Royal New Zealand Air Force
- Thread starter Lucasnz
- Start date
Yes the MOT F27 Friendship was totally independent of the RNZAF. The same as the MOT traffic cops (Gestapo) were independent of the NZ Police.
For those that are in the area on Anzac day the local rag (District Monitor) have published the flyover plan for the day. It will consist of an Avenger, Spitfire and 2 T6 c's, departing Ohakea at 0940 passing over Sanson at 0950 ,Hunterville at1018, then Marton at 1038 followed by Bulls at 1050 and then returning to Ohakea.
The pilots are
Avenger S/L Jim Rankin
Spitfire S/L Sean Perrett
T6 no 1 S/L Michael Williams and F/L Sam Hatrick
T6 no 2 F/L Anthony Rose and F/L Peter Barron.
I saw a practice flight on Thursday but with only 1 T6, man that Avenger is noisy, you cannot hear anything else.
The pilots are
Avenger S/L Jim Rankin
Spitfire S/L Sean Perrett
T6 no 1 S/L Michael Williams and F/L Sam Hatrick
T6 no 2 F/L Anthony Rose and F/L Peter Barron.
I saw a practice flight on Thursday but with only 1 T6, man that Avenger is noisy, you cannot hear anything else.
Well the Avenger has this tad large round engine that does tend to throw out a lot of noise. It was the largest carrier capable aircraft of WW2.
There was an article in the local paper (which I forgot to save) regarding the P8 deployment to Ohakea. Basically it said that the foundations of the new hangars has been pored but that the hangars would not be ready in time, so that when the P8's arrived they would initially be operating from the ex 3/75 sqn concrete hangar and that some personnel would be moving to Ohakea later this year.
The latest RNZAF News has the story... pg 26
Royal New Zealand Air Force | Air Force News - Issue 234, April 2021
And then hopefully the EMAC project will then take over the ex 3 Sqn hanger from 5 Sqn as it is stood up. Now, what to house in the then vacated 5 Sqn hanger in WH?...alternatively EMAC could split from 5 and have detachment based in WH and the Boeing's can move down to OH and take up residence in the ex 75/3/5 hanger?
Hmmm, wonder when we'll hear anything next about the EMAC project.... I suspect the Govt will postpone it due to $$COVID$$ costs
Yip, always a good excuse to get the broom out and push some capability into the corner or under a rug out of sight, just hopefully they don't dust off the axe again! Think we are running out of things to chop anyway.
But somethings need attention now.
www.newshub.co.nz
The FAMC capability was due to be replaced by 2023 then has been pushed back to circa 2027.
And we have four ex Air NZ B772's which are essentially 50% government owned (and the government has given hundreds of millions to keep Air NZ afloat post Covid) sitting in desert storage.
Revealed: Defence Force Boeing 757 fleet unavailable for 156 days since 2019 | Newshub
More than $100 million has been spent on keeping the aircraft going since 2016.
www.newshub.co.nz
The FAMC capability was due to be replaced by 2023 then has been pushed back to circa 2027.
And we have four ex Air NZ B772's which are essentially 50% government owned (and the government has given hundreds of millions to keep Air NZ afloat post Covid) sitting in desert storage.
John Fedup
The Bunker Group
Idle jets that are 50% owned by the NZ that could be used to backup non functional Air Force transport and aren’t! Is junior Jacinda’s consultant for Air Force matters?
Wouldn't surprise me. Aren't they all over each other like a rash when they meet. Put a dog off its food.
kiwipatriot69
Active Member
How old , and how much mileage has these commercial jets in storage had? Is it really such a good idea to go second hand once again, like we have in the past with the current ones?
The biggest problems regarding availability is firstly the availability of parts and the availability of technicians to diagnose the problem and fix it . Most airlines will have these items quickly available on their regular routes so that they don't suffer down time, but the RNZAF with only 2 757's and flying in and out of many different destinations where they don't have support will have problems and these will not be related in most part to the age of the aircraft. Aircraft are very complicate pieces of machinery which have a lot that can and will go wrong, though the main items for flight and safety are incredibly reliable and when you look at what has caused the 757's to fail it is something not directly in this category, it is usually an item that is an inconvenience, but which there is nothing readily available to fix it due to the location of the aircraft or the lack of spares when it happens. The problem is more to do with a small fleet, a very wide area that the aircraft operate in and a lack of money available in the NZ armed forces.
kiwipatriot69
Active Member
Would covid played its part in difficulty to get spares? What about 3d printing technology, could that of helped?
Boeings legal team would soon put a stop to that.
Isn't the 777 to big?
Although initially more expensive wouldn't the A321LR be more more suitable - cheaper to operate, still in production, the A320 / A321 is already operated by Air NZ & several other major airlines so parts and support won't be an issue for several decades.
Although initially more expensive wouldn't the A321LR be more more suitable - cheaper to operate, still in production, the A320 / A321 is already operated by Air NZ & several other major airlines so parts and support won't be an issue for several decades.
John Fedup
The Bunker Group
Doubt there are any used A321LR and certainly no A321XLRs available. The 777s apparently are partially owned by the NZ government so although they big, probably less to acquire and I would think their resell value (if the government were to dispose) is low considering the state of commercial air travel.
The B777-200 are ideal actually. They can lift more to the ice than a C-17 can; 78 tonne payload Vs 56 tonnes. With 74 pax one can nonstop fly Auckland to Washington DC. The acquisition and conversion cost is relatively cheap and the freighter variant is already certified. All four of the Air NZ ones could be acquired with three being converted to Combis for less than $300 million. The fourth one would be used for spares. They are a strategic airlifter. If the pollies want a medium twin then they fund it themselves or fly commercial.