RNZAF 80th Anniversary Air Tattoo

The Royal New Zealand Air Force (RNZAF) celebrated its 

80th anniversary with an

Air Tattoo at RNZAF Base Ohakea 

 25-26 February 2017.

The two day event focused on military aircraft and featured an international Air Force contingent.Aircraft from a number of nations were present. What a feast for aviation enthusiasts.

The event also showcased the Black Falcons aerobatic team flying the T-6C Texan trainers, and many static displays that provided an opportunity to see, and understand, the work of the New Zealand Air Force.

RAAF F18 taxi at Ohakea

I attended with the Jensen Family. Wayne and Sarah came down from Auckland, Sarah's dad came up from Wellington, and George, a retired pilot himself lives in Kapiti. I went completely snap-happy, and wandered around in a contented daze, giving my shutter finger a workout like it has not had in some time. Thank goodness for digital photography. In the old days I would have needed a trailer for all the film!

I too so many photos that it may be best to share them in batches. When the camera's second battery eventually died, I had to switch to my cellphone, which also eventually surrendered under the onslaught. Thought 'd share a couple of photos and some video first !

   

F18s coming to rest

Russian Mi-28 Helicopter Crashes during Airshow Display

Mi 28 Helicopter Crashes during Airshow

A Russian military helicopter has crashed at an air show before thousands of spectators, killing one crew member and injuring another.

Video footage clearly show the tail rotor failing and the gunship starting to spin uncontrollably before hitting the ground in an uncontrolled crash-landing:

The commander of the Mi-28 helicopter was killed. The he aircraft crashed during an aerobatic display at the August 2 air show in the Russian region of Ryazan, 200 kilometers southeast of Moscow.

"The commander has died, the second pilot is alive. According to the second pilot, equipment failure caused the accident," the head of the Russian Air Forces, Colonel General Viktor Bondarev, was quoted by the RIA Novosti news agency as saying.

The air show, Aviadarts, featured Russian Air Force plane and helicopter crews competing to fulfill timed assignments.

No spectators were injured, and the event was suspended for the day following the accident.

Russia's air force has used the Soviet-designed Mi-28 since the mid-2000s, and the aircraft is also exported to numerous countries, including Iraq.

Bondarev has grounded the country's Mi-28 fleet pending an investigation. The surviving crewmember who ejected, reports that hydraulic failure was to blame. This is the 4th crash of an Mi-28 due to hydraulic or gearbox failure.

There have been at least six incidents over the past few weeks involving Russian military planes and helicopters

Of Shackletons and Vikings

Of Shackletons and Vikings

Steve Sheckter posted a grand old photograph above of the Vickers Viking that used to sit on top of Vic's Viking Garage (Filling station) on the Old Potchefstroom Road near the Uncle Charlies' Interchange in Johannesburg. 

In later years (1987) this aircraft was removed, and a restoration projects started. It was replaced by one of the Avro Shackletons from the SAAF, and that aircraft remains there to this day.
Sadly it does not appear that the restoration was completed. 
I hope to the contrary


As I child it was one of my biggest thrills to go past this filling station, and occasionally stop there to fill up. I think my Dad was aware of this, and indulged my aviation lust. He also took me to the Jan Smuts Airport to watch planes occasionally. 

(My other great thrill was driving to Pretoria on the Ben Schoeman highway, and seeing acres and acres of WW2 vintage armour and soft-skinned vehicles at Snake Valley.)


Pictured below is the removal pf the Viking and installation of the Shackleton:

Seeing this post has piqued my interest, and  I have found the following images and story:

The Vickers VC.1 Viking was a twin-engined short-range airliner derived from the Vickers Wellington bomber. The initial nineteen production aircraft (Mark 1A) carried between 21 and 24 passengers. The fuselage was metal but the geodetic wings and tail planes were fabric covered.

The aircraft has two Bristol Hercules 630 engines. These are 14-cylinder two-row, sleeve valve, air-cooled radial engines developing 1,690 hp each.

The VC stands for Vickers Commercial, sometimes also called Vickers Civil.

Built at the Vickers-Armstrongs factory in Weybridge, England, c/n 121 first took to the air on 30 August 1946, registered as G-AHOT with British European Airways and was used in the 1948 Berlin Airlift. On 26 September 1954 she was sold to Trek Airways, registered ZS-DKH and operated in Protea Airways colours, a second airline of Trek, and for many years, transported hundreds of passengers on leisurely and scenic flights between South Africa and Europe. She even starred in the film, “Kimberly Jim” with the late Jim Reeves.

After 13.881 flying hours she was disassembled and transported by road to Armadale south of Johannesburg, where, in January 1963 she was lifted on to the roof of the Vic de Villiers “Vic’s Viking Service Station” where she became a famous, if forlorn, landmark.

On 5 March 1987, the Viking was replaced by SAAF Shackleton 1723 and donated to the SAA Museum Society. The Viking’s wings were removed and she was towed to Jan Smuts Airport.

Unfortunately 20 years plus later, in 2008, the aircraft had not been restored and was a tatty hulk standing not too far from the engine run-up bay at OR Tambo International Airport.

More on the history of the SAAF Shackletons: a 2-part post on those magnificent ladies.
(Click on link)