Air Force News July/August Issue 94 · Keeling and Mundy Limited PO Box 61, Palmerston North Editorial contributions and letters to the editor are welcome. All contributions may be

AIRFORCENEWSAIRFORCENEWS

tradE trophiEStEchNical tradES pEoplE rEcogNiSEd

tributE 08hoNourS viEtNam vEtS

timor-lEStEaNzac Spirit alivE & WEll

uS firSt ladyviSitS kiWi baSE iN afghaNiStaN

T h r e e S e r v i c e S a S o n e f o r c e , b e i n g T h e b e S T i n e v e r y T h i n g w e d o

royal NEW zEalaNd air forcE // iSSuE #94 // july/auguSt 08 w w w . a i r f o r c e . M i L . n Z

Boeing 757 rEady for

take off

AIRFORCENEWS

c o N t E N t S

a f N 9 4 j u l y / a u g u S t 0 8 | w w w . a i r f o r c e . m i l . n z2

royal NEW zEalaNd air forcE // issue #94 // july/August 08

OUR MISSIONTo carry out military air operations to advance New Zealand’s security interests, with professionalism, integrity and teamwork.

OUR VISIONWe will be an Air Force that is the best in all we do.He Tauarangi matou ko te pai rawa atu i to matou mahi katoa.

The official journal and forum of the Royal New Zealand Air Force established for the information, education and enjoyment of its personnel and other people interested in RNZAF and associated matters. Published byDefence Public Relations UnitHQ NZ Defence Force Wellington, New ZealandP: (04) 496 0289 F: (04) 496 0290

Editorial AuthorityIan Brunton

EditorGrant CarrEmail: [email protected]

Design and LayoutAmy TrlinEmail: [email protected]

Printed byKeeling and Mundy LimitedPO Box 61, Palmerston North

Editorial contributions and letters to the editor are

welcome. All contributions may be sent direct to Air Force

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writer’s name, rank and unit although, unless requested

otherwise, only the rank and geographical location of the

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right to abridge letters. Anonymous, offensive or abusive

letters will not be published. Opinions expressed in Air

Force News are not necessarily those of the RNZAF or

NZDF. Nothing in NEWS should be taken as overriding any

Defence regulations. Readers should refer to the relevant

Service publication before acting on any information given

in this periodical. No item is to be reproduced, in part or

whole, without the specific permission of the editor.

ISSN 1175-2327

03050610121621

30343840434546

july/august 2008 COVER

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TRADE TROPHIES

TECHNICAL TRADES

PEOPLE RECOGNISED

TRIBUTE 08HONOURS VIETNAM VETS

TIMORLESTEANZAC SPIRIT ALIVE & WELLUS FIRST LADY

VISITS KIWI BASE

IN AFGHANISTAN

T H R E E S E R V I C E S A S O N E F O R C E , B E I N G T H E B E S T I N E V E R Y T H I N G W E D O

ROYAL NEW ZEALAND AIR FORCE // ISSUE #94 // JULY/AUGUST 08 W W W . A I R F O R C E . M I L . N Z

BOEING

757 READY FOR

TAKE OFF

COntEnts

PHOTO WN 08-0038-21

fIRST wORD GPCAPT Edward Poot

VETERAN RECOUNTS ww2 Mr Jack Stafford DFC

ARE wE MATCH fIT? Operational Fitness Test

TRADE TROPHIES Recognising excellence

CAf VISITS Engaging leadership

AVIONICS ON LINE New dogs, old tricks

MINIBUS REPAINT Striking new look

TIMOR LESTE ANZAC spirit alive and well

NO.5 SQUADRON Fincastle 08

TOUGH GUYS AND GALS PE & RT challenge

SPEED TEST AT OHAKEA Petrol head’s day out

wORLD TRIATHLON Missed it by that much.

fINANCIAL MANAGEMENT New training

NOTICES Farewells and events

BOEINg FIt tO FlyThe RNZAF’s Boeing 757 has completed it’s first test flight in Alabama.

us FIRst lAdy vIsIts kIwI BAsEUS’s First Lady welcomed at Bamyan, Afghanistan.

tRIButE 08Honouring our Vietnam vets in Wellington over Queen’s Birthday Weekend.

The RNZAF’s Boeing 757 is revved up and ready to take off on its first test flight at Mobile Alabama, USA last month. Reportedly the test flights were highly successful.

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3w w w . a i r f o r c e . m i l . n z | a f N 9 4 j u l y / a u g u S t 0 8

f i r S t W o r d

climB aBoard

it’s time to take off!

GPCAPT EdWArd PooT

offiCEr CommANdiNG 485 WiNG

The Boeing has flown! Fantastic news. After months of concerted effort the B757 is back

in the air and undertaking its acceptance test and evaluation flights in Alabama.

Achievement of the first flight has only been possible through a huge team effort both in the United States and at home. There is a risk of singling out any one individual, for commendation. However, was it not for WGCDR Mark Brunton’s personal effort, commitment and leadership we would not be back in the air now. Our thanks to Mark and all of the wider team for their great work. We are really looking forward to seeing the aircraft back in New Zealand in the near future.

The milestone of the first flight for the B757 is monumental, not just for the B757 Project but for the RNZAF as a whole. This take-off marks a move from project activity solely on the ground to being airborne. When the B757 returns to New Zealand we will be quickly moving into the operational test and evaluation phase. This phase will ensure that we understand our new capabilities and their employment. It will also test the support arrangements required to enable the entry into operations of this world-class capability.

Not far behind the B757, the C-130 is also moving towards its first flight. By the time you read this I fully expect that the C-130 will be back in the air as well.

I know that some are concerned at the apparent mountain of work that lies ahead. Some are concerned that there is more than we can cope with. Others are worried that they will be expected to deliver everything that they are currently doing while also being expected to manage all that the change to new capabilities bring.

Your leadership is very aware of these concerns. Our plans have been developed to enable the

introduction into service to be undertaken in phases and stages. This will enable us to undertake key elements but to “park” others until we have the capacity and opportunity to be able to complete these. There are also other activities and tasks which we can revisit, but this requires your help.

Your commanders will provide clear direction on priorities. But what is critical to our ability to manage your workloads is effective communication. Effective communication is needed up, down and across the organisation. We have a typical Kiwi “can do” attitude. None of us particularly want to say no, or to put up our hands saying we can’t do it. At times we are our own worst enemies in taking on too much.

We can manage the task if we get good advice on the art of the possible, the limitations to being able to get the job done and the opportunities for achieving the job in a better, smarter method. We also need to know what it is that we can cut, recognising that sometimes letting go of our pet project is tough. Good decisions can only be made on the basis of your good information. We need you to feed clear advice up and down and across the organisation to help us help you.

People remain the most critical part of our capability. As OC 485 Wing one of my key responsibilities is the safety and health of those in the RNZAF. It is not in our interests to burn the Air Force and its people out during the transition to new and upgraded aircraft. We want to emerge out the other side of this period of change with our people in good health, our reputation intact and our capability enhanced. Yes there is some hard work ahead, but we want to ensure we can maintain a work/life balance for our people and that serving in the RNZAF remains fun.

These are exciting times. Let’s make sure we do our communications checks. Climb aboard, its time to take-off!

WE Can managE thE task if WE gEt

gOOd adViCE On thE

aRt Of thE pOssiblE

b r i E f N E W S


airmoVementS conferenceRNZAf BASE OHAKEA HOSTED THE ANNUAL RNZAf AIRMOVEMENTS CONfERENCE ON 10-11 JUNE 2008.

The conference was chaired by OC AMS with

key personnel from within the Airmovements’

organisation in attendance. Staff from HQJFNZ,

NZA Movements and No. 40 Squadron also

provided an overview of the current operational

challenges Airmovements is likely to face as the

B757 and C-130 (LEP) are soon introduced back

into service. FLTLT Cannon from the Helicopter

Introduction into Service Team provided a brief

on the helicopter replacement project. His brief

also brought into perspective future capabilities

of the RNZAF air transport fleet. The main aim of

the conference was to review current doctrine and

procedures and to set the path and priorities for

the organisation. Squadron Leader King felt that

the conference went very well and it provided a

considerable degree of confidence to him as OC

that all units were pushing ahead in the same

direction as a very united team, notwithstanding

the geographical separation of his units.

AIRMOVEMENTS TEAM PHOTO AT THEIR CONfERENCE AT BASE OHAKEA IN JUNE 2008.Back Row L-R: SGT wade De Garnham (wB): f/S Tom Kelly (wB); f/S Carol Voshaar (AMf HQ); f/S Graham Ellis (OH); w/O Brian Lay (wN); f/S Digby Bentley (AM School); A/w/O Lloyd Hebbard (CHC). Front Row L-R: w/O Steve McCutcheon (wP); fLTLT Tom fletcher (OH); fLTLT Dave Brenssell (CHC); SQNLDR Pete King (OC AMf); w/O Noel Baigent (AMf HQ); fLTLT Dave woodroffe (wP); fLTLT Vaughan Jones (future CHC).

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fLTLT Thomas fletcher the Airmovements Section Commander at Ohakea greeting OC AMS. It shows that your OC is likely to greet you with a smile if you deliver the pie to him on arrival rather than be caught eating said pie in your office when he arrives!

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eaGLes Visit No.6 sQuaDRoN No.6 Squadron, RNZAf Base

Auckland, whenuapai conduct

monthly training days with a view

to undertake various aviation

training subjects. On friday 30 May

2008, Police Eagle Auckland was

invited to No. 6 Squadron along

with their aircraft to present an

operational capabilities overview

of their unit. The visit also gave No.

6 Squadron aircrew an opportunity

to build up a working relationship

with the Police.

fLTLT will Neil is pictured here in front of the Police aircraft after having a tour of the systems inside

the aircraft on 30 May 2008.

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wGCDR Hurly being capped at the recent graduation ceremony.

On 3 May 2008, WGCDR Peter Hurly, Director of Air Force Medicine, received the Degree

of Master in Aviation Medicine (with credit) at a graduation ceremony of the University of Otago in the Dunedin City Hall.

WGCDR Hurly is the first Air Force officer to be awarded this degree, although two other medical officers, a nursing officer, and one medic are following in his footsteps. WGCDR Hurly was awarded the Diploma in Aviation Medicine from the University of Otago in 1995, when the diploma course was a four year course (it is now a three year course).

Subsequently he was awarded the Post Graduate Certificate in Aeromedical Evacuation in 2004 and then went on to study for his Masters degree in the fields of Aeromedical Evacuation and Occupational Medicine.

aiR foRCe meDiCo GRaDuates

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VeteRaN ReCouNts WW2

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Mr Jack Stafford, an Ex WW2 RNZAF fighter pilot prior to being taken for a flight in a Harvard. His instructor

for the flight was SQNLDR Scott Mckenzie.

Mr Stafford recounted his time as a FLTLT in No. 486

Squadron over Europe during WWII as a Hurricane,

Typhoon and Tempest pilot. Among his most piercing

memories was the first time he flew a combat

mission, in which his aircraft suffered severe flak

damage including a four and a half inch piece of

shrapnel lodged in the propeller spinner. While Mr.

Stafford was at RNZAF Base Ohakea he visited the

Spitfire reconstruction project in Feilding and flew

in the Historic Flight Harvard, one of the first aircraft

types he flew in at Woodbourne as a trainee pilot

in the RNZAF. It was an honour to have Mr Stafford

and at 85 he more than impressed all who had the

pleasure of meeting him.

ON 29 MAY THE RNZAf BASE OHAKEA OffICERS’ MESS HAD A DINING IN AND IT wAS OUR PLEASURE TO HAVE MR JACK STAffORD DfC AS THE GUEST SPEAKER fOR THE NIGHT.

Patu PReseNteDGPCAPT Shaun Clarke has received a special presentation from the CAF. A greenstone patu, was presented in recognition of the recent establishment of the Group and also to symbolise the GPCAPT’s command.The Patu is to be passed from Commander to Commander at the end of each of their respective terms as Commander of Operational Support Group.

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W o a f c o l u m N

W/o kEiTh GEll

WArrANT offiCEr

of ThE Air forCE

are We match fit?There has been a lot of hype around the successful test flights carried out by the first upgraded B757 and C130. This celebration is well deserved and should be celebrated accordingly. It signals that finally we are seeing some physical progress in our quest to modernise all our fleets. Many people are excited and many are waiting in anticipation as to what it will bring.

My question to the whole RNZAF however, is, ‘are we match fit?’ By this I mean have we been doing the training to ensure we are fit before we walk on the paddock. The B757 is a strategic asset and it will have a strategic effect in all units within the RNZAF and NZDF. If you think you are busy, stand by. Our battle rhythm will increase as will the stresses that go with it. Everyone will be eager to get on with it and prove its capability, however all good coaches know that it takes a few games before you get the combinations right and the right match fitness. The Operational Test and Evaluation of the B757 will provide us the pre-game preparation to test all stake holders,

however when this is complete the second aircraft will be due home with a C130 to follow. Flying hours generate work for the RNZAF and in this we will see an increase. The demand on spares will increase, as will the demand on flight rations, overseas accounts, movement on the tarmac and many more.

It has been nearly twelve months since we saw a B757 fly in our skies, some people have moved on and new people have replaced them, this in itself tells a story. On the positive however I was encouraged to hear a W/O talking to an affected unit about what’s arriving. He was also going through some simple drills to prepare this team. This was good leadership in my view as he was being pro-active.

My question to all units is: are you prepared; are you training; are you in the zone? If you are, then well done to that coach. For those that don’t have a game plan, seek advice and get into the zone. Asking for more manpower is not the answer; training your manpower is where it starts. Are you match fit? Go for a run and find out.

wOAf COLUMN

it has bEEn nEaRly tWElVE mOnths sinCE WE saW a b757

fly in OuR skiEs

After 28 years of dedicated service to the

RNZAF W/O Philip Webley was awarded the

New Zealand Meritorious Service Medal (MSM)

by the CAF AVM Graham Lintott during a visit to

Base Woodbourne on 18 June. The medal is an

especially high Air Force honour that can be held

by only 15 RNZAF personnel at any one time. W/O

Webley said he was particularly honoured and

humbled to be personally given the medal by the

CAF himself during an official parade.

CAF AVM Lintott said W/O Webley had contributed

hugely to the Air Force, in particular his part

in introducing successful training programme

changes to the NCO course. ‘You will be a legacy

for this Air Force,’ said AVM Lintott. ‘The medal

is about service. Service and commitment

are things we hold dear in the Air Force. For

someone to give 28 years service to the Air Force

and his country, and to have done it in such a

distinguished fashion is a great achievement.’

Webley first joined the RNZAF in 1980 as a

Firefighter and held various positions before

being promoted to W/O in 2000. He was then

appointed Flight Commander at Base Auckland’s

Fire Flight. He received a CAF’s Commendation

for strengthening ties between the RNZAF and the

New Zealand Fire Service. A keen parachutist, W/O

Webley represented New Zealand at international

tournaments. After retiring from competitive

parachuting he continued as cameraman for

teams. The MSM is awarded to those who have

performed good, faithful and meritorious service

within the Air Force for over 21 years.

