Ex-RNZAF pilot Gavin Trethewey flew tapes of the Moon landing to NZ and still flies Warbirds. Photo / Gregory Young
Ex-RNZAF pilot Gavin Trethewey flew tapes of the Moon landing to NZ and still flies Warbirds. Photo / Gregory Young
A Kiwi jet bomber pilot has described his crucial role in bringing the Apollo 11 Moon walk into the living rooms of New Zealand on the night history was made.
With no direct satellite feed of the walk to this country, viewers relied on film of the event being flownfrom Sydney so they could watch it about 7.30pm on July 21, four-and-a-half hours after Neil Armstrong stepped on to the Moon's surface.
With what was described as ''balls to the wall'' flying, Flt Lts Gavin Trethewey and navigator Mike Hill brought the reel of film recorded in Australia - which did have a live television feed - to Wellington Airport on an RNZAF Canberra bomber.
Speaking ahead of the 50th anniversary of the first Moon walk, Trethewey said the pair extracted nearly every last knot from the big twin-engine plane and there were a few rumbles as it neared maximum speed.
"I know it was all a rush to get the film to New Zealand for the evening news, so it was balls to the wall in the old B12 Canberra," the 79-year-old says.
''We went as fast as we could. We were getting along at 600 knots (more than 1100km/h) and we had a bit of tailwind, so it all helped.''
The pair had flown to Sydney that morning and got to watch the Moon walk live at the airport and then waited for the reel of film before sprinting for the plane.
''That balls-to-the-wall bit wasn't just the flying, it was running the thing out there and getting off as quickly as we could.''
The aircraft was parked away from commercial planes and air traffic control in Sydney and Wellington gave the flight priority for take-off and landing - two hours and 25 minutes later.
An RNZAF English Electric Canberra jet was flown by pilot Gavin Trethewey with tapes of the Moon landing. Photo / Supplied
''We never claimed any record but looking back we probably did the fastest time from takeoff to a landing in Wellington,'' says Trethewey, who is still flying vintage aircraft with the NZ Warbirds.
What was grainy footage of Armstrong and Buzz Aldrin on the Moon was on a small reel that sat on Hill's lap on the flight, which landed about 7pm.
''We arrived at Wellington, we were met by a team of fellas in a car and they were escorted by the cops. There was no such thing as Customs clearance and they were off into the sunset. Half an hour later it was on TV.''
He reckons he's flown more exciting missions, including patrols over the Borneo border during the Malayan Emergency. But in retrospect the Moon film mission was the most memorable.
Neil Armstrong's shot of fellow astronaut Buzz Aldrin on the Moon. Photo / NASA
''I was pretty thrilled to do just a very small part. It's made it [the Moon landing] interesting to me.''
Trethewey met Aldrin at a dinner at the Warbirds over Wanaka show in the 1990s and while he didn't say much about his mission he got to hear the astronaut's stories.
He lives in Auckland and besides being an RNZAF strike and combat pilot for 12 years, he was an airline pilot for 34 years.
At the NZ Warbirds he continues to fly Harvard training aircraft out of Ardmore.
''Balls to the wall'' flying is an aviation term that refers to pushing the throttle - which may have a ball on the end of it - forward towards the firewall at the front of the cockpit for maximum speed.
