VAF Forums - Our first Trip to Warbirds over Wanaka...Neil & Sarah RV-10 ZK-RVT

The following was emailed to me by Neil. I put the images in a Picasa web folder that you can bring up in a separate window, for viewing while you read. Pictures can be viewed at: http://picasaweb.google.com/VansAirForce/Neil

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Our first Trip to Warbirds over Wanaka...Neil & Sarah (RV-10 ZK-RVT - 90 hours)

First off, I must state the obvious - I am no photographer, nor story teller
However, in the absence of any talent in this department, I offer this
meagre story.
Sarah & I have been in NZ for over 5 years, and it's always been "we'll
go to the next Warbirds Over Wanaka" . Well this year we finally made
it.

The day started off overcast, but with the babysitters for our herd of
children already working we weren't going to let a little overcast put
us off, so up we went for a glorious trip from Bulls, punching up
through a small hole in the overcast, near NZ's main airforce base, for
the 400mile trip to Wanaka. Ohakea Control gave us 8000, despite having
asked for 10. Although as the wind got up near Omarama, they relented &
it was a bit smoother at 10,000, staying upwind of the lenticulars.
The RV-10 ate up the miles, and thanks to Abby's seat's we arrived
feeling better than a 2 hour trip in a car.

On the trip down the east coast of South Island there are so many
beautiful rivers that they all look stunning, but something like this.
I know that VAF is monitored by many in NZ, who will no doubt tell me
exactly what this river is.

The winds were great until we got to Omarama, where they turned into
35+knots. By the time we picked up Wanaka ATIS, they were forecasting
25/gusting30 crosswind, which made for an untidy landing. Sarah is much
better at flying the last 6 feet than me, so I should have given her
the landing!

We all know that NZ is small, and that our airforce is even smaller,
but the country is so beautiful that no one would really invade middle
earth without stopping to admire the views, at which point they would
be trampled by all the sheep! Warbirds over Wanaka makes up for its
lack of size by its amazing beauty.

Carl Morgan (of FADEC fame) on a quadbike directed us to parking.
Anyhow, you can just make out the small GA park far left.

Only in NZ will you be called a "Plonker" by ATC for not obeying notams
- not us, I hasten to add.

The WX at Queenstown, just over the Cardrona Saddle was a total
contrast, with no wind at all. A few side slips, and we were on the
ground, with the Remarkable mountains as a great backdrop.

The WX for Saturday was rubbish, so rather than push minimums we
decided to go tourist in Queenstown. Great fun, lots to do. Here is
Sarah at the top of the gondala, with lake Wakitipu in the background.
I think Peter Jackson has almost as many planes as our airforce, and
only a slightly older.

The best we can do for modern aircraft is to swipe an F111 from those
Aussies across the ditch. Don't they know there is a fire ban on?
What makes Wanaka so great is the spectacular scenery, which I have so
miserably failed to demonstrate. But it really is stunning. There can
be no better backdrop for an airshow.

Just wrecked by some noisy Polikarpovs!

The vampire looks great, and they used to have one at the entrance to
our main airbase up until a year or so ago. I did wonder where it went
to.

No explanation needed.

But everyone loves the explosions

And the smoke rings.

I failed to take notice as to why this one has a white tail.

So Sunday was excellent WX and a great airshow.

Monday was what I was really looking forward too. A trip to Milford
Sound.

Just air-born our of Queenstown.

I think this is the Shotover River, just about where it comes out at
Queenstown.

The only instrument approach into Queenstown is a GNSS, but it wasn't
required on Monday morning as we headed off to Milford Sound after a
thorough briefing.

The colours really were this great.

Past Queenstown and on to Rat Point on a simply stunning morning. All
the main tourist planes took off about 8.00am, and we followed 1/2 hr
later.

I was very glad to have Sarah calling out the many reporting points as
we went. This is just short of Glenorchy, and entering the Caple
Valley.

Looking back to Glenorchy in the early morning sun.

The landscapes of the Southern Alps were unlike anything Sarah & I had
seen in our limited amount of travel.

And there definitely are not that many places to land at times, despite
the Cheltons indicating max glide range. It looked like a scene from
Jaws, but with giant teeth of granite. Over 30 planes have gone missing
in small NZ and never been found.

There is simply miles & miles of sharp, jagged rocks.

We crossed over from Caple to Hollyford valley & out to the coast at
Martins Bay. It's hard to understand why there were deer wars here not
so long ago over such inhospitable country. Choppers were lasting less
than a year during those times & I think about 80 were written off.
Our target was Milford Sound. Strict rules apply, and there is much
talk that private planes will soon be banned from this airfield, so we
are glad to have taken the opportunity to land there while we could.
The day was amazing, but because of the steep slopes & shadows... -
well you can the pics aren't perfect. Milford has a Traffic Advisory
Service, which once around the corner & into the Sound, worked very
effectively. The essential Flight Plan already had them expecting us.
It must be hard working in a control tower all day with nothing to do
but talk & watch the view!

Milford is just on the left. Max wind from a southerly is just 5 knots,
because any more than this is channeled down the valleys to meet at the
threshold. Thankfully today was only 2 knots, and was virtually
smooth.

Safely on the ground at Milford, with Mitre peak in the background.
A short coffee break & lined up & ready to go again before the next
influx of tourist planes & choppers. The Chelton terrain stuff is
great, but the rsolution is just not great enough around Milford. At
one point while taxiing, we were 1600 feet below ground level!, and the
entire screen showed brown. But then the mountain sides must have been
from sea level to 2000 ft vertical, while only a couple of hundred feet
horizontal. The Garmin 496 seemed a bit better, but in this sort of
terrain, I kept my head mainly outside.

We headed back out to sea, and a reversal turn to head back inland.
Near the top of Mitre Peak.

From Milford we headed to Sterling Falls, the 3rd highest in the
southern Hemisphere. But easily accessible by RV10 on a nice day.

And there they are.

Then it was back to Lake Wakitipu & over head Queenstown
All in all a great day. Wanaka back to Bulls & our home strip took just
under 2 1/2 hours. It was great to be back & see the children, but I
did feel as if we could have done it all again.

I was great to fly as both pilot & colpilot. I flew Bulls - Wanaka -
Queenstown on the Friday.

Sarah flew Queenstown - Wanaka - Queenstown on Sunday.
I flew Queenstown - Milford - Wanaka,
And Sarah flewWanaka to Bulls.

It is simply great to have your wife as copilot, and also to be copilot
with your wife flying. It makes nav & coms a lot of fun & I'm sure
makes for safer flying, each double checking the others nav & calcs.
Hope to see you all at Osh later this year.

Neil & Sarah.
ZK-RVT - nearly 90 hours.