– Courtesy Marlborough Express

Dedicated service ReCoGNiseDw/O Philip webley recieving the NZ meritorious service medal from CAf AVM Lintott.

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p E r S c o r N E r

PeRscornerGPCAPT KEVIN MCEVOY ASSISTANT CHIEF OF AIR FORCE PERSONNEL

The new Military Remuneration System (MRS) came into effect on 4 July 2008, and work is continuing for full implementation to occur no later than July 2009. The MRS is an exciting development in NZDF’s Defence Transformation Programme.

MILITARY REMUNERATION SYSTEMThis comprehensive new Military Remuneration System:> is a Total Rewards package which recognises

all the rewards that are provided to service personnel;

> is fair, transparent, equitable and easier to administer;

> is indexed to the wider NZ employment market to enable salary settings to better reflect civil market and skill relativity;

> aids recruitment and retention of personnel;> retains rank as a cornerstone to rewarding

personnel for additional responsibilities,

whilst de-linking rank from trade or branch qualifications to enable pay progression not being reliant on rank advancement;

> provides flexibility to reward military personnel in line with their value to the NZDF; and

> provides a review mechanism that allows the remuneration processes, systems and benefits to remain competitive and attractive.

With the implementation of the new Military Remuneration System, you now have more choice about what you do with your remuneration. You will also have confidence that you are being fairly rewarded for the rank and trade you hold, relative to the external job market. In a few cases, you may not be on the correct step during the transition stage. Once the MRS is fully implemented (which will be no later that July 2009), if you are on the incorrect pay rate you will receive back pay to 4 July 08 or the date of occurrence.

The combination of market aligned remuneration and the premium for service has the effect of lifting remuneration above the majority of people doing similar jobs in the wider NZ employment market.

I am confident that now every Service person will; have a choice on how to access and use their total remuneration, be treated equitably, have access to accommodation choices, and be transparently better off. It is easy to underestimate the significant amount of hard work that has gone into this project, and, while there is still more to do, at this point I would like to acknowledge everyone involved in the development and introduction of the new Military Remuneration System. The dedication and commitment shown by the teams in Personnel Branch, CIS (JAEG), JLSO and Single Service HR departments has meant that the NZDF will now have a robust, fair and future-proof solution to addressing remuneration issues.

BriG mArk WhEElErASSISTANT CHIEF OF PERSONNEL ouR New miLitaRy RemuNeRatioN system

THE MILITARY REMUNERATION SYSTEM IS BEING INTRODUCED IN THREE PHASES:

Phase 1: Translation. This is the period leading up to 4 July. The current pay of all military personnel will be translated to the Defined Total Fixed Remuneration (TFR) which will have the effect of creating a level playing field for accommodation assistance and superannuation across the NZDF. Defined TFRs have recently been advised to all NZDF service personnel via letter. The DTFR was effective from 4 Jul 08 and will be paid on 17 Jul 08.

Phase 2: Transition. It will take a period of time to ensure the MRS is bedded in. During transition, a limited number of pay changes will be able to be affected for individuals. The intention is to keep transition to the minimum period possible. During transition, the criteria for pay progression steps for each branch, specialisation and trade will be finalised and the correct pay step for all personnel will be identified.

Phase 3: MRS full Implementation. This will occur no later than 1 July 2009. Personnel will be placed on the appropriate pay progression step and any pay changes that result will be back paid to 4 July 08, or the date of occurrence.

Letters: Individual letters have been sent to every uniformed serviceperson informing you of your Defined TFR. If you have not received a letter please contact your Admin Centre.

Intranet site: The MRS site on the Pers Branch Intranet contains background information on the system, frequently asked questions, and the new Remuneration tables and sector / tier charts.

Admin Centres: Your Admin Centre will be able to answer specific questions on your individual circumstances.

Roadshows: An external agency (Mercer) continues to hold financial planning workshops in all camps and Bases throughout the country. This information will also be available on the Pers Branch Intranet site.

Pamphlet: A pamphlet outlining the new MRS is available in every camp and Base.

working for families: Your new remuneration package may have an impact on the Working for Families tax credits you may have been receiving. Visit www.workingforfamilies.govt.nz or contact the Ministry of Social Development. (Tel 0800 227 773) for further information.

NZDf Superannuation Advice: You can gain more information on the NZDF superannuation options by calling Mercer (0800 333 787).

imPLemeNtatioN wHeRe CaN i fiND out moRe iNfoRmatioN?

aiR waRfaRe offiCeRs gradUate in StYle

On 29 May 2008 PLTOFFs Kyle Newman and Byron Wagstaff were presented their Air Warfare Officer (AWO) brevets at a ceremony held at the School of Air warfare (SAw), RAAf East Sale, Victoria, Australia.

t r a i N i N g a N d E d u c a t i o N


Their ‘wings’ were presented by AIR CDRE

Rick Owen of the Royal Australian Air Force

(RAAF). Air Combat Officer (ACO) brevets were

also presented to the three RAAF students who

had graduated on 131 Navigator Basic Course.

The NZDF was represented at the parade by

WGCDR Stu Brownlie (Air Adviser Canberra)

along with the RNZN and RNZAF instructors and

students from SAW.

The award of AWO wings represents the

culmination of fifteen months of air navigation

and warfare training, both on the ground, and

in the Super King Air B350. During this lengthy

period AWOs study various disciplines including

air navigation techniques, air power, crew

resource management, checklist operation,

flight safety, navigation equipment and air traffic

control communication requirements. Towards

the end of the course, the students learn

the art of tactical employment in a maritime

environment together with utilising the aircraft

for Search and Rescue.

In addition to receiving their ‘wings’ the two Kiwi

students were presented with six of the seven

course awards. The ‘Best Sportsman’ award

eluded them on the day… it could be suggested

that with the strong trans-Tasman rivalry that

exists at the school, it was always going to be

a tall order to achieve the sporting trophy, and

ultimately a clean sweep!

PLTOFF Newman was awarded the wellington

Shire Leadership Trophy for displaying the best

leadership qualities throughout the course.

He also received the BAE Systems – Highest

Academic Assessment Award for achieving the

highest overall mark in ground school. Ground

School covered theory lectures in nineteen

principal subject areas, with practical exercises

and formal exams.

PLTOFF Wagstaff was awarded the BAE Systems

– Best Practical Navigator Award as the student

who achieved the highest overall mark for the

flying phase of the course. He was also awarded

the RNZAf Astrolabe Trophy for achieving the

highest result by an RNZAF student, and the

Hawker Pacific Air Navigation Trophy for overall

Dux of the course.

PLTOFF Wagstaff also achieved an overall

Distinction Pass for both academic assessment

and flying assessment. His excellent results

placed him in the top two percent of all RNZAF and

RAAF navigator students to have graduated from

the school. This achievement was recognised with

the presentation of The Merton Sword of Honour.

AVM W.H. Merton, CB, OBE, RAF, was Chief of Air

Staff for the Royal New Zealand Air Force from

1954 to 1956. He donated his ceremonial sword

and it became the Sword of Honour to the best

all-round officer graduating from an ab-initio Pilot

or Air Warfare Officer training course, with the

emphasis on powers of leadership and officer

qualities. The Merton Sword of Honour is only

awarded to a graduate with exceptional results,

and has been awarded only 34 times since 1955.

It was last presented to a navigator in 1987.

Kyle and Byron will soon be posted to No. 5

Squadron where they will undertake conversion

onto the P3-K Orion.

thE studEnts lEaRn thE aRt

Of taCtiCal EmplOymEnt in a maRitimE EnViROnmEnt

PhoT

os

Cour

TEsy

rAA

f.

Air Commodore Rick Owen RAAf presents PLTOff Newman with the wellington Shire Council Leadership Trophy.

Air Commodore Rick Owen presents PLTOff wagstaff with the Dux of the Course Award.



for mArk ANd NiCk PEArsoN, royAl NEW ZEAlANd Air forCE iNiTiAl offiCEr TrAiNiNG CoursE (ioTC) GrAduATioN AT rNZAf BAsE WoodBourNE oN WEdNEsdAy 11 JuNE WAs oNE of sPECiAl siGNifiCANCE.As the pair from Blenheim took to the parade ground with 27 fellow graduates, it was the first time in recent memory that a father and son received their commissioning together.

OCDT Mark Pearson, a former F/S and avionics

technician who has spent 12 years with the

RNZAF, graduated as an Engineering Officer in

the rank of FLTLT and was posted to Operational

Training Flight at Ground Training Wing as the

Flight Commander. His son, former Nelson

College student, OCDT Nick Pearson headed

to Massey University to study for a Bachelor of

Aviation Management under the new University

Officer Scheme, before starting his pilot training

on Wings Course in 2011. Despite the challenges

of IOTC, OCDT Pearson (Snr) says watching his

son come through the course has been a great

source of pride. ‘Nick is a very down to earth

guy and he has actually helped me to remain

focussed on occasion, it’s a bit like a reversal of

the father/son role! I am incredibly proud of his

achievements, especially as he’s the youngest

on course and has had the added pressure of

having his father on course with him.’

A RNZAF Harvard in a fly past demonstration at the IOTC graduation on 11 June. The seemingly 'over the moon' image may well have reflected the sense of achievement felt by the 29 officers who completed the course.

father and son graduates Mark and Nick Pearson (left). Their graduation on 11 June was a ‘special’ day in more ways than one.

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make it a famiLy affaiR

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littOn tROphyThe Litton Trophy was presented by the Litton

Aircraft Corporation to recognise and reward

outstanding technical merit, dedication and/

or personal qualities by an Avionics Trade

Technician.

This year, the Litton Trophy is awarded to CPL

Paul Deighton.

While working at No.3 Squadron as a LAC,

CPL Deighton demonstrated an excellent

level of technical ability in his understanding

of the Iroquois and Sioux helicopter avionics

systems. He was proactive in his out-of-trade

work on airframe and engine systems, gaining

authorisations to carry out a number of Iroquois

daily servicing blocks relieving work pressure on

Aircraft Trade personnel.

CPL Deighton’s standout contribution has

been his commitment to the success of No.

3 Squadron’s detachment in East Timor’s Dili

where he played a large role in the initial setup

of the 3 Squadron hanger facilities.

His adaptability and responsibility while working

in difficult conditions is exemplary. For these

reasons, he is awarded the Litton Trophy for

2007.

pRatt & WhitnEy tROphyThe Pratt and Whitney Trophy was presented

by the Pratt & Whitney Aircraft Corporation to

recognise and reward outstanding technical

merit, dedication and/or personal qualities by

an Aircraft Trade Technician.

This year, the Pratt and Whitney Trophy is

awarded to CPL Luke Elliot.

CPL Elliott has been employed in the Maintenance

Support Squadron Rotary Bay. Frequent AOG

demands that have been placed upon the

Bay have required a proactive and dedicated

approach. His attention to detail has ensured

correct work and safety procedures are followed

by his subordinates and he has dealt with

tasks and problems in a logical, mature and

responsible manner.

CPL Elliott has a strong interest in serving the

RNZAF; he is currently an Anti-Harassment

Advisor, volunteered to be the Ohakea Quarter

Guard Commander and willingly assisted

with recruiting expos. He has recently started

study towards an NZDE through the diploma

scheme.

CPL Elliott’s inspirational leadership and can

do attitude is a fine example and inspiration to

his peers. For these reasons, he is awarded the

Pratt & Whitney Trophy for 2007.

uniCORn tROphyThe Unicorn Trophy was presented by Unicorn

International Pty Ltd for Charter Industries of

ON 25 fEBRUARY 1995 THREE TROPHIES wERE PRESENTED TO RECOGNISE AND REwARD DESERVING TECHNICAL TRADES PEOPLE SERVING AT RNZAf BASE OHAKEA. THE TROPHIES MARKED THE 25TH SILVER JUBILEE Of THE INTRODUCTION Of THE MCDONNELL–DOUGLAS SKYHAwK INTO THE RNZAf. IN

2001, SAfE AIR LTD PRESENTED A SIMILAR TROPHY fOR SUPPLY PERSONNEL.

tRadE tROphiEs

GPCAPT Andy woods presents the Best Avionics Tradesperson 2007 Trophy to CPL Paul Deighton.

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Singapore to recognise and reward outstanding

technical merit, dedication and/or personal

qualities by an Armament Trade Technician.

This year, the Unicorn Trophy is awarded to CPL

Jason Hyland.

CPL Hyland has been employed in the Armament

Technical Suppor t Cell processing and

monitoring aeronautical and ground Armament

technical issues. He has demonstrated in-depth

understanding of procedures and an ability

to devise improvement while maintaining

relationships in a professional manner.

Corporal Hyland’s personal qualities, trade

knowledge and dedication to duty are above

those that would normally be expected of

a Corporal, and have been of great value

during a time of major work, when there was

limited manpower, low experience levels, and

demanding technical issues.

Corporal Hyland’s overall performance is a credit

to him and he is an example for his subordinates

to follow. For these reasons, he is awarded the

Unicorn Trophy for 2007.

safE aiR tROphyThe SAFE Air Trophy was presented by Safe

Air Ltd to recognise and reward outstanding

technical merit, dedication and/or personal

qualities by a Supply tradesperson.

This year, the SAFE Air Trophy is awarded to LAC

Mel Barkla.

During 2007 LAC Barkla has been employed

in a number of posts within the key area of

Supply Chain Management Squadron where she

continually demonstrated an excellent level of

trade knowledge and adaptability.

She first worked in the Material Master Data

Team ensuring personnel involved in the new

itemised process were aware that their actions

post Project JEMS became the teams standard

operating procedure.

Currently, LAC Barkla is employed as the aero

buyer for the Iroquois and Sioux fleet where

she acts as the conduit between internal and

external stakeholders in the purchasing of new

aeronautical equipment from the Australasian

and US market. LAC Barkla is a competent

and ambitious worker who maintains high

standards.

Her enthusiasm and dedication has made her an

extremely valued member of the Supply Trade.

For these reasons, LAC Barkla is awarded the

SAFE Air Trophy for 2007.

This year the Litton and Safe Air Trophies were presented by Commander Logistics Group, GPCAPT Andy woods on 29 May. The Unicorn Trophy will be officially presented to Cpl Elliot at Auckland in July and the Unicorn Trophy will be presented to CPL Hyland on his return from Timor Leste.

CO matERiEl suppORt Wing COmmEndatiOnOn 29 May COMSW WGCDR Vern Crabtree

presented a Commanding Officer Commendation

to LAC Jo Harrison in recognition of her hard

work and diligent efforts during periods of

considerable change for the SCM IRO/SIO team

that has ensured the highest possible support

for 3 SQN and instilled confidence in Supply

support on RNZAF Ohakea. LAC Harrison is a

quiet achiever, who prefers to ‘get on with the

job’ rather than talk about it, she exemplifies the

RNZAF adage of ‘walking the talk’.

In acknowledgement of her personal enthusiasm

for challenging herself to perform at a level

beyond her rank, and in raising the professional

profile of Supply activities on Ohakea, LAC

Harrison was awarded a CO Materiel Support

Wing Commendation.

