Airforce News February 2006

Erebus basking in the sunlight.

The orange covers (booties)on the Orion ’s wheels are a simple device designed to keep out snow and prevent it from freezing as ice on the wheel mechanism and brake units.They are not heated

January 16th marked a ‘cool ’moment in the Air Force ’s history,when the first RNZAF P3-K Orion landed in Antarctica.

The flight and subsequent landing on the Ice was the finale to nearly two years of planning,by both the RNZAF and external agencies. The aircraft and thirteen crew from No.5 Squadron and two observers from No.40 Squadron were carrying out a trial flight to determine if they could safely operate from Antarctica.

Being able to operate from the Ice would provide support to the Convention for the Conservation of Antarctic Marine Living Resources (CCAMLR). It could also have positive implications for Search and Rescue and Emergency Medical Evacuations from the region.

The aim of the Convention is to conserve the marine life of the Southern Ocean that surrounds Antarctica.Under CCAMLR the RNZAF already monitors fisheries in the Southern Ocean. The patrols aim to deter and detect illegal and unregulated fishing for tooth fish.

By operating from Antarctica a P3 and crew would potentially be able to extend their patrol time."Pending the outcome of this trial flight, future surveillance missions may operate from Antarctica on behalf of the Government of New Zealand with specific emphasis on meeting the CCAMLR surveillance, deterrence and enforcement requirements," said ACC, Air Commodore Dick Newlands.

As in all military flying,the crew faced a number of risks with their historic flight to the ice. Throughout the planning phase, considerable effort went into identifying all possible risks and from there mitigating them by the safest practice. Major risks included limited SAR coverage in the remote and frozen Continent and environmental effects caused by aircraft engine heating and melting the ice runway.

Another signifcant issue was the logistic risk of having an unserviceable aircraft on the Ice. Plenty of thought was also given to how the P3 would handle once on the icy ground. When stationary, heat from the Orion tends to melt the ice in a shallow manner.  Because of the extreme cold weather the ice refreezes quickly but becomes like a skate rink. Trials were conducted to see how the aircraft would cope in these unfamiliar conditions. "The approach and landing went very well, it was just the taxiing and ground handling that was different," said aircraft captain, SQNLDR Nielsen.

While an RNZAF P3 has operated in extreme cold weather conditions before (UK,Canada and Iceland) this was the first time the aircraft had operated on an ice runway. Engineers also had to look at how the aircraft’s engines would best be heated before being powered up. The changeable weather was another element for the crew to consider. "The weather conditions were perfect for the trial – the wind was light and there was unlimited visibility, but we need to be mindful that conditions can change in a minute," said  SQNLDR Nielsen. 

The extreme cold and unforgiving conditions meant the crew had to undergo cold weather survival training well prior to the flight trial. The survival training course at Temple Basin had particular emphasis on survival challenges faced by aircrew flying to Antarctica.

For the flight commander, SQNLDR Nick Olney seeing the mission through from concept to completion was professionally rewarding. "It was enormously fulfillling to see all the planning come together. With all the co-ordination and logistics that went into the flight, the crew that conducted it were just the tip of the iceberg!" he said.. With the crew now looking to future tasks it’s time for the chain of command to evaluate the trial flight and decide the next step.

The results of the trial will determine if future P3 operations can be conducted from Antarctica or if further trials are required.

FACTS AND FIGURES

• The .flight time to Antarctica in a P3 Orion is approximately 7.5 hours

• The hottest temperature recorded at Scott Base was positive 8 degrees in January 1970

•The runway used by the P3 Orion at Pegasus Air field is made up of glacier ice topped with a thin layer of snow

• Antarctica amounts to 10 percent of the earths land area

• Tyre warmers, chains  (for securing the aircraft in the event of a storm) and cold weather gear were part of the load taken to Antarctica

• The Convention for the Conservation of Antarctic Marine Living Resources (CCAMLR) came into force in 1982

 Over 10-=25 august No5 Squadron deployed one of their six P-3K Orion's to South East Asia to participate in Exercse Deep Sabre 05. As PLTOFF Jason Lush report s, working out of Singapore, the aim of Deep Sabre was to conduct maritime interdiction operations.

The backdrop to the exercise was the South China Sea and the Malacca Straits, with its busy sea lanes annually carrying up to 35%of the world ’s sea trade. The scenario itself involved several merchant ships suspected of carrying weapons.Naval and air assets were requested to locate and shadow vessel s of interest (VOIs). Once located and identifed by Maritime Patrol Aircraft (MPA),  naval assets would track the VOIs, eventually boarding and escorting them into port in Singapore. There Customs personnel from various nations would carry out alongside searches.

