BAe Eagle GR.6 NZ8001, "Poster Girl"
"But the RNZAF's service aircraft are not the only aircraft of the TSR.2 series resident in New Zealand: a former RAF instructional airframe arrived in New Zealand for the RNZAF Museum at Wigram, Christchurch in exchange for the remains of a Bristol Bulldog and two de Havilland Vampires. The aircraft was externally restored to GR.6 specifications and placed on display as NZ8001, being unveiled at a ceremony on November 20 1996 to coincide with the 10th anniversary of the type's entry into RNZAF service. To commemorate the occasion the "real" NZ8001, crewed by Sqn Ldr Mark Hughes and Flt Lt Kevin Howells, performed a five-minute display over Wigram Air Force Base." - from this author's informal history of the BAe Eagle's RNZAF Service, 2005.
NZ8001 was the first Eagle to come onto the RNZAF's inventory, on August 8 1986. After using XR222 as a testbed for the avionics to be fitted to the GR.6 aircraft, BAe used NZ8001 as practically a prototype for the GR.6 series. Test flights were carried out from BAe Warton throughout 1986, in RNZAF camouflage but without national markings. It wasn't until the weekend before delivery to New Zealand that the national markings were applied - in fact, it was the last of the batch to have these painted on.
Upon arrival in New Zealand in November 1986 NZ8001 became the "flagship" of the fleet, featuring prominently in print and television adverts for air force recruitment. It also was the aircraft used at air shows, its first being the Royal New Zealand Aero Club pageant in February 1987. Until 1998's Warbirds Over Wanaka airshow '01 remained the display machine, being replaced by NZ8004 (lost whilst practicing for Airshow NZ in 2001) that year.
When, in 1995, the RNZAF Museum began its search overseas for a suitable display aircraft, it was decided early on that NZ8001 would be the aircraft represented. This was due to her use as a publicity machine for most of her service life, and as such was easily recognized. Instructional airframe XS947 was donated to the museum by the RAF's technical college and it was shipped to New Zealand in July of 1995. A largely cosmetic restoration then followed, with a fixed deadline of November 1996 for completion put forth. The deadline was met, and saw the three-tone camouflage as worn by the fleet (and NZ8001) upon delivery a decade before applied to the aircraft.
The rollout of the "new" NZ8001 at Wigram on November 20 was well attended by the press, former crew from No. 9 Sqn and the public. To commemorate the tenth anniversary of the type's entry into RNZAF service and to celebrate the completion of the restoration project, the "old" NZ8001 (operating from RNZAF Base Ohakea in the North Island) performed several low-level flybys at Wigram, giving a real show to the assembled crowd of around 1500. Pilot for the display was Sqn Ldr Mark Hughes, coincidentally the first pilot to convert onto the Eagle in New Zealand. During a "go-around" flyby, one photographer managed to snap both NZ8001s together, a sight unseen before then and since. A large print of this image is on display near NZ8001/XS947 at Air Force World.
Following this performance, NZ8001 received artwork on her nose of a blonde in a "pin-up" pose - thereafter the aircraft was known as "Poster Girl", and a tradition of giving each individual Eagle a name and associated artwork came into being.
These pictures were taken the day before her flybys at Wigram. Note the absence of weapons pylons - '01 never flies public displays with them attached due to fatigue risk. A fortnight after these pictures were taken the "Poster Girl" artwork and name were applied by base technicians.
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This is the Airfix 1/72 kit built when it first came out, me having swapped a whole bunch of other kits for it. Tamiya acrylics brush-painted, with Flying Kiwis roundels and misc serials. This build dates from 2006 - I've since added the aforementioned Poster Girl, I'll track down and post the photo when I can
