Air Force News Issue 95 - Royal New Zealand Air Force
Air Force News Issue 95 - Royal New Zealand Air Force
Air Force News Issue 95 - Royal New Zealand Air Force
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AIRFORCENEWS<br />
AIRFORCENEWS<br />
royal NEW ZEalaNd aIr forcE // ISSuE #<strong>95</strong> // aug/SEp 08 www.airforce.MiL.nZ<br />
cdf frEEfallS<br />
It all comES back<br />
aftEr 23 yEarS<br />
c-130 upgradE<br />
tESt flIghtS IN<br />
caNada<br />
officers<br />
graduate<br />
pIkI akE<br />
aIr forcE<br />
challENgE 2008<br />
StudENtS StEp up<br />
loadmaStErS<br />
oN tImE,<br />
oN targEt<br />
Three ServiceS aS one force, being The beST in everyThing we do
2<br />
coNtENtS<br />
OUR MISSION<br />
To carry out military air operations to advance <strong>New</strong><br />
<strong>Zealand</strong>’s security interests, with professionalism,<br />
integrity and teamwork.<br />
OUR VISION<br />
We will be an <strong>Air</strong> <strong>Force</strong> that is the best in all we do.<br />
He Tauarangi matou ko te pai rawa atu i to matou<br />
mahi katoa.<br />
The official journal and forum of the <strong>Royal</strong> <strong>New</strong><br />
<strong>Zealand</strong> <strong>Air</strong> <strong>Force</strong> established for the information,<br />
education and enjoyment of its personnel and<br />
other people interested in RNZAF and associated<br />
matters.<br />
Published by<br />
Defence Public Relations Unit<br />
HQ NZ Defence <strong>Force</strong><br />
Wellington, <strong>New</strong> <strong>Zealand</strong><br />
P: (04) 496 0289 F: (04) 496 0290<br />
Editorial Authority<br />
Ian Brunton<br />
Editor<br />
Grant Carr<br />
Email: grant.carr@nzdf.mil.nz<br />
Design and Layout<br />
Amy Trlin<br />
Email: amy.trlin@nzdf.mil.nz<br />
Printed by<br />
Keeling and Mundy Limited<br />
PO Box 61, Palmerston North<br />
Editorial contributions and letters to the editor are<br />
welcome. All contributions may be sent direct to <strong>Air</strong> <strong>Force</strong><br />
<strong><strong>New</strong>s</strong> and do not need to be forwarded through normal<br />
command chains. Letters are to be signed with the<br />
writer’s name, rank and unit although, unless requested<br />
otherwise, only the rank and geographical location of the<br />
writer will be published. The editorial staff reserves the<br />
right to abridge letters. Anonymous, offensive or abusive<br />
letters will not be published. Opinions expressed in <strong>Air</strong><br />
<strong>Force</strong> <strong><strong>New</strong>s</strong> are not necessarily those of the RNZAF or<br />
NZDF. Nothing in NEWS should be taken as overriding any<br />
Defence regulations. Readers should refer to the relevant<br />
Service publication before acting on any information given<br />
in this periodical. No item is to be reproduced, in part or<br />
whole, without the specific permission of the editor.<br />
ISSN 1175-2327<br />
afN<strong>95</strong> auguSt/SEptEmbEr 08 | www.airforce.mil.nz<br />
AIRFORCENEWS<br />
royal NEW ZEalaNd aIr forcE // issue #<strong>95</strong> // Aug/sEp 08<br />
AK 08-0336-23<br />
CdF REtuRns tO<br />
thE sky<br />
For the first time in 23<br />
years CDF freefalls.<br />
03<br />
05<br />
07<br />
10<br />
12<br />
15<br />
16<br />
fIRST wORD<br />
PADRE Ants Hawes<br />
AIRFORCENEWS<br />
AIRFORCENEWS<br />
ROYAL NEW ZEALAND AIR FORCE // ISSUE #<strong>95</strong> // AUG/SEP 08 WWW. AIRFORCE.MI L.N Z<br />
OFFICERS<br />
GRADUATE<br />
PIKE AKE<br />
CDF FREEFALLS C-130 UPGRADE AIR FORCE<br />
LOADMASTERS<br />
IT ALL COMES BACK TEST FLIGHTS IN CHALLENGE 2008 ON TIME,<br />
AFTER 23 YEARS CANADA<br />
STUDENTS STEP UP ON TARGET<br />
THREE SER VICES AS ONE FORCE, BEING T HE BEST IN EVERY T HING WE DO<br />
08 18 20<br />
Nz TROOPS RETURN<br />
From Solomon Islands<br />
wOAf cOLUMN<br />
Service before self<br />
wB 08-0110-06<br />
MODERNISED HERc<br />
Passes first tests<br />
AIR fORcE cHALLENgE<br />
Never a dull moment<br />
qUEENS SERVIcE MEDAL<br />
SQNLDR Shane Cole<br />
RnzAF OFFICERs<br />
gRAduAtE<br />
The 08/1 Initial Officer<br />
Training Course.<br />
wINgED ALL bLAck cAPTAIN<br />
Inspires Team <strong>Air</strong> <strong>Force</strong><br />
23<br />
24<br />
26<br />
28<br />
30<br />
32<br />
34<br />
AK 07-0013-08<br />
COntents<br />
aug/sep 2008 COVeR<br />
PHOTO WB 08-0110-06<br />
lOAdmAstERs<br />
On time. On target.<br />
Loadmasters are hitting<br />
the spot.<br />
cURE kIDS cHALLENgE<br />
Travelling light the way to go<br />
wINgS cOURSE 07/01<br />
Graduating Officers<br />
40 SqUADRON HANDOVER<br />
WGCDR Darryn Webb<br />
bUSy TIMES<br />
For Base Auckland Multisports<br />
INTERbASE RUgby LEAgUE<br />
The annual tournament<br />
DRAgON bOATINg<br />
Competing in Hong Kong<br />
NOTIcES<br />
Farewells and events<br />
Precision timing. The General salute at the recent<br />
08/01 Initial Officer Training Course graduation as<br />
CT-4 <strong>Air</strong>trainers and a Harvard flies overhead.
PAdre Ants HAwes<br />
OHAKeA<br />
it dOesn’t<br />
matteR<br />
hOw flash<br />
the tOys<br />
aRe...at the<br />
end Of the<br />
day, it will<br />
always be<br />
peOple that<br />
use that<br />
geaR and<br />
implement<br />
that plan<br />
‘can i invite you<br />
fIrSt Word<br />
to forget about the air force for a while?’<br />
Recently, I was privileged enough to receive<br />
an invitation to attend the annual ‘<strong>Air</strong> <strong>Force</strong><br />
Leadership Forum’. It was a pretty inspirational<br />
event full of bright people and some really good<br />
words. The problem I had though was staying<br />
awake. I’d just flown in from the States the day<br />
before so I kept falling asleep. Despite that, my<br />
ears picked up something pretty interesting. It<br />
was this… Presenter after presenter gave us<br />
the obligatory PowerPoint presentation and as I<br />
said, really good words, and then they all seemed<br />
to finish by making it clear that the key to our<br />
succeeding or not was down to our people.<br />
CAF summed it all up in his closing address<br />
when he said, ‘The one we’ve all got to keep<br />
working on is the people one.’ I think what he<br />
was saying was, we’ll either succeed or fail on<br />
our people. By people he means everyone,<br />
either in uniform or not, who works in or around<br />
the RNZAF - everyone from the GPCAPT who sets<br />
direction to the poor old Padre who keeps falling<br />
asleep in the back row.<br />
So what does all this talk about people mean?<br />
I think that it is an acknowledgement that you<br />
can have all the best ideas in the world and<br />
all the best gear in the world, but at the end<br />
of the day, it will always be people that use<br />
that gear and implement that plan. And if the<br />
people aren’t up to speed or aren’t happy then<br />
it doesn’t matter one bit how flash the toys are,<br />
‘that boat just ain’t going to float’ (well, it may,<br />
but probably not at full speed or perhaps just<br />
around and around…).<br />
Now here is a very good saying, and one that I<br />
have adapted slightly for our situation. ‘Don’t<br />
try to build a big <strong>Air</strong> <strong>Force</strong>. Build big people and<br />
big people will build a big <strong>Air</strong> <strong>Force</strong>.’<br />
What is a ‘big person?’<br />
• A big person is someone who is comfortable<br />
enough with themselves (self security) and<br />
comfortable enough in their job (content and<br />
capable) to be a self starter.<br />
• A big person knows how to “let the problem<br />
be the problem” rather than getting into<br />
personalities and pettiness.<br />
• A big person doesn’t get overly defensive<br />
when their competence is questioned. They<br />
hear the challenge and work on the skills all<br />
the while holding their dignity and values.<br />
• Big people don’t insist on getting the credit<br />
or fish for compliments.<br />
• Big people know their turangawaewae (place<br />
to stand) and are at home with themselves.<br />
And finally, big people attract big people! That<br />
means that when the confident and capable<br />
young people of The World see our confident and<br />
capable people, they’ll want to join them.<br />
So can I invite every one of you to forget<br />
about building a big <strong>Air</strong> <strong>Force</strong> for a while, and<br />
concentrate on building big people? And here is<br />
the kicker… This starts with each of us looking<br />
at ourselves and asking if there is any area of<br />
our lives we need to work on! Further to that,<br />
can we then help the person next to us, develop<br />
the person below us or support the person above<br />
us? What’s that acronym? TEAM – Together<br />
Each Achieves More.<br />
Great talking with you and I’ll leave you with a<br />
bit of poetry from Longfellow;<br />
Not in the clamour of the crowded street,<br />
Not in the shout and plaudits of the throng,<br />
But in ourselves, are triumph and defeat.<br />
www.airforce.mil.nz | afN<strong>95</strong> auguSt/SEptEmbEr 08<br />
3
4<br />
AK 02-0414-15<br />
brIEf NEWS<br />
rNZaf’s eYes iN the sKY<br />
Head to darWin<br />
A P-3k ORION cREw fROM NUMbER<br />
5 SqUADRON Of THE ROyAL NEw<br />
zEALAND AIR fORcE DEPARTED ON<br />
26 JULy fOR DARwIN TO PARTIcIPATE<br />
IN THE ROyAL AUSTRALIAN NAVy’S<br />
MOST SIgNIfIcANT ExERcISE fOR<br />
2008, ExERcISE kAkADU Ix.<br />
The exercise featured Naval and <strong>Air</strong><br />
capabilities and was designed to develop<br />
multilateral maritime operations in an<br />
international coalition environment.<br />
The last <strong>Air</strong> <strong>Force</strong> Iroquois - equipped<br />
detachment to serve in Timor-Leste departed<br />
from Palmerston North airport on Monday 14 July.<br />
The 30–strong team of No. 3 Squadron personnel<br />
will spend three months in Dili before withdrawing<br />
their personnel and two Iroquois helicopters.<br />
Detachment Commander SQNLDR Ben Pryor<br />
previously served in Timor-Leste during 2000<br />
and again in 2001, and he is looking forward to<br />
seeing the changes that have occurred in the<br />
region since then. ‘I’m definitely looking forward<br />
afN<strong>95</strong> auguSt/SEptEmbEr 08 | www.airforce.mil.nz<br />
Together with members from the RNZAF, the<br />
exercise saw around 2000 defence personnel<br />
from Australia, Singapore, Malaysia, Papua<br />
<strong>New</strong> Guinea, Pakistan, Japan, Thailand and<br />
the French Armed <strong>Force</strong>s – <strong>New</strong> Caledonia;<br />
with observers from India, the Philippines<br />
and Indonesia.<br />
The two week exercise provided participating<br />
countries the opportunity for training activities,<br />
weapons practice and promoting a shared<br />
understanding of maritime security issues.<br />
to returning to Timor-Leste and continuing to play<br />
a part in the rebuilding and stabilisation of this<br />
small nation. The current <strong>New</strong> <strong>Zealand</strong> mission<br />
has been very successful, but we realise the<br />
East Timorese still face a significant number<br />
of challenges to ensure their own peace and<br />
stability. For that reason I’m also very interested to<br />
see what progress has been made in the 7 years<br />
since I last deployed there.’ The No. 3 Squadron<br />
personnel and two Iroquois helicopters support<br />
the Combined Joint Task <strong>Force</strong> in theatre.<br />
An RNzAf Orion conducting<br />
maritime surveillance.<br />
Detachment Commander FLTLT Cameron<br />
Brownlee said the exercise provided the<br />
Orion crew with the opportunity to hone their<br />
maritime surveillance skills.<br />
It also exercised the skills of RNZAF logistics<br />
and operational support personnel.<br />
‘<strong>New</strong> <strong>Zealand</strong>’s Exclusive Economic Zone is<br />
one of the largest in the world and we also<br />
conduct maritime surveillance for a number of<br />
Pacific countries, so the opportunity to improve<br />
our maritime operations was welcome.’<br />
fiNal heli DetachMeNt to tiMor leste<br />
They work alongside Australian Defence <strong>Force</strong><br />
assets and carry out personnel movement,<br />
aero medical evacuation and air logistics<br />
support tasks. Support from the RNZAF was first<br />
requested by the Government of Timor-Leste in<br />
1999, where it was maintained for three years<br />
and then again for an 18-month period from April<br />
2007. This deployment is scheduled to come to<br />
an end in October 2008 to allow the beginning of<br />
the RNZAF transition to the new NH90 helicopters<br />
that will come into service 2010 to 2011.
