With the Kahu Update programme accounting for a number of Skyhawks out of active duty, the loss of a further two aircraft became a major drain on Air Force resources while maintaining a six aircraft aerobatic team. Its was therefore necessary to transfer NZ6211 to Base Woodbourne for urgent repair; a task which was successfully achieved by the Repair Maintenance staff having the aircraft returned to Ohakea by mid-January 1990.
In 1988 Wing Commander Frank Sharps Kiwi Red team had performed their routine from the Australian Bi-centennial Airshow during the lunch time break at the Nissan Mobil 500 Wellington Waterfront Race and in 1989 the current team staged a return performance over the weekend 2 / 3 December. The original plan was for the Kiwi Red party , consisting of eight aircraft and thirty seven personnel to deploy to Wellington Airport on Saturday December 2 via a display over the Special Olympics at Palmerston North and a brief flypast at the Nissan Mobil car race. This was to be followed the next day by the full show over the water front and transfer back to Base Ohakea on the Monday.
On the Friday the 10:30am display over the Queen Elizabeth College in Palmerston North and transit to Wellington along the Kapiti Coast were competed in near perfect conditions, the same conditions that prevailed over the capital city. The weather forecast for the Sunday was, however, very poor and it was decide to perform the full display on the Saturday, ‘just-in-case’.
The weather forecast proved accurate and as television audiences joined the team for the first time in this performance season Red 1 brought the team over the display area in wild conditions to complete the six ship bomb burst. Shortly thereafter the Wing Commander was forced to abandon the display and return to Base Ohakea.
With this flurry of activity behind them the team's practise sessions out of Ohakea continued, such was the intensity of activity that even the Christmas holiday period barely caused a reduction in the training schedule necessary to keep the team at the very pinnacle of performance standards for the very large undertaking of the forthcoming year.
Thursday January 18 saw the team transit north in a brief trip to Base Whenuapai, with NZ 6262 as a photoship, for a PR sortie over Auckland Harbour and on their return to Base Ohakea later that day a flypast by the ‘vic’ of five over Mount Smart Stadium.
In 1988 Wing Commander Frank Sharps Kiwi Red team had performed their routine from the Australian Bi-centennial Airshow during the lunch time break at the Nissan Mobil 500 Wellington Waterfront Race and in 1989 the current team staged a return performance over the weekend 2 / 3 December. The original plan was for the Kiwi Red party , consisting of eight aircraft and thirty seven personnel to deploy to Wellington Airport on Saturday December 2 via a display over the Special Olympics at Palmerston North and a brief flypast at the Nissan Mobil car race. This was to be followed the next day by the full show over the water front and transfer back to Base Ohakea on the Monday.
On the Friday the 10:30am display over the Queen Elizabeth College in Palmerston North and transit to Wellington along the Kapiti Coast were competed in near perfect conditions, the same conditions that prevailed over the capital city. The weather forecast for the Sunday was, however, very poor and it was decide to perform the full display on the Saturday, ‘just-in-case’.
The weather forecast proved accurate and as television audiences joined the team for the first time in this performance season Red 1 brought the team over the display area in wild conditions to complete the six ship bomb burst. Shortly thereafter the Wing Commander was forced to abandon the display and return to Base Ohakea.
With this flurry of activity behind them the team's practise sessions out of Ohakea continued, such was the intensity of activity that even the Christmas holiday period barely caused a reduction in the training schedule necessary to keep the team at the very pinnacle of performance standards for the very large undertaking of the forthcoming year.
Thursday January 18 saw the team transit north in a brief trip to Base Whenuapai, with NZ 6262 as a photoship, for a PR sortie over Auckland Harbour and on their return to Base Ohakea later that day a flypast by the ‘vic’ of five over Mount Smart Stadium.
Deployment North
Once again over the Queen City it was straight into bomb burst trials over the Mount Smart Stadium prior to landing a Base Whenuapai.
That evening the full dressed rehearsal for the Commonwealth Games opening ceremony brought the team back over Mount Smart for the synchronised presentation of their contribution to the evenings programme.
Spectacularly completed they withdrew from the public eye for two days of practice; to return in their full glory at 7:45am on Wednesday morning with the entire 15 minute routine amidst the cultural festivities on the Waitatemata Harbour. Undeterred by a high cloud cover the team worked through their full display, their aerial feats bringing the morning traffic on the Harbour Bridge and surrounding motorways to a standstill as motorists eyes turned skyward.
