Power Plant Bay at Ohakea 1978

Having left 14 Sqn in 1978, I was posted as F/S I/c [Flight Sergeant in charge] of the Power Plant bay.
By this time the Goblin servicing had ceased with the withdrawal of the De Havilland Vampires.

There was an additional sub bay set up to overhaul the Constant Speed Drives for the RNZAF and the Israel Airforce, The small team doing the overhaul/repair of the CSDs had managed to extend the flying life between servicing from 50 to 200 hours.

This was unheard of, how could a little country manage to improve the serviceability of an item to four times the US Navy and Marines same items, and take a valuable trade item off someone like the USA.

A lot of the extenuation was due to the care the Squadron [Sqn] engine trade took to ensure the correct oil, of the same batch no. was used.

Being a fully synthetic oil it would turn to jelly at the slightness chance, even using different batch numbers was enough to jellify the oil, The other major reason was the care the small team in the CSD bay paid doing their job.

Somehow Israel heard of our success and we started to do overhauls on strange CSDs that were marked with the Star of David.
We weren't supposed to know where they came from. We had a small metal stamp/punch made so we could add a kiwi on the outside of the box when they left the bay.

Because of custom department inspection at the other end, there was little more we could do. We tried to send a letter that was found, theres were weeks of heavy paperwork trying to stop an international incident.

We would get visitors from Wellington, in their smart suits, male and female, wanting to have a look through the bay. We insisted that they wore special overalls as they went through to prevent contamination from outside particles. with the ponsy haur covers and gloves,

We also had to do a check to make sure none of the parts of the CSD they had been looking at had accidentally jumped into their pockets as a souvenir. All the moving parts had been dynamically balanced and were needed in that set.

If they had asked, we usually had bits that were no longer usable that we could give away, but it was more fun to acquire it your self.

If they were lucky they could watch the final test run where the unit went through its whole operating cycle, from 7,000 rpm at idle to 10,750 rpm at takeoff, while driving the alternator at 5,000 rpm on the front flange.all the time.

Grade five ear muffs were required for the noise, but it was very interesting watching the small parts controlling the main rotating discs.

The team I had in the bay I was able to partially hand pick, and where possible I got the best worker rather than the best paperwork expert.

During this time the two Pratt & Whitney J52 engines in the Skyhawk J52 had thrown a compressor off the 6th stage, by the time they had reached the rear it had taken out just about every blade in stage 12.

This required the fleet being grounded, every engine being removed and sent to Woodbourne for repair, the Power Plant bay had to remove all the extras that are attached to the bare engine before it was sent and refit them or the engines return.

The rule was if we worked past midnight we had until midday to show up the next day, We worked up to 11.30 each night, but had a big supper about nine p.m.

The Base Commander, the last pilot on NZ6207, a couple of years previously, would arrive some nights with a crate of strange brown long -necked bottles and stay for supper

Due to the work Woodbourne and the bay put in the Skyhawk fleet was up and flying 3 to 4 weeks before it was thought possible.

I was allowed to sign a three day leave pass for any of my section, a couple of them lived a good day traveling to and from, so I signed two passes that backed one onto the other.

Then the Boss wanted to talk to the guy who was away, his reaction when I suggested he talk loud, or, come back next week was worth watching.

The guys all got their leave and I managed to bank mine as I knew that retirement was coming up and leave extended the length of service, which increased the amount of the pension we received.

I was asked to try and refurbish the Ohakea Museum engines for permanent display. They had been acquired is some different circumstances, and some were showing their age and storage.

We brought each engine to the workshop and had a walk around it. What could we do with it, what can we cut to show something, could we remove an item and spread it out as a display.?

Some time these walkarounds would create some amazing ideas, most of which we applied. For most of the items we could draw a new item from stores, but that was against the wants of the troops.

One of the engines was a Rolls Royce Merlin 24 as fitted to a Mosquito. It had been sold to a private boat nutt.

I will update this in a future post.

We dismantled the two-stage supercharger clutch unit fitted to a Rolls Royce Merlin and laid it out on a large board.

We followed the oil as it flowed through the holes cast in the engine block. The base engine was painted black and the sections we cut out were edged in a brilliant red for oil flow, green for glycol flow.

The engine section of the next two open day shows and the first Lifestyle show held in Palmerston North was declared the best of the display, something the troops were proud to be so recognized.

The organizers of the first lifestyle show had invited the museum to put a display in the arena in Palmerston North.

We took the newly recovered Avro 626 is an as found basis, and a Harvard,[Texan] we took the wings off, towed it into Palmerston North, into the display building and refitted the wings, plus a lot of advertising what it was like in the air force, for recruits,

Once we were mostly set up we were loaning troops to all the other sites to help them erect their stands. Ranging from finding a way to display a brake chute on a dragster speed car, to how to suspend a rocket just short of landing.

The show started at ten am and finished at ten pm. Doors closed at ten thirty, ten forty-five the bottles would appear followed by the police patrol who would try all the new motorbikes up and down the isles, on one and two wheels as well.

All the spa pools had been in operation all day and were happy to embrace groups of unclad revelers until late morning.

About three thirty we would head home, grab a few moments of sleep and go and do it again.

By the end of the week were shattered but still hanging in there.

If ever you get the chance of hearing ‘Precious MacKenzie’ the little South African, now New Zealander, weightlifter, sing, don’t, sober or drunk he can’t sing. We tried him most nights but the result was the same, painful.

At the end of it the curator of the museum asked if I wanted to join the Royal Aeronautical Engineers as an associate member?. Being a silly young guy I said no.

Later, when some know nothing is expounding his theories, to be able to call yourself a member and make you sound you know what you are talking about, sure would have shut them up.

By the time I had seen the light the curator had died and the offer had been withdrawn. Having the ability to write initials after your name can mean a lot to some high climbers. but mostly it doesn't really mean much.

with thanks to son-of-satire for the banne