GPCAPT Andy woods presents the Best Supply

Tradesperson 2007 trophy to LAC Mel Barkla.

wGCDR Vern Crabtree makes the presentation of CO Materiel Support wing

Commendation to LAC Joanne Harrison.

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pERsOnal qualitiEs, tRadE knOWlEdgE and

dEdiCatiOn tO duty aRE abOVE

thOsE that WOuld nORmally bE

ExpECtEd

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r E c o g N i t i o N

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CAF AVM Lintott officially opening the new CRTS staff joe room.

CAf AVM Lintott listens to new Base welfare facilitation initiatives.

CAf AVM Lintott talks to the Avionics Technician Course at Base woodbourne.

In addition to engaging with RNZAF Units and personnel the CAF took

the opportunity to award Certificates of Commendation to several personnel. The Certificate is presented personally to the recipient by the CAF at the first convenient opportunity following its award.

This commendation covers both Unit and individual recognition. All RNZAF Units, personnel, civilian employees of the RNZAF, and others deemed appropriate by the CAF, of all ranks are eligible for the award of the CAF Commendation. The award recognises contributions to the RNZAF by those personnel and Units who deserve formal recognition but which may not be

covered by the criteria for the awards from the sovereign (DFO 7.135).

The purpose of the CAF commendation is to:

• Provide formal recognition of personal endeavours;

• Assist in promoting job and career satisfaction particularly in areas where;

• valuable service seldom leads to other forms of recognition.;

• Contribute to incentives to excel or perform to a higher standard;

• Recognise outstanding achievements or special Service by individuals or Units of the RNZAF.

ReCoGNitioN

Accordingly the following personnel were personally presented with CAf’s Commendations:

SGT PAUL KERRIDGEAwarded the CAf’s Commendation.

f/S GEORGE LIDGETTAwarded the CAf’s Commendation.

f/S DAVID SLEATORAwarded the CAf’s Commendation.

SQNLDR ALEXANDER COXAwarded the CAf’s Commendation.

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w/O DAVID NAPIERPresented with his Warrant officer Parchment.

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SGT DANIEL SLOANAwarded the CAf’s Commendation.

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l E a d E r S h i p

likE mosT Good lEAdErs ChiEf of Air forCE (CAf) Avm GrAhAm liNToTT PrEfErs ThE PErsoNAl TouCh WhEN GAuGiNG ThE mood ANd oPiNioNs of his sTAff iNCludiNG ThosE of oThEr rANks ANd CiviliANs. iT is No surPrisE ThEN ThAT oN visiTs To BAsEs AuCklANd ANd WoodBourNE lAsT moNTh ThE CAf, ACComPANiEd By WArrANT offiCEr of ThE Air forCE kEiTh GEll, sPENT A Good dEAl of TimE ENGAGiNG WiTh BAsE PErsoNNEl.

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CAf AVM Lintott pays an informal visit to No.6 Squadron.

CAf AVM Lintott talks to RNZAf women’s basketball team players CPL Rebecca Trethowen

(left) and fGOff Jill Blackman.

SQNLDR Bernie Pothan does some child minding for SQNLDR Phill Bedford, OC Command and Recruit Training Squadron.

c o a l i t i o N p a r t N E r S


WGCdr dAvE GrEEN TAlks ABouT his ExPEriENCEs As PArT of ThE uNiTEd NATioNs missioN iN kosovo (uNmik) iN This PosTCArd from kosovo.

Kosovo. About 140 kms long, 110 kms wide.

You can drive around it on a good day in less

than nine hours. On a bad day... It’s a region in

transition, governed by the United Nations for

so long that white Toyota 4 Runners with UN on

the side are recognised as normal by an entire

generation of children.

It’s a place that just can't help but contradict

itself. The people are poor, but there are more

BMWs and Audis and Mercedes on the road than

I have ever seen. Unemployment is high but the

clothes are all Paris and Milan haute couture.

People are fiercely proud of their new state,

but they throw their rubbish over the balconies

and onto the streets. They want to be seen as

cosmopolitan, but spitting in the streets and

smoking in restaurants is normal.

I live in a roomy, warm, clean bedsitter, with

small kitchenette and bathroom. I am lucky,

because my landlord has a huge generator that

kicks in when the mains power goes off – that’s

about 6 hours a day. I don't have water in the

mornings, because Kosovo cannot generate

enough electricity to run the water purification

plant 24 hours a day. The 1950's vintage coal

fired power station on the outskirts of Pristina

covers everything in a fine layer of brown soot

on a daily basis.

I eat well. I can have anything from trout to

t-bone, filet mignon to fried rice, sushi to...

something beginning with S. A rare to medium

fillet steak, with entree costs me about 8 euros

($16.00). I'm tempted to eat out every night

because it’s cheaper, better than I could make,

and I don't have to do the dishes. No McDonalds,

but. I sleep well, except for the nights when

fireworks add to a family celebration. Sorry, the

Warehouse ‘Mega Boom Box’ would get laughed

at here - these are REAL fireworks.

I'm not a great driver, so I fit in quite well here.

When I am inevitably in the wrong lane, they let

me in. Then they let me go back after I find that

I'm not in the wrong lane at all, I'm on the wrong

road! And in the wrong village. They tell me where

to go....politely, of course. My wife would like it

here because you don't park, you just get out.

Turn the engine off if you like.

The place has a high crime rate, although shops

leave their glass fronted fridges full of beer and

soft drinks outside on the street overnight with

a chain around them. They are still there in the

morning - intact. A small kiosk that I walk past

each morning started out in life as a Ford Transit

van. It sits out there all night, full of cigarettes

and chewing gum. And no-one touches it.

Teenagers walk around the town at midnight in

small social groups, and I have yet to see a fight.

But you can buy drugs, guns and prostitutes as

easily as a newspaper.

poStcard fromkosoVo

Photograph taken by

wGCDR Dave Green

of Kosovo chi ldren

dressed up for the

National Children and

family festival held in

Pristina on 1 June.

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c o a l i t i o N p a r t N E r S

The First Lady of the United States paid

a visit to the New Zealand Provincial

Reconstruction Team (NZPRT) in Bamyan

Province, Afghanistan, on 8 June.

Under a bright mid-morning Bamyan sky Mrs Laura

Bush was greeted with a haka before meeting

NZPRT Commander Colonel Darryl Tracy and other

members of the PRT. Following the greeting, Mrs

Bush thanked the PRT for their warm welcome and

for New Zealand's work in Afghanistan on behalf

of President Bush and the people of the United

States. COL Tracy replied that the NZDF personnel

enjoy their work in Bamyan.

‘We are a small nation with a small Defence Force

but we appreciate very much the relationship we

have been able to forge with our United States

coalition partners. We enjoy working beside

them and under their command.’

Mrs. Bush was also introduced to the men and

women in each task group of the New Zealand

Defence Force contingent, New Zealand Police,

U.S. and Singaporean Armed Forces and civilians

who work and live at Kiwi Base. MAJ Justin de

la Haye had the honour of being Mrs Bush’s

escort officer.

‘Mrs Bush was very knowledgeable about New

Zealand’s contribution to Afghanistan. She was

a very charming lady and was very interested in

the history of the Haka,’ MAJ de la Haye said.

The First Lady’s three hour trip to Bamyan

province included a visit to an Afghanistan

National Police training centre where New

Zealand Police officers mentor training

instructors, an orphanage, a women’s business

workshop and a ground breaking ceremony for

a new road in the Bamyan bazaar.

The 134-strong NZPRT is tasked with assisting in

security and reconstruction in Bamyan Province.

There are also two non-commissioned officers

assisting with training the Afghan National Army,

five officers in International Security Assistance

Force HQ positions, one military liaison officer

with the United Nations Assistance Mission,

and two medical specialists with the Canadian

Multinational Medical Unit at Kandahar.

There are currently 624 New Zealand Defence Force

personnel deployed on 16 operations, UN missions

and defence exercises around the world.

vIsIts kIwI BAsE IN AFgHANIstANUS firSt ladY

The haka that greeted US first Lady Laura Bush upon her arrival at the NZPRT Base.

US first Lady Laura Bush meets Trooper Tyran Poi at Kiwi Base.

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o p E r a t i o N a l c a p a b i l i t y

TEAChiNG NEW doGs old TriCks (ANd old doGs NEW TriCks!) is A PhrAsE, CoiNEd WiTh rEsPECT To ThE lATEsT TrAiNiNG Aid, ElECTro-TEChNoloGy TrAiNiNG squAdroN (ETs) Adds To iTs ArsENAl of iNsTruCTioNAl GiZmos.

Ground Training Wing’s (GTW) support for

a self-help approach adds another locally

manufactured solution to a technological

training mechanism, allowing Avionics training to

keep pace with the introduction of new aircraft.

Avionics training is introducing a ‘home grown’

Glass Cockpit Trainer (GCT) as a way of providing

Avionics personnel with an interactive approach

to understanding the complexities of integrated

avionic systems.

The introduction of “glass cockpits” as part of

the C130 Life Extension Programme, P3-K2

Systems Upgrade Programme and the NH90

purchase requires an understanding of the

intricacies of system avionics displays. The GCT

training classroom will go a long way to providing

a training solution through an interactive

approach.

ETS and the Training Aid Review Project (TARP)

Team personnel recognised the need to

introduce an innovative way to engage students

with this new technology. Various approaches to

the solution were considered resulting in a ‘local

solution’ GCT concept and engineering design.

ETS was to front a design under financial support

from the TARP to provide a six ship set classroom

at a significantly reduced cost. From prototype

and proof of concept to completion of the first

pre-production unit took 12 weeks

The solution has exceeded expectations of

GTW’s training command. The new classroom

will replace the old discrete component

Communications and Navigation instruction

board developed in the 1980s.

The GCT concept was developed to incorporate

current Avionics training packages into one

complete system. The areas include Avionics

Mechanic and Technician training in;

>> Instrument

>> Electrical

>> Radar

>> Communication, and

>> Navigation training

New electronics technology and advancements

in visual rendering now provide the basis for

virtual learning through simulation. The GCT

as a Part Task Trainer demonstrates the link

between what the aircraft is doing and what

the instruments are showing. This approach to

training is necessary as students now need to

interact to satisfy their kinesthetic learning style,

whereas previously the only time they saw these

instruments was in a photo in their handout or

with an antiquated training aid.

It is necessary to spread the graphics intensive

output across multiple monitors to fully interact

with the flight information, visual correlation and

aircraft system controls. The system therefore

uses pilot, co-pilot, overhead and FMS displays

to produce a sense of flight deck realism. This

allows two students to work together; one

performs tasks in accordance with Servicing

Procedures (SPs) while the other watches,

interprets displays, takes notes and reads

manuals.

Commercial Off The Shelf (COTS) computer

equipment provides the backbone of the system

and is easily maintained and future-proofed

when upgrades are required.

Many different aircraft types can be loaded

and with their respective systems, provide

variations on systems not always found in the

same airframe. For those technically inclined,

the GCT system uses;

aVionicSON-lINE NOt IN-lINE!

W/o muZA dAviEs

CTRGG utilising the pre-production GCT at its commissioning run on friday 13 June 08. Control of the Boeing 767 programme above the skies of woodbourne did not prove to be a “black friday” although the

landing was somewhat tactical!

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The six GCTs will be networked to a central

instructor station which is configured as a

control tower. The instructor station acts as the

local Air Traffic Control (Woodbourne Tower)

providing audio, visual and monitoring functions.

When complete, the classroom will provide a

fully interactive environment where students

will be required to undertake scenarios and

observations based on what they have been

covering in class. This may lead to practical

assessment over the intercom system where the

students explain what they see and the theory

behind what is happening to the aircraft via the

instrument displays. The proposed structure of

the class is that an aircraft has been serviced

and needs checks to be carried out in accordance

with the servicing documents. The student

checks the F700, reads the unserviceable log,

goes to the SP and follows the procedures. The

results of the maintenance action are recorded

in the student’s workbook and then shown to the

instructor. With a structured class the students

are required to achieve set goals and exhibit an

understanding of what they are viewing.

Virtual test equipment has also been designed

to allow systems checks to be carried out by

the students. The central touch screen on the

centre console becomes the relevant piece

of test equipment (Air data, VOR / ILS and IFF

Transponder) where the user powers the item up,

adjusts settings and runs the compliance tests to

confirm faults or conducts systems functionals.

Faults can be set up either on a timed basis during

the scenario or manually by the instructor as

desired. In using virtual test equipment, significant

cost savings can be made (e.g. a single test set

costing up to $180,000) ensuring sufficient items

will always be available to all in class. Additionally

the test equipment will always be in calibration

and available when needed. Students will still

need to use real test equipment in the hangar

phases of their course but they can learn how to

use a virtual item in the GCT environment prior to

actual hands-on and without waiting around to use

limited physical resources.

The introduction of the GCTs to the classroom

environment should be complete by the end

of July this year and is eagerly awaited by

both instructors and students. The increase

in interactive training aids has enabled ETS

to engage further with its students and helps

the instructors sustain the motivation to learn.

Again, the self-help approach adopted by GTW

has demonstrated that the Air Force training

environment is a leading edge institution

within the New Zealand training industry.

Congratulations to SGT Hamilton (development),

SGT Ireland, CPL Hollins, CPL Moore, ATS

Metalworkers (manufacture) and W/O Evans

(project management).

aVionicSON-lINE NOt IN-lINE!

SOfTwAREXP

FSX

NZ Land Class Scenery

Level D Boeing 767

Majestic Bombardier Dash 8

HARDwARE2.5 Gig AMD Quadcore processor

4 gigabytes of RAM

4 x 8800 GTS 512 Meg dual head graphics cards

4 x 22” touch monitors

2 x 22” standard LCD monitors

Flight Illusion Communication and navigation suite

GoFlight Autopilot Mode Control Panel (MCP)

CH Pedals, Yoke and Throttle Quadrant

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The pre production GCT in its cubicle (the first of six for

the classroom.

Old Comm’s and Nav systems training board which was limited in scope and provided limited interaction.

E d u c a t i o N a N d t r a i N i N g


Two Air Force students – F/S Colin Edie and

FLTLT Mark Brewer - graduated as Massey

Scholars (the top five percent of Business School

graduates), and were also presented with the

'Dean's List' Achievement award for 2007. FLTLT

Mark Brewer’s award was a Dean's scholar

award for his achievement of an A+ average

over 2007.

The inaugural Dean’s List, established recently

by the College of Business, now has a roll of

220 students who have been honoured at

ceremonies at each campus. The Dean’s List, a

registry of top performing students is an initiative

which Pro Vice-Chancellor Professor Lawrence

Rose says will bring a number of benefits to both

students and the University.

‘In New Zealand Universities we tend not to

give enough recognition to our top students

and the college has established the Dean’s

List to celebrate excellence. This gives us an

opportunity to identify and support our best

performers, it sets a target for students to aim

for and it enables employers to identify our best

future graduates,’ says Professor Rose.

