IACE Report

 

IACE Escort Diary and Report

SQNLDR Rob Foley

 21 July - 6^th August 2008

 Gallipoli and Troy Tour 7^th - 8^th August 2008

 

Tuesday 22^nd July

Travel Wellington to Auckland with WO Sam Owen, utilised my Koru membership in Wellington for a final brief with Sam and to ensure we were prepared for the trip ahead.

 Arrived in Auckland and met our other NZ cadet Jessy Ion in the International Terminal. Checked in at Emirates and discovered her baggage was 6kg’s overweight so we lightened her bags of unnecessary items. We checked in and proceeded to the Emirates lounge that I had secured passes for then spent the next hour and a half relaxing courtesy of Emirates.

 

 Our Aircraft through to Istanbul was a Boeing 777 and very comfortable. Our stops included Brisbane, Singapore and a stop over in Dubai.  As we were stopping in Dubai for more than 8 hours Emirates put us up at no charge in the Emirates Millennium Hotel.

 

 The next day we travelled to Istanbul’s Ataturk International Airport travelling through the Neutral Zone on the border of Iraq and Kuwait. We were collected by one of the THK team at Ataturk International Airport and taken to an evening meal and a welcome hosted by the President of THK Zafer Cagler. He had travelled many hours from Sparta and had to return that evening. Following the evening meal we were taken to our Hotel around midnight and allocated rooms for the next few days.

 

 Wednesday 23^rd July

The hotel was basic but comfortable with 4 cadets per room and single rooms for the escort officers. 0700 breakfast for a 0800 departure for a formal visit to Ataturk International Airport. On arrival we were greeted by heavily armed security and had to provide passports and be subjected to metal detector checks. We travelled by bus to the Air Traffic Control centre where we were briefed and then escorted through their radar centre followed by the tower.

 

Following this tour we visited Turkish Airlines and their training facility complete with simulators. This facility trains not only pilots but stewards etc from scratch as well complete with cabin evacuation simulators. We had lunch with Turkish Airlines then travelled to the Harbiye Museum that captured the history of the pre Istanbul inhabitants and the wars that enabled the Ottoman Empire to take over Istanbul from the Romans.  This museum housed rare weapons from bows to cannons and modern day weapons. One section proudly shown to me by the Turks was the Gallipoli section where an NZ flag and memorabilia from the battle site were on display. Prior to the museum tour a band in Ottoman period costume played for around 40 minutes with period instruments.

 

Diner followed in Istanbul.

 

 

 Thursday 24^th July

0700 Breakfast for a 0800 departure. Visit to Naval Museum with significant history and artefacts of the Gallipoli Campaign as well as items dating back to the Ottoman times. This was followed by a sightseeing tour of the Bosphourus by boat followed by lunch at a stop off point.  The Hong Kong Escort (Earnest) was ill and we took him to a local doctor. Ernest ended up in bed for the next few days as a result. We drove to the Dolmabahce palace but it was about to close so we decided to return prior to departure for Ankara.

 

Returned to the Hotel and then departed for Taxsim Road in Istanbul for dinner and out to a local night spot to listen to music and dance with the free time we had. Returned to our hotel prior to midnight.

 

Friday 25^th July

0700 breakfast and depart at 0800 for the Sultanahmet Mosque. This was magnificent and the temperature was a warm 35 degrees at 0945. Next was a tour of the Topkapi Palace with all its Ottoman artefacts on display. The grounds were fantastic and dated back many hundreds of years. The marble floors in the entrance ways were worn from hundreds of years of people walking on them. A truly remarkable place to see studded with fantastic history.

 

We next visited the Hagia Sophia Museum followed by the Yerebatan Cistern, a Roman water reservoir constructed underground to supply water to Istanbul. This was fascinating and well preserved.Lunch was at a award winning Sultanahmet restaurant.

 

Next on the tour was the Rahmi Koc museum of transport that covered everything from horse drawn carts to a Cobra helicopter and an obsolete Submarine. This museum had some light aircraft as well as a salvaged WW2 Liberator bomber that was partially reconstructed following salvage.

