Strike Wing Flypast for the RNZAF 50th Anniversary Parade, Wigram, 1st April 1987

Preparation

Before 1987, in my earlier 19 years of flying in the RNZAF, I’d been party to the ‘inexact art’ around the timing of some flypasts; the timing problem nearly always stemmed from the apparent inability of getting a VIP onto the official dais a few seconds before the time the flypast aircraft were to be overhead. I have to say that most problems came from those on the ground not appreciating that once a formation of aircraft have started their run-in for the flypast over the dais, they can’t simply stop and hold in the air while a VIP Reviewing Officer makes their way to the dais.  In short, it’s much easier, and with a much greater chance of achieving timing success, to modulate the progress of the VIP than it is to try to do that to the flypast aircraft.

In order to try and pre-empt any foreseeable timing problem, I’d met earlier with the Base Commander RNZAF Base Wigram, Group Captain Ross Donaldson, who was to be the Parade Commander for the RNZAF’s 50^th Anniversary parade on 1st April 1987. I proposed, and we agreed, to a two-way contract – I would lead the RNZAFs 50^th Anniversary flypast to be overhead the dais within two seconds of the nominated time, and he would guarantee to have the Reviewing Officer mount the dais and take the ‘Royal Salute’ just seconds before the agreed time. A deal, I thought, that had every chance of success. 

I undertook to carry out enough practice flypasts to ensure I got the jets overhead on time, and Group Captain Donaldson agreed to ensure enough practices were undertaken with the designated driver of the official car to guarantee the Reviewing Officer arrived at the dais on time. 

Planning  

The first issue for me to address was that even with wing drop tanks fitted, the Strikemaster aircraft had much less range than the Skyhawk – so without refueling ‘somewhere’, the Strikemasters would be unable to fly from Ohakea to the Christchurch area, hold for some 15 minutes at low level, carry out the flypast in close formation, and return to Ohakea.  Accordingly, it was decided to route the nine Strikemasters via RNZAF Base Woodbourne to refuel enroute to the flypast at Wigram. Also, the cruise airspeed of the Strikemaster was slower than the normal 360 knots of the Skyhawk, so we compromised on speeds such that I believe we flew at 300 knots – or 5 nautical miles per minute.

The parade at Wigram was to be formed up on the tarmac facing towards No 3 Hangar. The flypast formation was to come from the north east being behind the parade that was facing towards the dais. This meant the flypast aircraft would need to fly at lower level over the eastern suburbs of the City of Christchurch, and after the flypast to exit towards the south-east before turning northward to return to Ohakea.

In order that we would have a relatively straight run-in for the flypast, I decided to initially position the Skyhawk formation over the sea to the north of the Sumner coastline, and so I planned a left hand orbit based on a timing anchor point of land on the northern end of the Lyttleton Harbour entrance on Banks Peninsula. And, after refueling at Woodbourne, the nine-aircraft Strikemaster formation would join with the Skyhawks in that left-hand orbit before I started the run-in towards Wigram for the flypast.  Accurate timing was the only sticking point, and as there were no fixed references in the sea, a good deal of TLAR (that looks about right) would need to be employed in order to make the required 1100 hours TOT (time over target) overhead the dais.

Practice flights to check planning, procedures and timing   

I guess I thought at the time that the precision of the flypast timing for the RNZAF 50^th parade would be a ‘big deal’, and as such it would relate directly to the standing and credibility of Strike Wing within the RNZAF; so, I decided to undertake a number of prior flights to test and refine the whole flypast process in order that we jet-jocks would ‘nail it.’ Accordingly, my Pilots Logbook records, I flew four flights in the days leading up to ‘the day’. The flights were as follows:-

19 Mar 87 – I flew Skyhawk TA4G NZ6256 Ohakea-Wigram-Ohakea in 1.7 hours. Thinking back some 37 years on, I think I would have checked the suitability the anchor point on Banks Peninsula, the confines of the left hand orbit, and the run-in track over the City of Christchurch to Wigram.  

24 Mar 87 – I flew Skyhawk TA4K NZ6252 with Aircraftman Stewart as passenger. The flight Ohakea- Wigram-Ohakea took 2.1 hours.

26 Mar 87 – I flew Skyhawk TA4G NZ6255 with Flt Lt ‘Flail’ Lloyd of 14 Sqn as passenger. My flight time Ohakea-Wigram-Ohakea was 1.8 hours including a linkup in the holding orbit and a subsequent flypast timing practice with Strikemaster NZ6363 flown by CO 14 Sqn, Sqn Ldr ‘Iggy’ Wood.

31 Mar 87 – This flight was a full dress rehearsal before the main event the next day and the flight comprised of nine Skyhawks and nine Strikemasters. I flew Skyhawk TA4K NZ6252 for 2.0 hours with 75 Sqn Skyhawk pilot, Fg Off John Benfell, in the rear seat – his role was to monitor my navigation, positioning and timing. I have to say that the timing of the flypast to be overhead the dais within two seconds on this parade dress rehearsal worked perfectly! I was #1 of 9 Skyhawks, with 9 x Strikemasters following close behind – and they had routed from Ohakea to Woodbourne for refueling, before joining up with the Skyhawks off Banks Peninsula for the flypast over Wigram. We were ready to ‘nail it.’ Game On!

By Air Commodore Jim Barclay AFC RNZAF (Retired) – April 2024