<strong>New</strong> <strong>Zealand</strong> troops return<br />
froM soloMoN islaNDs<br />
LcPL Libby McMurdo<br />
of 2nd Health Services<br />
battalion (Linton),<br />
treating a local child at<br />
Mangia Village.<br />
fORTy-fOUR NEw zEALAND DEfENcE fORcE PERSONNEL ARRIVED<br />
HOME fROM A fOUR MONTH DEPLOyMENT SUPPORTINg THE REgIONAL<br />
ASSISTANcE MISSION TO THE SOLOMON ISLANDS ON SATURDAy 19 JULy.<br />
They were greeted at Auckland <strong>Air</strong> <strong>Force</strong><br />
Base, Whenuapai, by Chief of Army MAJ<br />
GEN Louis Gardiner and Territorial <strong>Force</strong><br />
Advisor BRIG Anthony Howie, as well as<br />
their family and friends. The majority of the<br />
personnel are made up of Territorial <strong>Force</strong><br />
soldiers from the 3rd Auckland Northland<br />
and 6th Hauraki regiments. The Kiwis have<br />
worked alongside Australian, Tongan and<br />
Papua <strong>New</strong> Guinean military personnel<br />
from left: bob Andrews, Trevor butler,<br />
ken wells, and bruce Donnelly.<br />
and police during their time in the Islands.<br />
They have been replaced by the seventh<br />
rotation of NZDF personnel who arrived<br />
in theatre earlier this week. Operations<br />
such as RAMSI offer TF members the<br />
opportunity to take on the challenges that<br />
you would experience full-time in the Army<br />
and the civilian skills members bring are<br />
often invaluable when working with the<br />
local population.<br />
wn 08-0043-80 Photo: Gael Butler<br />
brIEf NEWS<br />
no 42 pilots<br />
course reunion<br />
During the Tribute 08 weekend in<br />
Wellington during Queen’s Birthday<br />
weekend, four graduates of RNZAF 42 Pilots<br />
Course (graduated June 1966) met prior to the<br />
Saturday march to Parliament which in itself<br />
was a moving experience for them all.<br />
From left: Bob Andrews, No. 41 Squadron<br />
(Singapore based) flew Bristol B170 freighters<br />
in and out of South Vietnam regularly between<br />
1968 and 1970. He now runs his own energy<br />
supply business. Trevor Butler was attached<br />
to No. 9 Squadron RAAF based out of Vung<br />
Tau, South Vietnam, flying Iroquois from<br />
1968–1969 and is now an <strong>Air</strong> <strong>New</strong> <strong>Zealand</strong><br />
fOuR gRaduates<br />
met pRiOR tO the<br />
satuRday maRCh<br />
tO paRliament<br />
whiCh in itself<br />
was a mOVing<br />
expeRienCe fOR<br />
them all...<br />
A320 <strong>Air</strong>bus captain. Ken Wells was also<br />
attached to No. 9 Squadron RAAF based out<br />
of Vung Tau, flying Iroquois between 1968 and<br />
1969 and is now a flight examiner (helicopters)<br />
with the CAANZ. Bruce Donnelly was attached<br />
to the 19th Tactical <strong>Air</strong> Support Squadron<br />
USAF, based out of Cu Chi, South Vietnam,<br />
as a forward air controller (FAC), flying OV-10A<br />
Broncos from 1969–1970. He is now a<br />
B747-400 captain with <strong>Air</strong> <strong>New</strong> <strong>Zealand</strong>.<br />
Bruce Donnelly writes: ‘We had a great<br />
weekend and then all met up with the rest of<br />
our old course members the following weekend<br />
in Wellington for a ‘42 years for 42 Course’<br />
reunion which was even better. ‘<br />
Reproduced with the kind permission of NZ Aviation<br />
<strong><strong>New</strong>s</strong> Editor John King.<br />
www.airforce.mil.nz | afN<strong>95</strong> auguSt/SEptEmbEr 08<br />
5
6<br />
pErS corNEr<br />
pers<br />
corner<br />
GPCAPT KEVIN McEVOy<br />
ASSISTANT CHIEF OF AIR FORCE PERSONNEL<br />
DcM eMpoweriNg You to MaKe iNforMeD career choices<br />
FLtLt CArsten Grimm CAREER MANAGER (AIRCREW)<br />
This month sees the launch of the new-look DCM website which provides more<br />
information than ever before to enable you to make informed career decisions.<br />
The new look and new tools have been developed to give you what you need<br />
to be able to plan out your future based on relevant career information.<br />
The newest addition to the DCM toolbox is the Established Post Search. As<br />
the name suggests you can now find posts in the RNZAF and wider NZDF<br />
based on defined search criteria. You can refine your search by Trade,<br />
Rank, Region or specific location or by a plain text keyword (eg, anytrade,<br />
anytech etc).<br />
All results are taken straight from ATLAS so you can see what rank positions<br />
are established at and what any alternate conditions might be. For example,<br />
if you were interested in a F/S ANYTRADE job in AUCKLAND the search would<br />
return the following results:<br />
Established Posts Applicable to RNzAf Non commissioned Ranks<br />
We have included in the results whether the post is filled or vacant and what<br />
date the posting notice was entered to give you an indication of when the<br />
post might become available next. This is intended to help you plan ahead<br />
and forecast when you might expect to be able to apply for the position.<br />
Important to note with this information is that the posting date is a guide and<br />
will only display the latest posting notice (so if someone had been away on<br />
deployment and returned to the same post then the most recent date will<br />
be displayed). For more detailed information on post availability it is always<br />
best to talk to your career manager.<br />
afN<strong>95</strong> auguSt/SEptEmbEr 08 | www.airforce.mil.nz<br />
bALANcED PARTNERSHIP<br />
The Established Post Search has been designed to enable a more<br />
constructive dialogue between you, your command and your career<br />
manager. Based on a 3-year posting cycle you will be able to plot<br />
when your future job will come up and be prepared to apply for<br />
it—maybe not this cycle or the next, but when the timing is right for<br />
you and your situation. It is hoped this will assist you to make your<br />
career decisions easier and for all to uphold their responsibilities<br />
under the Career Management Partnership.<br />
IndIvIduAl<br />
honest reporting<br />
dCm shared responsibility<br />
transparent communication<br />
COmmAnd<br />
THE DcM wEbSITE:<br />
yOUR cAREER MANAgEMENT PORTAL<br />
The new look and new tools supercede the original People Portal<br />
concept as a separate source of career information. The idea of a<br />
one-stop career resource has always been a good one. People Portal<br />
in its original form differed from what has now been identified as<br />
needed to meet the requirements of our evolving RNZAF. Your career<br />
management ‘portal’ is now the DCM website—your one stop shop<br />
for all your career related information. We will be rolling out more<br />
functionality as it becomes available, all in order to empower you<br />
to make informed decisions.<br />
More information than ever<br />
before to enable you to make<br />
informed career decisions.
you should now have received your<br />
individual Military Remuneration System<br />
(MRS) letter, and will have seen your Defined<br />
Total Fixed Remuneration (DTFR) amount.<br />
As CDF and ACPers have stated, this<br />
change is not a pay rise but a fundamental<br />
transformation of the NZDF pay system.<br />
Remember that the amount indicated in your<br />
letter is only your Defined TFR – which is<br />
your old salary plus what you received under<br />
the levelling of the Superannuation and<br />
Accommodation Assistance playing fields.<br />
w/O KeitH GeLL<br />
wArrAnt OFFiCer<br />
OF tHe <strong>Air</strong> FOrCe<br />
stepping<br />
up is abOut<br />
COmmitment<br />
and dOing<br />
the extRa<br />
metRes, but<br />
Really it’s all<br />
abOut seRViCe<br />
befORe self<br />
This figure does not give an indication of<br />
which step you personally are placed on the<br />
remuneration tables. The only exception to<br />
this is where a person’s DTFR was lower than<br />
Step 1 of the Sector and Tier they should be<br />
on. In that case, the person’s remuneration<br />
was moved up to the Step 1 amount. Step<br />
1 is 85% of the market rate for the relevant<br />
Sector and Tier.<br />
Determining where each Service person<br />
fits on the salary scales, and how people<br />
progress along the steps is currently being<br />
wOAf cOLUMN<br />
Woaf columN<br />
fOllOw-up afteR intROduCtiOn Of the new mRs<br />
service before self<br />
Service before self is not common to the<br />
<strong>Air</strong> language. More often we use the term<br />
commitment, however I think it is time we<br />
started being more frank about what this<br />
commitment means, and to put it frankly, its<br />
about ‘service before self’.<br />
I strongly believe also that we should not be<br />
afraid to talk openly in the public arena about<br />
serving our country. We are very patriotic when<br />
it comes to sport, but we should also be the<br />
same about being a member of the RNZAF<br />
and the <strong>New</strong> <strong>Zealand</strong> Defence <strong>Force</strong>. Some<br />
folk believe this type of talk is too hyped up<br />
for our culture, however I disagree and these<br />
people need to re-recruit themselves.<br />
I am glad also that these people are a minority.<br />
Being a member of the profession of arms is<br />
a dangerous business. It requires people with<br />
outright courage and discipline. It requires<br />
people who put service before self and it<br />
requires people who join this profession for<br />
the right reasons. If these reasons come<br />
down to plain old ‘self, well you need to have<br />
a re-think.<br />
Our brand is ‘step up’, and yes I am seeing<br />
plenty of that in many work areas. Stepping<br />
up is about commitment and doing the extra<br />
metres, but really it’s all about service before<br />
self. Some believe because they have reached<br />
a certain rank or served a certain amount of<br />
time, they deserve more from the system, or<br />
worse still, the system owes me. My word of<br />
worked on by the project teams in Personnel<br />
Branch and each Service. This means that<br />
a number of people could see an increase<br />
in salary on Full Implementation, which will<br />
be back-paid to 4 July 2008. However, as<br />
we work through the legacy of the old pay<br />
system, it is a reality that some people will be<br />
on standstill rates. Remember as CDF and AC<br />
Pers have said no-one will be worse off but it<br />
may be some time before they are better off<br />
as it will take time (no later than 1 Jul 09) to<br />
fully implement the new system.<br />
wisdom to those folk is service before self<br />
does not end until you hand in your ID card.<br />
Service before self requires sacrifice and that<br />
sacrifice ends when you cross the finish line.<br />
It is also a key tenet of being a member of the<br />
profession of arms. Without this ingredient<br />
we lack teeth.<br />
So where do you see yourself? Give yourself<br />
a pinch and have a think about it. Have a<br />
look around you also and look at your fellow<br />
workmates. Have the courage to engage with<br />
them if they lack that key ingredient, because<br />
at the end of the day it helps them and it<br />
helps our <strong>Air</strong> <strong>Force</strong> and the Defence <strong>Force</strong>. It’s<br />
not about working harder, it’s about working<br />
smarter. It’s about being passionate and it’s<br />
about believing in what we do and what we<br />
represent.<br />
As the WOAF I am seeing some real good stuff<br />
when it comes to service, and to be honest I<br />
am comfortable where we sit as an <strong>Air</strong> <strong>Force</strong>.<br />
However, sometimes I am seeing the same<br />
old faces popping up when it comes to putting<br />
service before self, which makes me think that<br />
perhaps we could do better.<br />
Make a difference is my advice to those who<br />
don’t get it. For those that do, I salute you. you<br />
are the ones that are making a difference.<br />
Service before self, something we all need to<br />
talk about more often. Honouring those who<br />
put service before self, something for our<br />
Commanders to talk about more often.<br />
www.airforce.mil.nz | afN<strong>95</strong> auguSt/SEptEmbEr 08 7
AK 08-0335-01<br />
8<br />
cdf frEEfallS<br />
The cDf in freefall.<br />
L-R: wO kevin Pope, cDf, f/S<br />
Ian Leatherland (picture taken<br />
by SgT garth Magnussen).<br />
cdf returns<br />
to tHe skySgT<br />
fOR THE fIRST TIME SINcE HE LAST cOMPLETED A fREEfALL PARAcHUTE DEScENT 23 yEARS AgO,<br />
cDf, LTgEN JERRy MATEPARAE AgAIN TOOk TO THE SkIES wITH THE TEAM AT THE PARAcHUTE TRAININg<br />
AND SUPPORT UNIT (PTSU) AT RNzAf bASE AUckLAND ON THURSDAy 24 JULy.<br />
AK 08-0336-23<br />
L-R: SgT Magnussen, w/O<br />
Pope and cDf exit the c-130.<br />
afN<strong>95</strong> auguSt/SEptEmbEr 08 | www.airforce.mil.nz<br />
JUSTIN TAMEHANA<br />
PJI: PTSU<br />
AK 08-0336-05<br />
A final brief from 40 Sqn<br />
Loadmaster f/S Pauline carson.
