29 January 2016

Happy Birthday Auckland International

Today it is 50 years since the opening of Auckland International Airport...

Check out this great clip of the big day...  https://mail.google.com/mail/ca/u/0/#inbox/1513340d848c65a3?projector=1

And here was the day's programme...

Saturday 29th January 1966 Flying Programme
Light Aircraft - Manufacturer's Handling Display

9.30am to 10.00am
Ultra Light Aircraft Club - Druine Turbulent Ultra Light Aircraft handling display
Airwork (NZ) Ltd - Piper Twin Commanche handling display
Aero Engine Services - Mooney 21 handling display
Seabrook Fowlds Ltd - Morane Saulnier Rallye handling display
Airwork (NZ) Ltd - Piper Cherokee 6 handling display
Victa (NZ) Ltd - Victa 115 aerobatic display
Auckland Flying School - Cessna 150 handling display
Light Aircraft - Agricultural Aircraft Display

10.30am to 11.00am
James Aviation Ltd - Tiger Moth Aerial Display
Glen Murray Syndicate - Piper PA18 and Airwork (NZ) Ltd - Piper Pawnee Combined Aerial Topdressing Display
Thames Aerial Topdressing Co. - Fletcher James Aviation Ltd - Ceres Combined Aerial Topdressing Display
Barr Bros. - Cessna 185 - Barr Bros. Beaver - Combined Aerial Topdressing Display
Thames Aerial Topdressing Co. - Piper Pawnee Aerial Spraying Display
Waitomo Aircraft Co. Ltd - Airtruck Aerial Topdressing Display
Marine Helicopter Ltd - Hughes Helicopter Aerial Spraying Display
Adastra Ltd - Snow Aerial Topdressing Display
James Aviation - Douglas DC3 Aerial Topdressing Display
Light Aircraft - Parachute Club, Gliding Club, Helicopter Display

11.30am to 12.00 noon
Combined Parachutes Clubs massed parachute display, 33 parachutists jumping from 2500 feet and landing on dropping zone on airfield
Auckland Gliding Club formation gliding display following release at 3000 feet
Alexander Helicopter Services helicopter handling display
Westland SRN 5 Hovercraft handling display
Official Opening

12.30pm
Introductory Remarks by Chairman of Airport Division, Auckland Regional Authority Mr. R. Bennett, MBE
Address by Mr. H.G. Lambie, Chairman Auckland Regional Authority
Address by the Prime Minister Rt. Hon. Keith J. Holyoake, C.H.
Official opening by His Excellency The Governor General, Brigadier Sir Bernard Ferguson, GCMG, GCVO, DSO, OBE
Combined Aero Clubs and P-51D Mustang Display

1.30pm to 2.00pm
Auckland Aero Club mass take-off followed by a display of Formation Flying, Solo Aerobatics and Synchronised Aerobatics
Fox Moth - early passenger aircraft flying display
North American P-51D Mustang
Civil Transport Aircraft / Jet Turbine Aircraft and Hovercraft Display

2.20pm to 2.50pm
Air New Zealand Douglas DC8 take-off and climb
British Aircraft Company BAC1-11 (G-ASYE) take-off and climb
Westland SRN 5 Hovercraft handling display
British Aircraft Company BAC1-11 (G-ASYE) handling display
Air New Zealand Douglas DC8 handling display
Qantas Empire Airways Boeing 707 scheduled arrival from Sydney
Military Aircraft

3.00pm to 4.17pm
A streaming take-off of four RAAF Mirages.
A formation fly-past of 13 Harvard’s of the RNZAF followed by a co-coordinated solo and formation aerobatic display by four Harvard’s
A landing of an RAF Vulcan displaying drag chute
Fly-past by one RNZAF Short Sunderland
A co-coordinated fly-past of the following aircraft:
1 x RAF Avro Shackleton
1 x RAAF Lockheed Neptune (A89-309)
1 x USAF C-141 Starlifter (38090)
1 x RAF de Havilland Comet

A formation flying and solo aerobatic display by four RAAF Mirages
Handling display by a US Navy Lockheed P-3 Orion
Streaming take-off by two USAF McDonnell Douglas F-4 Phantoms.
A handling display including take-off by the RAF Vulcan
A co-coordinated Air/Army tactical display demonstrating the operational deployment of the following aircraft:

1 x RNZAF Auster - Psychological Warfare
1 x RNZAF Douglas C-47 Dakota - Paratroop Drop
1 x RNZAF Canberra
1 x RAAF Canberra - Air Strike
4 x RNZAF Vampires
1 x RNZAF Hercules - Assault Landing - Troops
1 x RAAF Hercules - Assault Landing - Artillery
1 x RNZAF Bristol Freighter - Aerial re-supply
1 x USAF Hercules - Aerial re-supply
1 x RNZAF Bell 47G Sioux - Casualty Evacuation
Flight Refueling Demonstration by a KC135 tanker and two Phantoms of the USAF
A landing by the RNZAF Canberra
A Landing and take-off by a Qantas Boeing 707
Freefall parachute display by the FEAF team from an RAF Argosy
A coordinated high speed and handling display by two USAF Phantoms
Landing by Qantas Boeing 707
Formation aerobatic display by four RNZAF Vampires. 

3 comments:

  1. Thanks Steve! What a great shame today's airport environment is unable to sustain a celebratory air pageant.

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  2. Wouldn't it be amazing to see the display as it was today!

    ReplyDelete
  3. Aviation Security "Service" would be in terminal meltdown!

    ReplyDelete