Fly Models 1/48 BAC 167 Strikemasters
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From January 2014 to February 2017, I worked with my current pilot who at the time owned two ex Royal New Zealand Air Force BAC 167 Strikemasters. One aircraft was primarily used for passenger rides and the other was used for crew currency however the two would appear together for air displays along with a third Strikemaster operated by another owner. The operation was run by several pilots, administration staff and maintenance and ground crew of which I was part of. Due to shortage of spares and increasing operating costs, the aircraft were sold at the beginning of 2017. As token of appreciation to my pilot, our administrator and other associates who helped in other areas, I built 5 x 1/48 Strikemaster models using the Fly Models kit. Three of which were heavily modified with scratch built engine and avionics bays with modified resin engines as well as additional scratch built items in the cockpit.
And yes that's me in the 4th photo with Strike72. At the time when that photo was taken I was in a dual role of primarily ground crew for Strikemaster Ltd but also the senior flightline safety officer for New Zealand Warbirds Association responsible for training of ground crew, aircraft positioning on the flightline and general safety of the public around the hangars on both routine visitor days and the two annual Open Day flying displays. As the Strikemasters were often the big draw card as they were fast and loud in comparison to the WWII prop aircraft, my priority was to always start with positioning the strikies in pride of place on the crowd line then fit upwards of 30 aircraft around them. The last photos shows me in my full signature uniform which is that of a US Navy aircraft carrier movements officer. The floatcoat and cranial with the flight deck goggles, all genuine items purchased from a supplier to the US Navy. As a consequence of the signature uniform, I was branded with the call sign "Shooter" and it's stuck ever since, though since the Strikemasters were sold and work commitments, the uniform is rarely seen these days unless flying with my pilot. My setup was with a David Clark headset with boom mic connected to a PTT button clipped on my floatcoat which was then connected into a handheld radio hanging off my pocket which I used to communicate with my team of ground crew. At the moment this photo was captured by a spectator, I was using an additional handheld radio to communicate with other people on a different frequency.
