Getting traffic right for Ohakea air show
As queues of traffic stretched for miles, people got out of their cars and set up deck chairs.
What was meant to be a fun family day out at Ohakea Air Force base watching the the Royal New Zealand Air Force’s 75th anniversary show in 2012 turned into a gridlock nightmare on State Highway 3.
Traffic was at a standstill by 9am as up to 70,000 people flocked to the show. Traffic from Levin was backed up at least 30km and cars coming from all directions were completely stalled by noon.
Not this year. Event organises promise it will be different.
The Ohakea Air Tattoo is on February 25 and 26.
Event organiser Renee Barbour, who was seconded to Defence from the Palmerston North City Council to help out, said the air force realised after the 2012 event they needed help.
‘‘They learnt they are great at flying planes. They are not so great at putting on large events.’’
She said they knew they wanted to put on another airshow, but there was also the desire to get it right.
The first thing she did was work out what the constraints were and how many people the roads and venue could handle.
It was decided it could not take beyond 50,000, so the tickets are restricted to this number.
Everyone wanting to attend the event also has to pre-purchase tickets and parking passes, which will stop being sold a week before the event.
If you don’t have a parking pass, you will not be allowed to park near the base. But there will be free buses from Manfeild, Feilding, and Rangitikei Polo Club, Bulls.
Several roads will be closed over the weekend, with access limited to residents and guests or business operators and their prearranged customers.
Group Captain Nick Olney, commander of RNZAF Base Ohakea, said he was confident the measures they had in place would reduce the problem.
‘‘We really think this time it should go really, really well.’’
The public will arrive from 7am with flying displays commencing at 10am.
Air display director Squadron Leader Jim Rankin said it was a considerable logistical challenge just co-ordinating the arrivals and departures of the 84 aircraft in the show.
Then there is the show itself: ‘‘Our aim is to entertain, while at the same time educating the pub- lic as to what the air force can do. There is an adrenalin buzz in making it work, so as long as it works I will be really, really happy.’’
Helping pump that adrenalin will be the Black Falcons aerobatic team, formed in August last year.
It includes five flying instructors, with two support staff from Central Flying School.
The Air Tattoo will be the team’s second performance.