AK 08-0336-40<br />
L-R: wO kevin Pope, f/S Ian Leatherland, cDf,<br />
SgT Rick wadmore, SqNLDR Darryn Pritchard,<br />
SgT Justin Tamehana, SgT garth Magnussen<br />
As a trained freefall parachutist,<br />
LTGEN Mateparae was able to<br />
complete the freefall instead of a<br />
tandem descent commonly undertaken<br />
by visitors to the Unit. Despite the time<br />
since his last jump all the drills and<br />
procedures soon came flooding back<br />
after instruction from PTSU instructors<br />
F/S Ian Leatherland and SGT Justin<br />
Tamehana<br />
After a morning of ground training<br />
the all clear was given to board the<br />
RNZAF C-130 Hercules for the 12000<br />
foot jump.<br />
A steadying hand was provided by Free<br />
Fall Instructors W/O Kevin Pope and<br />
F/S Leatherland as LTGEN Mateparae<br />
exited the aircraft. On hand to capture<br />
the historic moment was freefall<br />
cameraman SGT Garth Magnussen.<br />
On deploying his parachute LTGEN<br />
Mateparae was assisted by SGT Rick<br />
Wadmore through the use of a ground<br />
to air radio to ensure a safe return to<br />
earth.<br />
eVen when<br />
yOu aRe the<br />
Cdf yOu haVe<br />
tO paCk up<br />
afteRwaRds!<br />
lEadErShIp<br />
www.airforce.mil.nz | afN<strong>95</strong> auguSt/SEptEmbEr 08<br />
AK 08-0336-38<br />
9
wn 08-0035-26<br />
10<br />
opEratIoNal capabIlIty<br />
MoDerNiseD herc passes first tests<br />
fOLLOwINg THE REcENT RETURN TO NEw zEALAND Of THE NEwLy MODIfIED bOEINg 757, THE fIRST Of THE<br />
AIR fORcE’S UPgRADED c-130 HERcULES HAS cOMPLETED A SERIES Of SUccESSfUL TEST fLIgHTS AT L-3<br />
cOMMUNIcATIONS SPAR AEROSPAcE fAcILITIES IN EDMONTON, cANADA.<br />
The upgrade, described by contractor L-3<br />
Communications Spar Aerospace as the most<br />
comprehensive modernisation project ever<br />
undertaken on a C-130 worldwide, included<br />
centre wing refurbishment, a major rewire,<br />
replacement of the aircraft’s communication<br />
and navigation systems with more modern<br />
systems and an upgrade to the C-130 selfprotection<br />
system.<br />
‘The new aircraft will enhance our ability<br />
to operate with aircraft from other nations<br />
and decrease the workload of the crew in<br />
operational environments. By design, it should<br />
also make the aircraft easier to maintain and<br />
improve reliability,’ said RNZAF C-130 test<br />
pilot SQNLDR Pete Saunders. ‘There will be 86<br />
hours of Acceptance Test flying which involves<br />
taking the new systems through their paces to<br />
confirm compliance. This will be followed up at<br />
home with further testing to ensure suitability<br />
during Operational Test and Evaluation,’ said<br />
SQNLDR Saunders. Two of the <strong>Air</strong> <strong>Force</strong>’s<br />
fleet of five Hercules are being upgraded by<br />
L-3 Communications Spar Aerospace. The<br />
remaining three Hercules will be upgraded<br />
by Safe <strong>Air</strong> Limited, based in Blenheim. The<br />
upgrade commenced in 2005 and is part of the<br />
C-130 Life Extension Project which will extend<br />
the operational capability of the <strong>Air</strong> <strong>Force</strong>’s fleet<br />
of five Hercules until 2017.<br />
afN<strong>95</strong> auguSt/SEptEmbEr 08 | www.airforce.mil.nz<br />
wn 08-0035-27<br />
wn 08-0035-26<br />
The C-130 project and flight<br />
test team in Edmonton.<br />
Test pilot Squadron Leader<br />
Pete Saunders trying out the<br />
new glass cockpit.
wn 08-0035-35<br />
opEratIoNal capabIlIty<br />
caf europe trip<br />
A REcENT VISIT TO EUROPE gAVE cHIEf Of AIR fORcE AIR VIcE-MARSHAL gRAHAM LINTOTT THE cHANcE<br />
TO gET UP cLOSE TO SOME Of THE AIRcRAfT THAT wILL SOON bE HEADINg OUR wAy.<br />
Included in the programme was a visit to the<br />
Eurocopter facilities in Marseille where CAF<br />
was able to see first-hand the work being done<br />
on the NH90 project, touch base with the team<br />
over there and sign the NH90 simulator training<br />
wn 08-0035-34<br />
gPcAPT Davies<br />
aboard a NH90.<br />
contract with Helisim CEO Guy Dabadie. While in<br />
the UK, CAF was taken for a flight in one of the<br />
RAF’s AgustaWestland 109 helicopters, a similar<br />
model to the type that will be flown by the RNZAF<br />
in the training rolex, in coming years. A visit to the<br />
wn 08-0035-31<br />
CAF flies the<br />
NH90 simulator.<br />
The RNzAf team visit buckeburg. L-R:<br />
gPcAPT Tony Davies, AVM graham<br />
Lintott, wgcDR brett Marshall and<br />
SqNLDR Adam Houston.<br />
Buckeburg Army Base in Germany saw CAF have<br />
the opportunity to fly in an NH90 simulator and<br />
the chance for a flight in the real thing.<br />
the nh90 pROjeCt<br />
www.airforce.mil.nz | afN<strong>95</strong> auguSt/SEptEmbEr 08<br />
11
OH 08-0444-26<br />
12<br />
aIr forcE challENgE<br />
group photograph in front<br />
of a P-3k Orion.<br />
AIR FORCE ChAllEngE 2008<br />
never a dull MoMent<br />
HIgH ScHOOL STUDENTS gOT UP cLOSE AND PERSONAL wITH AIR fORcE wEAPONRy, TOOk ON TEAMbUILDINg<br />
ExERcISES AND fLEw IN MILITARy AIRcRAfT AT THE ANNUAL AIR fORcE cHALLENgE HELD<br />
LAST MONTH AT bASE OHAkEA. ONE Of cHALLENgE 2008 ORgANISERS AND AIR fORcE REcRUITER<br />
SgT MATT cATHcART ASkED fOR cOMMENTS ON THE cHALLENgE cOURSE fROM SOME Of THE<br />
PARTIcIPANTS. THEy ALL AgREED THAT IT IS A fULLy UNIqUE ExPERIENcE wITH NEVER A DULL MOMENT.<br />
bEN JOHNSON<br />
I attended the 2008 <strong>Air</strong> <strong>Force</strong> Challenge at<br />
RNZAF Base Ohakea these holidays and I<br />
thoroughly enjoyed every moment of it. Right<br />
from the start of the day (at 6:30am!) we always<br />
had something to do. Seldom did we have<br />
a chance to sit down and rest. But the busy<br />
schedule was a good thing because it meant<br />
that we were never bored and it allowed us to<br />
see a huge range of trades within the <strong>Royal</strong><br />
<strong>New</strong> <strong>Zealand</strong> <strong>Air</strong> <strong>Force</strong>. Going around all the<br />
trades in the <strong>Air</strong> <strong>Force</strong> gave me a good insight<br />
to what goes on in the <strong>Air</strong> <strong>Force</strong> and that there<br />
are more jobs available than just being a pilot.<br />
We got to see things like the metal workshops,<br />
avionics, composite materials, Safety & Surface<br />
(S&S), aircraft technical trades, the Fire Service,<br />
Armourers, <strong>Air</strong>movements and <strong>Air</strong> Security. All<br />
of these trades had little activities ready for<br />
us, which kept us engaged as well as learning<br />
heaps about the <strong>Air</strong> <strong>Force</strong>. And let us not forget<br />
the Physical Training Instructors (PTIs). PT was<br />
afN<strong>95</strong> auguSt/SEptEmbEr 08 | www.airforce.mil.nz<br />
actually not as bad as I had expected and I<br />
found it quite a nice work out in such freezing<br />
weather. The <strong>Air</strong> <strong>Force</strong> fitness test was quite a<br />
challenge but it allowed us to experience what<br />
sort of fitness is required to be part of the <strong>Air</strong><br />
<strong>Force</strong>. Of course, we also got to look around all<br />
the different Squadrons, Pilot Training School<br />
showed us around the <strong>Air</strong> Trainers; No.42<br />
Squadron the King <strong>Air</strong>s; No.5 Squadron the Orion<br />
and No.3 Squadron showed us the Iroquois. The<br />
only one we didn’t see was No.40 Squadron, but<br />
that was okay. The major highlight of the trip for<br />
me was definitely flying on the Iroquois with No.<br />
3 Squadron because it was just an amazing<br />
experience, and a great first flight in a helicopter.<br />
I also had lots of fun on the <strong>Air</strong> Security course<br />
and the syndicate exercises we got to do. They<br />
were a lot of fun and I enjoyed working with the<br />
people from my syndicate. Meeting new people<br />
from all over the country was definitely one of the<br />
best parts of the <strong>Air</strong> <strong>Force</strong> Challenge and the new<br />
friends that I made in my syndicate just made<br />
the whole trip more enjoyable. My awesome<br />
syndicate leader, F/S Jacqueline Doolan-Tindall,<br />
also made my trip much more enjoyable. She<br />
was fun and energetic and answered all my<br />
questions. Everybody loves Drill! Enough said.<br />
bEN wATTIE<br />
The best bit was definitely the helicopter ride!<br />
It was cool to experience pilots flying first hand<br />
and we got to see that the <strong>Air</strong> <strong>Force</strong> isn’t just a<br />
few old rusty aircraft - even the old Tiger Moth<br />
was in mint flying condition! Also the leadership<br />
exercises we did were cool because we all<br />
really bonded as a group through them. The<br />
worst things would be the discipline stuff like<br />
marching, always having to be precisely on time<br />
etc. But as I thought about how I didn’t like it I<br />
realised that it is not so bad because when you<br />
look at history you see that 10,000 disciplined<br />
soldiers can beat 100,000 barbarians so it’s<br />
understandable why the military needs the<br />
discipline. Overall I learnt that there are so many<br />
different parts to play in the RNZAF even if you<br />
don’t like flying.