The list includes four students who have

achieved consistent A plus grades and have

been identified as Dean’s List Scholars. These

exceptional students are Valeria Kern, Colin

Edie, Mark Brewer (Auckland) and Alana

Moriarty (Palmerston North).

Apart from giving the most competitive students

something to strive for, the establishment of

a Dean’s List, which is common practice in

American business schools, helps to keep

standards high because students who make it

to the list have to perform well each year to stay

on the elite roll.

The Dean’s List was launched by Professor Rose

in Palmerston North this week at a celebration

attended by students, families and College of

Business staff. The inaugural Dean’s List will

consist of 220 students (out of 11,500 who

are enrolled in the College of Business as

undergraduates) who have achieved an average

grade of A- in their first, second or third year

of study.

f/S COLIN EDIEMy BBS Major was in Enterprise Development. It

has taken me seven years to complete. I started

studying towards the graduate diploma but then

decided to go for the degree instead. My first

exam was in 2001 while on deployment to East

Timor, which I really appreciated being able to

do in-theatre. I have found the RNZAF to be very

supportive in continuing education, with the

Voluntary Education Study Assistance (VESA)

scheme absolutely brilliant. I was also fortunate

enough to have my last four subjects sponsored.

A great advantage of the Business degree is that

apart from the core and major subjects, there

is great flexibility in choosing elective topics to

study. This allowed subjects outside the school

of business but directly relevant to my job, to

also be studied.

My study was carried out through Massey

University which offers the choice of extramural

(correspondence) study which can help when

juggling work and family life.

The Air Force can provide a wonderful opportunity

for those wanting to further their education. I

would encourage others considering a bit of

extra study to talk to people who have recently

used the VESA scheme and the Base Education

Officer to find out more.

fLTLT MARK BREwERMy major was in ‘Human Resource Development’

which is linked to my work in Training and

Development. It has taken me 10 years part

time extramural study to complete it. I started in

1998 as a Corporal in the Army and completed a

Graduate Diploma in Business Studies majoring

in ‘Training and Development’ in 2002. Instead

of graduating with the Diploma I kept on studying

to obtain the full Degree. I continued study

when deployed on operations in East Timor in

2000 and I sat an exam while on exercise in

Malaysia in 1999.

I came across to the Air Force and started IOTC

in August 2004 and was posted as an Education

Officer to TGHQ. I continued studying but had to

stop when I deployed to Afghanistan as a Patrol 2IC

in 2006 as the operational tempo was too high to

do University work and operational patrols.

On my return in April 2007 I decided to complete

the Degree and undertook a full course load

in the second semester (4 papers) while still

working by using my long leave and some AL.

This was the first time that I had undertaken a

full course load, but managed four A+s (no one

was more surprised than I). I finished off the last

paper over summer and sat the exam while on

Junior Staff Course.

The study has really helped my staff writing skills

and contributed to me winning the Essay Writing

prize on JSC. NZ Army funded just over a third of

the Degree, the RNZAF another third and I paid

for the rest myself.

thE aiR fORCE pROVidEs a

WOndERful OppORtunity fOR

thOsE Wanting tO fuRthER thEiR

EduCatiOn.

Bachelor of Business studies success

fLTLT Mark Brewer (left) and f/S Colin Edie with college Pro Vice-Chancellor Professor Lawrence Rose. Photo courtesy Massey University.


o u r r E p u t a t i o N

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make-a-WiShsqNldr sTEvE hANCoCk

What could not be included in the article as it

went to print was the financial success of the

event, which has led to the Air Force Museum, the

Ohakea Visitor Centre Trust and Make–A-Wish

New Zealand being beneficiaries of the funds

raised during the day. Base Ohakea personnel

have a close association with Make-A-Wish New

Zealand and have previously made donations

THE APRIL/MAY 2008 EDITION Of THE AIR fORCE NEwS CONTAINED AN ARTICLE ON HOw SUCCESSfUL THE OHAKEA OPEN DAY 2008 HAD BEEN wITH OVER 30,000 PEOPLE TURNING UP THE NUMBERS SPEAK fOR THEMSELVES.

Make-A-wish’s fay Pedley thanks SQNLDR Steve Hancock, SGT Richards and w/O Robertson for the t-shirt and banner.

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it Was a gREat plEasuRE tO

pREsEnt makE-a-Wish With

a ChEquE fOR $6,695.93...thanks

tO thE OhakEa OpEn day

to it from Physical Education and Recreational

Training (PE&RT) Flight organised events and

the Maintenance Support Squadron (MSS) relay

from Auckland to Ohakea, which was featured in

the February 08 edition of the Air Force News. It

was therefore with great pleasure that WGCDR

Russell Mardon (COOSW OH) presented Make-

A-Wish with a cheque on Thursday 1 May for

$6695.83, being their share of the raised during

the Open Day. The cheque was accepted on

behalf of Make-A-Wish New Zealand by a young

lad from Palmerston North named George, who

had just been flown into the Pascal Street Arena

to receive the granting of a wish, this being a

trip for him and his family to Australia. Also on

hand were W/O Robbo Robertson and SGT Ian

Richards who presented Fay Pedley from Make-

A-Wish with a signed t-shirt and banner on behalf

of the MSS relay runners. Fay expressed her

gratitude to the support that Ohakea personnel

have given Make-A-Wish, which has enabled local

childrens’ wishes to come true.wGCDR Mardon hands the cheque over to George.



No. 5 Squadron Commanding Officer, WGCDR Logan Cudby said the training aimed to make sure everyone involved from pilots and air crew, to ground crew and armament personnel has the necessary training to handle, load and drop high explosive weaponry.

‘The Air Force’s Orions can be armed with either depth bombs or torpedoes. The bombing week practices the critical links between ground support personnel and air crews to ensure the weapons can be delivered accurately,’ he said.

HIGH EXPLOSIVE BOMBS ROCKED THE KAIPARA AIR wEAPONS RANGE NORTH Of AUCKLAND AS THE ROYAL NEw ZEALAND AIR fORCE UNDERTOOK A wEEK Of BOMBING TRAINING OVER 9 TO 13 JUNE.The week saw a RNZAF P3-K Orion drop 42 MK 82 (500lb) bombs as part of an exercise designed to ensure personnel maintain the skills necessary for the operation, preparation and release of ordnance.

BomBS Boomat kaiPaRa

The Kaipara Air weapons Range was the target as Number 5 Squadron from the RNZAf undertook bombing training.

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Bombs away. A RNZAf P3-K Orion drops a bomb as part of its bombing training.

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bEtWEEn gROund suppORt

pERsOnnEl and aiR CREWs

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r E c o g N i S i N g o u r b r a N d

takiNG a LoNG Look

SOON YOU wON’T HAVE ANY TROUBLE IDENTIfYING wHICH MINIBUS IS THERE TO PICK YOU UP AT AUCKLAND AIRPORT – OR ANYwHERE ELSE – THANKS TO A PROJECT TO PAINT ALL TwENTY Of THE RNZAf’S MINIBUSES IN A UNIQUE AND EYE-CATCHING DESIGN. The design, incorporating images of Air Force aircraft, its new logo (Step Up – Piki Ake), and its web and text contact addresses ‘looks awesome’ says RNZAF Vehicle Fleet Manager Jenine Burroughs who is co-ordinating the project. The minibuses (ten in Auckland; five in Ohakea; four in Woodbourne; one in Wellington) are being progressively painted over the coming months to raise the Air Force’s public profile. And with up to eight minibuses on the road every working day in Auckland alone, there is plenty of on-road time for the mobile advertising signs to be noticed. ‘The vehicles are also used on weekends for sporting and cultural events and exercises. Every time a minibus goes out the

gate it’s carrying the Air Force message into the local community,’ says Mrs Burroughs.

The idea had its genesis at the 07 Aviation Refueller’s Trade Meeting and originally called for two painted minibuses per Base. It follows in the tracks of similar signs on the Recruiter’s six cars which have been painted for just over a year and have sparked a positive reaction. Through the support of GPCAPT Grant Crosland and WGCDR Vern Crabtree, the idea was extended to include the painting of all twenty minibuses.The first to be painted by contractors Henshaw

Signs was the Wellington based RNZAF Central Band’s vehicle and it will soon be followed by the five minibuses at Base Ohakea.

Each vehicle takes 3 to 4 days to paint before it is rolled out ready for its new life as a high visibility sign on wheels. While Mrs Burroughs concedes that the impact of the signs is unknown at present she hopes the prominent presence of Air Force Recruiting’s web and text message addresses will eventually be reflected in their regular report on how people responded to Air Force advertising. Watch this space…

striking New Look FOR MINIBusEs

The RNZAF’s new painted minibuses are designed to raise its public profile.

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Being a Helicopter Crewman on Chinooks in the UK, I came to New Zealand expecting

my role here on the Iroquois to be very much the same, albeit in a very different airframe. In many respects that was true – a confined area in a wood or an under-slung load are pretty much the same no matter what aircraft you are operating, your main priority as a Crewman being the safe voice marshalling of the aircraft to prevent the rotors striking the trees or the under-slung load making contact with the ground before you want it to!

That said, my difficulties began when I realised that the Kiwis had a somewhat different ‘patter’ to ours – ‘patter’ is the language the Crewman uses to pass instructions to the Pilot. This is a key issue when it comes to Flight Safety as the Pilot is expecting to hear an instruction said in a certain way and it was very easy for me to slip in to English ‘patter’, which could easily cause confusion. Things did fall into place though and I was given a Flying Categorisation allowing

me to fly without an instructor present. Flying on the Iroquois has been a learning and skill enhancing experience for me. I have done a lot more winching here than I would in the UK - although all UK Crewmen are winch operator and winchman qualified, it is something we do

not practice to the extent of the Kiwis, as the Search and Rescue Sea Kings deal with that side of life. I have also learnt to respect helicopters again - operating on the Iroquois, you have to be constantly aware of the aircraft’s performance

sGT fAirBroThEr, rAf

flying On thE iROquOis

has bEEn a lEaRning & skill

EnhanCing ExpERiEnCE

limitations to be able to complete your tasks safely. It is very easy to take things for granted on the Chinook as it is such a powerful aircraft which can lift another Chinook on one hook and tends to bulk out before it runs out of lift capability – lack of power is rarely an issue!

It was also refreshing to be involved with some of the public relations events that No.3 Squadron get involved with, such as the Police Special Tactics Group fast roping into the AMI Stadium in Christchurch before the Crusaders v Blues game in April to deliver the match ball. This also led to us getting to meet Richie McCaw!

It would have been the cherry on the cake to have deployed to Timor Leste in order to broaden my operational experiences in a different environment than the desert and perhaps share some of the skills I have developed on operations in Iraq and Afghanistan. However that was not to be, so I made best use of my time to ensure that I travelled extensively throughout New Zealand, making the most of this once in a lifetime opportunity to visit this country. I will also be taking back fond memories of the many Speights and Tui (fine local beverages) that I have felt obliged to partake in whilst here!!



IN wHAT IS A SIGNIfICANT MILESTONE fOR THE ROYAL NEw ZEALAND AIR fORCE’S BOEING 757 MODIfICATION AND UPGRADE PROGRAMME, THE fIRST Of TwO AIRCRAfT (NZ7571) HAS COMPLETED SUCCESSfUL TEST fLIGHTS AT MOBILE AEROSPACE ENGINEERING IN MOBILE, ALABAMA.

The Boeing has had significant structural

modification and we are delighted with how the

aircraft performed and handled said RNZAF 757

test pilot, Squadron Leader Richard Beaton.

‘Even though we have been flying and operating

the Boeing for five years now there is always a

certain amount of excitement and anticipation

when you first take control of an aircraft that has

had as much work done on it as 7571.

‘Of particular interest to us was how the aircraft

handled with the changes having been made to

the aircraft fuselage combined with the increase

in thrust from the engines.

‘All going well from this point we hope to have the

aircraft signed over to the Ministry of Defence

and then returned to New Zealand in the next

two months,” Squadron Leader Beaton said.

Two RNZAF Boeing 757 aircraft are currently

undergoing a modification programme at Mobile

Aerospace Engineering in Mobile, Alabama,

and Boeing Integrated Defence Systems in

Wichita, Kansas. The programme includes

extensive airframe and avionics (navigation/

communication) modifications.

The modified 757 will provide the RNZAF with the

ability to rapidly change the role of the aircraft

to any given task, converting from standard

passenger configuration to a combination

freight/passenger, full freight, Aero Medical

Evacuation (AME) and VIP set up.

fit to fLy

aiR foRCe

757Boeing

TEST fLIGHT INfORMATIONThe first RNZAF Boeing 757 test flight was conducted in a little over four hours proving the operation of normal systems and equipment on the aircraft. The test flight also certified the functionality of safety and backup systems.

This comprehensive test flight followed a series of thorough ground tests after more than a year of modifications on the ground in the United States. It has realised significant structural and avionic upgrades on the Boeing 757 making it one of the most extensively modified 757 aircraft to date.

During the test flight the aircraft was flown close to the limits of its normal operating envelope to verify the safety margins that will be used for everyday operations. This test flight is the same as the first flight that would normally be conducted by Boeing when a newly manufactured aircraft is released from the factory.

The flight included operating the aircraft at its maximum and minimum speeds and verifying the airborne characteristics during specific manoeuvres. It also confirmed the correct function of warning systems for the landing gear, flaps and the navigation approach systems.

Overall six test flights will be completed during the Acceptance, Test and Evaluation programme.

thE pROjECt bEgan in may ‘03The $221 million dollar acquisition and

modification project commenced in May 2003

when the RNZAF replaced its aging Boeing 727

aircraft.

The second RNZAF 757 is expected to return

later in the year with both modified 757 aircraft

expected to be fully operational and available

from early 2009.

In next month’s Air Force News we hope to

bring you more images of the upgraded B757

(including its interior set up) and images of the

upgraded C130 Hercules.

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The newly modified RNZAf Boeing 757 (NZ7571) after successfully completing its first test flight at the Mobile Aerospace

Engineering facilities in Alabama.



thE bOEing has had signifiCant stRuCtuRal mOdifiCatiOn and WE aRE

dElightEd With hOW thE aiRCRaft pERfORmEd and handlEd

The modified RNZAf Boeing 757 (NZ7571)

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o u r h E r i t a g E

During the whakanoa ceremony at Parliament relatives carry a photo of a soldier who was killed in action to the table in front of Parliament.

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Flag holders lower their flags to signify 36 soldiers and an Airman who were killed in action in Vietnam.

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No. 3 Squadron Iroquois flew a tribute flight over wellington to honour our Vietnam vets.

The Governor General presents Ted Creelman with the GSM. flt Lt Ted Creelman was one of three RNZAf pilots who served in 1968/69 with No. 9 Suadron RAAF in Vietnam, flying Iroquois helicopters. He served 12 years in the RNZAf, before joining NAC, later Air NZ, where he was a pilot for 30 years, retiring recently as a 747 Captain. Ted earned his RNZAf wings at RNZAf Base wigram, and was the last person in the world to learn to fly Sunderland Flying Boats with No. 5 Squadron RNZAf at Hobsonville, before converting to helicopters.



