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TARMAC
THE AUCKLAND REGIONAL          DECEMBER 2005         MICROLIGHT AIRCRAFT CLUB (INC)

CLUB NIGHT: 7.30pm Wednesday 14th December 2005, preceded by Committee meeting at 6.30. Visitors are most welcome. Refreshments are available.

VENUE: Newmarket Club, 13 Teed Street, Newmarket. Ample parking in Teed Street.
                 
President – Anton Lawrence or 8136404 (home), 021 354998
Chief Flying Instructor - Chris Todd. , or 8385448 (home), 021 414694
Instructor – Anton Lawrence. Contact details as above.
Instructor – Peter Cole 4424257 (home) 027 222096 (work) peter.cole@northpower.com
Vice President – Andrew Guyan
Committee- Peter Cole, David Fandam, Bob Syron, Lloyd Renwick, Chris Todd, Esmond Bunning, Richard Kennard
Chief Safety Officer - Peter Cole. Contact details as above.

Pikes Point Airpark Board ARMAC Reps - Jon Farmer , Vern Booth, Andrew Guy

Secretary - Martyn Seay , or 8452152 (home)
Treasurer – Russell Jones 5273430 (work/home)
Editor – Martin Watson 0274 990 430 or 479 4974 (home)



NOTE THE CHANGE OF VENUE AND MEETING DATE.
WE NOW MEET ON THE SECOND WEDNESDAY OF EACH MONTH.


PREZ SEZ        

The fight.
It has been a long and hard-worked battle for those who have tried to retain Pikes Point for use as an airpark and noise park. The final curtain would seem to have fallen with all roads leading to dead ends.
While an eye will be kept on Pikes we must now totally look to making our new beginning a strong one.

The move.
The two club houses are now both relocated to Mercer, all the structural steel and long run roofing has also been relocated. Unfortunately the corrugated iron has not been moved. We have a month’s grace to move flat laid product so we will negotiate this in the New Year. I also noticed today (Wednesday) that the toilet is still at Pikes. Any cunning plan to get this down to Mercer will be most appreciated.


The work party.
Most of you will already have got an email regarding the work party this weekend, but if you don’t get this in time or you threw away the programme from the last newsletter, we are having a work party to prepare the base for the pouring of the slab the next weekend. All welcome and wanted. Kick off at 0800. Bring rakes and spades.
As a last thought, we might crank up the BBQ for lunch.

The Club plane.
FVG is almost ready for pickup from Te Kowhai. The wings are on and I’ve finally repaired the prop. We might see if Max can hang on to it for two more weeks until the slab is laid, otherwise we will have to cover it up very well outside.

The web site
I have now had time to work on the Club website. It has been updated with information on Mercer and the demise of Pikes. I have also posted the last Tarmac and this one should also be on the website by the time you read this. There is now a page which describes microlighting; it is a copy of one of the last articles I wrote for the RAANZ magazine. I’ll also post the club membership from next time I have 5 mins to spare. Please take a look and advise of any additions, alterations or spelling mistakes, etc.

Next meeting.
Next meeting will be at the Newmarket Club in Teed St, Newmarket (not the Working Men’s Club). I’ll try to get hold of the latest airspace maps so we can go over the Mercer and surrounding airspace. We will also point out all the local strips we will now be able to fly to with ease.

The Merry Xmas.
If I don’t see you before Christmas, have a merry one and a happy new year. I’ll see you all in the New Year.
Merry flying


Anton



Quotable quote: DH was not just the designer, engineer and test pilot who created so many immortal and beautiful aeroplanes .. He was also a distinguished naturalist … he won world fame as a photographer of wild animals.
- J R Ramsden about Sir Geoffrey de Havilland.


FORTHCOMING EVENTS:

Our Work Parties as described in Prez Sez !!!!




DOWN MEMORY LANE
Air Commodore Bill Tacon, highly-decorated Coastal Command officer – deadly in a Beaufighter – who in 1946 became Captain of the King’s Flight, a job he held for three years.

