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Post by hairy on Aug 3, 2008 21:25:55 GMT 12
Warm up those time machines. NZ2032 NZ2058 NZ2068 NZ2072 NZ2072, 20/12/49 NZ2090 Asplins yard
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Post by madmac on Aug 4, 2008 20:19:33 GMT 12
I have never seen good photos of the Hudson at Aspins.
Does any one know what the probe on NZ2032 & in the last photo is & if its a pitot why did they move it.
Denys Jones probably knows
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Post by fletcherfu24 on Aug 4, 2008 20:25:33 GMT 12
They would have made great topdressers,but I guess they were really past their use by date by the time topdressing really took off.
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Post by hairy on Aug 4, 2008 21:50:25 GMT 12
Does any one know what the probe on NZ2032 & in the last photo is & if its a pitot why did they move it. I think it might be a radar receiving aerial. Just a thought, could the Asplins Hudson actually be NZ2032 cause of the similarities i.e bare metal and the afore-mentioned aerial/pitot?
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Post by hairy on Aug 4, 2008 21:52:13 GMT 12
They would have made great topdressers,but I guess they were really past their use by date by the time topdressing really took off. Patience Grasshopper, topdressing Avengers coming soon.
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Post by stu on Aug 4, 2008 22:11:51 GMT 12
Warm up those time machines. If only .... if only ..... Sigh.
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Post by shorty on Aug 4, 2008 22:29:32 GMT 12
Some sort of Yagi aerial?
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Post by tbf25o4 on Aug 5, 2008 15:35:00 GMT 12
the aerial on NZ2032 is a yagi, part of the ASV system. The Air Force played around with various configurations of the ASV system towards the end of the war and for the ASR hudsons.
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Post by Dave Homewood on Aug 5, 2008 18:49:40 GMT 12
Wow, what super photos!
I'm going to have to widen the doorway on the TADRIS I'm building.
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Post by Dave Homewood on Aug 5, 2008 18:57:01 GMT 12
NZ2072 seems to be in an all over one colour scheme. I assume it's olive drab as it has been converted to a C-63 and would have flown with No. 40 and No. 41 Squadrons. Or do you think maybe it's a local overall blue colour scheme like the Ventura repaints?
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Post by corsair67 on Aug 5, 2008 19:28:30 GMT 12
Interesting that they all seem to be missing their overhead cockpit transparencies: does anyone know why?
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Post by shorty on Aug 5, 2008 20:38:43 GMT 12
Cloches for growing lettuces under?
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Post by Dave Homewood on Aug 5, 2008 21:07:28 GMT 12
They're the 1949 model Hudson convertibles, Craig, with the top down.
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Post by hairy on Aug 10, 2008 23:29:32 GMT 12
Interesting that they all seem to be missing their overhead cockpit transparencies: does anyone know why? I noticed that too, they are missing on the Venturas and lexingtons too.
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Post by tbf25o4 on Aug 12, 2008 12:48:33 GMT 12
The cockpit escape hatches were probably used as cloches in the late 1970s I recovered four halves of the rear turrets (some bits were used in the rebuild of the RNZAF Museum Hudson) I saw them over the fence from my wifes uncles place in New Plymouth. His neighbour had bought them many years previously and indeed was growing lettuces under them
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Post by Dave Homewood on Aug 25, 2008 23:18:18 GMT 12
I contacted my mate John Scullin, who grew up and lived and worked at Rukuhia as Mr Larsen was his brother-in-law, and I asked him about the missing canopies. He has replied with the following excellent bits of history: "Hi Dave,
Re the top hatches on the Hudsons We removed most of them and had them in the store - as they were gradually disappearing off the Aircraft, I caught about ten kids playing the wag from school in one of the Hudsons armed with screw drivers etc on a days outing for 'loot' ( when I think of it now and how dangerous !! I held them up with a new 'Slug Gun' I had with another friend through from Napier and scared hell out of them and they took off like rabbits in all directions. I bet there are some of these 'kids' in Hamilton who still remember this 17year old 'thug' who held them up !!
