These buggers used to fly over our house all the time...low....on purpose...cuz we called the base and asked them to continue. The base commander was expecting another angry call complaining about the noise etc....he was so shocked and grateful that we actually appreciated it, word went out to all the aircrews....any plane going over us, would do so nice and low and they'd 'wing wave' to us, they knew exactly which house was ours...we had a Canadian flag on a pole....the good ole days
I remember seeing them flying a few times back in the late 80's and maybe early 90's. It's a real shame they didn't keep a couple around for airshows. Hopefully someone brings one back to NZ one day.
Yeah, like we could have saved the country if we still had them how many times since way back then.... oh yeah, that's right NZ don't need those sort of planes, more choppers and transports for these "weather events" that are ripping the country would be more useful
@@whakatu4life285 hey, why do we need any armed forces, as you say no one has attacked NZ, btw plenty of volenteers from all over NZ went to BoP to help out.
Back in 1977-79 these would fly low over our neighborhood in Christchurch. We would only get 2-3 seconds of a look but it was enough to thrill this young man and make vivid memories that last to this day! Loved those low banking turns right over my head. Could even see the pilot’ s helmet.
Many years ago (circa 1978), I got to see a couple of the NZ A-4s up close. I was on a rescue team repairing one of our disabled A-4's [Marine Corps] on a cross-country at NAS Dallas, TX. Two of these were sitting on the ramp right next to where ours was parked. They were factory-new and we did a walk around oohing and aahing. Not sure why they would have been at NAS Dallas, maybe just a stopover? Pretty cool to see them flying here.
I was in the RNZAF when they arrived in Auckland by boat and all were towed out to Whenuapai, I was at the bombing range a few years later and one of Skyhawk went pass us below and the Pilot waved out to us, they where boys with good toys.
Used to see Skyhawks all the time in our area Central North Island, King Country area back in the 80s and 90s... Seen their last hurrah flight back in 2002?
Kiwi pilots. The Brits spent weeks building a range target out of concrete, re-inforced with lengths of railroad track for the Kiwi pilots flying Vampires ( or Venoms ) The Kiwis wrecked it in 3 days.
"NZ" as such didn't, one government did - against the advice of their own guy who analyzed the options, he suggested taking half of the F16s the US offered at a low price.
The RNZAF are still flying just no fighter planes sad but the planes before the Skyhawks never saw active duty I was in the RNZAF from 1967-77 Auckland, Singapore and Wigram (Christchurch) good days
Not true for the simple fact that there are too many Australians, snakes, spiders and dingos that steal babies living in Australia for some of us to want to move over.
