WONZ 264 – Vampire Month: Dave Greenlees

Guest: Flight Lieutenant David James Greenlees 71637 (5 May 1929 – 13 August 2022)

Host: Dave Homewood

Recorded: 21st of July 2022

Released: 11th of November 2022

Duration: 1 hour 38 minutes 40 seconds

November 2022 marks 50 years since the RNZAF’s de Havilland Vampire fleet retired from service. The Air Force operated 58 Vampires within New Zealand, and at least 44 more leased Vampires in Cyprus and Singapore.

In this episode of the WONZ Show, Dave Homewood talks with former RNZAF de Havilland Vampire engine fitter Dave Greenlees who served with No. 14 Squadron on the Vampires in Cyprus, and then in Singapore. He ran the Flightline Office as a Corporal and then a Sergeant, looking after all aircraft dispatches and receipts, and making sure the Form 700s and other paperwork was filled in. He also worked on the de Havilland Venoms that replaced the squadron’s Vampires in Singapore.

Following his overseas service, Dave returned to New Zealand and was posted to Wigram, where he was running the ground crew during night flying there at the Flying Training School. He had always hankered to fly however and when the opportunity came up he trained as a Flight Engineer. In that capacity he served as aircrew on the Short Sunderlands, and then the Douglas DC-6’s. He then went to the USA to become one of the first crew members onboard the then new Lockheed C-130H Hercules fleet when they were built. The Hercules was introduced to service in 1965.

Following 23 years of RNZAF service he left the Air Force and joined Air New Zealand. He flew as a Flight Engineer on the airline in the Lockheed Electra, the Douglas DC-8, the McDonnell Douglas DC-10 and eventually the Boeing 747. He took early retirement at age 53.

Dave passed away on the 13th of August 2022.