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"Diplomat breaks N.Z. Barrier - the Sound Barrier"

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Description: These images were taken for the July 16th, 1978 edition of the Tribune weekly newspaper, the first of which was published.

The caption read: “Ambassador Selden (centre) receives a model of an F-111 after a flight in the real thing. Making the presentation is the F-111 squadron commander Lt. Col. Stapelton, while the aircraft’s pilot, Major Gilkegan, looks on.”

An extract from the article read: “Probably the first American ambassador to break the sound barrier at 1000ft in New Zealand did so last week after taking off from the Ohakea air force base in an F-111 swing-wing fighter bomber.

Eight F-111’s from the American Air Force had been at the base since July 7 for ‘Exercise Coronet Robin’, in conjunction with the RNZAI It was the first time that USAAF F-111 aircraft had been seen at the base, although F-111’s from the Australian air force have been there before.

The USAAF aircraft attracted considerable interest and special flights were laid on for several VIP’s both last Monday and the previous Friday (July 14). The American ambassador to New Zealand, Armistead I Selden Jnr. was one of the men qualifying for the rare privilege, and he was flown around the North Island by USAAF Major T. C Gilkegan,

They ‘went supersonic’ over the sea near Napier, attaining a speed of Mach 4.1, or about 900 miles an hour (Mach 1, or the speed of sound, is about 840 miles an hour at sea level).

The pilot, Major Gilkegan, told the ‘Tribune’ the F-111 can attain a speed of Mach 2.5 or two and a half times the speed of sound, at 50.000 ft.

‘It was great,’ Ambassador Selden said as he climbed out of the warplane’s instrument-crammed cockpit. The only moment when he felt the aircraft’s capabilities in the ‘seat of his pants’ was when the fighter bomber made its landing approach at Ohakea and he experienced a momentary ‘3G’ gravity force (his body weight trebled temporarily because of the aircraft's attitude at the time.).”

These images form part of the Manawatū Evening Standard Negative Collection. Unfortunately, only negatives between April and December 1978 are held.