OH 08-0444-12<br />
cPL Leilani krants<br />
chats to <strong>Air</strong> force<br />
challenge students.<br />
ELLA bARRETT<br />
I thought it was great how the entire week was<br />
packed with activities. There was very little time<br />
to be bored, and in down time you mostly wanted<br />
to sleep. It was also awesome how we were able<br />
to visit almost all the trades in the <strong>Air</strong> <strong>Force</strong> and<br />
get an insight of what life is like living on Base.<br />
The best tours around the trades were when we<br />
could be hands-on and try things for ourselves,<br />
for example the Canadian fitness test and the<br />
evening activities with <strong>Air</strong> Security. The highlight<br />
of the AFC was of course the flight in the Iroquois,<br />
but also being able to chat with the pilots and<br />
find out how they got to where they are etc. What<br />
I learnt while I was away, was that the <strong>Air</strong> <strong>Force</strong><br />
is more of a life style choice than a job. Thanks<br />
for the fantastic time away!<br />
AcE fIRE<br />
I had an awesome time on the <strong>Air</strong> <strong>Force</strong><br />
Challenge 2008. I learned so much about<br />
everything the <strong>Air</strong> <strong>Force</strong> does, from drill to<br />
playing sport. What I really enjoyed was seeing<br />
all the various trades in the RNZAF, the live-firing<br />
demonstrations - Steyrs are a lot louder than I<br />
had originally thought!, the <strong>Air</strong> Security exercises,<br />
getting to go aboard an Orion and passing the<br />
fitness test. The highlight of the trip for me was a<br />
flight in the Huey, I had never been in a helicopter<br />
before, and I was really impressed with what<br />
an Iroquois could do. The experience for me<br />
was totally different to that of flying fixed wing<br />
aircraft. All in all I hope the RNZAF continues to<br />
run this opportunity long into the future, and I<br />
highly recommend it to all.<br />
TEgAN TERITA-JOHNSON<br />
I enjoyed every minute of my time while I was<br />
at the 2008 AFC at Base Ohakea! There was<br />
never a dull moment! There were quizzes, skits,<br />
slideshows, aircraft, weapons, videos, movies,<br />
food and drink, nice accommodation, positiveminded<br />
people, physical activities/challenges.<br />
The list goes on! My highlight was the awesome<br />
flight in the Iroquois. I also enjoyed the PT. The<br />
PTIs tired us all out which was great! The fact<br />
that we went everywhere at the Base was really<br />
good because we got told a lot of information<br />
about each trade which was very helpful<br />
and also allowed us to see the wide range of<br />
opportunities the RNZAF has to offer. Having<br />
the syndicates was cool because it meant you<br />
made friends with a group of people you don’t<br />
even know, and my syndicate won at the end of<br />
the week because we rock! Go the Sea Otters! I<br />
learned that in the RNZAF you make friends with<br />
everyone and its kind of like you’re all one big<br />
our rEputatIoN<br />
family all living at the same place. I also learned<br />
it’s not just a work place, it’s also a lifestyle. You<br />
live on the Base and are provided with meals that<br />
you eat in the Mess with everyone and you work<br />
along side a lot of friendly people. The benefits<br />
are so good and there are so many. I can’t wait<br />
to join! I’d just like to say thanks once again for<br />
giving me this opportunity, it was truly amazing<br />
and I will have the memories I gained from this<br />
experience for a long long time!<br />
SIMON TITHER<br />
Ohakea, well, five days of amazing fun is<br />
probably the best way to start it off! Meeting<br />
our syndicates and syndicate leaders started<br />
off some really good relationships. Hemi (Chips)<br />
and Andrew (Fish) were great providing insight<br />
and knowledge on all sorts of things, as well as<br />
many fun stories of life in the <strong>Air</strong> <strong>Force</strong>. Tuesday<br />
started a bit early for some, queuing for showers<br />
i hOpe the RnZaf<br />
COntinues tO Run<br />
this OppORtunity<br />
lOng intO the<br />
futuRe...<br />
www.airforce.mil.nz | afN<strong>95</strong> auguSt/SEptEmbEr 08 13
14<br />
aIr forcE challENgE<br />
adding to the wake-up! Buffet breakfast was<br />
very well received every day, cooked breakfast<br />
much more enjoyable than the usual cereal I<br />
get at home. A highlight for me on Tuesday was<br />
the <strong>Air</strong> Security exercise, the stations promoted<br />
teamwork and lateral thinking. These are<br />
definitely important qualities for any person in<br />
group situations. Drill training was an interesting<br />
time, constantly being yelled at whilst trying to<br />
maintain a straight face proved a challenge for<br />
me. But once again it highlighted the need to<br />
work together to get the job done- if one person<br />
stuffed up during drill the whole syndicate<br />
suffered. My syndicate seemed to develop a<br />
habit of being slightly late to most things, so we<br />
missed out on a few bits and pieces at different<br />
times. PT was fun despite being yelled at (moral<br />
of PT for me- don’t ask questions), instructors<br />
were very upfront about what we were doing<br />
and also why we were doing it. Run test was a<br />
good way to burn off some energy, same with<br />
the press-up test. All the hands-on activities<br />
meant that the whole syndicate was involved<br />
and more likely to take on board what we were<br />
being told, I can certainly remember more about<br />
<strong>Air</strong> Security then I can about the ACFT Trades, not<br />
because of interest but the involvement we had<br />
at the different areas. <strong>Air</strong>movements was a very<br />
useful stop off for my syndicate. Because we did<br />
it later in the week after team building exercises<br />
OH 08-0454-24<br />
afN<strong>95</strong> auguSt/SEptEmbEr 08 | www.airforce.mil.nz<br />
and everybody knew each other, the tasks were<br />
completed a lot faster. In terms of the best part,<br />
personally I enjoyed the No.3 Squadron flight the<br />
best. A facedown corkscrew in a helicopter only<br />
being held in by a tiny seatbelt certainly got the<br />
adrenaline pumping! The Orion visit was also<br />
a highlight. The drill assessment made a very<br />
serious part of the military a more competitive<br />
dRill tRaining<br />
was an<br />
inteResting<br />
time, COnstantly<br />
being yelled at<br />
whilst tRying<br />
tO maintain<br />
a stRaight<br />
faCe pROVed a<br />
Challenge fOR me<br />
affair without dropping the discipline standards.<br />
The only suggestion I have is to try and ensure<br />
as many hands-on activities as possible to help<br />
ensure minds don’t wander. I think that if you<br />
allowed half a day for travelling instead of a<br />
whole day then you would be able to get more<br />
OH 08-0454-26<br />
Left and below: <strong>Air</strong> force challenge<br />
participants on the range at Ohakea.<br />
into the week. The Wellington people were<br />
sitting at Ohakea waiting before the Christchurch<br />
personnel had even left, and on the Friday, I was<br />
sitting at home before others had even left the<br />
Base to return home. The Hercules would have<br />
been a great experience but I appreciate it had<br />
more important jobs then ferrying 70 teens<br />
around. What I learnt? A LOT. The AFC allowed<br />
me to gain a complete understanding of the<br />
RNZAF, not just think that there are only pilots<br />
and technicians, but all the support roles that<br />
exist to ensure that the <strong>Air</strong> <strong>Force</strong> keeps working<br />
smoothly. Lastly I would just like to say thanks<br />
for an amazing week that has really changed my<br />
life and changed my perception of the <strong>Air</strong> <strong>Force</strong>,<br />
allowed me to make new friends and think about<br />
applying for next years intake.<br />
AUSTEN cAMPbELL<br />
I had an awesome time at Ohakea for the <strong>Air</strong><br />
<strong>Force</strong> Challenge 2008. I really didn’t know what<br />
to expect but what we did was really cool. I have<br />
to say that the ride on the Iroquois was probably<br />
the best thing there. But I also really enjoyed the<br />
armourers and the PT sessions as it gave me<br />
an idea of how fit you really have to be. Thanks<br />
RNZAF for a fantastic week!<br />
I was also wondering if I could organise a<br />
meeting with you about some possible options<br />
for me in the <strong>Air</strong> <strong>Force</strong>?
wn 08-0035-37<br />
rEcogNItIoN<br />
Queens service Medal<br />
SqNLDR SHANE cOLE Of NO<br />
17 (cITy Of cHRISTcHURcH)<br />
ATc SqUADRON wAS REcENTLy<br />
AwARDED THE qUEENS SERVIcE<br />
MEDAL IN THE 2008 qUEENS<br />
bIRTHDAy HONOURS LIST.<br />
He has been a member of NZ Cadet <strong>Force</strong>s for<br />
over 23 years, initially as an ATC cadet before<br />
taking on the commissioned officer role in 1989.<br />
He has progressed through the NZCF ranks and<br />
is now the Cadet Unit Commander of No. 17 Sqn.<br />
Of course being an NZCF officer is a voluntary<br />
pursuit and he is also a veteran professional<br />
firefighter with the NZ Fire Service, where he<br />
is now a Station Officer with the Christchurch<br />
City Brigade.<br />
This award is in recognition of the significant<br />
efforts made by SQNLDR Cole in support of his<br />
community, both in the Canterbury region and<br />
also nationally. His efforts have extended well<br />
beyond his exploits with NZCF. In addition to his<br />
normal employment duties as a Fire Service<br />
Officer, Station Officer Cole is also a Motor<br />
Vehicle Accident Instructor, training volunteer<br />
firefighters around the South Island. Further to<br />
that, SQNLDR Cole is a volunteer adult mentor<br />
with Project K, a youth life skills programme<br />
designed to improve self efficacy in teenagers<br />
and over recent years, Shane has supported<br />
nearly 170 Project K personnel.<br />
SQNLDR Cole has also made a significant<br />
contribution to the Order of St John, by providing<br />
outstanding leadership training and logistical<br />
support to their youth Development programme.<br />
In support of his nomination, he also received a<br />
resounding endorsement from the NZ Mountain<br />
Safety Council for the dedication, loyalty and<br />
commitment he has shown in support of<br />
NZMSC outdoor programmes and the training of<br />
members of the wider outdoors community.<br />
SqNLDR Shane cole -<br />
Firefighter.<br />
squadron leader shane cole, NZcf<br />
His nomination was also supported by eight<br />
Members of Parliament, from four of the main<br />
political parties, including an endorsement from<br />
the Minister of Defence.<br />
SQNLDR Cole commands the largest NZCF cadet<br />
unit in NZ. Under his command, No. 17 Sqn has<br />
won the <strong>Air</strong> League Trophy as the most efficient<br />
ATC Squadron in NZ, for five straight years over<br />
the period 2002 - 2006, a record never before<br />
achieved, which is testimony to SQNLDR Cole’s<br />
planning, leadership and management skills.<br />
Further, No 17 Sqn was last year awarded a<br />
CAF Unit Commendation, the first such CAF Unit<br />
Commendation ever awarded.<br />
the dediCatiOn,<br />
lOyalty and<br />
COmmitment he<br />
has shOwn...<br />
www.airforce.mil.nz | afN<strong>95</strong> auguSt/SEptEmbEr 08<br />
15
wB 08-0136-04<br />
16<br />
WINgEd all black captaIN<br />
L-R: SgT Steven creegan,<br />
Ritchie Mccaw, SqNLDR Nigel<br />
cooper, fLTLT Aaron Devlin.<br />
Winged<br />
all black captain<br />
gives iNspiratioN to teaM air force<br />
ALL bLAck cAPTAIN RITcHIE MccAw<br />
MAy HAVE bEEN SIDELINED wITH AN<br />
ANkLE INJURy bUT THAT DIDN’T STOP<br />
THE AVIATION ENTHUSIAST TAkINg<br />
TO THE SkIES AND INSPIRINg OUR<br />
yOUNg LEADERS Of THE fUTURE<br />
wITH HIS TALk Of LEADERSHIP,<br />
PROfESSIONALISM AND TEAMwORk.<br />
cPL ROSIE MASTERS ExPLAINS.<br />
Command and Recruit Training Squadron (CRTS)<br />
personnel recently enjoyed a spectacular and<br />
surprise visit by All Black Captain Richie McCaw.<br />
His day began with a flight from Christchurch to<br />
Woodbourne in an <strong>Air</strong> Trainer. Upon his arrival<br />
at Woodbourne he was ferried by an Iroquois to<br />
CRTS. His visit was arranged by SQNLDR Nigel<br />
Cooper, No.3 Squadron and many CRTS Trainee<br />
Squadron members were unaware of it.<br />
Richie spoke to a variety of courses and staff<br />
from CRTS including the 08/2 IOTC, R2/08<br />
afN<strong>95</strong> auguSt/SEptEmbEr 08 | www.airforce.mil.nz<br />
Recruit Course, CPL’s Promotion Course, Physical<br />
Training Instructors and selected trainees from<br />
Ground Training Wing (GTW) who have shown<br />
elements of leadership potential.<br />
The popular rugby captain’s visit was primarily<br />
to speak about leadership. He also gave us a<br />
basic understanding about his role within the<br />
All Blacks and how the team was structured on<br />
and off the field. In 2004 the All Blacks hit a<br />
crisis point and the coaches and management<br />
