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Written by Hec Mayhead
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Monday, 19 December 2011 07:53 |
F/Lt W B Cookson DFC Bill Cookson
Bill Cookson commenced his flying career with the RNZAF in 1941 and completed flying training as a pilot in New Zealand before being posted to the UK, after acting as instructor for a period he was posted to a bomber squadron and completed 35 sorties with 462 squadron RAAF. On 15th Oct 1944 the crew had to abandon the damaged Halifax III MZ296 over Belgium, all the crew parachuted to safety, Bill was last to leave and had anxious moments when the Halifax commenced to circle towards him before falling away, it crashed near the village of Erps-Kwerps. Crew, Pilot W B Cookson RNZAF Navigator O D Pratt RNZAF Bomb Aimer W H Tolhurst RAAF Wireless Operator L J Power RAAF Rear Gunner N O Reed RAAF Mid Upper Gunner R D Elliot RCAF Flight Engineer L H Jones RAF. Bill was discharged in 1946 after logging over 3000 hrs while in service.
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Last Updated on Monday, 19 December 2011 08:09 |
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Written by Hec Mayhead
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Monday, 19 December 2011 06:50 |
Air Super Ltd. Wairoa
Stewart Harrison loader driver 1953/55
 Bad Taking Off
After the boom wool prices of 1950 farmers were making an all out effort to improve their properties and aerial topdressing became one of their tools.
Three neighboring farmers from Wairoa, Gordon Taylor, Bert Harrison, and Jim Lancaster, had been waiting over twelve months for Bill Cookson to apply their super and finally Murray Sanderson flying Field air's Tiger Moth ZK ASV applied their super from the Hereheretau airstrip in 1952.
Murray was approached re forming a company with the three farmers, he agreed and Air Super was formed, a Tiger Moth was purchased from the UK through Dalgety & Co. for £600 and assembled and modified for topdressing by Air Repair Hastings and registered ZK BAD the loader was a new 18cwt. K model Bedford purchased from Dannevirke for £1100 this was fortunate as new vehicles were almost unprocurable at this time, timber was milled by Gordon Taylor to build the deck, a monstrous boom was built to lift the hopper it was too heavy, and when an attempt was made to lift the hopper the rear wheels came off the ground, this boom later became a farm bridge, and was replaced by a lighter cable operated loader. So for the sum of £2000
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Last Updated on Monday, 19 December 2011 07:52 |
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Written by John Mason
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Sunday, 17 April 2011 14:20 |
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 Jean Batten
Jean Gardner Batten CBE (15 September 1909 – 22 November 1982) was a New Zealand aviatrix. Born in Rotorua, she became the best-known New Zealander of the 1930s, internationally, by taking a number of record-breaking solo flights across the world. She visited Napier during the inter-war period and during that time joined the Napier Aero Club. |
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Last Updated on Monday, 19 December 2011 07:49 |
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Written by Reg Phillips
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Wednesday, 13 April 2011 14:32 |
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He was born on 11 March 1923, and grew up in Wairoa. After matriculation he worked in the Lands and Survey Department in Wellington. He served in the Army Territorials for 15 months before volunteering for the Fleet Air Arm. In February 1943 he was transferred to the RNZAF ADU for aircrew applicants.
He received basic naval training at Devonport and embarked for the UK in October 1943 where he received pre-flight training at Gosport. Leading Airman Shadbolt embarked for Canada in May 1944 where he completed the Elementary Flying Course on Cornells at RCAF St Eugene, Ontario. Service flying training followed at RCAF Kingston, Ontario, it was here whilst flying a Harvard IIB FE466 that he had a fatal crash. |
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Last Updated on Friday, 22 July 2011 07:54 |
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Official Opening Napier Aerodrome |
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Written by John Mason
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Tuesday, 12 April 2011 07:01 |
 Napier Airport Official Opening
Some of the crowd at the official opening of the Napier Aerodrome.
2nd July 1932. |
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Last Updated on Thursday, 21 July 2011 13:14 |
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