Re the hatches there must be a few around Cambridge - Te awamutu and Hamilton somewhere covering the lettice plants !! ??
Re one of the Hudsons and I can't remember if I have told you already, There was a Navigators table up in the nose, and I happened to feel under it by accident and pulled out a draw that had all the maps and reference points around the Solomons and the nav's instruments still on top of the maps just as the chap had left them - I still remember that exciting find - I took all the maps and most of the instruments through to the Ohakea Museum along with a car load of all sorts of 'stuff ' a few years ago, that I had rescued. I am still a bit P/off about that as I arranged to only loan all this gear - and it all went down to Wigram, and from what I hear some of it was sold earlier for funds at Ohakea.
One of the Hudsons, and I was told it was the 'Mail Plane' Painted yellow I think, had a slotted section down near the tail that was possibly for sorting mail to alphabet ? or particular bases up in the Islands or NZ. Most if not those with Gun Turrets had the Hydraulic systems I think for operation ( others may know more of this,) all I remember was that nearly every part had the UK air Ministry stamp on them. The Perspex Turret Covers on the PV1s were also sold for Cloche's but many were smashed by vandals and the one I brought home to Napier suffered the same fate by my five year old son putting his foot through it ( Smacked Bum for that ) I had Ideas of Gluing it together again but in too many pc's unfort. Well I have Rambled on !! I have always forgotten to tell you - you are most welcome to download any of our material off our site and wonder if the Chap who has the Pic's of the Hudsons would allow us to show them on Our Rukuhia pages he would have full acknowledgement if so.John helps to maintain the excellent Hawkes Bay Aviation website here www.wings.net.nz/I'm fascinated that John mentions the yellow Hudson used as a mail plane. Years ago Dad, who grew up at Ardmore right across the road from the station, told me he used to see a yellow and black Hudson flying in and out of there. At the time I tried to research it, and drew a blank. Wigram had no idea, nor did Ross Macpherson or anyone else I asked. Dad reckoned it may have been striped but said it was definately yellow. He also said it was definately a Hudson when I suggested it may have been the yellow and black striped Oxford. Dad knew his aircraft, he was always among them, always reading magazines and books. So he knew what he was talking about usually. I wonder if anyone else can tell more?
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Post by agalbraith on Aug 25, 2008 23:33:03 GMT 12
Interesting subject the yellow Hudson. I have heard of it also and remember an elderly gent(sorry it was ages ago and cant remember who he was now) who mentioned a yellow striped Hudson up in the Islands.
I spoke to Dave Duxbury about it a couple of years ago about it and he agrees that there seems to have been one. He believed there were 2(?) drogue towers, one of which crashed.
Sorry I cant offer any more..........maybe someone else can shed more light on this?
Cheers Anthony
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Post by Dave Homewood on Aug 25, 2008 23:55:18 GMT 12
Brilliant. So at last other people have heard of the striped Hudsons.
I guess if they were target towers then they may have been used to train fighter pilots at both Ardmore and in the islands. I know Ardmore also had Vincents and Harvards as target tug aircraft. My great uncle was towing a target when his Harvard was shot up and he crash landed.
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Post by tbf25o4 on Aug 26, 2008 10:14:27 GMT 12
The utility flight based at Henderson Field Guadalcanal had two Hudsons converted to C63 standards for inter-island communications and target towing circ 1944-1945 Serials not confirmed but must be in someones logbook I have heard comment they were painted with yellow but not known if overall or just extremities or with stripes
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Post by Dave Homewood on Aug 26, 2008 13:15:04 GMT 12
Thanks for that info Paul.. I will keep an eye out in my GR Squadron research for any reference to the Utility Flight Hudsons, I know I've come across reference to them before but didn't realise they were possibly the yellow ones that Dad saw as a kid.
It makes me feel so great after all these years to find some other stories of the yellow Hudsons, I wish Dad was still alive so I could tell him that others back up his stories.
John's story of the yellow Hudson relates to one of the Hudsons they had at Rukuhia, so it survived the war and that must narrow down the serials for that one at least.
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