THOUSANDS Of VIETNAM VETERANS AND THEIR fAMILIES fINALLY GOT THEIR LONG OVERDUE wELCOME HOME AT TRIBUTE 08 IN wELLINGTON OVER QUEEN’S BIRTHDAY wEEKEND.

The veterans were welcomed to the city on

Friday afternoon by Mayor Kerry Prendergast at a

ceremony held in Civic Square which ended with

a Beat Retreat performed by the NZ Army.

On Saturday morning an Honour Parade saw

veterans, families, Army bands and the Central

Band of the Royal New Zealand Air Force (RNZAF)

marching from Civic Square to Parliament.

After being greeted by the Prime Minister, family

members carried photos of the 37 personnel

that lost their lives in Vietnam into the Legislative

Council Chamber as part of a whakanoa

(healing) ceremony.

On Sunday morning a waka wairua containing

the spirits of those who lost their lives in Vietnam

was taken from the Legislative Council Chamber

to the National War Memorial in Buckle Street

where they were honoured with a wreath laying-

ceremony.

The veterans and their families then marched

to the Basin Reserve for a commemoration and

celebration including speeches and a 37-gun

salute for each of those killed in Vietnam.

His Excellency the Governor General of New

Zealand the Honorable Anand Satyanand

received a Royal Salute from the tri-Service

Guard of Honour.

triBUte 08HoNouRs VietNam Vets

yOu sERVEd lOyally, yOu sERVEd With

hOnOuR...

Some of the veterans were moved to tears

during LT GEN Jerry Mateparae’s speech, ‘I

would simply ask for your forgiveness for our

shortcomings in the past, and I apologise for the

impact these shortcomings have had on you and

on your families. You served loyally, you served

with honour and I pledge my determination to

correct the failings of the past.

I know it is long overdue, but to our New Zealand

Vietnam veterans - welcome home.’

General Mateparae’s speech received a

standing ovation.

During the ceremony 1RNZIR was presented with

its Regimental Colour with the Theatre Honour –

Vietnam 1967 - 71, updated to acknowledge all

infantry companies that served in Vietnam. The

ceremony also included performances by the

NZ Army Band, the Central Band of the RNZAF,

Wellington College kapa haka and choir and

concluded with a flypast of six Iroquois.

Basin Reserve Ceremony, 16 Field Regiment fire a salute for each of the 36 soldiers and an Airman that were killed in action in Vietnam.

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triBUte 08tHe tRiBute PRoGRamme

A six ship formation of RNZAf Iroquois from No.3 Squadron fly over the Basin Reserve.

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TRIBUTE 08, wAS THE OffICIAL wELCOME HOME fOR V IETNAM VETERANS, CONDUCTED IN wELLINGTON OVER THE QUEENS BIRTHDAY wEEKEND.

The weekend started on the morning of Thursday 29

May with the opening of the Exhibition: ‘Vietnam:

Not Just a 12 Month Tour’. The exhibition, at

the NZ Academy of Fine Arts on Queens Wharf,

commemorated New Zealand’s Vietnam experience.

Friday 30 May was the Mayoral welcome to Wellington

and included a Retreat Ceremony. This commenced

at 1600 with the arrival of the Veterans at the Civic

Square and ended at approximately 1710. Saturday

31 May was a street march from Civic Square to

Parliament Grounds. This parade included the

veterans, families, the RNZAF Band, Army Band, WNHB

Band and the Central Band of the RNZAF. A contingent

of RNZAF Vietnam veterans, family and friends, who

were rallied by GPCAPT G. L. Wood (Rtd), marched

behind the RNZAF ensign. On arrival at Parliament

a Whakanoa Ceremony took place. This involved the

placing of photographs of the 37 personnel KIA in

Vietnam into the Legislative Council Chamber. The

photographs remained there, with an NZDF Vigil, until

0800 Sunday 1 June. This was open for the paying of

respects to the fallen from approximately 1330. Big

screens relayed the proceedings to those outside. On

Saturday afternoon, at an informal ceremony, AVM

Rtd) Klitscher presented the New Zealand General

Service Medal (NZGM) Warlike with Vietnam clasp

to a number of RNZAF Vietnam veterans. On Sunday

1 June a wreath laying ceremony was conducted at

the National War Memorial, Buckle Street, followed

by the rededication of the Vietnam Plaque in the

Hall of Memories. The ceremony was broadcast on

big screens for the veterans and those assembled

outside. Veterans then marched to the Basin Reserve

and were received by the Governor General, CDF and a

100 person Tri-service Guard of Honour. The Governor

General, CDF and President of the RSA spoke at this

venue. In addition, the revised Theatre Honour, ‘South

Vietnam, 1967-71’ on the 1 RNZIR Regimental Colour

was rededicated. The Governor General also presented

New Zealand General Service Medals (NZGM) Warlike

with the Vietnam clasp to a representative group

of NOK, unit and service personnel. This ceremony

concluded with a 37 round salute fired by 16 Fd Regt

and a Flypast by RNZAF UH1Hs.



TRIBUTE 08. As the shouting and the tumult

dies and the captains and the kings

depart, it is timely to reflect briefly on RNZAF

associations with the war in Vietnam.

It is well known, of course, that small numbers

of Iroquois pilots and Forward Air Controllers

were assigned to active service in South Vietnam

– 16 and 14 respectively over the course of

the war. It is also well known that Nos. 40 and

41 Squadrons regularly flew in to conduct a

range of supporting tasks. What is less well

remembered, however, is that RNZAF doctors

and medics served in the Service medical teams

in Binh Dinh Province; and that one of them

was among the 37 who were killed in action,

SGT Gordon Watt, who died on 1 March 1970

from injuries sustained from a landmine. He

was 29 years old. Another received a gallantry

decoration for direct action in a fire fight. We

should remember, too, that No. 3 Squadron's

association went beyond the 16 Iroquois pilots

who served with No. 9 Squadron RAAF out of

Vung Tau. Having learned their trade in the

shadow of the crouching warrior and ‘Kimihia ka

Patu’, seven New Zealand Army pilots also saw

active service in South Vietnam. Most of these

flew with No. 161 Recce Flight of the Australian

AAC in light observation helicopters – first the

Sioux, later the Kiowa.

But a point that sometimes seems lost to history

is that the first two Army pilots flew Iroquois

with the US Army. In this they not only preceded

RNZAF pilots by many months, but created a

political stir at home. At the time (1966), Prime

Minister Holyoake – always reluctant to commit

to the war - was discomfited by a request to

replace an Army helicopter pilot. He had not

known that we had pilots there; and the Chief

of Defence Staff had to field a rocket. It was

explained to the Prime Minister that, following

British Army practice, the New Zealand artillery

unit had included pilots to support the battery.

Then in 1967 the Government agreed to lend

two RNZAF helicopter pilots to No. 9 Squadron

RAAF. The following year this was increased to

four at a time. That the Government remained

very nervous of public reactions to any perception

of entanglement with the air war may explain the

curious assurance it was given that this was not

an escalation but ‘essentially an arrangement

between the New Zealand and Australian Air

Forces which helped meet an Australian need’.

Although they were already qualified, initially the

RNZAF helicopter pilots were ‘retreaded’ by the

RAAF through its No. 5 Squadron at Fairbairn

near Canberra. One of them was killed there in

a flying accident. As belatedly but as warmly as

Tribute 08 itself, he was recently commemorated

at his school at Elsethorpe in Hawkes Bay.

RefLeCtiNG oN VietnamAvm (rTd.) roBiN kliTsChEr

thE fiRst tWO aRmy pilOts

flEW iROquOis With thE us

aRmy...

mus0040 Courtesy of the Air force m

useum, W

igram.

fLTLT Murray J. Abel (right) and fLTLT G. Thompson (left), both Royal New Zealand Air force pilots, sitting in the cockpit of their United

States Air Force North American OV10 'Bronco', at Chu Lai airfield in South Vietnam. 2 September 1971.



From early 1969 until their final withdrawal at

the end of 1971, the RNZAF helicopter pilots

went direct from No. 3 Squadron to No. 9

Squadron.

Despite the controversies of the day, and the

reluctance of the Government to commit them

in an open-handed way, all members of the New

Zealand air contingent acquitted themselves

well in the field. In addition to the fighting medic,

seven of the 16 RNZAF helicopter pilots, two of

the seven Army helicopter pilots and three of the

14 FAC pilots received awards for gallantry – not

a bad batting average.

TOP: Royal New Zealand Air force pilots SQNLDR J.L.A. Pendreigh (left) and fLTLT G.L. wood (right), discussing an operation while serving with No. 9 Squadron, Royal Australian Air force, in Vietnam.

ABOVE LEfT: No. 41 Squadron aircrew pose for the camera with boxes of medical supplies and relief goods destined for Cambodia. L-R: fGOff K. Harford, Pilot; Master Signaller H. Stone, Signaller; fGOff Geoff familton, Navigator.

LEfT: September 1973. No. 41 Squadron personnel painting team outside the Qui-Noh'n hospital, Vietnam, which they were painting. Back row, second from left is fLTLT John worden. Back row, right hand side is Steve Cuming, who currently works in HQNZDf.


useum, W

igram.


useum, W

igram.

Pr13287#8~70 Courtesy of the Air force m

useum, W

igram.

RefLeCtiNG oN Vietnam

Article provided by Air Vice-Marshal R.J. Klitscher, CBE, DFC, AFC, BSc (RNZAF Retd).

fROm EaRly 1969 until

1971, thE RnZaf hEliCOptER pilOts WEnt

diRECt fROm nO. 3 squadROn

tO nO. 9 squadROn.


S u S t a i N a b i l i t y

Programme Sponsor and NZDF 'Sustainability

Champion’ Dr Graeme Benny (NZDF’s

General Manager Organisational Support) says

sustainability is a matter of smart business. ‘We

all have a part to play, not only in being friendlier

to the environment, but in doing things better

and more efficiently. It’s about reducing our

impact on the environment and at the same

time being safer and more cost effective in our

business practices. We're aiming to integrate

sustainability across NZDF. We've already

started doing it and it's making a difference.’

The NZDF sustainability programme is part of

the Govt3 Programme. Govt3 is a government

sponsored project led by the Ministry for the

Environment to improve the environmental,

social and economic sustainability of public

sector agencies. The government wants

agencies such as NZDF to show leadership in

sustainability. Graeme Benny says that Defence,

because of its size and diversity, has a real

opportunity to make a significant difference by

reducing its impacts on the environment and

being more sustainable. ‘A great deal has been

achieved in this area as an organisation but we

want to do more and are seeking to continually

improve our practices over time,’ Dr Benny

says. NZDF has developed an Action Plan and a

working group has been set up. The Air Force is

represented on the Working Group by WGCDR

Colin Marshall. The RNZAF have been looking

at this situation for some time now. Bus routes

are being trialled, transporting personnel to and

from the Bases in order to reduce the carbon

footprint in the areas, reducing fuel costs for

individuals and also reducing demand and

maintenance of car parking spaces. Ohakea’s

bus trial to and from Palmerston North has been

well patronised. The environmental spin-off here

is that there are approximately 25 fewer private

vehicles on the Base on a daily basis with the

associated environmental and private benefits

as above. The viability of all these services is to

be determined at a later date. Recycling is also a

current topic on all Bases. Currently Whenuapai

and Woodbourne have recycling facilities nearby

which are available to Service personnel and

their families. Within Ohakea, an investigation

concerning the viability of instituting a scheme

for both Base Married Quarters and the Air Force

Base is underway.

Additionally, all Bases have been spending

considerable sums over the past few years

upgrading service houses with clean, sustainable

and environmentally friendly heating sources,

coupled with insulation measures to prevent

heat loss and reduce resource consumption.

Fortunately, the end result is happier Service

personnel, happier families, and a happier

environment.

Environmental and energy sustainability is at

the front of everybody's mind in the RNZAF with

many individuals doing their own bit for the

environment from turning off lights to recycling

their daily sheets of paper.

There will always be those who say that NZDF

could not possibly be sustainable with all the

equipment, fuel and travel that is used. However,

the idea is to prove that while we face a challenge

due to the nature of our activities, all that can

be done to avoid unnecessary consumption of

resources is being done, and the Defence Force

aims to be as efficient as possible when using

those resources. ‘Sustainability within the Defence

Force is not a short term project. It will become

business as usual

and will benefit us all,’

Dr Benny says.

makiNG a DiffeReNCe to ouR eNViRoNmeNt

A PROGRAMME IS NOw UNDERwAY TO IMPROVE SUSTAINABILITY ACROSS THE NEw ZEALAND DEfENCE fORCE. THIS INVOLVES IMPROVING SUSTAINABILITY PRACTICES IN AREAS SUCH AS BUILDINGS, TRANSPORT, wASTE

MINIMISATION, wATER CONSERVATION AND CARBON EMISSIONS.

sERViCE hOusEs aRE bEing

pROgREssiVEly upgRadEd tO pREVEnt hEat lOss

and REduCE REsOuRCE

COnsumptiOn


a N z a c S p i r i t


AIRCRAFT UPDATESC130, P3K2, NH90 AND MORE

OHAKEA AVIONICSDELVE INTO WETA WORKSHOP

VIPER 266DOING IT THE KIWI WAY

NORPAT 2008FIRST PACIFIC PATROL FOR 08

T H R E E S E R V I C E S A S O N E F O R C E , B E I N G T H E B E S T I N E V E R Y T H I N G W E D O

ROYAL NEW ZEALAND AIR FORCE // ISSUE #90 // MARCH/APRIL 08 W W W . A I R F O R C E . M I L . N Z

TIMOR LESTENO.3 SQUADRON’S FOURTH ROTATION IN

On 1 June 2008 RNZAF personnel of No.

3 Squadron put this theory to practise and

participated in an Australian-led project in the

hillside village of Darlau, 10 km South East of

Dili, Timor Leste.

A small contingent of the Timor Leste Aviation

Group (TLAG) carried out a reconnaissance of

Darlau in early May and on the advice of local

priest Father Gill, 3 Squadron personnel helped

to paint and furnish the village’s small rural

church. ISF Engineers also set to work making

pews for the new church. Money was raised by

the airmen and troops for paint, equipment and

stores to complete the task at hand.

Just a few weeks on and the task is complete

with a great deal of satisfaction from all involved.

Aircraft Technician SGT Dwayne ‘Jed’ Reynolds

describes how we put our skills to good use.

some money. We asked our boys to dig deep and

donate a couple of dollars each, which (combined

with the Australian contribution) provided just

enough for some plywood and paint.

The Aussie’s focus was on pre-cutting all the

plywood, ready for assembling into pews when

we returned to Darlau. That left the kiwi boys

to come up with something special. So we

gathered together some spare timber and our

finest creative minds came up with a cunning

plan. We constructed the best trio of Priests

chairs money could buy, a matching lectern,

some solid candle holders and a little 7 foot

crucifix for the wall. Not bad for a few Acfttechs

and an Avtech. All that was left to do now was

find some volunteers to help paint and turn up

on the day,’ said SGT Reynolds.