The task for the Kiwis was to fly two sorties, each about seven hours long. Each sortie involved gaining radio contact with the aircraft already in the area of operations, obtaining any information they had on the VOIs and then proceeding to re-locate, report,and shadow the targets. With the assistance of an awesome ground crew keeping us running we were able to carry out every facet of the exercise and overall deployment as tasked.

Sortie one saw us airborne at 1am to take over from the Japanese JMSDF P-3C who had seen some success,. finding one of the two target vessels. The target vessels for this sortie were to be Naval Replenishment ships, HMAS Westralia, and HMS Black Rover. This made our job slightly more difficult, as we had to distinguish between these ships and the friendly naval vessels we were co-operating with. After a short transit to the area we soon picked up the Westralia. Following a short search we also picked up the Black Rover.Having located both vessels all that remained to do was track them and pass their positions to the friendly forces below.

Sortie two developed much the same as the first flight, this time with the target vessels being three civilian merchant ships associated with the exercise. Based on this alone, we knew that if the previous aircraft hadn’t found the ships our job would be made slightly more difficult due to the sheer number of merchant traffic in the area. On average there are 1000 ship movements through Singapore per day. Picking out one ship that looks like 100 ’s of others wasn’t going to be easy at night. We were once again airborne at 1am and shortly afterwards gained radio contact with the Japanese P-3C who informed us they had found the three ships and had been tracking them most of the night. For our crew this was essentially the end of the exercise, with only the interdiction of the target vessel by naval forces and the alongside search by Customs remaining to be carried out.

As well as some sightseeing  the crew spent an afternoon affiliation with RSAF ’s 121 MPA Squadron, who support the Singaporean maritime surveillance requirements utilising the Fokker F-50 Enforcer. This was a chance for the crew to swap a few war stories and taste a few Singaporean culinary delights prior to conducting respective Squadron operation and development briefs.

Exercise Deep Sabre ’05 provided No.5 Squadron Crew One with an excellent opportunity to operate in an extremely challenging environment. Each flight saw us locate over 300 vessels within a seven-hour period, something that is unseen in New Zealand ’s waters. The exercise also provided some of the more junior crewmembers with exposure to flying away from home, and gave us an appreciation of how other nations carry out maritime air operations.

No 6 Flying Boat Squadron - A  Brief History

For ‘official’ purposes it is recorded that No.6  Squadron was first formed in Milson, Palmerston North in early 1942 as an Army Co-operation  (AC) Squadron flying Hinds .A few months later it was disbanded.

What can be described as the real history of No.6 (Flying Boat) Squadron began, in an operational sense, in January 1943 when crew began operating the disbanded No.5 Squadron’s Singapore flying boats, while awaiting the delivery of Catalina Flying Boats (Sea ‘Cats’) from the United States. Despite their obsolescence the British-built Singapores provided much-needed defence against Japanese submarines around the Fijian islands.

The first of the RNZAF ’s new 22 Catalinas arrived at the Kiwi base at Fiji’s Lauthala Bay on 3 April 1943 from San Diego. The arrival was followed by the formation of Pacific Ferry Flight flying C47 Dakotas and Catalinas to No.40 Squadron at Whenuapai and No.6 Squadron at Lauthala Bay. After a long birth No.6 Squadron ‘offcially’came into existence on 25 May 1943.

The twin-engined ‘Cat’ says historian Paul Harrison was one of the two major types of twin-engined flying boats built by the United States for use by US Navy Patrol Squadrons  (the second type being the PBM Martin Mariner). One advantage the Americans held was in engine design and the Pratt &Whitney Twin Wasp radial engines fitted to the Catalinas proved very reliable and popular both with the aircrew and technicians. With its all-metal hull, streamlined appearance and upswept curve to the vertical tail, the Catalina gave (quite erroneously) the impression of being a fast machine, and with the tail plane mounted well up the tail fin, an easily recognizable profile that became well known throughout the world.

While by early 1944 Japan’s air power was all but defeated and its naval operations were non-existent its anti-aircraft batteries, especially at Rabaul were still taking a toll. The term ‘Dumbo’, derived from the friendly Walt Disney cartoon elephant character, came to be bestowed by Allied aircrews on their search and rescue (SAR) missions looking for downed airmen. The‘Dumbo’ missions became a popular and morale-boosting reassurance for airmen and cartoon Dumbos were often painted on the fuselages of flying boats –one for each successful rescue. Indeed, while the Squadron ’s Catalinas were used in anti-submarine patrols it was their SAR missions that became their stock in trade. Between 3 May 1943 and 19 September 1945 No.6 Squadron made 27 successful Dumbo missions and No.6 with (the reformed) No.5 Squadron rescuing over 150 downed airmen.