 

Visited Pierre Loti Tepas for afternoon tea and a chance to view Istanbul from a vantage point while the female escorts disappeared to have their hair done prior to us all having dinner at the Crown Plaza where our Turkish Escort Ozlem was invited to take us by management through her family contacts. We were all treated like royalty and the food was fantastic. Following dinner we were taken on a personally guided tour of this new facility. We arrived back at our hotel at 2200 hrs and a welcome sleep to recharge the batteries and pack for the next leg of our Turkish adventure.

 

 

Saturday 26^th  July

Same routine for departure at 0800 this time for Ankara but via the Dolmabahce Palace. This was a magnificent palace and well preserved. It is here in 1938 that Mustafa Kemal Ataturk died. The guided tour took almost 2 hours and was worth every bit of it.

 

I must also point out that a significant amount of pre Roman walls still remains around Istanbul as well as Roman viaducts. This is stuff you only see in documentaries but things we could physically touch on this trip. It just oozed history and we were part of it. 

Our Turkish guides then arranged lunch for us all followed by the cadets being taken shopping while the officers were taken on an impromptu cruise on the Bosphourus 

Depart for Ankara at 1500hrs and a 9 – 10 hour drive with a few stops in-between.  The countryside from this point strongly resembled NZ. Special mention must be made at this point for our Turkish Drivers Mehmet and Hussain who got us everywhere we had to be in time and in one piece. Compared to everyday NZ motorways some of these drivers are crazy and I don’t know how our drivers negotiated the streets and traffic at times. Temperature today was 40 degrees

 

Sunday 27^th July

Up at 0630 for a 0730 breakfast. We then walked to the museums behind our military accommodation. Next was a bus trip to some very old markets that overlooked Ankara. We tried some freshly baked bread as a snack but at this stage I was suffering from a mild stomach upset that progressively got worse as the day wore on. Our Hong Kong Escort was also sick again so we were escorted back to the accommodation where we slept off the stomach pains as best as we could. Unfortunately Ernest and I missed seeing Ataturk’s Mausoleum and the TAA museum due to being unwell. By morning I had come right but Ernest was still unwell. I ensured his medication was correct and a register of what it was for, side effects and doses given was in place so anyone could check on him and his medication periodically.

 

Monday 28^th July

Breakfast in the open air restaurant at our barracks and then we travelled to Turkkusu to see all aspects of flying undertaken there, from aero-modelling to twin engine aircraft used for flight training. Sam Owen and I traded Kiwi pins with the previous TAA director who was now a senior flight instructor at Turkkusu. He in turn gave us some mementos and we took a heap of photos with him and our hosts.

 

The team had lunch with the Director of Turkkusu and saw their flight simulator. Some cadets got to try this out briefly.

 

Next on our agenda was TAA HQ and a greeting by the Secretary General Mehmet Pinar a retired Brigadier General. We were all given THK plaques and certificates followed by afternoon tea. Free time followed and we prepared for our formal dinner with the Director and his officers and a presentation of gifts to our IACE hosts, THK (Turkish Aeronautical Association).

 

Tuesday 29^th July

0700 Breakfast followed by a visit to TAI (Turkish Aerospace Industries) where we given a briefing then shown F16 overhauls taking place, work on CASA aircraft and various aircraft parts being manufactured including Airbus, B787 and many other aircraft. Parts manufactured included composites and all forms of sheet metal work supplying many countries.

 

This was followed by a visit to the 4^th Main Fighter Base which housed F16’s. The Officers were granted an audience with the Base commander a Brigadier General for brief discussions and presentation of certificates. We were then driven to the weapons range and shown bombing and strafing practice followed by a 4 ship fly past of the tower for our benefit where I got a great photo.

 

Next it was off to the flight line and a chance to touch and walk around an F16 as well as a group photo shot. My camera was one of the few allowed onto these secure sites as the official group camera with unhindered access to take photos of anything I wanted.

 

We had lunch on our host base and then departed for the 11^th Main Jet Base which was a jet transport base. We then visited the Turkish Air Force museum next to this base which had examples of all Turkish aircraft flown from Migs to F104 Starfighters and Phantoms.  After this we travelled back to our accommodation and a group formal meal for our last night in Ankara. It just happened to be one of the UK cadets Birthdays which was celebrated with a cake organised by our escort Ozlem.

