Fantastic video we put together with Joe and Olivia from Paho Films showcasing the Great Kiwi 500 Fly In held at Alpine Springs Helicopters facility in Hanmer Springs, New Zealand. 63 x 500s - what could be better.
Many memories of flying into the bush with then Lakeland helicopters from Murapara. Peter Bradly (owner) and pilot Derek Lowe. The MD500D was my favorite, ZK HUZ. I’m sure it was Derek’s favorite also. Thank you for the sharing the video, brought back memories.
Well done Ned on recognising the need to highlight and document an amazing machine and the people associated with it. Certainly a very important part of aviation history from the 'Golden years' of the Helicopter industry in NZ.
I have been flown into the Mountains for hunting in NZ more times than i can remember in 500s. When the chopper turns up and it's a Squirrel, R44 or Jet Ranger, i'm like "hmmmm" but when it's a 500 i'm happy. Also I love the sound and the smell of kero...
Genius Ned, Bill and Woody - Great record, details, characters and stories - and the opening soundtrack is the sweetest music ever. Really well done - big effort.
Amazing video. Will forever be my favourite helicopter. Watching this makes me regret not sticking with flying... recognise some people and some regos.
I’m amazed that RC scale heli guys didn’t attend as well. So many beautiful large scale 500’s out there. Would’ve been a great opportunity to document one of these birds for a project build. Although, looks like I’ll be adding a Corona to my list of scale details 😊.
I can remember Neville Cox, very well when he used to come to our farm sometime Bell 47 spraying, then an llama, putting lawn fertiliser, good pilot, and great character
Magnum PI was what made me fall in love with the 500. Later though I saw the 117 and really fell in love with that and that was my first scale rc. But the 500 will always be my first love. So envious of actual pilots who get to fly those wonderful birds.
Brilliant video, Cheers My cousin lost a few of these and other ones flying behing Crushington chasing deer, as he said to me, its a bugger when everything closes in , the deer can fit but the 500 couldn't unfortunatly
My favourite helicopter. So beautiful so full of history. Dream machine. I’m lucky to have the privilege to work in one! Beautiful video, as always this channel is full of awesome contents! God bless you all guys!
32:00 - 1987 and 1990 I finshed in US - Bell 47 Training . I'm from Germany and got a Rc Magnum Hughes 500 E Colored🎉paindet awesome Modell. Have been New Zealand 1986 very nice Country.
A great video thanks for sharing it was a great weekend abig thank you to all involved in putting this event together something I will never forget again thanks
How awesome a sight ! I started my career in Adelaide where I learned to fly on a 47G2. Then to Tassie with Hookway on Enstroms when the bridge came down. Flying "punters" in and out of the WrestPoint casino parking lot. But my love affair with helcopters hit a new high when I ended up in British Columbia on a 500C. My ground crew said it sounded like a "CAB OVER CHAIN SAW " as it approached. Such good memories. But where's the merch. ? I'd love a T-Shirt ....but I guess you had to be there. 🚁
Thanks for the terrific video!! Looks like a total blast!! I remember watching Magnum PI as a kid. Magnums pilot buddy TC flew an MD5xx. I've loved it ever since. Kinda ironic, but, my first real job was building visual DBs for simulators. The company mainly built computer visual systems (a bit before GPU graphics 😂). On my first day I was introduced to my "review station" which was a 3 x 3 array of monitors with an office chair bolted to the floor in front. There was a real cyclic, collective, and footpedals arranged around the chair. I basically had to learn to fly rotary wing to review my work. I crashed allot but after a few days of persistence I finally figured it out. Like riding a bike... you never forget. The main flight SW I used was for the MH6 Littlebird. So incredibly gratifying and fun! I'm eventually gonna learn how to really fly. As soon as I'm able to afford my own, the MD530F (or similar) will be my first choice.
I had a friend at Whirlwide Helecopters who was a mechanic, he organized a Ride in ZK-HDT with Mel, prob 73-4 Long time since I lived in Sth Canturbury but I knew a lot of the names, Nev, Russel, Good to see Mal. I have a pic of HDT in the scrap yard at WWH.
Great to see Reefton represented by Ivan Wilson and Alan Roso,I chased sheep around the Page brother's farm in a Bell 47G with Jimmy Crooks testing their early nets.
Great video the 500 has always been my favorite helicopter. Since my dad worked on the deer farm up that way that tony Michelle and bill hales was doing the deer recover for it. bill was a real hard case
I just watched a very early video from the 70's about venison harvesting there in NZ, they were using lots of Hillers and I was very curious why you guys picked Hillers over something like the Bell 47 which would've been a more popular machine in the 70's
What a fantastic video of what looked like a truly remarkable event. Well done to the organisers and the production team! I did find the diversion into the Magnum PI photoshoot to be somewhat out of place, though?
Ok caint rember any names I worked on the seismic oil surveying in taranaki then Gisborne and finally Turatapree with up to 5 500s supporting the drilling process in the mid 1980s I was even picked up for work in our front paddock for a time😳 Any how the pilots where all ex deer 🦌 pilots and mostly fro the Wanamaker area from memory Would like to know what became of them