recognised they had a problem with leadership.<br />
To solve this they identified senior players who<br />
had been in the team for a long time and who<br />
should have been leading the team but weren’t.<br />
From there they formed a leadership group and<br />
came up with some objectives. The biggest<br />
impact was all of a sudden the senior players<br />
realised the coaches saw them as people who<br />
were good All Blacks. At their first meeting the<br />
coach got up and said, ‘you’re here because<br />
you’re good enough. you’re here because we see<br />
you as the best players, and the number one way<br />
of leading this team is going out and fronting on<br />
the field.’ The senior players then acknowledged<br />
this and started playing the best rugby of their<br />
sporting careers.<br />
Richie’s job as captain is to ensure that his team<br />
makes the right decisions and he is there to help<br />
out along the way if required. He operates in a<br />
way that allows the players to lead themselves<br />
and to be in an environment where they can<br />
speak freely and say what they think, even if<br />
they are the newest member of the team. He<br />
identified that they have ideas and strengths<br />
and their contributions are fundamental for<br />
their self development as future leaders.<br />
Towards the end of last year the team had<br />
become a little bit comfortable and their focus<br />
was elsewhere. Since the heartbreak of the<br />
World Cup everything about the All Blacks was
wB 08-0136-02<br />
wn 08-0038-29<br />
Ritchie Mccaw boards the<br />
cT-4 <strong>Air</strong>trainer with SqNLDR<br />
Dan O’Reily.<br />
negative. When the senior players got together<br />
this year their challenge was to put that aside<br />
and be excited about what they were doing.<br />
They really needed to drive that through the<br />
team to ensure the new members came in and<br />
didn’t feel as though there was a huge weight on<br />
their shoulders. The team needed to be excited<br />
by the challenge ahead of them. A powerful<br />
memory that has stuck in many minds is Richie’s<br />
philosophy: ‘As long as you have an open mind<br />
and keep learning and be prepared to learn from<br />
the mistakes made along the way you’re going<br />
to be in pretty good stead. If you have the team<br />
believing in you and you believe in yourself you<br />
can be really powerful with what you do. When<br />
the chips are down, belief is a huge part of it.’<br />
Richie was a fantastic role model and mentor<br />
to have had at CRTS. He spoke about how<br />
important it was younger members of the All<br />
Blacks had the opportunity to put their ideas<br />
With RNZAF 3 Sqn and<br />
<strong>Air</strong>movements personnel<br />
at Harewood.<br />
wB 08-0136-05<br />
forward, which I believe is fundamental for the<br />
development of future leaders. What he had to<br />
say mirrored our values within the RNZAF.<br />
The All Blacks have grown as a team by buying<br />
into and applying their values in everything<br />
the Values he<br />
was pROfessing<br />
aRe similaR tO<br />
what we aRe<br />
dOing within<br />
OuR Own<br />
ORganisatiOn.<br />
that they do. The values he was professing are<br />
similar to what we are doing within our own<br />
organisation. His ideas of leadership mirror our<br />
lEadErShIp<br />
Ritchie Mccaw surveys<br />
base woodbourne from a<br />
RNZAF Iroquois.<br />
own. There were several parallels with his job<br />
as All Black captain and the role RNZAF leaders<br />
have in guiding their staff to achieve excellence. He<br />
showed he has a great admiration for the RNZAF<br />
due to our professionalism, teamwork, integrity and<br />
discipline. His visit was invaluable and I can assure<br />
you that both the trainees and staff of CRTS have<br />
taken something positive away.<br />
Other comments made by course members<br />
included Officer Cadet Philip Johnson: ‘I was<br />
interested in his views on leadership in the<br />
team and how they created leadership in such<br />
an informal way. They identified the experienced<br />
players in the team to give a hand up to the<br />
younger team members.’<br />
Officer Cadet Deborah Haines said, ‘I liked the<br />
way he spoke about his own experiences. His<br />
experience of self belief has been passed onto our<br />
course. We now believe anything is possible.’<br />
www.airforce.mil.nz | afN<strong>95</strong> auguSt/SEptEmbEr 08 17
18<br />
wB 08-0110-77<br />
wB 08-0110-68<br />
wB 08-0110-80<br />
rNZaf offIcErS graduatE<br />
rNZaf officers<br />
graduate<br />
fgOff Tony beilby receives the<br />
Officer Training course trophy.<br />
IOTC graduates await the arrival of the Reviewing Officer,<br />
Deputy chief of <strong>Air</strong> force, <strong>Air</strong> commodore Steve Moore.<br />
afN<strong>95</strong> auguSt/SEptEmbEr 08 | www.airforce.mil.nz<br />
wB 08-0110-66 wB 08-0110-71<br />
PLTOff brett Mann receives the<br />
karl Dobson Memorial trophy.<br />
FGOFF Damien Lea receives the No.2 Officers Mess trophy.
fgOff Tony beilby<br />
with his father Alan.<br />
IOTC graduates march past the Reviewing Officer, <strong>Air</strong> Commodore Moore.<br />
wB 08-0110-94<br />
wB 08-0110-92<br />
fgOff chris Hart with partner<br />
LAc Jen gray and family.<br />
wB 08-0110-<strong>95</strong><br />
traININg aNd EducatIoN<br />
in the last edition of the <strong>Air</strong> <strong>Force</strong> news we featured father<br />
and son officer graduates Mark and Nick Pearson (pictured<br />
left) who completed training together on 08/1 Initial Officer<br />
Training Course. For the other 25 officers who also graduated<br />
on the 11th June the graduation parade marked six months<br />
of command training at Command and Recruit Training<br />
Squadron, RNZAF Base Woodbourne. The parade was reviewed<br />
by Deputy Chief of <strong>Air</strong> <strong>Force</strong>, <strong>Air</strong> Commodore Steve Moore.<br />
OffIcER TRAININg cOURSE TROPHy - Presented to the<br />
graduate who demonstrates the most officer potential.<br />
OffIcERS MESS TROPHy - Presented to the graduate with<br />
the highest overall assessment in academics, leadership<br />
skills and PQ’s.<br />
kARL DObSON MEMORIAL TROPHy - Presented to the<br />
graduate who displays the most teamwork, sportsmanship<br />
and determination awarded by the PTI’s.<br />
www.airforce.mil.nz | afN<strong>95</strong> auguSt/SEptEmbEr 08 19<br />
wB 08-0110-75
AK 07-0029-65<br />
20<br />
loadmaStErS<br />
loadMasters<br />
hittiNg the spot<br />
SgT PENE TANUVASA<br />
During SkyTrain, a Hercules<br />
Tactical flying Exercise held out<br />
of Napier <strong>Air</strong>field, cargo drops from<br />
the Herc’s back ramp.<br />
afN<strong>95</strong> auguSt/SEptEmbEr 08 | www.airforce.mil.nz
AK 07-0013-08<br />
A LITTLE UNDER HALf AN HOUR<br />
AwAy fROM THE DROP zONE,<br />
THE NAVIgATOR cALLS fOR THE<br />
‘PRE-SLOwDOwN cHEckS’ AND<br />
IT’S TIME fOR THE LOADMASTER TO<br />
cOMPLETE THE fINAL INSPEcTION<br />
Of THE LOAD.<br />
As the captain manoeuvres hard to avoid<br />
some sporadic Anti-<strong>Air</strong>craft Artillery (AAA), the<br />
Loadmasters complete the final set of checks<br />
ensuring that nothing will prevent a successful<br />
outcome to this airdrop. Tired, hungry and low<br />
on supplies, the battalion who will be receiving<br />
the supplies and reinforcements from above<br />
have been fighting hard to halt the opposition’s<br />
advance for the past week and are in dire need<br />
of the payload we have on board.<br />
Wiping the sweat away from his forehead, the<br />
Loadmaster lowers his visor, signals to the No<br />
1, and it’s game on. Less than a minute later,<br />
the ramp and door are open and warm desert<br />
air has filled the cavernous cargo compartment.<br />
The atmosphere is intense with anticipation and<br />
with merely seconds to go before the drop, the<br />
Loadmaster affords himself one last mental<br />
scan through the checklist ‘Emergency Restraint<br />
Chains – POSITIONED, Load & Extraction System<br />
– CHECKED, V-Knife – POSITIONED’<br />
‘Five Seconds!’ exclaims the Navigator. The red<br />
of the jump lights provide an eerie, crimson<br />
glow to the back of the aircraft and after what<br />
seems to be an eternity, the five seconds<br />
tick by accompanied by three times as many<br />
fasteR than<br />
yOu Can say<br />
‘lOad CleaR’ the<br />
CaRgO is gOne<br />
heartbeats. With the words ‘Green On’, the<br />
anticipation is replaced by pure adrenaline and<br />
the first domino is knocked over. The parachute<br />
- tasked with dragging 28000lbs of platform out<br />
the back - falls from the ceiling of the ‘Herc’ and<br />
out into the airflow, inflating with such force, it<br />
feels like the aircraft is going to be ripped in<br />
two. Then, faster than you can say ‘Load Clear’,<br />
opEratIoNal capabIlIty<br />
<strong>Air</strong> Loadmasters SgTs Mcqueen<br />
(right) and Hodges prepare to launch<br />
a package over the drop zone.<br />
the cargo is gone and on its way to its grateful<br />
recipients.<br />
Although the AAA and troops in the scenario<br />
above were simulated, the mission itself was<br />
very real and is a good snapshot of a day in the<br />
life of a C-130 Loadmaster. On exercises and<br />
courses such as Maple Flag, Skytrain, and Joint<br />
Readiness Training Centre (JRTC), scenarios like<br />
this are conducted in preparation for coalition<br />
<strong>Air</strong>lift and <strong>Air</strong>drop operations.<br />
So what exactly does an <strong>Air</strong> Loadmaster do? First<br />
and foremost, we are responsible for the safe<br />
and efficient loading of the <strong>Air</strong> <strong>Force</strong>’s C-130<br />
Hercules and Boeing B757 aircraft. We ensure<br />
that all cargo is restrained and distributed evenly<br />
throughout the aircraft in a manner that keeps<br />
it balanced throughout all phases of flight (not<br />
too nose or tail heavy) and does not exceed any<br />
of the structural limitations of the aircraft. This<br />
includes calculation of the aircrafts Centre of<br />
Gravity (C of G) and weight during all phases of<br />
flight. Although this is an extremely important<br />
part of an <strong>Air</strong> Loadmasters job, it is also only a<br />
small element of what we do.<br />
It is during tactical flights such as that described<br />
www.airforce.mil.nz | afN<strong>95</strong> auguSt/SEptEmbEr 08 21
22<br />
AK 07-0013-19<br />
AK 07-0387-04<br />
AK 07-0183-86<br />
loadmaStErS<br />
A c-130 Hercules is loaded<br />
with a Land Rover.<br />
NzDf <strong>Air</strong> Movements personnel<br />
unload aid at Munda <strong>Air</strong>field in the<br />
Solomon Islands.<br />
afN<strong>95</strong> auguSt/SEptEmbEr 08 | www.airforce.mil.nz<br />
<strong>Air</strong> Loadmaster, SgT fabian<br />
Mcqueen ensures that all cargo<br />
is restrained and distributed<br />
evenly throughout the aircraft.<br />
above, that the C-130 Hercules truly comes in<br />
to its own. With the ability to insert troops or<br />
re-supply units via <strong>Air</strong>land or <strong>Air</strong>drop operations, it<br />
is the Loadmaster’s job to ensure that everything<br />
that exits the aircraft has the best chance of<br />
arriving safely at its destination. This includes<br />
inspection of airdrop loads, rigging of the loads<br />
and extraction systems, and the expeditious<br />
loading and unloading of troops and assault<br />
groups during ‘infil’ and ‘exfil’ sorties. Because<br />
the C-130 and B757 are required to work in<br />
some quite exotic locations, we invariably find<br />
ourselves trotting around the globe. From the<br />
desert of Afghanistan inserting and extracting<br />
the Provincial Reconstruction Team and coalition<br />
troops, to the lakes of Northern Alberta in<br />
Canada, conducting aerial delivery of troops and<br />
cargo under fighter escort aircraft during Maple<br />
Flag; the motto of 40 Squadron is certainly fitting<br />
‘Ki Nga Hau E Wha’ – ‘To the Four Winds’<br />
yOu COuld say<br />
we aRe a ‘jaCk<br />
Of all tRades’,<br />
it RequiRes<br />
an ability tO<br />
wORk undeR<br />
pRessuRe while<br />
maintaining an<br />
eye fOR detail.<br />
The duties of a Loadmaster are many and varied,<br />
and include flight planning and facilitation,<br />
customs and agriculture quarantine liaison,<br />
search and rescue and casevac/medevac<br />
operations, among many others. you could say<br />
we are a ‘Jack of all trades’ it requires an ability<br />
to work under pressure while maintaining an eye<br />
for detail. At the end of the day when the task is<br />
done, the results can be very rewarding. Being<br />
on No.40 Squadron, you get to see the fruits<br />
of the <strong>Air</strong> <strong>Force</strong>’s labour first hand. If it sounds<br />
like a career you would like to pursue, talk to a<br />
Loadmaster next time you’re onboard the C-130<br />
or B757 (we won’t bite, honest), or keep an eye<br />
on Base Routine Orders where vacancies for<br />
NCO <strong>Air</strong>crew are advertised when required. With<br />
a view from our office which is second to none,<br />
what are you waiting for?