This community project was initially born out of

a conversation between the TLAG Operations

‘The materials were not provided, so between

Aussie troops and ourselves we needed to raise

sGT dWAyNE rEyNolds & CPl Will TAylor

ANZAC spIRIt AlIvE ANd wEll IN timor-leSte

THE INTERNATIONAL STABILISATION fORCE (ISf) IS MADE UP Of AUSTRALIAN AND NEw ZEALAND DEfENCE fORCE PERSONNEL. ITS MISSION IS TO ASSIST THE GOVERNMENT Of TIMOR LESTE AND THE UNITED NATIONS TO BRING STABILITY, SECURITY AND CONfIDENCE TO THE TIMORESE TO ALLOw THEM TO RESOLVE THEIR DIffERENCES DEMOCRATICALLY AND PEACEfULLY AND TO HELP THEM REBUILD THEIR COUNTRY.

WE askEd OuR bOys tO dig dEEp

and dOnatE a COuplE Of

dOllaRs EaCh

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No.3 Squadron personnel stand behind their works of art church furniture.

a N z a c S p i r i t


Officer Captain Fiona Macinante and two of her

aunts in Australia. Her aunts, both Catholic nuns

from Sydney had been working on projects in Dili

and suggested that Darlau could use some help

to complete their new church, built late last year

with funds from Australian charities.

After a lot of organising and just as many phone

calls, International Stabilisation Force troops

(including No. 3 Squadron) were more than

happy to pitch in and give the church a lick of

paint and a bit of much needed elbow-grease.

‘When we arrived the locals were clearly happy

to see us, but after a few ‘kiaoras’ and ‘bomdias’

we had our work to do. Before long there were

rollers and brushes in action all along the

outside walls and battery drills were whipping

pews together with gusto.

By the time anyone stopped for lunch the pews

were done, the outside walls were painted and

the inside walls were well underway.

‘Meanwhile down the track some of our boys

were showing off their football skills, taking on

the locals at a game of soccer. I’m not sure who

won, but to be fair, the oldest person on the

home team was about twelve years old.

‘As we finished up, the priest expressed

his thanks (via interpreter) saying that he

was moved and humbled by our efforts and

generosity. He mentioned how pleased he was

to have troops from Australia and New Zealand

in his village and that it saddened him that

he was unable to pay us for the work we had

done. ‘Instead the priest promised to pray for

timor-leSte

thE pEOplE Of daRlau RECEiVEd

a bEautiful upgRadE tO

thEiR ChuRCh and thE anZaC

spiRit Was REkindlEd

our safety in Timor Leste, and for us to return to

our families in peace.

‘All in all the day was a great success. The people

of Darlau received a beautiful upgrade to their

church and the ANZAC spirit was rekindled by

sharing in something productive that everyone

involved can surely be proud of,’ said SGT

Reynolds.

The Australian-led ISF is comprised of

approximately 750 ADF members alongside 180

NZDF troops, sailors, airmen and airwomen.

As part of the ISF, the Timor Leste Aviation group

(TLAG) provides a logistic and ready response

capability to the stabilisation effort in East

Timor and comprises of about 70 personnel

including the 3 SQN Detachment and two RNZAF

Iroquois.

The two Iroquois, their crews and maintenance

team continues to work alongside the Australian

Defence Force aviation assets already in Timor

Leste to insert and extract patrols and assist

with the provision of aero medical evacuation

and air logistic support.

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SGT Hemi Poipoi.

CPL will Taylor speaks to the village elder about work that needs to be done to the church.

Villagers with their partly reconstructed church.



FOR YOUR TOMORROWA record of New Zealanders who have died while serving

with the RNZAF and Allied Air Services Since 1915

VOLUME THREEBiographies & Appendices

Completing a unique and indispensable trilogy, this massive 640-page volume features:

Biographical details of 4900 casualties, i.e.• full name • nal rank • awards • service number(s) • date and place of birth • education • civilian occupation & employment • military service with all known postings • ying badges • number of operational sorties where known• aircraft type used when on squadron • place of burial or commemoration, • full names of next of kin (10,000 names), • referenced to fate entries in Vols 1 & 2• referenced to mentions (700) in WWII NZ Of cial History volumes • referenced to entries (400) in Colin Hanson’s de nitive By Such Deeds • referenced to photos (3200) in the WWII illustrated pages of The Weekly News

Also: • detailed explanatory notes • bibliography • abbreviations and glossary • additions and amendments to Vols 1 & 2

And appendices featuring:• 16 statistical tables • listing by ship of 12,000 aircrew and 1000 groundcrew who sailed from NZ during 1937-1945 for service with the RAF and FAA or for training in Canada; all names indexed by way of the biographies or per separate index for the others

What the readers say:

...a ne memorial, so beautifully written. I do admire the way you have set out all the information, and what a wealth of information...a ne example of how such a book should be arranged...similar books do not come near to your standard... (Ron Pankhurst, ex-Fleet Air Arm)...painstakingly researched...these books are destined to become a basic source of information for researchers... (Phillip Jarrett, Aeroplane)...a book of immense dedication to New Zealand airmen who answered the call to ght tyranny and paid the ultimate price for doing so... (W R ‘Bill’ Chorley, author of the magni cent nine-volume work, RAF Bomber Command Losses)

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fOR wGCDR RUSSELL KENNEDY AND SON SGT MICHAEL KENNEDY THIS YEAR’S SOMME COMMEMORATIONS wERE ESPECIALLY POIGNANT.

The duo, together with New Zealand’s

Ambassador to France Sarah Dennis, New

Zealand Defence Attaché in London Brig

Warren Whiting, Australian Defence Attaché Col

Feliks Skowronski and CO of RNZAF Number

5 Squadron WGCDR Logan Cudby, travelled

to a small corner of northern France where

the efforts of New Zealand soldiers were

commemorated in the towns of Le Quesnoy in

the north and Longueval in the Somme.

Among the brave men that fought were Russell

and Michael’s grandfather and great grandfather

Sgt John (Jack) Samuel Davis. Sgt Davis joined

the New Zealand Expeditionary Force in Egypt

before being deployed to France in 1915.

He fought in the Somme where he was badly

wounded (at Fleurs-Courcelette) then in Belgium at

Passchendaele and subsequently in support of the

liberation of Le Quesnoy near the end of 1918.

WGCDR Russell Kennedy recalls the experience of

being there as one of great honour. ‘It was a real

privilege to be a part of it all. I had visited before,

but to be there again for an ANZAC Day service

was a very special experience. Just as special was

the service on the Somme, where Granddad was

badly wounded during an attack on the German

trenches. To stand there in the bright sunshine

with green grass and birds singing, and try to

imagine how it would have been in 1916, was

quite an experience. Particularly as the next day

I was flying back into Afghanistan.’

For the locals of Le Quesnoy, the strong feelings

they hold for the bravery of the New Zealand

soldiers who fought to liberate the town remain.

‘The towns all were so welcoming. The fact

that they were in the very place that some very

horrific battles occurred is still with them even

though most of those who were there in WW1

are no longer with us their descendants are still

very aware of what happened 90 years ago,’ said

Sgt Michael Kennedy.

In addition to the military personnel present,

students from Well ington High School

and St Patrick’s College also attended the

commemorations.

Sgt Kennedy said they appreciated being part

of the ceremony, ‘I think the school group was

very pleased to be able to be part of such a

special celebration. They appreciated the effort

of the embassy to get them to the ceremony in Le

Quesnoy. The school haka that one of the schools

did was also very good and appropriate and I think

that all the other kiwis in the crowd felt that it put

a very New Zealand touch on the services.’

At Longueval Ambassador Sarah Dennis thanked

the town, ‘We thank you, the inhabitants of

Longueval, for the watch you keep over our

soldiers who lie here at peace in your fields.’ It

was from these fields that the remains of the

Unknown Warrior made the long journey from

Caterpillar Valley cemetery outside Longueval

to Wellington.

The courage of such men as Sgt Davis was to

have a lasting effect on his descendents and

their own decision to join the armed services.

Wgcdr Kennedy said hearing his grandfather’s

stories played a part in his joining the RNZAF,

‘I grew up with my Granddad, he was living with us

on the family farm. I heard many of his stories of the

western front as a child, and then as a teenager.

Yes, he definitely influenced my decision. Perhaps

that’s why I didn’t join the infantry!’

PoiGNaNt somme CommemoRatioN

Students from wellington High School and St Patrick’s College perform a haka

at Le Quesnoy.

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SGT Jack Davis who fought at

the Somme.

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wGCDR Russell Kennedy (left) and SGT Michael Kennedy.



About 7 hours into the flight we saw a bright

flash, felt a loud ‘bang’ and then realised we

had been hit by lightning! This caused a few

issues, including frying the radio whilst talking

to ATC. There seemed to be nothing majorly

wrong with any of the important equipment

and it was reported back to ATC that we were

fine. However, after landing in Hawaii the trusty

Flight Engineers inspected the aircraft and found

a couple of burnt spots; one on the end of the

wing and one on the MAD boom. It turns out the

MAD was totally destroyed and would need to be

replaced upon arrival in Scotland.

The following day turned out to be far less

eventful and we completed our transit to

Edmonton in Canada without any further

drama. We managed a couple of hours spare in

Edmonton where the crew went out to explore

the largest mall in the northern hemisphere. The

mall had some amazing sights – a water park

including hydro slides, an ice skating rink and

even some submarines that we found without

dropping a single sonobuoy…

Our transit to Scotland from Edmonton ended

with a dramatic touchdown just as the other half

of the detachment was driving onto Base after

their civilian flight. From there we dispersed to our

various Messes and had a couple of days to rest to

prepare for the busy flying schedule ahead.

Over the next 12 days the crews completed 12

sorties involving ships, submarines and aircraft

from other countries including UK, France,

Germany, Netherlands, Spain, Poland, Turkey,

Denmark, Portugal, Belgium, Italy, and Latvia.

The flights involved protecting our friendly ships

from the ever present danger of the enemy

submarine. As an acoustic operator I particularly

enjoyed the challenge of being able to track an

experienced UK Trafalgar submarine and its

crew. We were also tasked to help identify the

enemy ships in the area and so I ended up being

very busy using the Electro Optic camera and the

Acoustic kit at the same time!!

During Joint Warrior we also flew a couple of

overland flights in which we utilised our Electro

Optic MX-20 camera to assist the ground forces

by detecting and tracking various scenario

“terrorists”. We learnt a lot from these flying

sorties, and by talking to UK Forward Air

Controllers and Nimrod crews who are already

highly skilled in these areas. The skills gained

here were to prove very useful in the Fincastle

flights to follow.

ANZAC day dawned very chilly in Kinloss, one

of our crews had just landed from an all night

sortie and we held a brief service at the aircraft.

Following a breakfast BBQ, one crew remained

behind to fly a day sortie while the other crew

went to a local memorial not far from Kinloss for

another service.

CPl CAT EvANs

IT wAS MIDNIGHT ON THE 14 APRIL AND CREw 1 fROM NO.5 SQUADRON GOT AIRBORNE fOR THE LONG TRANSIT TO HAwAII. wE wERE ONE HALf Of THE 43 STRONG DETACHMENT HEADING UP TO SCOTLAND’S CHILLY KINLOSS TO PARTICIPATE IN EXERCISE JOINT wARRIOR.

no. 5 SqUadron

fincaStle 2008JoiNt waRRioR aND

Master CPL Dale McVeigh member of the 407 Squadron fincastle Maintenance competition crew flys the Canadian flag in support of the 407 Squadron Aircrew as they depart on a fincastle Competition flight. Image taken on 7 hangar line 19 wing Comox.



CO5 and SGT Kennedy attended two ANZAC

ceremonies in Somme, France; Le Quesnoy

and Longeval, with WGCDR Russell Kennedy.

Both ceremonies were very close to home for

WGCDR Kennedy and SGT Kennedy as their

‘Great Granddad’ was directly involved in both

campaigns (see page 33).

The detachment was also invited to attend ANZAC

commemorations by the New Zealand Society

Scotland in Arbroath, a 9 hour drive away from

Kinloss (for some!!) The locals were thrilled to

have such a large kiwi contingent present for the

service, during which SQNLDR Kilmartin gave a

moving speech about what ANZAC day meant to

him. The service was held at a cemetery at which

four New Zealand airmen were buried during

WWII. After the service the local Royal British

Legion (RBLS) invited us back to their club where

we heard many colourful stories from the locals

about their experiences in the war.

As one crew headed back to NZ for a well earned

break, Crew 1 carried on to Comox in Canada for

the next part of our trip – Fincastle!

We arrived in Comox to a traditional Fincastle

welcome; all the participating nations were

lined up on the tarmac with flags flying and a

few cold beers for the weary crew. The Aussies

were already vying for the Fellowship Trophy,

trying to bribe us with hot sausage rolls and

Fosters beer which they bought to us at the end

of each flight.

The Fincastle competition is an annual force

generation opportunity for long range patrol

(LRP) crews from NZ, Australia, UK and Canada

to demonstrate their ability to carry out Overland

Intelligence, Surveillance and Reconnaissance

(ISR) missions and the more traditional Anti-

Submarine Warfare (ASW) mission. All together,

we flew a total of five flights of which three were

assessed by two onboard Air Observers from

any of the participating nations. It allowed us

to further fine-tune the skills learnt from Joint

Warrior, whilst also giving us the opportunity to

expand our skills in Exercise Maple Guardian,

a new working environment for No.5 Squadron

which involved the 4 nations assisting Canadian

Land Forces with their pre-deployment workup

for Afghanistan. In the end the UK won the

Fincastle trophy. Of consolation to the 5 SQN

crew was the fact that we made the most

accurate attack on the ASW flight killing the

‘submarine’ well and truly, whilst also achieving

an outstanding result in the two ISR flights.

The crew arrived home after five weeks of

intense flying and a fair bit of socialising. Our

three Canadian hosts showed us some of the

local attractions and were great sports on

International night dressing up as shearers

along with the rest of the crew (plus one sheep).

The International night is a chance for each

nation to showcase its culture of local food and

drink, and to continue the old’ networking!

The NZ pig on the spit went down a treat and

was devoured within minutes! And in traditional

fashion the good old’ piano from the Mess

was sacrificed in the bonfire to help keep

us warm - it was a very cold night, and we’d

earned the rest.

BRINg ON FINCASTLE 2009!

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The RNZAf’s No.5 Squadron finacastle 08 Detachment entertains the other teams with a fearsome rendition of the Air force’s new haka.

L-R: SGT Kennedy, wGCDR Kennedy and wGCDR Cudby attending ANZAC Ceremonies in france.

CPL Grace Urlich swaps her uniform for

a sheep costume on International Night.



MEMBERS Of THE AIR fORCE’S PARACHUTE TRAINING SUPPORT UNIT (PTSU) SPENT NINE DAYS IN EARLY JUNE THIS YEAR AT A SPECIALIST ARIZONA USA fACILITY LEARNING THE ART Of fREEfALL. THE AIM Of THE TRAINING wAS TO GAIN A LARGE QUANTITY Of HIGH QUALITY fREEfALL TRAINING IN A SHORT SPACE Of TIME.

