WONZ 209 – Buck Harrison – Helicopter Crewman

Main Speaker: Warrant Officer Keith “Buck” Harrison, RNZAF Retired Other Speaker: Dave Homewood Recorded: 1st of September 2019 Released: 31st of October 2019 Duration: 51 minutes 51 seconds This is the third episode from the recent Wings Over New Zealand Forum Meet at the Air Force Museum of New Zealand, Wigram, Christchurch. We hear a talk given by Buck Harrison who joined the Royal New Zealand Air Force in 1973 as an aircraft technician, and he worked on Dakotas, Strikemasters, Skyhawks, Iroquois and Airtrainers. He then decided to retrain as a Helicopter Crewman, which was an elite aircrew role. Buck talks about the intensive selection and training process that he went through to become a ‘Crewman’. He then details some of the more interesting missions he was involved with, from search and rescue to firefighting to Navy and Army liaison, and from police work to VIP flying in Antarctica to working with the Department of Conservation (D.O.C.). Quick Links: •  The Royal New Zealand Air Force’s Website •  The RNZAF’s Facebook Page •  The Air Force Museum of New Zealand’s Website •  The Air Force Museum of New Zealand’s Facebook Page •  The Air Force Museum of New Zealand’s Twitter Feed •  The Air Force Museum of New Zealand’s Thread on the WONZ Forum Buck used a Powerpoint Presentation with his talk and he has kindly provided the photos for listeners to see here to help understand what he’s talking about. Warrant Officer Buck Harrison, Helicopter Crewman Buck working on a Strikemaster. Buck, left, working on a Skyhawk. Winching practice on the back of an Interisland ferry. The Iroquois winch. Low, hard and fast! Stretchers rigged three high in the helicopter, and troops unload or load equipment during manoeuvres with the New Zealand Army. A remote landing area during a search and rescue effort. Working with the Department of Conservation (D.O.C.). Carrying timber for a D.O.C. hut. Transporting a section of a prefabricated D.O.C. hut Working with the monsoon bucket and firefighters. A calf is winched out of the snow where it was trapped in the Big Snow of 1992 Hay bails stacked into an Iroquois during the effort to feed and relieve stranded livestock after the Big Snow in 1992. Relief effort after a cyclone in Fiji Helping locals with building materials to rebuild in Fiji after a cyclone, Buck helps to load the timber while pilot Brett King is second from left The cannabis wreath made by one of the policemen during the lunch break on a cannabis recovery mission “Mine!!” Buck Harrison Sir Ed Hillary and crew in Antarctica Antarctica In 1992 the RNZAF operated two Iroquois in Antarctica B..B…B…B… Bluebird’s the word Buck of the Antarctic The official party in Antarctica with Sir Edmund Hillary in the back row, centre, Prime Minister Jim Bolger, and Buck is on the right hand end in the black headband The twelve-ship No. 3 Squadron RNZAF Iroquois Formation to mark 25 Years of service for the Bell UH-1 Iroquois with the RNZAF NB: The music at the end of this episode is Wild Flower by Joakim Karud