NO-fLy zONE:<br />
base woodbourne RNzAf<br />
Pilot Officer Sam McKeogh<br />
and corporal Lydia Savage<br />
practise for the Accor $10<br />
queenstown challenge,<br />
where they have to travel from<br />
Auckland to queenstown on a<br />
$10 budget to raise funds for<br />
cure kids.<br />
So far they’re keeping their strategies to<br />
themselves, but for two air force members<br />
who have to get from Auckland to Queenstown<br />
on just $10, one thing is clear: They’re not<br />
allowed to fly.<br />
Pilot Officer Sam McKeogh and Corporal Lydia<br />
Savage of Blenheim are one of three <strong>New</strong><br />
<strong>Zealand</strong> Defence <strong>Force</strong> teams taking part in the<br />
Accor $10 Queenstown Challenge from October<br />
1 to 3 to raise money for Cure Kids.<br />
Thirty-five teams have to make their way from<br />
Auckland to Queenstown with just $10 to<br />
spend.<br />
They have to use whatever transport they can get<br />
to do it. Whatever team has the most points from<br />
challenges completed along the way will win.<br />
All teams have to raise $7000 before starting<br />
the race. The money will be used for medical<br />
research into life-threatening conditions that<br />
affect children.<br />
Ms Savage and Mr McKeogh said they decided<br />
to take on the challenge because it was a good<br />
way to have fun for a worthy cause.<br />
With a five-year-old son of her own, Ms Savage<br />
said an article she read about the charity and the<br />
children with illnesses “pulled my heart strings”.<br />
our rEputatIoN<br />
travelling light the only way to go for duo<br />
by MAIkE VAN DER HEIDE<br />
Courtesy of the Marlborough Express<br />
the mOney<br />
will be used<br />
fOR mediCal<br />
ReseaRCh<br />
intO lifethReatening<br />
COnditiOns<br />
that affeCt<br />
ChildRen<br />
She said she was really excited about meeting<br />
all the other teams, supporters and anyone else<br />
they might see on their way down the country.<br />
The pair were not giving away any strategies<br />
for travelling south in three days, but reckoned<br />
they would probably have to rely heavily on their<br />
hitchhiking skills.<br />
They would have a day to get to Wellington<br />
to catch the ferry and then two days to reach<br />
Queenstown.<br />
Competitors were not allowed to plan anything<br />
ahead of time and unfortunately could not call<br />
on their colleagues for a lift in an aircraft, Mr<br />
McKeogh said.<br />
The air force team have raised about half the<br />
$7000 for Cure Kids by asking around Base<br />
Woodbourne for donations and holding an air<br />
force-wide mufti day.<br />
To donate to the air force team, please visit<br />
their website: www.fundraiseonline.co.nz/<br />
teamairforcestepsup<br />
www.airforce.mil.nz | afN<strong>95</strong> auguSt/SEptEmbEr 08<br />
23<br />
wn 08-0016-73
24<br />
OH 08-0423-70<br />
WINgS courSE graduatIoN<br />
The graduates replace<br />
their gloves just after<br />
being awarded their<br />
brevets.<br />
Wings<br />
graduation07<br />
course<br />
1<br />
On Thursday 3rd July the eight student pilots of 07/1 wings course were awarded their pilots brevets. The<br />
brevets were presented by <strong>Air</strong> commodore Short at the graduation ceremony which followed two years<br />
of training during which the students undertook Initial Officer Training, survival training, first aid, human<br />
factors, and finally their wings course, on which they flew the CT4-E <strong>Air</strong>trainer and the B200 Kingair.<br />
Standing on parade was a proud moment for<br />
the graduating officers who only 18 months<br />
ago came together in pursuit of their pilot wings.<br />
The fact that one of them didn’t even know what<br />
an aileron was bears testament to how far they<br />
have come.<br />
The graduates come from a variety of backgrounds<br />
(Navy, <strong>Air</strong> <strong>Force</strong>, Army, straight from school and<br />
university) and their personalities are as varied<br />
as their experiences. The usual banter was<br />
afN<strong>95</strong> auguSt/SEptEmbEr 08 | www.airforce.mil.nz<br />
dished out during the course (needless to say<br />
a disproportionate amount went to the Navy<br />
students!), but it was all in good spirits and the<br />
course came together during the more stressful<br />
times, sharing tips and tricks. Highlights of the<br />
course for the students were the South Island<br />
Navigation week, formation flying and of course,<br />
graduation! Formation flying was conducted out<br />
of a tented camp based at Masterton aerodrome<br />
over a two week period on Exercise Wiseowl.<br />
Along with the brevets presented, Pilot Officer<br />
Peters was awarded the de Lange Trophy for<br />
gaining the highest flying mark on the course,<br />
and Flying Officer Pound was awarded the Wigram<br />
Trophy for obtaining the highest academic marks<br />
on course. As well as the pilot graduates, Flying<br />
Officer Wagstaff was at the ceremony, during<br />
which he was awarded the Merton Sword of<br />
Honour following the completion of his Navigation<br />
course in East Sale, Australia.
OH 08-0423-06<br />
OH 08-0423-01<br />
OH 08-0423-77<br />
PLTOff Peters awarded<br />
the de Lange Trophy by<br />
AIRcDRE Short.<br />
The graduates (from left to right). PLTOff James Peters, fgOff Jonathan<br />
Pound, fgOff Rud Andrew, fgOff Pete barron, fgOff Dan gregory,<br />
PLTOff Matt Hansen, SLT Vix Marais, PLTOff george Mcinnes.<br />
OH 08-0423-67<br />
OH 08-0423-62<br />
fgOff byron wagstaff is<br />
awarded the Merton Sword of<br />
Honour by AIRcDRE Short.<br />
traININg aNd EducatIoN<br />
fgOff Pound is awarded<br />
the wigram Trophy by<br />
AIRcDRE Short.<br />
www.airforce.mil.nz | afN<strong>95</strong> auguSt/SEptEmbEr 08 25
AK 08-0274-07<br />
26<br />
40 SquadroN haNdovEr<br />
Outgoing CO40 Sqn,<br />
wgcDR kevin McEvoy<br />
inspects the parade.<br />
AK 08-0274-16<br />
40sQuadron<br />
Handover<br />
<strong>New</strong> C040 Sqn,<br />
wgcDR Darryn webb.<br />
afN<strong>95</strong> auguSt/SEptEmbEr 08 | www.airforce.mil.nz<br />
DESPITE THE wET wEATHER IT wAS<br />
A wARM wELcOME fOR wgcDR<br />
DARRyN wEbb AT THE cOMMANDINg<br />
OffIcER cHANgEOVER PARADE fOR<br />
NUMbER 40 SqUADRON.<br />
WGCDR Webb has taken over as CO of the<br />
squadron from WGCDR Kevin McEvoy who has<br />
been promoted and posted to Assistant Chief of<br />
<strong>Air</strong> <strong>Force</strong> Personnel.<br />
Reviewing officer for the parade was <strong>Air</strong><br />
Component Commander <strong>Air</strong> Commodore Gavin<br />
Howse.<br />
Previously the CO of Flying Training Wing at<br />
Ohakea, WGCDR Webb is looking forward to the<br />
challenges of his new role which will see him at<br />
the helm during significant steps in the Boeing<br />
757 and C-130 Hercules upgrade projects. While<br />
it is an exciting time for the Squadron, not to<br />
mention the whole of the <strong>Air</strong> <strong>Force</strong>, the new CO<br />
is keeping his cool.<br />
“The challenges ahead are significant in terms<br />
of managing the introduction into service<br />
of these aircraft as safely and efficiently as<br />
possible. Patience will be required on all our<br />
parts to ensure we follow sound Operational<br />
and Technical <strong>Air</strong>worthiness considerations -<br />
the temptation to run before we walk will be<br />
ever present.”<br />
Managing the re-introduction of two types of<br />
aircraft into service while continuing to provide<br />
operational support will require additional<br />
i am luCky that<br />
the team heRe<br />
haVe the Right<br />
skills...<br />
supervision and support for both operations and<br />
maintenance personnel to ensure a seamless<br />
transition occurs.<br />
“All in all the next couple of years certainly<br />
promises to provide never a dull moment and<br />
I am lucky that the team here have the right<br />
skills and just as importantly, the right attitude<br />
to make it work,” said WGCDR Webb.