For the uninitiated, flying your body in freefall

may sound like a relatively easy task. It

is not. In order to progress to the level of

freefall instructor, many hundreds (sometimes

thousands) of freefall descents have to be made,

and the skill of manoeuvring your body around

the sky is slowly reached after many, many 60

second freefalls.

The obvious distractions of falling toward the

ground at 120mph and of having to remember

to save your life at the end of the freefall can

make the exercise slightly more challenging.

The solution is the freefall simulator/vertical

wind tunnel. It produces more than enough

wind to support several bodies at normal freefall

wind speed. You can fly for as long as you like

or rather as long as you can handle it (it is very

physical). There are no parachutes to pack

and no 20 minute rides to 12000 feet to gain

that precious 60 seconds of freefall. The Sky

Venture wind tunnel in Eloy Arizona is one of

the biggest in the world and is the home of the

worlds best skydiving team. We were treated to

a lesson in ‘how it’s done’ by these guys on our

first day. Watching them through the glass was

awe inspiring. We hired a tunnel coach who flew

with us for all of the 14 hours we spent in the

tunnel. He was invaluable. First he assessed

us as individuals. He then flew with each of us,

teaching us new techniques and more efficient

ways of moving around in freefall. When he

was satisfied that we had learned one or two

new methods and honed some of our existing

skills, he organised us into groups of two and

eventually had four of us flying around in the

tunnel together, building different freefall

formations. We trained daily between 0615H

and 1230H to take advantage of slightly lower

temperatures in the morning. The regime began

PtSU freefall

By f/s lEv lEAThErlANd

yOu Can fly fOR as lOng as yOu likE OR RathER as lOng as yOu Can handlE...

with a fairly easy two minutes flying and 14

minutes off, quickly progressing to a gruelling,

2 minutes on 2 minutes off. In 45°Centigrade,

this was strenuous to say the least. This sounds

like too much fun for a serviceman to be having

during training. The best part is that every

member of PTSU who flew in the tunnel is now

a great deal more capable of flying their body

around the sky. Our individual skill levels are

proven and we know where we are going as

far as our personal freefall training and skills

development are concerned.

Back at Whenuapai, we may be chasing a

freefall student, filming a group of free fallers

or exiting a C-130 during a Kiwi Blue display.

Whatever we are doing in freefall, we are

doing it better. Training in the wind tunnel was

invaluable to PTSU. Regular training in this kind

of facility is training smart. It is exactly the sort of

professional approach we are looking for. We are

more competent, more confident and that much

closer to being the best that we can be.

STATISTICS:9 days away.

4 hours freefall each.

The equivalent of 250 freefalls (about 1.5 years training).

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PTSU parachute jump instructors conduct a four-person formation.



THREE NZDf TEAMS wILL BE TAKING PART IN THE ACCOR QUEENSTOwN $10 CHALLENGE fROM 1 TO 3 OCTOBER, A MAJOR fUNDRAISER fOR CURE KIDS, A CHARITY THAT fUNDS VITAL MEDICAL RESEARCH fOR CHILDREN wITH LIfE THREATENING ILLNESSES.

The event is a contest in which teams of two

people are given $10 in Auckland and have

to use various modes of transport to get their

team to Queenstown in three days. The team

that arrives in Queenstown with the most points

after undertaking a wide variety of challenges

along the way is the winner.

Our teamsOur Navy, Army and Air Force teams will pit

themselves against 32 other teams from around

New Zealand. So let’s introduce the teams:

NAvy SLT Fraser Toulmin SLT Darcy Topp

Army Mr Bas Bolyn Lt Christian Anderson

Air forCE CPL Lydia Savage PLT OFF Sean McKeogh

You’re part of the team tooBut it just won’t be six people taking part, you all

will. Because over the next few months we will all

assist each team to fundraise $6,000 for Cure

Kids. Each team needs to raise $3,000 by 25 July

and a further $3,000 by 25 September. Which is

where you come in - because Tuesday 22 July has

been nominated as Help Cure Kids Coffee Day.

Help Cure Kids Coffee Day – 22 JulyAll you have to do is donate the cost of cup

of coffee ($3.00 or more if you like) to the

team member of your choice. Just think how

much you spend on coffee each day and how

much your money would mean to a child with

a life threatening condition. Not much of a

comparison really.

How do we get the money to Cure Kids?There are several ways that you can get the

fundraising money to Cure Kids and your

nominated team member. It would be advisable

to nominate one person in your area to collect

the funds at the end of Help Cure Kids Coffee

Day and deposit the money using one of the

methods below.

Fundraise online webpage – each team has their

own fundraising page so go to the website www.

curekids.org.nz click on the Accor Queenstown

Be a PaRt of tHe aCCoR QueeNstowN $10 CHaLLeNGe

Air Force AC Reece Gutsell, formerly of Gore, shows off the Mercedes

22-28 he is driving round the South Island to build up his experience.

Mr Gutsell said he and another Air Force member, plus four instructors

were on a tour of the South Island, to increase their experience and to

`’log up some hours on the Mercs.’ He said although he was based at

Ohakea the convoy had started at Base Woodbourne, and headed south.

`We've just come through the Catlins, then we head up through Cromwell,

across to the West Coast, then back up to Woodbourne on Thursday

May29.’ The convoy stopped briefly in Gore, for lunch, on Tuesday May27,

allowing Mr Gutsell a chance, albeit a brief one, to catch up with family

and old friends. An ex-pupil of Gore High School, Mr Gutsell joined the

Air Force two years ago, after a stint with the Gore 28 Squadron of the

Air Training Corps. He said it was just ̀ great' to see so many of his family

and friends come down to meet him.

Article and photo by Grant Leishman from Gore's local newspaper, The Ensign.

Just PassiN' tHRouGH

all yOu haVE tO dO is dOnatE thE COst Of Cup

Of COffEE

$10 Challenge button then on the red support a

competitor button then you’ll see the fundraising

pages. All people who donate online receive an

automatic receipt from Cure Kids along with a

thank you letter.

Don’t stop now….Now that you have chosen which team you are

going to fundraise for you don’t need to stop at

the cost of a coffee. Think of all the other ways

your unit, office, base, camp or ship could help

the team to raise the money needed. You could

have a bad taste shirt day, chocolate cake bake

off and charge $2 per slice of cake, sausage

sizzle, car wash, silly hat day or favours day

where you do a task for someone and donate

$2-5 for every favour completed to the cause.

And there’s more…..A further NZDF-wide fundraising day will be

held in August/September to assist the teams

surpass their $6,000 goal. Details will be sent

to you nearer the time.

Be the bestThe organisers have a prize for the team that

raises the most money so let’s aim for the sky

and help our teams to be the best. Remember

it’s for children with life-threatening conditions.

To find our more about Cure Kids visit:

www.curekids.org.nz


t E a m b u i l d i N g

OHAKEA’S ANNUAL TOUGH GUY/GAL CHALLENGE wAS HELD ON wEDNESDAY 21 MAY 2008. IN PREVIOUS YEARS THE EVENT wAS HELD AT TANGIMOANA BEACH, HOwEVER THIS YEAR PE & RT TOOK THE TOUGH GUY/GAL CHALLENGE TO A wHOLE NEw LEVEL.Thanks to W/O Robbo Robertson offering the

use of his farm land in Halcombe, the PTI’s

were able to set up the perfect course that

put Ohakea personnel to the test as they ran

across undulated terrain, conquered steep hills,

negotiated forest ruins, clawed their way through

muddy swamps and swam through some very

large puddles throughout the 3km circuit.

Base personnel could either enter as individuals

or in a team of 3. Individuals had to complete

3 laps of the 3km circuit. It ended up being a

tight battle between the 3 front runners CPL

Michael Crisford, LAC Rhys Dibnah and SGT

Dave Walters. The lead changed a few times

throughout the event but it was CPL Michael

Crisford who managed to creep ahead in the

last lap for the glory of being the 2008 Tough

Guy Champion.

Team members completed 1 lap each in a

relay style fashion, and then a final lap to finish

altogether as a team. A large turn out of 20

teams entered in the challenge, creating some

good Inter-section competition for top points and

the prestigious Tough Guy/Gal team trophy.

Needless to say there were a few shocked

faces by some of the 2nd and 3rd leg runners

when they saw their team mates come past the

transition area head to toe in mud.

AC Brent Roney spent a bit of time in the

unforgiving swamp searching for his shoe that

was sucked off when he ran full speed into the

thick mud. Brent’s shoe finding expedition lost

him and his team members AC Jamie Dow and

LAC Johnny Annear valuable time putting them

back to 7th place. Maybe if he displayed more

toughness and completed his laps with one shoe,

the SUPPLY 1 may have made the top three.

It turned out to be a close race between team

DAC 1 (SGT Dave Walters, W/O Anton Toomey

and FGOFF Russell Vant) and the team from

AMS 4 (AC Josh White, AC Brad Parkes and

AC Anthony Riseley). However, it was DAC who

managed to secure the win and bask in the glory

of being the 2008 Tough Team Champions.

wHeN tHe GoiNG getS toUgh

INDIVIDUAL RESULTS

PLACINGS OPEN wOMEN TIME

1st Renee Scott 1:05:08

2nd Lisa Hughes 1:20:06

PLACINGS OPEN MEN TIME

1st Michael Crisford 0:49:44

2nd Rys Dibnah 0:51:01

3rd Dave Walters 0:52:53

4th Brayden Grant 0:54:30

5th Brett Cunningham 1:00:20

6th Dale Ellington 1:01:25

7th Mike Gildea 1:01:57

8th Andrew Fisher 1:04:15

9th Graeme Hughes 1:04:45

10th Kris McCullough 1:07:55

11th Aaron Carr 1:11:14

12th Paul Carlsson 1:12:00

13th Baz Bennett 1:19:28

14th Dan Stratton 1:30:25

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Getting down and dirty in the challenge.

t E a m b u i l d i N g


TEAM RESULTS

PLACINGS SECTIONS TIME

1st DAC 1:16:55

2nd AMS 4 1:17:21

3rd 3 SQN 1:19:38

4th AMS 2 1:23:28

5th ARMOURERS 1:24:13

6th GSE 2 1:24:40

7th SUPPLY 1 1:25:20

8th AMS 1 1:25:40

9th AMS 3 1:31:25

10th AVIONICS 2 1:36:09

11th GSE 1 1:38:12

12th COMS 1:38:34

13th S&S 1:40:33

14th DAC 2 1:40:44

15th ADMIN 1:42:45

16th MEDICAL 1:49:08

17th AVIONICS 1 1:53:03

18th SUPPLY 2 1:55:19

19th SUPPLY 3 1:55:44

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follow the leader.

Time to rinse off that mud.

Hey, it’s cold in there.

Trepidation.

Coverage of Base Ohakea’s tough guys and gals challenge.



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CPL Nick Symonds and SGT Shaun ‘Smurf’ Murphy of the Ohakea fire flight, help Bill ward from his race car after it spun out of control. Bill ward was not hurt and the car required only minor repairs.

Bill ward.

Images from the Kiwi-A-Salt racing car and crew during testing at Base Ohakea. The team used the Base Ohakea runway to practise high-speed runs in preparation for their bid to break a class record at the Bonneville Salt flat, USA.



The team prepped the vehicle in the Ohakea

Fire Flight hangar before venturing out onto

the runway.

With support from Ohakea Operations and Fire

Flight personnel they successfully conducted a

couple of test runs. However on the final run the

vehicle spun and left the runway part way down.

The vehicle was only slightly damaged (an easy fix

according to Jim’s crew) and Jim was unharmed.

Ohakea fire crew are pictured retrieving him from

the vehicle (such things are apparently par for the

course in the speed record business).

Overall they were very happy with the test runs and

were able to iron out their operation. The team was

also delighted to have the opportunity to use the

runway and receive support from Base personnel.

They are on track for their bid in August to bring

home a world record in their selected class.

Bill Ward was the first Kiwi to race a car at

Bonneville. He consistently shattered world

speed records between 1979 and 1984, but

was unable to claim the records due to technical

difficulties. Since then it has been his dream

to return to the salt and bring home an official

record. He will be campaigning another car at

the 60th anniversary of Bonneville Speed Week

in 2008 and over 200 Kiwis will be there to

at OhakeaSPeed

teStON THE wEEKEND Of 7–8 JUNE, KIwI SPEED PIONEER JIM wARD wAS AT BASE OHAKEA wITH HIS TEAM TO TEST OUT THEIR RACING VEHICLE BEfORE THEY TAKE IT TO BONNEVILLE SALT fLATS IN USA IN AUGUST THIS YEAR.

thE tEam Was dElightEd

tO haVE thE OppORtunity tO usE thE RunWay

and RECEiVE suppORt fROm

basE pERsOnnEl

support him. A supporters club is active and this

site documents the team’s progress.

This car is quite a radical one, being designed to

fit into a relatively new class. Bill is determined

that this new car will come back home with

an official world record in its XF/BRMR class.

The car is a Blown Flathead Ford rear engined

modified roadster. It's height to the top of the

roll cage will be about 28 inches (700mm),

with a wheel base of 184 inches (4.67 metres.)

Bill will be in a reclining position in front of the

fibreglass 1927 Ford Roadster body. The engine

and all mechanicals will be under the body.

Long and low is the theory and down force will

be controlled with a negative venturi belly pan.

Although this is a relatively new class, already at

this year’s event some entrants have run at over

184 miles per hour (286 kph). The Kiwi-A-Salt

team have their sights set on over 200mph.

More info at: www.kiwiasalt.blogspot.com.

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Ready to roll.


E x c E l l E N t a c h i E v E m E N t

THE NZ TRIATHLON TEAM Of 110 ATHLETES ARRIVED IN VANCOUVER ON 1 JUNE TO CONTEST THE 2008 wORLD TRIATHLON CHAMPIONSHIPS.

For the first time ever a representative from all

three of our Services, CAPT Shannon Stallard

(Army), LT Scott McGregor (Navy) and SGT Greg

O’Connor (Air), had made the team to represent

their country at the same event. As far as I know

never before has a representative from each of our

three Services been in the same team at the same

time so it’s a pretty special achievement in itself.

For myself it was the third time in as many years

that I have been lucky enough to represent and

this year I was looking to ‘Step Up’ and achieve a

personal goal of a top 15 placing.

Race day 8th June. This proved to be a challenge

in itself with weather conditions being a balmy

10 degrees!! Water temp wasn't much better at

a very, very crisp 11.9! Luckily for us though all

Men’s races were starting later in the morning

(after the Women and Athletes with disabilities)

which meant the day had a chance to possibly

warm up? Unfortunately it didn’t and in fact got

worse. Just before the Men’s races were due to

start the sea conditions worsened causing the

organisers to replace the 1500m swim with a

3km run. Not great news for me, coming from

a swimming background. But apparently the life

boats were losing sight of swimmers due to the

choppy conditions. By the time our race started

it had been delayed by approximately 2 hours

(again not great for the nutrition and pre race

prep) and, Murphy’s law, the weather had done a

complete flip with blue skies and only little wind.