Wednesday night at the opening of the Commonwealth Games was to hold in store not only one of the major highlights of the evening but the entire tour. The 'vic' of five aircraft in the pitch black evening sky, landing and navigation lights ablaze, trailing white display smoke which reflected the lights as they swept over the packed Mount Smart Stadium at 500 feet and at 700 miles per hour.
The plan for the Kiwi Red's participation in the evening’s proceedings had been to lay a smoke screen over the stadium upon which a laser display would be shown, however, on the night the laser show was cut from the programme which was running late. To achieve the smoke screen the chosen formation was that of 'vic' utilising five aircraft, this choice also meant that the sixth man was able to passenger with Red 1 to assist in the difficult tasks of navigating and arrival timing over Mount Smart Stadium.
The Television One commentators exclamation "What a show this is !!" as he appeared lost for words summing up "the magic of this moment." By now Kiwi Red was on a roll, with Wednesday’s performances still vivid in everyone's memory they were strutting their stuff again over Base Whenuapai in front of base personnel, the television cameras and the public, officially starting their 1990 Tour. Both TV One Network News and the Holmes Show could not resist the magic and carried major items on these magnificent men in their flying machines.
Over the following days the team was to establish what became the pattern of the roadshow - tiki tours overflying as many towns as possible in low level formation using display smoke to paint the skies in patterns unique to aerobatic display teams. Medium centres received some special attention with a number of aerobatic manoeuvres and for the main centres or special events when the weather permitted the full fifteen minute routine. For those days where low cloud restricted the routine a back up performance or 'flat display' was available in their repertoire.
January 26 the Kiwi Red road show, including the two spare aircraft NZ 6252 and NZ 6256, left Base Whenuapai transiting to Hamilton via Great Barrier and the Coromandel for a five day deployment. In the afternoon the six man team were airborne again to present cameo performances at Rotorua and flypasts of Kawera and Whakatane.
Two tours on the the following day brought a cameo performance at Tauranga, and over Te Puke followed in the afternoon by appearances over Raglan, Te Kuiti, Tokoroa and the Hauraki Plains.
Finally, on Sunday the 28th, after witnessing the teams comings and goings Hamilton witnessed the Kiwi Red display.On the fifth of the deployment the team returned north to Base Whenuapai along a route that followed State Highway One.
The closing ceremony of the Commonwealth Games on Saturday February the 3rd brought Kiwi Red back over Mount Smart Stadium. On this occasion display commentator Flt Lt Jackson flew in the rear seat of NZ 6256 assisting Red 1 in navigation to the stadium. In the yellow fading evening light the team arrived, holding a tight altas formation the six A-4'spulled up into the vertical directly over the stadium. Topping out at about 7,000ft each team member rolling his aircraft onto its back and heading to the different points of the compass in a perfect bomb burst.
Still the events in Auckland kept coming; the very next day Sunday 4 February was the start of the fourth leg of the 'Whitbread Around The World Yacht Race' and once again perfect conditions prevailed over the 'City of Sails'. Before the assembled masses around the Northhead start line, including The Duke of Edinburgh and television audiences across the country Kiwi Red executed a superb display with clear blue skies providing a excellent background for the white display smoke.
Monday February 5, a working day between the weekend and New Zealand's National Day saw the pilots of the 75th still on duty, on this occasion with an approximately one hour sortie to present the display to Orewa.
Final feature of this leg of the tour and final intentional live television appearance had the team in an airborne deployment to Waitangi on Tuesday February the 6th. This year’s celebration took on a special significance being the 150th anniversary of the original signing and included an attendance by Queen Elizabeth II. Usually a predominantly Navy affair the 1990 remembrance included a additional pageantry and speech making, and to show the flag for the Royal New Zealand Air Force the Kiwi Red Aerobatic Team. Once again the weather was perfect - calm and clear - enabling the presentation of the full 15 minute display. At the completion of the partial TV presentation, Television One announcer Andrea D’Audney passed on to Kiwi Red, via their commentator, Flight Lieutenant Jackson, the thanks of New Zealand.
Vacating Waitangi airspace Kiwi Red returned for the last time to Base Whenuapai to refuel before undertaking the one hour return journey to home base Ohakea.
That evening the full dressed rehearsal for the Commonwealth Games opening ceremony brought the team back over Mount Smart for the synchronised presentation of their contribution to the evenings programme.