AK 08-0274-19<br />
AK 08-0274-05<br />
AK 08-0274-10<br />
Parade Adjutant<br />
SqNLDR Lawrence field.<br />
Acc, <strong>Air</strong> commodore<br />
gavin Howse addresses<br />
the parade.<br />
AK 08-0274-15<br />
wgcDR McEvoy hands<br />
over to wgcDR webb.<br />
AK 08-0274-18<br />
lEadErShIp<br />
wgcDR kevin McEvoy<br />
chats to cPL (now SgT)<br />
kate Staunton.<br />
www.airforce.mil.nz | afN<strong>95</strong> auguSt/SEptEmbEr 08 27
28<br />
baSE aucklaNd multISportS<br />
FLtLt Benny Austin<br />
busy tiMes<br />
FOR BAsE AuCklAnd multIspORts<br />
THE PAST yEAR HAS bEEN VERy bUSy<br />
fOR THE RNzAf bASE AUckLAND<br />
MULTISPORTS cLUb, cOMPETINg IN<br />
EVENTS fROM THE bOTTOM Of THE<br />
SOUTH ISLAND TO OUR OwN bAck<br />
yARD. wE EVEN HAD MEMbERS<br />
cOMPETINg AT MULTISPORT TyPE<br />
EVENTS INTERNATIONALLy.<br />
Not satisfied with just competing, club individuals<br />
and teams have regularly obtained podium<br />
finishes and admirably represented the club,<br />
the Base and the RNZAF.<br />
In September, the club made its annual<br />
pilgrimage to the Jamis Day-Night Thriller, an<br />
event we have attended almost every year since<br />
2001, but this was the first time we brought<br />
back some silverware. Held at Spa Park in<br />
Taupo, teams comprising of up to five riders<br />
compete in various categories and attempt<br />
to complete as many laps as possible of an 8<br />
afN<strong>95</strong> auguSt/SEptEmbEr 08 | www.airforce.mil.nz<br />
kilometre course, from 1030hrs on Saturday<br />
until 2230hrs the same day. The teams arrived<br />
on Friday night and camped out under canvas,<br />
unless you were in SQNLDR Gowthorpe’s bus -<br />
aka ‘the Officers Mess’ - which allowed for plenty<br />
of time to check out the course prior to the start.<br />
Entertainment throughout the day and into the<br />
night was provided by the Base’s deployable<br />
Freeview setup projected onto the side of the No.<br />
5 Squadron marquee; this proved the clincher<br />
in us winning the prize for ‘Best Site’ with the<br />
number of people in the marquee quadrupling<br />
to watch the All Blacks Rugby World Cup pool<br />
match against Portugal. Out of the 527 teams<br />
that entered, Team ‘Low Flying Idiots’ were 13th<br />
in category and 31st overall; ‘Designated Riders’<br />
were 46th with FUBAR 54th and SNAFU 71st<br />
November rolled around with the inaugural<br />
Bicyclette 12hrs of Woodhill race, held west<br />
of Auckland it was technically our ‘local’ 12<br />
hour race. Due to a number of people being<br />
Day-Night Thriller – the club tent<br />
site with the riders out in front.<br />
wn 08-0038-27<br />
unavailable, the club only managed to enter<br />
three teams, a mixed team with three members<br />
and two open men’s teams of five. With a<br />
marquee set up and <strong>Air</strong> <strong>Force</strong> logos emblazoned<br />
everywhere providing fantastic PR and recruiting<br />
opportunities, the teams once again bought<br />
home the silverware. SGT Jar Millar clinched<br />
the fastest lap time with an impressive 23m 59s<br />
for an 8km lap, which contributed to the mixed<br />
team including CPL Graham Russell and LAC<br />
Rach Taylor placing 1st in their category and 4th<br />
overall. ‘Not the Navy’ were also on the podium<br />
with a 3rd in the open men’s, closely followed<br />
by ‘Not the Army’ in 9th.<br />
Taupo was the scene of the next two club events,<br />
both of which involved circumnavigating Lake<br />
Taupo. November 24th began as a dull, dreary<br />
and windy Saturday but soon warmed into a<br />
glorious day on the Central Plateau as four<br />
club road riders were amongst the <strong>95</strong>00 that<br />
completed all or part of the 160 kilometre Round
Lake Taupo road race. A 160 kilometre solo is<br />
no mean feat and requires a lot of dedication<br />
and training by competitors; the slowest riders<br />
take up to 9 hours to complete the course but<br />
all four of the Base Auckland personnel were<br />
within 90 minutes of the top riders who finish<br />
in around 4 hours.<br />
The second event to go around the lake was<br />
the Great Lake Relay, held on February 16th.<br />
Twelve club members formed themselves into<br />
the ‘Whenuapai Flying Circus’ to travel down on<br />
Friday for the pitch black start at 0200hrs on<br />
Saturday morning. The course was split up into<br />
manageable stages with each runner doing 5 to<br />
10km legs before handing over the reigns to the<br />
next team member. Teams estimate the time it<br />
will take to finish the course, thus deciding what<br />
time they started and after a tussle that lasted the<br />
entire distance, the Flying Circus placed second<br />
in the 0200hrs starters; a very impressive 11th<br />
overall out of 319 teams that competed.<br />
An early start and high tide just before race start<br />
didn’t deter five hardy club members and a five<br />
person relay team from 6Sqn from competing in<br />
the North Shore City Coastal Challenge in early<br />
March. Depending on the distance entrants<br />
chose, ranging from the 33 kilometre ‘Full<br />
Monty’ to a more sedate 5 kilometre, the start<br />
line was one of five beaches on the East Coast<br />
of Auckland. Under the very concise directions<br />
of the race organiser - ‘keep the water on your<br />
left and the beach on your right until you hit the<br />
The inaugural<br />
bicyclette 12 hours<br />
of woodhill tent site.<br />
finish line’ - the course provided fantastic views<br />
of Rangitoto and multi-million dollar waterfront<br />
mansions in what was a beach run/rock-hop/<br />
swim/wade for all involved. The lure of event<br />
sponsors products and the promise of a free<br />
sausage sizzle was consolation for the skin that<br />
was donated to various rocks that lurked just<br />
below the waters surface.<br />
with a maRquee<br />
set up and aiR<br />
fORCe lOgOs<br />
emblaZOned...<br />
the teams OnCe<br />
again bOught<br />
hOme the<br />
silVeRwaRe.<br />
Not satisfied with just 12 hour mountain bike<br />
races, two teams from Base thought they’d go<br />
for twice as long and entered the 24 hour Cateye<br />
Moonride, held each year in the Whakerewarewa<br />
Forest, just outside Rotorua. Heavy rain made<br />
for a muddy and energy-sapping track with the<br />
ongoing rain forcing event organisers to make<br />
changes to the course repeatedly throughout<br />
the day. The riders alternated between riding,<br />
warming down, eating, sleeping or warming up<br />
for the next lap; this cycle was repeated around<br />
wn 08-0038-24<br />
tEam buIldINg<br />
11 times per rider for the duration of the day’s<br />
race and the results were an outstanding 7th in<br />
the open category and 8th in the mixed category<br />
for the teams.<br />
As well as these club events, keen and eager<br />
members have competed individually up and<br />
down the length of the country in a wide range<br />
of events including Southlands 60 kilometre<br />
Kepler Track mountain run (yes, that’s nearly<br />
1½ marathons) to the three race R ‘n’ R<br />
Mountainbike series in West Auckland, the 200<br />
kilometre K2 road bike race near Coromandel<br />
to a full day of physical punishment crossing<br />
the South Island under the guise of a legendary<br />
event called the Coast to Coast. Club Captain,<br />
F/S Grant Winwood also graced the pages of<br />
the 89 issue of the <strong>Air</strong> <strong>Force</strong> <strong><strong>New</strong>s</strong> as Base<br />
Auckland’s Sports Person of the year 2007, a<br />
year that saw him place 21st in his age group at<br />
the Florida World 1/2 Ironman Champs.<br />
The upcoming year doesn’t look like slowing<br />
down so thanks must go to Base Auckland<br />
for its ongoing support of the club, to the<br />
members who organise club events and to all the<br />
participants who make it worthwhile. The club<br />
has programmed Wednesday afternoon sports<br />
where members can attend an afternoon ride,<br />
run or kayak nearly every fortnight and will be<br />
hosting Interbase Harriers in 2009 - check out<br />
the club website on the intranet at: http://org/<br />
Auckland/MultisportPages/MultisportHome.<br />
aspx for further details.<br />
24hr Moonride.<br />
cPL graham<br />
Russell brings half<br />
the course back to<br />
the tent site.<br />
www.airforce.mil.nz | afN<strong>95</strong> auguSt/SEptEmbEr 08 29<br />
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wB 08-0109-29<br />
30<br />
INtErbaSE rugby lEaguE<br />
cPL Leo wiapo showing his ballerina<br />
skils while trying to catch Ac Richie<br />
Staunton. LAc Adam wilson acting as<br />
his safety man.<br />
FLtLt mAt rAFFiLs<br />
iNterbase rugbY league 2008<br />
THE AIR fORcE IS VERy LUcky TO HAVE wITHIN ITS RANkS SOME VERy gOOD SPORTSMEN AND wOMEN,<br />
AND EVEN LUckIER TO bE AbLE TO cOMPETE AT INTERbASE TOURNAMENTS IN A wIDE RANgE Of SPORTS.<br />
THIS gIVES US A cHANcE TO SHOwcASE OUR SkILLS AND LOVE Of THE gAME, AND PERHAPS gO ON TO<br />
MORE HONOURS REPRESENTINg THE AIR fORcE OR EVEN THE NzDf. AND IT’S ALL PART Of THE JOb!<br />
This year was no different, as around 60<br />
players from all sorts of different sporting<br />
backgrounds converged on Base Woodbourne for<br />
the annual Interbase Rugby League tournament<br />
over Queen’s Birthday weekend. Woodbourne<br />
has been the regular home for the tournament<br />
for the past few years, so a huge thanks must<br />
again go to the teams from Auckland and<br />
Ohakea for their efforts in travelling down to the<br />
Mainland for the three way showdown. Next year<br />
should see another Base have the opportunity to<br />
host and play in front of their home Base.<br />
The tournament began with a match between<br />
Auckland and Ohakea, the first chance for both<br />
teams to show what they’re made of and stretch<br />
the legs after some early mornings and all night<br />
bus trips enroute to Woodbourne. The match<br />
afN<strong>95</strong> auguSt/SEptEmbEr 08 | www.airforce.mil.nz<br />
was a fantastic way to start the tournament with<br />
some great skills being shown by both teams.<br />
The referees were there, Buck Beveridge had<br />
done a great job preparing the field, and the<br />
Woodbourne netball team were cooking up<br />
a storm on the BBQ and selling some tasty<br />
sausages. All that was left to kick it off was 80<br />
minutes of footy, after which Auckland walked<br />
away the victors.<br />
The next day saw Ohakea, battered and weary<br />
from the previous day’s match against Auckland,<br />
take on the home side Woodbourne. A great<br />
crowd came down to the fields to watch and<br />
cheer on the home side, and lucky they did as<br />
they got to see Woodbourne run in several tries<br />
and come away with a convincing win. Ohakea<br />
finished the match tired but happy, as their<br />
Interbase campaign came to an end. It was<br />
time to relax and enjoy a quiet refreshment for<br />
the Ohakea lads! W/O Keith Gell joined with<br />
the teams that night in the sports bar and was<br />
present to hand out player of the day awards<br />
and say a few words.<br />
The final day of competition was the tournament<br />
decider between Woodbourne and Auckland.<br />
The Auckland players were coming off a days<br />
rest (one of the advantages of winning last<br />
year’s tournament) hoping that Woodbourne<br />
would be feeling the effects of their game the<br />
day before.<br />
The game was an absolute ripper with the lead<br />
changing several times throughout the match.<br />
With ten minutes to go, Woodbourne were ahead<br />
32 – 24 and it was all looking good, that was
wB 08-0109-02<br />
wB 08-0109-15<br />
LAc Rock Johnstone<br />
tackled by LAc gooch<br />
Mccullough and LAc<br />
Adam Van gelder.<br />
until Johnny Ryan got the ball and Auckland were<br />
suddenly in the lead 34 – 32 with a quick 10<br />
points and only 5 minutes to go! Talk about close<br />
matches, this was one for sure. The Woodbourne<br />
players kept their heads up, and rallied one<br />