 

 

Wednesday 30^th July

Early Breakfast followed by a 6 hour drive to Inonu Training Centre, THK’s training facility that caters for Parachuting, Gliding, Hang Gliding. We were given a welcome by its Director then free time to look around this magnificent facility and have a swim in the swimming pool to cool off. Our accommodation was comfortable from the Barrack dorm for the males to two adjoining roomed dorms for the females and two for the Escort staff. Diner was at 2000 hrs followed by an early night.

 

 

 Thursday 31^st July

Breakfast at 0730 for all. At this stage the Escorts and Drivers decided to have a BBQ for a change that evening.  Everyone was given a local flight in an AN2 biplane used for parachute dropping followed by glider flights for all in two seat winch launched Puchaze gliders. Inonu was perfect for gliding with a rock ridge almost directly behind the facility. A BBQ tea was cooked by our drivers and some of the Inonu staff. Half way through the evening we were joined by the facility director and the Districts Deputy Governor who joined us for dinner.

 

 

Friday 1^st August

0800 Breakfast followed by a bus ride to the 1^st Main Jet Base which had 3 Squadrons of Ground Attack Phantoms. Our bus was driven to the threshold where a pair of Phantoms were running up 20 meters away. As we left the bus, these taxied to the active and took off in a roar that left our bodies vibrating and ears hurting despite fingers stuffed as deep as we could in them. Next it was off to the briefing room for a base brief and refreshments. Sam and I managed to swap squadron patches for NZ pins with a Captain that escorted us around the base.

 

 After we left the base we travelled to TEI (Turkish Engine Industries) where we were briefed on their operation, TEI make parts for Jet engines and supply the worlds manufacturers. The cadets were given a guide and the Escorts had the production manager as their guide. This visit was once again fantastic and showcased Turkish aerospace manufacturing as a world class operation.

 

The escorts then visited the Managing Director and presented certificates and the Cadets presented the production manager certificates and pins.

We had free time after this and went on a river cruise through Eskisehir followed by shopping and a meal before travelling back to Inonu and packing for our travel to Kusadasi

 

 

Saturday 2^nd August

0800 Breakfast outside and depart for Kusadasi at 0900, which was another long drive through a fascinating countryside stopping for lunch which consisted of burgers fries and cola, a welcome change for all. As time was running short we did not stop at the Ismir Space Camp and elected to do this on another day. We drove direct to Kusadasi and our hotel and a much needed late afternoon swim, followed by Dinner at 2000 hrs and an early night. The accommodation was comfortable but hot water stopped running in most units that night and was unable to be rectified for the duration of our stay.

 

Sunday 3^rd August

0730 Breakfast and an 0830 departure for the House of the Virgin Mary in Ephesus followed by as guided tour of the ancient Roman city of Ephesus. This was fantastic and the state of preservation of the newly excavated terraces and paintings was phenomenal. Had it not been for the foresight of our Escorts and arranged for a guide we would not have got as much as we did out of this tour.

 

Lunch was had on the way to Selcuk airport to watch skydiving but the wind was up and we would return tomorrow. Visited Turkish Space Camp for teenagers to see what happens there. It was interesting but more for younger people not cadets of the age ours were.

 

Travelled back to our hotel and free time for shopping in Kusadasi. 

 

Monday 4^th August

Breakfast 0730 then travel to Selcuk Airport to watch skydiving and parachute packing and meet some key members of the THK parachuting operation.

 

Travel to Kusadasi National Park to swim in the Agean sea and a day of leisure. This was great. While there a wild pig ran through the car park area to the amusement of all.

Return to our hotel and dinner and pack for a 0600 departure for Istanbul.

 

Tuesday 5^th August

0500 up and shower and depart at 0600 with a bag breakfast for a very long day of driving to get back to Istanbul.

 

Luckily Ankara sanctioned the use of a ferry that would shave hours off our drive for the sake of a 2 hour ferry ride. This was greatly appreciated by all.

 

On arrival our original Istanbul hosts in conjunction with our Turkish Escort Ozlem had arranged a final night boat cruise and meal. We were met by these great people and taken to a café to rest for a while before travelling to the Dinner cruise. I must say every one of us struck a bond with the Istanbul THK team members. They were great and taught us Turkish while they tried their English out on us, and they were great fun.

 

 Wednesday 6^th August

With heavy hearts we said goodbye to our friends and fellow travelling companions as all travelled back to their own countries. My team of Sam and Jessy were delivered to our next Hotel and said goodbye and thankyou to our Turkish friends that we had bonded so well with during IACE 2008.