After 24 months of service and having established a fine maritime history No.6 Squadron was, l  ike many of the RNZAF’s wartime Squadrons, again disbanded at the end of the war in August 1945.

The Squadron was to get another life extension as a Territorial Air Force Squadron during the 1950s. SQNLDR (rtd.) Norman Atkins spent five years in the Territorial Air Force and three in the Active Reserve. He served in No.6 Squadron (TAF) as a member of one of the four crews made up almost entirely of men who had flown during World War II. In 1961 SQNLDR Atkins joined the RNZAF as a regular and flew as a navigator on Sunderlands for both the Maritime Reconnaissance Support Unit and No.5 Squadron. He later flew as an Orion Navigator/Tacco before transferring to the Air Force reserve in 1973. Here he shares a brief and personal account of the No.6 Squadron’s TAF years (1952-1957).

No.6 Squadron was reformed as a Territorial Maritime Squadron in May 1952.The Squadron included regulars and, until the establishment of the Maritime Operational Conversion Unit (MOCU )in May 1955 when a territorial officer  SQNLDR Sheehan DFC was appointed Officer Commanding (OC) No.6 Squadron, it was commanded by regular officers: SQNLDR R.L. Scott, FLTLT D.F.Clarke DFC; SQNLDR J.B.Wilson and SQNLDR R.K. Walker  AFC. In January 1956 a second territorial officer, SQNLDR J.B.Spencer became O.C.and served in that position until the Squadron’s disbandment in July 1957.

The Chief of Air Staff (1951-1954) AM D.V.Carnegie C.B.C.B.E.,RAF was keen for a territorial flying boat to be established. Publicity in the news media led to the recruitment of ex-wartime aircrew and some ground crew. A wide range of experience was represented with some men having served on flying boats previously. Post-war territorial aircrew trainees were mainly pilots who went to the fighter Squadrons but three navigators joined No.6 Squadron (myself included) in 1955 and two in 1957. The small nucleus of regulars provided some instruction,both in the air and on the ground, and at times .flew as ‘screens ’. The TAF soon had four crews and .flw catalinas at weekends. An Auster floatplane was also used to give pilots extra seaplane experience. Evening lectures were held on weeknights at the Air Force ’s Fanshawe Street premises.Annual camps were held at Bay of Islands, Kawau Island or Hobsonville and gave squadron members valuable experience, especially from the opportunity to fly 40 to 50 hours in a concentrated period. When such hours were added to the weekends flying a Squadron member could average between 175and 200 flying hours annually

From 1953 to 1955 regular crews were flying  Sunderlands (Mk 5) to Lauthala Bay to replace No.5 Squadron’s Catalinas, to Hobsonville for No.6 Squadron and MOCU.TAF crews converted to Sunderlands in late 1954.

Apart from a lack of night flying TAF flying activities were similar to those of the regulars,including navigation exercises, maritime patrols,  instrument rating tests, monthly continuation training, bombing and gunnery, SAR and participation in various exercises such as fighter affilliation  (e.g.with No1 TAF Squadron and the Active Reserve Radar Unit at Piha),  navy co-operation as in Auckex.Visiting and RNZN vessels were also exercised with including HMAS Melbourne (aircraft carrier), HMS Through (Sub) HMS Telemachus (Sub) and various destroyers and frigates.

Occasional navigation exercise flights to Fiji also gave the crews good experience as did the use of the RNZAF Lauthala Bay ‘Farnborough Trainer ’ for anti-submarine warfare. Continuation training included radar homings, instrument let-downs, simulated mine laying and patterns of sono-buoys.

In January 1956 the Squadron reduced from three crews in 1957 to two crews. An impressive aspect of voluntary service was the support the men received from the wives and families. The men’s morale was good; they met their commitments enthusiastically and were good ambassadors for the Air Force.

After disbandment in July 1957 Squadron members received a letter of thanks from the Air Department and an invitation to serve in the Active Reserve. Many accepted. Some continued to serve even when the Sunderlands were replacedby Orions but their duties changed to ground positions in Maritime Operations. Their experience was often useful during large exercises such as Tasmanex. There was talk of reviving the TAF Squadrons but this never occurred.

No.6 Flying Boat Squadron –A Brief History By FG OFF GA Wrathall, 1966.Published by RNZAF.  

Or about New Zealand Flying Boats in general:

The Golden Age Of New Zealand Flying Boats by Paul Harrison, Brian Lockstone and Andy Anderson,1997