December 1972
Mt Cook to Auckland; new Jetranger; Stolen aircraft recovered; charter services inquiry; club loses licence; companies merge; aerial spraying rights; airline information stopped; more ag DC-3's; ambulance helicopter; pioneer retires
During the latter half of last month and the first few days of this month, the RNZAF carried out its annual 'Operation Ice Cube' flights to the Antarctic. On the first flight south WINGS joined the No 40 Squadron Hercules to sample first hand this most southerly of the RNZAF's transport routes.
FROM the tropical climes of Fiji of our October profile, we move this month to the cold climate of Antarctica which has only one hot point — Mount Erebus. In this short survey it is impossible to tell the full story of the rich history of Antarctic aviation, so we have confined ourselves to the main highlights.
EARLIER this year the Civil Aviation Division's Calibration Flight celebrated 25 years of operations.
When it started its work in May 1947 it used the ubiquitous DC-3, but the Cal Flight now goes into its
second 25 years with three of the most modern calibration aircraft in the world.
In last Month's WINGS Donald Baird recounted the story of the delivery flight of the RNZAF's first four Sunderland flying boats, in 1944. This month we take a brief look at the remaining sixteen Sunderlands, which entered service some nine years later, in 1953.
Wartime Harvards, Airfix and Frog Hurricane, new range of French kits
 November 1972 |
 December 2017 |