Spectacularly completed they withdrew from the public eye for two days of practice; to return in their full glory at 7:45am on Wednesday morning with the entire 15 minute routine amidst the cultural festivities on the Waitatemata Harbour. Undeterred by a high cloud cover the team worked through their full display, their aerial feats bringing the morning traffic on the Harbour Bridge and surrounding motorways to a standstill as motorists eyes turned skyward.
Wednesday night at the opening of the Commonwealth Games was to hold in store not only one of the major highlights of the evening but the entire tour. The 'vic' of five aircraft in the pitch black evening sky, landing and navigation lights ablaze, trailing white display smoke which reflected the lights as they swept over the packed Mount Smart Stadium at 500 feet and at 700 miles per hour.
The plan for the Kiwi Red's participation in the evening’s proceedings had been to lay a smoke screen over the stadium upon which a laser display would be shown, however, on the night the laser show was cut from the programme which was running late. To achieve the smoke screen the chosen formation was that of 'vic' utilising five aircraft, this choice also meant that the sixth man was able to passenger with Red 1 to assist in the difficult tasks of navigating and arrival timing over Mount Smart Stadium.
The Television One commentators exclamation "What a show this is !!" as he appeared lost for words summing up "the magic of this moment." By now Kiwi Red was on a roll, with Wednesday’s performances still vivid in everyone's memory they were strutting their stuff again over Base Whenuapai in front of base personnel, the television cameras and the public, officially starting their 1990 Tour. Both TV One Network News and the Holmes Show could not resist the magic and carried major items on these magnificent men in their flying machines.
Over the following days the team was to establish what became the pattern of the roadshow - tiki tours overflying as many towns as possible in low level formation using display smoke to paint the skies in patterns unique to aerobatic display teams. Medium centres received some special attention with a number of aerobatic manoeuvres and for the main centres or special events when the weather permitted the full fifteen minute routine. For those days where low cloud restricted the routine a back up performance or 'flat display' was available in their repertoire.
January 26 the Kiwi Red road show, including the two spare aircraft NZ 6252 and NZ 6256, left Base Whenuapai transiting to Hamilton via Great Barrier and the Coromandel for a five day deployment. In the afternoon the six man team were airborne again to present cameo performances at Rotorua and flypasts of Kawera and Whakatane.
Two tours on the the following day brought a cameo performance at Tauranga, and over Te Puke followed in the afternoon by appearances over Raglan, Te Kuiti, Tokoroa and the Hauraki Plains.
Finally, on Sunday the 28th, after witnessing the teams comings and goings Hamilton witnessed the Kiwi Red display.On the fifth of the deployment the team returned north to Base Whenuapai along a route that followed State Highway One.
The closing ceremony of the Commonwealth Games on Saturday February the 3rd brought Kiwi Red back over Mount Smart Stadium. On this occasion display commentator Flt Lt Jackson flew in the rear seat of NZ 6256 assisting Red 1 in navigation to the stadium. In the yellow fading evening light the team arrived, holding a tight altas formation the six A-4'spulled up into the vertical directly over the stadium. Topping out at about 7,000ft each team member rolling his aircraft onto its back and heading to the different points of the compass in a perfect bomb burst.
Still the events in Auckland kept coming; the very next day Sunday 4 February was the start of the fourth leg of the 'Whitbread Around The World Yacht Race' and once again perfect conditions prevailed over the 'City of Sails'. Before the assembled masses around the Northhead start line, including The Duke of Edinburgh and television audiences across the country Kiwi Red executed a superb display with clear blue skies providing a excellent background for the white display smoke.
Monday February 5, a working day between the weekend and New Zealand's National Day saw the pilots of the 75th still on duty, on this occasion with an approximately one hour sortie to present the display to Orewa.
Final feature of this leg of the tour and final intentional live television appearance had the team in an airborne deployment to Waitangi on Tuesday February the 6th. This year’s celebration took on a special significance being the 150th anniversary of the original signing and included an attendance by Queen Elizabeth II. Usually a predominantly Navy affair the 1990 remembrance included a additional pageantry and speech making, and to show the flag for the Royal New Zealand Air Force the Kiwi Red Aerobatic Team. Once again the weather was perfect - calm and clear - enabling the presentation of the full 15 minute display. At the completion of the partial TV presentation, Television One announcer Andrea D’Audney passed on to Kiwi Red, via their commentator, Flight Lieutenant Jackson, the thanks of New Zealand.
Vacating Waitangi airspace Kiwi Red returned for the last time to Base Whenuapai to refuel before undertaking the one hour return journey to home base Ohakea.