 

 

Gallipoli & Troy Tour

 

Thursday 7^th August

We were picked up by the tour company from our hotel at 0630 and started the pick up of the 36 others from various hotels around Istanbul. Then followed a 5 ½ hour coach ride to Gallipoli and lunch.

 

After lunch we departed for a fully guided tour of all the major Gallipoli campaign sites. What a moving experience to walk the ground that so many New Zealanders have walked and died on so far from home. Moving moments for these 3 Kiwis was having our photos taken on the beach at ANZAC Cove, viewing the cemeteries at ANZAC Cove, walking the trenches that were still evident and laying poppies on the NZ memorial at Chunik Bair. On our way to Chunik Bair we visited the Australian Lone Pine memorial and Turkish Cemetery not far from it.

 

Following the tour our operator took us by ferry across to Canakkale to our hotel and a welcome early night for us all.

 

 

 Friday 8^th August

The following day we were picked up by our coach and driven to the City of Troy that was in various states of excavation. It was amazing to find out from our guide that Troy was in fact nine cities built on top of each other the oldest being 7000 years old and the most recent 5000 years old. The sea had once been close to the city but was now 6km away.

 

Following this tour we were dropped off at ANZAC House for an afternoon of free time to shop. We met back at ANZAC House and took a ferry back across the Bosphorus and a 6 hour drive back to Istanbul.

 

 

Saturday 9^th August

A free day in Istanbul. We slept in until 0800 then had a last minute chance to shop and repack our bags and complete all those last minute things needing to be done then went out to Dinner and our last taste of Turkish food for a while.

 

Sunday 10^th August

This was it, the end of our fantastic trip and we were to depart this great country late in the afternoon. We had our last breakfast at 0800, did some final packing, then checked out of our rooms and went for a last walk to the Blue Mosque to take some pictures and visit the markets near by. After an ice cream we slowly made our way to the hotel to change into our travelling clothes and were collected by our shuttle and taken to the airport for our trip home.

 

We departed Istanbul full of great memories of Turkey but also looking forward to seeing NZ again. We were to overnight in Dubai and had a 1000 flight back to NZ via Melbourne, some 14 hours in the air on this leg, then 3 hours to Auckland.

On arrival in Auckland a shower at the Koru Lounge was all we could think of to freshen up and of course get some rest.

 

Observations and Comments. 

As Escort Officer for the NZ Contingent for IACE Turkey 2008, I can not stress enough the significance of NZ Cadets being hosted in Turkey given the bond New Zealand shares with this Turkey.  Wherever we travelled within Turkey, upon learning we were Kiwis those we met pulled out all the stops to show us a good time whether it was our particular city tour hosts or Base Commanders, it made us proud to be Kiwis and to share a special bond with the Turkish people. 

 

Our Hosts, Turk Hava Kumuru (Turkish Aeronautical Association) senior officers up to the Secretary General, (a retired Brigadier General) reinforced they would like to continue be a destination for New Zealand IACE Cadets and given the historic significance of Gallipoli expressed a willingness to possibly include this in future tours. 

From a personal view Turkey’s cultural and historic value dating back 5000 + years could not be duplicated in the western countries visited by IACE that have similar cultures to us.

 

The historic ties between New Zealand and Turkey really made a difference for us all and made this destination a once in a lifetime opportunity for 3 kiwis in addition to their fascinating culture.

 

Sam Owen and Jessy Ion were a pleasure to escort on this trip and conducted themselves as NZ ambassadors in a manner that made me proud to be their escort. They displayed a level of maturity well above their actual age and at a level above some of their fellow IACE travellers. This was positively commented on by our Turkish escort.

 

Acknowledgments

Acknowledgement for this fantastic trip must go to the following;

Chief of Defence Force for making IACE possible and affordable to us.

ATCANZ, SQNLDR Bryce Meredith, NZCF HQ and CA.

Our wonderful Turkish Hosts THK, our Turkish Escort Ozlem Koc and our Ankara based drivers Mehmet and Hussain and our THK Istanbul guides.

Our Unit Support Committees and all those additional people that assisted my team and I with funding for this trip, and there were many.

 

Rob Foley

SQNLDR NZCF