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[Graham Ritchie]

This is a short Super 8 film I took during my time working for the Canterbury aero club way back in 1976 to 1986. I did what I would call a bit of creative editing at the time with the wall clock, moving the hands to different times and editing it in to the film at different point giving the impression that's all we ever did. Last year I showed this film to the X manager of the aero club, who is well and truly retired now, and like me are members of the photographic section of the Ferrymead Heritage Park. It was the first time he had seen the film which included him leading the formation in the Arrow. Its even got me doing a very quick pre-flight at 9fps ...they were good times, glad I recorded some of it

[Leonard Goss]

Great movie Graham, I often wondered how they attached those tail banners to the planes! Excellent editing too, very well done, very enjoyable to watch.

[Graham Ritchie]

Thanks Leonard.....the old Piper Cub BNL was great for banner towing, they still have the aircraft but I think its been a long while since they used it for that purpose. The person holding the banner during take of in the film was our cleaner/handyman at the time, he had to hold it in such a way, that it would not snag your hand, you had to be very careful how you held it up. I think the Aero club fleet was about 19 aircraft all up at the time. We had if I remember right, three that we could covert quickly for stretcher work. We used to move that aircraft into the hanger and help out loading the patient and stretcher into the aircraft. There was always a doctor or nurse with oxygen bottles on the trip, plus all the care required for the flight. Sadly there were some cases where people were to ill to travel by road, so a flight would be arranged. We did test flights about every fortnight and that was fun. Those days are long gone now, but were good while they lasted.

[Janice Glesser]

Piper like Cessna made very reliable aircraft. Before we had a Bellanca Viking we had a Piper Tri-pacer. Not a tail-dragger like the Cub, but still a fun little plane.

[Graham Ritchie]

Hi Janice...because of the strong North West winds we get in the summer a low wing aircraft is best, Although we did have a Cessna 172 the Piper aircraft were better suited in strong cross winds. As far as trainers the Cherokee PA-28-140 was a incredibly forgiving aircraft as a trainer. Here is a long ago photo of me before my first solo way back in the 1970s....

[Janice Glesser]

Cherokee is definitely another terrific plane. There were many of them at the San Carlos Airport where I took my flying lessons. I have to say my favorite was our Bellanca Viking with retractable gear and speeds up to 300mph.

[Graham Ritchie]

Brilliant Janice

Yesterday after putting it off for a while now I decided that I must continue sorting out more film that was donated to the "Ferrymead Heritage Park" Photographic Society years ago. I was pleased to find many rolls around 40-50 of film taken during the 1974 Commonwealth Games that were held here in this city. Last year I did splice most of them them together and the results are up on you-tube. However to watch the contents proper a Super 8 film screening is still the best way to view them. I have done very little with the rest of the films so far. What I am looking for is interesting local historical stuff. The down side for me has been, the fast winding through so much family films and thinking they should be with the people that's in them and not me. I have already boxed away four boxes and returned them to the park for storage. The outlook for so much of this stuff is not good in the long run. I can see that one day someone will throw a lot of it out. Anyway that decision wont be mine thank goodness....

[Graham Ritchie]

Just before Christmas I came across one Super 8 film that looks like it was taken by a teacher at a local intermediate school. I guess taken around the 1970s-early 80s. Anyway I did a quick transfer, basically sitting the video camera just back from the screen on a tripod. The results were not to bad, so I contacted the school to see if they wanted it for there Facebook page. After a while I heard nothing, then out of the blue lately, I got an e-mail saying sorry for not getting back sooner and could I send it e-mail. Unfortunate even splitting it up and reducing the file size it was still to big to e-mail.

Anyway I did manage to send the file through there Facebook page, and this week got an e-mail thanking me for sending it, and how much they enjoyed watching it. This Super 8 film was just a small part of the stuff I have been going through for the Ferrymead photographic crowd of late.

I am pleased that although the content is now in a video content, that the film has finally made its way back to the school rather than being lost or thrown out, which was really on the cards, It does make the time I spent doing this certainly worthwhile, and pleased they enjoyed watching it.

[Janice Glesser]

Great Graham!!!! Makes all the hours you put in transferring these films well worth it!