Bill Tacon’s most famous wartime exploits took place in 1944 after converting to Beaufighters. He joined 236 Squadron and rapidly began to demonstrate dead-eyed accuracy with his front guns and rockets.
Although a procedure devised by Tacon and the armaments officer at North Coates was not popular with all aircrews – it involved flying steadily at the target while ignoring the return fire – it was successful. Within a short space of time the strike wings’attacks, combined with those of Bomber Command and the Navy, had all but destroyed the remains of Marinegruppekommando West. The surviving U-boats had departed for Norway and the Germans were scuttling many of their damaged surface vessels. Two important warships remained afloat, however: the destroyer Z24 and the torpedo boat T24. Still well-armed, the two ships were thought to be at Le Verdon on the southern tip of the mouth of the Gironde estuary, in the shelter of coastal batteries. An air attack was needed.
Tacon was to lead 10 Beaufighters from 236 and 10 from 404, all armed with cannon and 25lb rockets. Taking off at 4.15pm, they were scheduled to attack near the limit of their range, with the prospect of returning in darkness.
Spotting the two warships in the harbour at Le Verdon, Tacon called:Keep down low, everyone. We’ll head to the estuary first and fly along it for our climb. Then straight out to sea after our attack. Tacon hoped to take the enemy by surprise, but the two vessels had steam up by the time the Beaus dived and the flak was the most intense the crews had ever experienced. Nevertheless, every Beaufighter followed Tacon’s leadership in one of the most dangerous attacks made by a strike wing. Several 25lb warheads penetrated T24 below the waterline causing an uncontrollable rush of water into the hull and the warship to sink almost immediately. Z24 received numerous hits above and below the waterline and in spite of frantic efforts to patch the holes, capsized and sank just before midnight.
Although none of the Beaufighters were shot down, most were badly damaged and only 12 made it back to England, the others either ditching or force-landing in France. Tacon landed at Portreath, six hours after take-off. He was awarded a Bar to his DFC.
The destruction of the two ships caused much excitement at the Admiralty. Some naval officers were incredulous; others were alarmed that such powerful destroyers could be destroyed by the tiny 25lb warheads.
Tacon continued to fly with the same determination until September 12, 1944, when he led 40 Beaufighters from North Coates and Langham against a convoy assembled in Den Helder harbour. Diving down against a hail of fire, his aircraft was badly hit in the wing and fuel tank. Tacon fired his rockets for the last time, before being hit in the fuselage. Ammunition in the cannon boxes caught fire and exploded. His navigator cried out and Tacon turned round to see him lying dead on the floor. He then began to climb, tugging on the lanyard of the bottom escape hatch, but this remained closed.
As flames licked around him, burning his face and helmet, he almost gave up hope. When his Beaufighter was hit yet again, Tacon could see the gun post firing at him and decided to take the gunners with him. He rolled the Beau on its back and dived straight at the post. His last recollection was of the ASI showing 360 knots. Then there was a violent explosion and he floated through the air, pulling his ripcord just in time. He landed on the island of Texel, so badly burned around the eyes that he could hardly see. He was soon taken prisoner by German soldiers who bundled him roughly aboard a boat which took him to Den Helder. On arrival, he was surrounded by a group of sailors and kicked violently before being marched off to the local jail.
After eight months in Stalag Luft 1 he was released by the Russians and quietly made his way back to North Coates. In his absence he had been awarded the DSO. He transferred permanently to the RAF in 1946 and was appointed Officer Commanding The King’s Flight at RAF Benson.

Air Commodore Ernest William Tacon, CBE, DSO, LVO, DFC & Bar, AFC & Bar (RNZAF & RAF) was born at Napier on December 16, 1917, educated at St Patrick’s College, Silverstream, joined the RNZAF in July 1938 and transferred to the RAF in May 1939. Bill Tacon retired from the RAF in 1970 and returned to New Zealand with his family He died in Auckland in September 2003.

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THE LAST LAUGH…

(With the Spend Up Season close at hand, a most timely homily from one of our number who wishes to be known only as Braveheart – Ed.)

I have never quite figured out why the urges of men and women differ so markedly. I have never figured out the whole Venus and Mars thing. I have never figured out why men think with heads and women with their hearts. I have never figured out why the physical desire gene gets thrown into a state of turmoil when it hears the words I do. Here’s what I mean …

One evening last week, my wife and I had just climbed into bed and, well, the passion thing starts to heat up. Very soon after, she says, I don’t feel like it, I just want you to hold me.
I said WHAT???!!! What was that?! So she says the words that every husband on the planet dreads to hear: You’re just not in touch with my emotional needs as a woman, enough for me to satisfy your physical needs as a man. She responded to my puzzled look by saying Can’t you just love me for who I am and not what I do for you in the bedroom?

The very next day I opted to take the day off work to spend time with my wife. We went out to a nice lunch and then went shopping at the city’s most fashionable department store. I walked around with her while she tried on several very expensive outfits. She couldn’t decide which one to take so I told her we’ll just buy them all. She wanted new shoes to complement the new clothes, so I said let’s get a pair for each outfit. We went to the jewellery department where she picked out a pair of diamond earrings. Let me tell you … she was so excited!! She must have thought I was one wave short of a tsunami. I started to think she was testing me because she asked for a tennis bracelet when she doesn’t even know how to play tennis. I think I almost aced her, though, when I said, That’s fine, honey. She was fast nearing climatic satisfaction from all the excitement. Smiling with wondrous anticipation she finally said, I think this is all, dear. Let’s go to the cashier. I could hardly contain myself when I blurted out, No honey, I don’t feel like it.

My wife’s face just went completely blank as her jaw dropped with a baffled WHAT???!!! I then said, Really honey! All I want is for you to HOLD this stuff for a while. You’re just not in touch with my financial needs as a man, enough for me to satisfy your shopping needs as a woman.
And just when she had this look like she was going to kill me, I added, Why can’t you just love me for who I am and not for the things I buy you?

I understand I’m on short rations for the foreseeable future …

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ARMAC Website -         NZ Civil Aviation Authority - www.caa.govt.nz


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