However, still very cold. The race went well for

me (possibly coping with the cold conditions a bit

better than some of the more ‘slender’ athletes)

finishing in 16th position out of the 101 entered.

This was by far my best result at this event and

has given me a very strong focus on continuing to

improve my performance over the coming season

in preparation of making the team for the 2009

World Championships on the Gold coast, Australia,

and shooting for a top five finish.

Since returning home I have been enjoying a break

away from training and making the most of the

spare time while it lasts. I am attending a Triathlon

NZ Level 2 Coaches course in late July and will be

looking to recruit some new faces to the sport. So

if you think this sport interests you or are just keen

2008woRLD tRiatHLoN CHamPioNsHiPs

sGT GrEG o’CoNNEr

a REpREsEntatiVE fROm all thREE Of OuR sERViCEs madE thE tEam

to try one you can get in touch with me anytime, I

am more than happy to help.

Thank you to the Air Force Base Welfare Fund

and my main sponsor McKenzie Electrical 2000.

Without their continued support, competing at this

level would prove very difficult if not impossible.

Thanks again.

CAPT Shannon Stallard, 3rd, Men’s 25 – 29 yr.LT Scott McGregor, 22nd, Men’s 25 – 29yr.SGT Greg O’Connor, 16th, Men’s 35 – 39yr.

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L-R: SGT Greg O’Connor (Air), CAPT Shannon Stallard (Army), LT Scott McGregor (Navy).

SGT Greg O'Connor on the running leg.

SGT Greg O'Connor cycling hard.

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i m p r o v i N g i . t . o u t c o m E S


THE RNZAf APPLICATION SUPPORT UNIT (ASU) IS TASKED wITH DEVELOPING AND MAINTAINING LOCALLY BUILT APPLICATIONS, ADVISING ON SOfTwARE ISSUES, AND THE MAINTENANCE Of AIR’S INTRANET PRESENCE.

ASU Woodbourne team is a two man unit comprising Mr Mike Cox and Mr Lachlan Keown and they have a definite training focus. In late 2006 upon completion of the replacement RNZAF Testbank, ASU Woodbourne received a request to build a timetabling programme (named ‘Scheduler’) to accommodate the needs of the GTW Training Plans cell and replace the Excel tool they were using.

In essence Scheduler had two main aims.

1. To improve the ‘mandraulic’ process of changing an existing timetable within Excel.

2. To improve the ability to plan and forecast possible training scenarios (i.e. production of the annual training plan, or ‘Plot’).

All manner of Commercial Off the Shelf (COTS) timetabling tools had been assessed, however none seemed capable of dealing with the RNZAF’s unique way of doing business e.g. we have no set semesters and continually alter many aspects of running courses such as course length. After refining the user requirement, the ASU Team set about designing and building Scheduler. Located in an office beside Training Plans the unit was able to keep in touch daily and ensure all aspects of the task were catered for.

In mid August, Training Plans started testing a fledgling ‘Scheduler’. Because of staff shortages, there simply wasn’t the ability to run courses concurrently under the new and old system and so courses loaded on the ‘Scheduler’ were run from the programme. Despite this, it all ran fairly smoothly and by early 2008, all GTW courses were being run by ’Scheduler’. As the programme was further developed and many low level functions were wrapped up in higher level functions to improve usability, the web application for viewing the timetables and the Plot was also developed. This product was demonstrated formally to GTW staff in late April for review and comment. By all accounts ‘Scheduler’ has been a very successful tool for

training plans staff. Mrs Robyn Katting had this to say about the application.

‘It’s hard to imagine Training Plans life pre ‘Scheduler’. Our days of shifting and amending endless excel cells around on timetables are gone forever. The ASU staff have done a

fantastic job of taking our user requirements and producing a timetabling and plotting tool. The new tools allow us to plan, prepare and produce annual plans and timetables much more efficiently and effectively.

Training plans have already seen the benefits of the plotting tool. In the past to produce information based on a ‘what if’ scenario would have taken us a couple of days to prepare, produce and print. But with Scheduler we are able to forecast scenarios with a high degree of accuracy and the information is ‘literally’ ready by the push of a few buttons.

Whilst Scheduler has a number of automated processes, it comes with a variety of exciting tools that allow us the flexibility to create an individual and unique course based on any

RNZaf sCHeDuLeR LauNCHeDmr mikE Cox

given specific requirements for a particular course. Some of the more exciting tools for us here at Training Plans is the ability to globally amend timetables for that unexpected activity like a ‘credentials parade’ or the ability to view the timetables for every course scheduled on any given day, week or month. Probably one of the best features for our customers now is that Scheduler has a Web component and any amendments to timetables are available in real time on the Web. This in itself has been a bit of a re-education process here at the Wing, in that all of us learning to be less dependent on ‘paper’. Being Web based also has the added advantage of allowing wider RNZAF viewing of GTW timetables and annual training plans.

All in all from a Training Planners point of view, Scheduler is a great new application that has exciting tools with loads of features that makes the forecasting and planning function of GTW Training Plans a lot more efficient and accurate.’

Scheduler only has a rudimentary resource management facility for critical resources at this time and although running for Training Plans at present, is still under development as regular updates are applied as part of the “Agile” process under which it is being developed.

ASU Woodbourne hope to complete the resource requirement by early 2009, where upon it will be formally released through CIS to NZDF for deployment within GTW, and possibly other training areas in the RNZAF.

With sChEdulER WE aRE ablE tO fORECast

sCEnaRiOs With a high dEgREE Of

aCCuRaCy

L-R: Mrs Robyn Katting; Mr Lachlan Keown; Mr Mike Cox.

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The programme will consist of regular courses

being held at each RNZAF Base as well as

some distance learning application and

will be available to all those with financial

responsibilities in their roles. There will also

be specific training incorporated into other

existing trade training forums to complement

the programme curriculum.

The core competencies include interpreting

financial policy and terms, planning, preparing

and reviewing budgets, managing budgets and

resources, reporting on financial performance

and making financial decisions.

This includes understanding f inancial

delegations, using the capital acquisition

(CP-Minor) and international commitments (ICP)

programmes and analysing, evaluating and

reporting on business activity involving dollars.

There are nearly 500 RNZAF positions identified

in the target population with specific financial

responsibilities ranging from responsibility

centre manager to unit representative and

ongoing support for these roles through the

programme will allow the right training at

the right time. The programme can also be

accessed by personnel simply wanting to ‘brush

up’ on things financial or gain general financial

awareness.

The financial management training programme

is a significant step forward from the existing

cost centre manager and financial awareness

courses which have been provided on an as

required basis previously. It will provide a more

robust and consistent approach to providing

financial training and will provide structured and

validated courses and curriculum and using a

systems approach to training with expert support

and maintenance. This will increase the overall

financial awareness of the organisation putting

us in a much stronger position going forward.

For more information on the RNZAF Financial Management Training Programme, jump into the Finance site on the RNZAF intranet and click on ‘Finance Training’ or contact Mr Chris Hankey, Programme Facilitator at RNZAF Base Woodbourne on DTelN:346-7120, or e-mail [email protected].

training for the air force

financial management

fROM JULY 2008 THE AIR fORCE wILL BE RUNNING A fORMAL, wORKPLACE RELEVANT fINANCIAL MANAGEMENT TRAINING PROGRAMME BASED ON CORE COMPETENCIES AND CURRICULUM CONSISTENT wITH NZDf STANDARDS AND DELIVERED TO BEST PRACTICE TRAINING STANDARDS AND METHODOLOGY.

thE pROgRammE Can alsO bE aCCEssEd by pERsOnnEl

simply Wanting tO ‘bRush up’ On

things finanCial

Chris Hankey presenting a SAP lesson.

Ak 0

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f a r E W E l l S a N d E v E N t S

4 6 a f N 9 4 j u l y / a u g u S t 0 8 | w w w . a i r f o r c e . m i l . n z

fareWellS

BASE AUCKLAND

sqNldr A.m. BlACk Enlist: 27-06-95 Terminate: 20-07-08 DEFAIRAK

BASE OHAKEA

flTlT N. CrAWford Enlist: 14-01-97 Terminate: 11-08-08 No.3 Squadron

sqNldr m.A. fErGusoN Enlist: 08-07-86 Terminate: 10-06-08 No. 3 Squadron

sqNldr s.J. Judd Enlist: 07-01-86 Terminate: 05-06-08 DAC

CPl k.J. sAyEr Enlist: 23-01-06 Terminate: 31-08-08 MSS

BASE wOODBOURNE

f/s W.d. BAuNToN Enlist: 07-01-86 Terminate: 16-09-08 ATS

sGT d.A. hAmilToN Enlist: 04-09-76 Terminate: 28-07-08 East Gym

wELCOME BACKThe RNZAf extends a warm welcome to the following re-enlisted personnel:

CPl l.m. PoyZEr Enlist: 16-06-08 MSS OHAKEA

for Discrimination, harassment anD bullying enquiries0800 helpline

30 sqdn 40th AnniversAry28th november 2008

Email Maureen Kettle at: [email protected] for more information

Within nZ - 0800 693 324anD from overseas call collect During 0800 - 2000 (nZ time) 64 4 499 8338)

ReuNioN waRNiNG oRDeR!

sECREtaRy: tRish hEikOOp ph: (09) 577 4306 E: [email protected]

tREasuRER: dOn ROllEph: (09) 298 8176 E: [email protected]

Initial preparations are now underway to hold the above reunion at Arena Manawatu, Palmerston North, during Labour Weekend

24 – 26 October 2008.

The reunion is open to all ex-cadets, ex-cadet staff, and their wives or partners.

Widows of ex-cadets also welcome.

please contact the following association committee members to indicate your interest and to

request further information.ContaCtGlen (Auckland) Ph: 09 445-0262, or

Colin (Auckland)Ph: 09 378-8023 [email protected]

Sat 16 august and Sunday 17 august 2008

AssoCiAted FlyinG BoAt trAdes

most welCome

RnZaF MaRInE SECtIon REUnIon

The reunion will take place, in conjunction with Interbase Cricket, at RNZAF Base Woodbourne over the period 29 to 30 Jan 2009. Reunion details and registrations are available at www.airforce where you can click on the "whats on" key followed by "reunions and anniversaries" key. Any personnel who have played, officiated or just helped out at any RNZAF Interbase Cricket tournament are entitled to attend.

Point of Contact is W/O gary Clark on 04 5296131 or by email to [email protected]

CRiCket‘reUnion 09’

60th AnniveRsARy oF RnZAF inteRBAse CRiCket touRnAments

h E a l t h S c h E m E


AT A TIME wHEN IT SEEMS EVERYTHING IS BECOMING MORE EXPENSIVE, SOUTHERN CROSS HAS GREAT NEwS fOR NZDf PERSONNEL wITH SOUTHERN CROSS HEALTH INSURANCE.

Due to an overall low claims experience over the

past year the majority of you will find your Southern

Cross health insurance premiums are going down!

In fact, the average premium rates are decreasing

by five percent. In addition, a recent benefit review

has resulted in changes to policy limits that

will increase the amounts that can be claimed

for certain healthcare services in a number of

plans. These benefit changes come into effect for

treatment received on or after 1 July 2008.

Southern Cross, as a not-for-profit entity, provides

NZDF employees with access to a group health

insurance scheme that is made as affordable

as possible. Since 1996 Southern Cross has

been proud to underwrite the scheme to help

cover the healthcare needs of NZDF personnel

and their families. Keeping premiums stable is

very challenging, essentially because the cost

of medical treatment continues to increase at a

higher rate than general inflation. Also, chronic

illnesses (i.e. diabetes, obesity etc) are on the

increase and the general population is ageing,

which places more demand on healthcare.

Southern Cross is run entirely for the benefit of

its 830,000 plus members and has the highest

claims payout ratios in the New Zealand health

insurance sector.

If you are a member of the NZDF health insurance

scheme you will receive an individual letter

providing details of your premium changes and

if you are deployed overseas these letters will be

sent to your NZ home address.

If you have any questions about your Southern

Cross policy, want to add a family member, or

want to join, contact Southern Cross on 0800 GET

COVER (438 268)

For more information about the Southern Cross NZDF scheme check out page http://awi-teams/army_welfare/Southernx/nzdf_06.pdf on the NZDF Intranet.

Not eVeRytHiNG is GoiNG uP iN PRiCe!To mEmBErs of ThE NEW ZEAlANd dEfENCE forCE souThErN Cross GrouP sChEmE

EXCLUSIVELY AVAILABLE fOR NZDf MILITARY PERSONNEL

Southern Cross also offers NZDF service

personnel an option to take out a

non-claiming policy.

A non-claiming policy means that although

you don’t claim, you can start your

entitlement to your membership loyalty

benefits from the date of joining and

enjoy all the other member benefits

such as receiving the Southern Cross

Plus card, discounted travel insurance

from Southern Cross Travel Insurance,

and other special offers from a range of

Southern Cross health partners.

Premiums for a non-claiming policy are at

a nominal cost and at the same time you

can have your dependant’s on a claiming

policy to ensure that they have the health

insurance protection they need.

We all find ourselves driven by workplace demands that often see the latest hot issue

occupy our days and the “to do” list growing ever more faded. How often do we get to pause and think about the future, the strategic challenges we face and the influences that will shape our organisation? One such opportunity is planned for later this year and I hope that this article will result in diaries being arranged to ensure time is set aside for this important future thinking.

In September this year, the Chief of Air Force AVM Graham Lintott will have the pleasure of hosting a conference to examine the theme of ‘Security in the Pacific: Air Power’s Future Contribution?’ The conference will bring together a range of local and international speakers, uniformed and civilian. We will begin by looking at the big picture and the strategic trends that influence New

Zealand’s long-term interest in the Pacific region. We will hear a range of perspectives from security partners and how they see air power shaping the

future environment. Speakers will address more focused areas including ISR, Air Mobility, Cyber warfare/Information Operations and Leadership to name a few. There will be ample opportunities given for Q&As both during the formal programme

and through engagement on a one-on-one basis with the speakers over coffee.

We hope to bring together a mixed audience from across government and academia along with a strong NZDF representation. If you are interested in attending, nominations will be call for through the command chain in due course but pencil in 23-24 September 2008, Te Papa, Wellington, and keep your diary open. This is a unique opportunity and we at the Air Power Development Centre would like to encourage you to attend. This includes those of you in the early stages of your careers, as you will be the people who will potentially see or be called upon to put these ideas and concepts into practice.

More info on the subjects, speakers, accommodation options and registration for the conference can be found using the links on the APDC Intranet site http://org/f-cap/APDCPages/Home.aspx?PageView=Shared.

air Power’s future Contribution?SecUritY in the Pacific

ChiEf Of aiR fORCE aVm gRaham

lintOtt Will haVE thE plEasuRE

Of hOsting thE COnfEREnCE

Documents

Air Force News July/August Issue 94 · Keeling and Mundy Limited PO Box 61, Palmerston North Editorial contributions and letters to the editor are welcome. All contributions may be