In late 1972, after phasing out from service the De Havilland Vampire, the Royal New Zealand Air Force (RNZAF) began to introduce to service the first ten of what eventually became a squadron of sixteen British Aircraft Corporation (BAC) Strikemaster Mk88 dual-seat training aircraft. The...
Address given by Air Commodore Jim Barclay AFC, RNZAF (Ret) to the ‘RNZAF Heritage Dinner’ at Draken International, Lakeland, Florida, Wednesday 10th April 2013....
75 Squadron RNZAF - Exercise Golden Kiwi/Cook Bi-Centennial, Gisborne, September/October 1969 ‘Exercise Golden Kiwi’ was the name given to 75 Squadron support to New Zealand’s 200th year commemoration of the landing at Gisborne, New Zealand, by Captain James Cook in 1769. Supporting the ‘Cook Bi-Centennial’ saw the...
In early 1981, Joanie Barclay, wife of the then Squadron Leader Jim Barclay, a Royal New Zealand Air Force exchange pilot with the 31st Tactical Fighter Wing (31 TFW) at United States Air Force (USAF) Homestead Air Force Base (HAFB), located near Miami, Florida, was...
Sqn Ldr Jim Barclay F4E Phantom II AF66-309 309th TFS, 31 TFW, Homestead AFB, Florida, September 1979 In May 1979 I travelled to Florida, USA, with my family for a ‘two-years, plus training time’ RNZAF/USAF exchange posting flying the USAF F4 Phantom II with the 31st...
RNZAF Hastings in service - The RNZAF operated four Handley Page (HP) Hastings (serial numbers NZ5801 to 5804) CMk3 four-engined transport aircraft from 1952. These aircraft were flown initially by No. 41 Squadron, but they were transferred to No. 40 Squadron when it reformed on...
May/June 1973, by Jim Barclay Flt Lt Jim Barclay strapping into the ejection seat of 77 Squadron RAAF two-seater RAAF Mirage IIID A3-104, RAAF Base Darwin, Australia 1st June 1973 Eight RNZAF A4K Skyhawks from No 75 Squadron were flown from RNZAF Base Ohakea on Thursday 24th...
My introduction to flying in Vampires with 75 Squadron (Sqn) began when I was posted to Ohakea in April 1966 as an 18 year old Secretarial Officer. At that time 75 Sqn aircrew were located in the north western corner of No 2 Hangar at...
A4 painted drop tanks - what some may think is ‘useless’ information – a photo of Skyhawk A4K NZ6208 at Ohakea carrying the first set of drop tanks with camouflage paint applied to the top part of the tank. Since we had had the Skyhawks...
RNZAF Skyhawks – A Short History Compiled by Jim Barclay with information supplied by ‘Air Frame’ Fourteen A4K aircraft were ordered from the Douglas Aircraft Company by the RNZAF in 1968 (ten A4K single seaters, being ‘tail numbers’ NZ6201-NZ6210, and four TA4K two seaters NZ6251-NZ6254). The first...
Here are a few photos taken in 1973 that you wouldn’t expect to be taken by a recent 75 Squadron Skyhawk pilot! By late August 1973, I had completed nearly 3 years flying Skyhawks on 75 Skyhawk Squadron (Sqn) at RNZAF Base Ohakea and I was...