort of temporary incapacitation.

 

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Pam Lock, later Pam Collings, was recently returned from the United States, where she had attended a 10 month aerobatics course. She would epresent New Zealand at the world aerobatic championships in Russia later that year

 

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This was Pam Lock's final public display before she departed to represent New Zealand at the world aerobatic championships in Russia later that year

 

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Ronald Trevor Alexander, aged 48, of Blenheim, a pilot with Safe Air, Ltd. was killed in a Tiger Moth crash. The Press reported on 25th of October 1976, "The Tiger Moth was engaged in a “Keystone Cops” flying routine, in which the “villain” rides around the airfield on a motor-cycle, pursued by a group of“policemen,” pulls up beside an aircraft, and takes off. Soon after Mr Alexander became airborne he came in about 16 metres above the aerodrome. His Tiger Moth stalled, and plunged to the ground in the north-east corner of the airfield, near a crowd of spectators on a roadway. The spectators rushed to try to help him from the aircraft, but it burst into flames before they could do so. There was no fire tender at the airport, and the Motueka Fire Brigade had to be called to deal with the blazing aircraft. It was a particularly sad occasion for Mr W. J. Wagtendonk, of Motueka, who is the chief pilot for the Motueka Aero Club and who was in charge of flying for the day. Mr Wagtendonk and Mr Alexander joined the R.N.Z.A.F. together 24 years ago, and both attended the same training course. After leaving the Air Force, Mr Alexander joined Air New Zealand, for which he was a pilot before he joined Safe Air. The aircraft which crashed was one of two Tiger Moths flown from Blenheim to take part in the pageant."

 

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HM Queen Elizabeth II and HRH Prince Philip, the Duke of Edinburgh, attended this event.

NZPA journalist Phillip Melchior wrote in The Press, "They saw aerobatics, topdressing, helicopter displays, and walked through a static display of flying machines — from hang-gliders up. The Queen stopped to chat to Pam Lock, whose tiny red bi-plane had earlier swooped, dived, and spun, high above the crowd. "

 

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The plan was to show normal operations rather than any prepared air display.

Between 15,000 and 20,000 people attended.

 

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Around 35,000 people attended this Open Day

 

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Traction Engine events were on all three days including threshing demonstration from stacks, slow races, log balancing, mill setting, potato races, trailer joy rides behind engines.

FLYING EVENTS on all three days commencing at 1.30 p.m., includ aerobatics Pam Lock 2 (Pitts Special), skydiving by Canterbury Skydiving Club, helicopter demonstrations, ultra light aircraft displays, hot air balloon demonstrations including tethered joy rides, joyriding in Cessna 172 aircraft on all three days.

Admission charges: Adults $1.20, school age children and cars free.

 

 

Notes: Flight Lieutenant Jim Barclay flew two low level solo Harvard displays at this public open day at the tented camp for Exercise Wise Owl

Thanks to Jim Barclay for the information on this event

 

Notes: Jim Barclay says, "After the flypast Wg Cdr DG in NZ1015 and I brokeoff the formation - we did a loop in close formation after which I broke away and did a solo display. I think DG and I then joined up for a loop break and landed after all the other aircraft had touched down."

 

 

 

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This was to be part of the celebration to mark 50 years of the Canterbury Aero Club, but rain saw it cancelled

 

 

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Originally this airshow was to be staged simply to commemorate the 100th Anniversary since the Christchurch suburb of Hornby came into being (when on the 2nd of September 1878 the sign on the Southbridge Junction Railway Station and Post Office was changed to the new name, Hornby). But whilst planning they realised the 50th Anniversary of the first flight across the Tasman Sea also fell that month so that became the major focus.

A special airshow to mark 50 years since the first Trans-Tasman flight, made on the 28th of September 1928 by Sir Charles Kingsford Smith, Charles Ulm. Harold Litchfield and Tom McWilliam.

For this event, Harold Litchfield and his wife were flown across the Tasman by Air New Zealand in a DC10. The captain and the flight engineer were the sons of Tom McWilliams, and the son of Charles Ulm was also onboard as a passenger. The DC10 flew low over Wigram, then landed at Harewood (Christchurch International Airport). There the Litchfields boarded a DHA Drover, also a Trimoter like the Southern Cross, and flew across and landed at Wigram.

The crowd was estimated at 60,000 people.

Information gathered from The Press newspaper reports, the AHSNZ Journal dated October 1978 via Peter Layne, and information from Buck Harrison, Frank Parker, Paul Harrison, Alan Thoreson and others.

 

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