last time led by Charger Mockford who gave up<br />
club rugby for the day for the chance to take<br />
out the tournament. His decision paid off, as<br />
Woodbourne dotted down in the corner with<br />
about 2 minutes to go and regained the lead. The<br />
last minute of the match played out uneventfully<br />
and Woodbourne took it out 36 – 34.<br />
Overall the tournament was enjoyed by all, and<br />
great spirit was shown throughout by all teams.<br />
Woodbourne won the Cook Strait Cup, awarded<br />
to the team displaying the highest standard<br />
of sportsmanship throughout the tournament,<br />
where off the field conduct is also taken into<br />
consideration. The tournament referees select<br />
the recipient of this award. The Keith Gell Cup<br />
was awarded to the most outstanding player of<br />
the tournament, which went to CPL Johnny Ryan,<br />
LAc Alanson<br />
Smith trying to<br />
bust the tackle<br />
of LAc Adam<br />
Van gelder.<br />
as decided by the RNZAF Selectors. The RNZAF<br />
Rugby League Cup went to the winners of the<br />
tournament, Woodbourne. Congratulations to<br />
the following players on their selection to the<br />
RNZAF Rugby League team: LAC Adam Wilson,<br />
OVeRall the<br />
tOuRnament<br />
was enjOyed by<br />
all, and gReat<br />
spiRit was shOwn<br />
thROughOut by<br />
all teams.<br />
AC Bryce Hesselin, LAC Ben Farmer, AC Tama<br />
Eramiha, AC David Miles, LAC Lionel Tiraa, CPL<br />
Jade Morgan, AC Peter Motuliki, AC Richard<br />
O’Flaherty, AC Caine O’Shea, CPL Kim Bevins,<br />
AC Marshall Tepania, CPL John Ryan, LAC Nik<br />
wB 08-0109-09<br />
Ac Mike Leonard with wb<br />
Ac caine O’Shea (No 7)<br />
preparing to defend.<br />
tEam buIldINg<br />
Walmsley, FGOFF Andrew Mockford, CPL Beaufa<br />
Brown, CPL Parata Ainsley, F/S Roy Robati, AC<br />
Richie Staunton, AC Mike Leonard, AC Cory<br />
Gent, CPL Adam Tavave, LAC Doug King, SGT<br />
Peter Lincoln, LAC Shayne Roberts, LAC Kris<br />
McCullough.<br />
Huge thanks must go to WGCDR Jackie Ward<br />
and her Woodbourne staff for hosting a superb<br />
tournament. Also, the tournament was lucky<br />
enough to have very generous sponsorship<br />
from Mitchell Sports Power, 10 Wynen St, who<br />
are very keen supporters of many Woodbourne<br />
sports teams.<br />
See you all again next year!<br />
cPL John Ryan going over<br />
for a try for Auckland.<br />
TEAM cOLOURS ARE:<br />
Auckland – Blue<br />
Woodbourne – Maroon<br />
Ohakea – Black<br />
All PhOTOgRAPhS By MRS ReBeCCA WATSON.<br />
www.airforce.mil.nz | afN<strong>95</strong> auguSt/SEptEmbEr 08 31<br />
wB 08-0109-21
wn 08-0035-38<br />
32<br />
dragoN boatINg<br />
Hong<br />
kong Ben<br />
THIS TRIP wAS A JOURNEy THAT I<br />
wILL NOT fORgET fOR SOMETIME<br />
AS yOU cOULD INITIALLy SENSE THAT<br />
MOST INTERNATIONAL cREwS DIDN’T<br />
fANcy OUR cHANcES Of gIVINg ANy<br />
Of THE TOP cREwS A RUN fOR THEIR<br />
MONEy.<br />
How wrong they were, especially the Australians,<br />
where on the first training day, not only talked up<br />
paddling like season pros, but had the audacity<br />
to comment to our captain that he didn’t want<br />
to see his teams doing our technique.<br />
We raced both their crews twice and all they saw<br />
of the <strong>Air</strong> <strong>Force</strong> in both races was the back of<br />
our heads. They didn’t recognise us at the motel,<br />
because while racing didn’t get to see our faces<br />
front on. A bit hard from the back of the field…<br />
We would have made a clean sweep of three in<br />
a row but they didn’t make the Main Mixed final.<br />
Maybe they will now copy what we and some of<br />
the other teams were doing.<br />
The team was a mixture of half experienced<br />
(paddled last year or longer) and novice paddlers,<br />
but watching in the heats and finals you would<br />
have thought that the crew had paddled together<br />
afN<strong>95</strong> auguSt/SEptEmbEr 08 | www.airforce.mil.nz<br />
for a number of years. This is testament to the<br />
crew’s dedication and willingness to learn new<br />
techniques, race strategies and being able to<br />
adapt to my game plans right up to the finals.<br />
Tu Meke.<br />
For me as a coach I had set three high goals for<br />
the team to reach:<br />
>> Make main final<br />
>> Be the Best International Team<br />
>> Win the Final<br />
ALL TOgETHER:<br />
Time for a photo shoot<br />
before the big final.<br />
FinAu / COACH<br />
DragoN boatiNg<br />
We achieved one, which was to make the main<br />
final. If I put it into context with the hurdles in<br />
training that the crew had prior to stepping off<br />
the plane in HK that was a huge milestone.<br />
This team had not raced competitively for<br />
nearly 3 months, and water training was limited<br />
to stationary paddling in a swimming pool.<br />
Stationary paddling in a pool non-stop for about<br />
an hour seems like a lifetime when you see no<br />
progress and the boat just stays in one place.<br />
I’m sure we would all love to see the boat at the<br />
bottom of the Base swimming pool.<br />
Behind the success of any team is key<br />
management staff, and this management was<br />
no exception. Huge Tino Pai Nui to Jeremy<br />
Borgman for his relentless efforts to keep some<br />
form of coordination for the team.<br />
To the Captain and Vice Captain – Liz Portas and<br />
Kirrin Borgman thank you for your valuable input<br />
that gave me different options with another set<br />
of eyes. I think you both contributed enormously<br />
to me pulling out more hair from my already<br />
receding hair line.<br />
To our Caller/Drummer Rachel Thomas and<br />
Sweep Maki – awesome job, especially Rachel<br />
who in the first race under stress and pressure,<br />
took the burden for the team’s substandard<br />
performance personally which was unwarranted<br />
but bounced back to a fully composed caller in<br />
the final.<br />
Finally, thank you to the <strong>Air</strong> <strong>Force</strong> team, for<br />
allowing me to coach you. I have coached the<br />
crew since the beginning 5 years ago, and every<br />
year I have raised the bar to a very high level in<br />
terms of expectation, but true to form the team<br />
has always reached my expectation and more.<br />
This year to win medals in HK would have been<br />
as Jack Rudolph put it: ‘the icing on the cake’, but<br />
for all the crew to give not only me, but the rest
wn 08-0035-41 wn 08-0035-40<br />
LA cREw: Nothing like a good warm up (even though the temp is 32deg).<br />
This O/Seas ex-pat team take their dragon boating seriously.<br />
OUR POwER HOUSE: w/O Rudolph and gumby Portas (ex RNzAf w/O<br />
Rtd). The power house of the crew let nothing phase them.<br />
of the team 110 percent is more than enough.<br />
This team could lift their heads high after this<br />
regatta and be proud of their achievements by<br />
putting the NZ <strong>Air</strong> <strong>Force</strong> and <strong>New</strong> <strong>Zealand</strong> on the<br />
map for Dragon Boating and to do it in style in a<br />
region where the sport originated.<br />
After our final race in HK, I was a very humble<br />
and proud coach to see from body language and<br />
comments that the whole 25 of us gave it our<br />
all regardless whether we were in the race or<br />
cheering from the sideline. The reserve paddlers<br />
openly stated to me that while disappointed in<br />
not paddling in the final, were there for the team<br />
and not themselves.<br />
The Haka on the floating pontoon made my hair<br />
stand up, hard to put into words but I was very<br />
emotional shaking and hugging all the paddlers<br />
afterwards.<br />
The Aroha (love) for one another on and off the<br />
water in my pep talks prior to racing was just<br />
amazing, especially after our last race where<br />
any minimal mistake by individuals was taken<br />
ownership by all. We paddled together as a team<br />
and fielded all blame as a team, with no finger<br />
pointing throughout this campaign.<br />
wn 08-0035-39<br />
wn 08-0035-42<br />
gO THE STROkES: LAc Amy Hahn and Ms<br />
Lydia Howe our two pacers ready for first race of<br />
the tournament.<br />
tEam buIldINg<br />
TEAM PIcA: Nothing like a relaxing ride on a traditional Sailing Junk boat<br />
around the Hong kong Harbour for the team.<br />
This crew epitomises the word TEAM...<br />
(Together Everyone Achieves More)<br />
Once again well done <strong>Air</strong> <strong>Force</strong> to another<br />
successful year.<br />
Mauri Ora……Ben Finau<br />
The <strong>Air</strong> force Dragon boat team would like<br />
to thank and acknowledge the generous<br />
contributions and support given to us by the<br />
following (we apologise if we have missed<br />
anyone from our list):<br />
Cathay Pacific; RNZAF Base Auckland Officer’s<br />
Mess; RNZAF Base Auckland; W/Os & SNCOs<br />
Mess; RNZAF Base Auckland JR’s Bar; RNZAF<br />
Base Auckland Base Welfare Fund; RNZAF Base<br />
Auckland Base Sports Office; Mr Steve Leech;<br />
Louise – Canteen; Dunninghams Ltd; W/O<br />
Dave Milne; CPL Pricey Price; Frances and Terry<br />
– Base Auckland NPF; Glenys young – yASL;<br />
SGT Otis De Garnham; SQNLDR Glenn Davis;<br />
Recruiting; Public Relations; Internal Affairs;<br />
Pulp Sport; Asia Down Under.<br />
HKDBA; CAF and WOAF for their support; Sugar<br />
Te Paa; Our families; Our coach - Ben Finau; All<br />
our FLTCDRs and OCs.<br />
www.airforce.mil.nz | afN<strong>95</strong> auguSt/SEptEmbEr 08 33
farEWEllS aNd EvENtS<br />
fareWells<br />
due to unforseen<br />
circumstances, farewells<br />
for this issue will be<br />
printed in next month’s<br />
issue of <strong>Air</strong> <strong>Force</strong> news,<br />
September/October.<br />
30 sqdn 40th<br />
AnniversAry<br />
28 th november 2008<br />
Email Maureen Kettle at: kettle.klan@paradise.net.nz<br />
for more information<br />
AvgAs AvgAs<br />
thE royal NEW ZEalaNd aIr forcE E-ZINE<br />
hTTp://org/airforce/avgaS/hoMe.aSpx<br />
34 afN<strong>95</strong> auguSt/SEptEmbEr 08 | www.airforce.mil.nz<br />
cricKet<br />
‘reunion 09’<br />
If you have a story to share, the process is simple: Just send your photo / picture /<br />
diagram and a few quick words to your Flight Commander and if they decide to share<br />
your good news with the wider <strong>Air</strong> <strong>Force</strong> they will forward it to the AVgAS point of<br />
contact: Anna.sussmilch@nzdf.mil.nz. So start sending in all your good news!<br />
60th AnniversAry of rnZAf interbAse CriCket tournAments<br />
The reunion will take place, in conjunction with Interbase Cricket, at RNZAF Base Woodbourne over the<br />
period 29 to 30 Jan 2009. Reunion details and registrations are available at www.airforce where you<br />
can click on the "whats on" key followed by "reunions and anniversaries" key. Any personnel who have<br />
played, officiated or just helped out at any RNZAF Interbase Cricket tournament are entitled to attend.<br />
Point of contact is w/O gary clark on 04 5296131 or by email to gary.clark@nzdf.mil.nz<br />
air force proMs<br />
2.00pM, suNDaY 14 septeMber<br />
Michael fowler ceNtre, welliNgtoN<br />
ticKets: $30 faMilY $15 aDults $5 chilDreN/stuDeNts<br />
reuNioN<br />
warNiNg orDer!<br />
Initial preparations are now underway to<br />
hold the above reunion at Arena Manawatu,<br />
Palmerston North, during Labour Weekend<br />
24 – 26 October 2008.<br />
The reunion is open to all ex-cadets,<br />
ex-cadet staff, and their wives or partners.<br />
Widows of ex-cadets also welcome.<br />
please contact the following<br />
association committee members<br />
to indicate your interest and to<br />
request further information.<br />
seCRetaRy: tRish heikOOp<br />
ph: (09) 577 4306 e: heikoop@xtra.co.nz<br />
tReasuReR: dOn ROlle<br />
ph: (09) 298 8176 e: donald_rolle@clear.net.nz
AK 08-0364-06<br />
It’s back!<br />
b7571 TOUcHES DOwN AT RNzAf bASE wHENUAPAI ON fRIDAy 8TH<br />
AUgUST. THE SEPTEMbER EDITION Of THE AIR fORcE NEwS wILL<br />
cOVER THE b757 ARRIVAL AND cEREMONy IN wELLINgTON.