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Post by curtiss on Jan 5, 2010 17:38:35 GMT 12
Visited John Smith yesterday and he showed us some spare Mosquito U/C nacelles that he has. One of them is painted yellow - it is definitely the top caot colour ( not yellow primer bleeding through). Does anyone have any details on yellow Mosquitos in NZ?
Colour is much the same as wartime Harvard yellow.
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Post by Dave Homewood on Jan 7, 2010 12:55:07 GMT 12
As the Mosquitos only served postwar in New Zealand I have shifted this to the postwar board. Very interesting question, I wonder if they were actually off NZ ones?
How is John? I heard he was unwell a while back.
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Post by curtiss on Jan 7, 2010 18:01:54 GMT 12
John is fine. Still not all that keen on visitors unless you know him well.
The nacelle must be off an RNZAF Mosquito as is still has piece of the wing spar attached. It could be one of the aircraft that were delivered and went straight into storage.
I found a set of Mosquito ailerons once that still had black/white D Day invasion stripes so some of the aircraft had considerable service prior to delivery.
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Post by Dave Homewood on Jan 7, 2010 20:31:25 GMT 12
I wonder if we bought any that had been used as target tugs, or in fact had one or more as tugs here in NZ?
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Post by baz62 on Jan 9, 2010 9:58:09 GMT 12
I wonder if we bought any that had been used as target tugs, or in fact had one or more as tugs here in NZ? Yes I was thinking target tugs too but I don't recall seeing anything about our Mossies being tugs. |
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Post by angelsonefive on Jan 9, 2010 14:33:50 GMT 12
RAF Training Command aircraft had Chrome Yellow, aka Trainer Yellow undersides.
As far as I know, Mossies in the training role were employed in OTU's which were probably under the control of their respective Commands, that is Fighter, Bomber or Coastal as the case may be. Thus the colour schemes would be those of operational aircraft.
Still, a possibility .
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Post by Andy Wright on Jan 9, 2010 22:31:25 GMT 12
Forgive my ignorance. John Smith?
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Post by baz62 on Jan 10, 2010 8:04:50 GMT 12
John Smith is a farmer living near Nelson. In a "shed" he has a complete Mosquito (so complete they used to run the engines in the early days!!) he also has a (or two?) P40s and a P51D to name a few. I think the fighters have their wings torced off outboard of the landing gear. He is described as a bit eccentric and is very wary of visitors!
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Post by Peter Lewis on Jan 11, 2010 20:49:43 GMT 12
John Smith . . . is very wary of visitors! With good reason. I called in on him around 20 years ago, and found that if you were reasonable, knowledgeable and were not out to rip him off then he was quite OK and happy to show you around. |
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Post by John L on Jan 12, 2010 16:07:05 GMT 12
He wasn't very fond of the RNZAF, for a long while, if I recall.........
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Post by Dave Homewood on Jan 12, 2010 17:20:08 GMT 12
I recall that Brian Borland told me that some of the second hand Vampires we bought from the RAF had yellow stipes on the undersides. Perhaps some of the Mossies wore the same scheme when bought from Britain? Remember more than half the Mosquitoes that NZ purchased never went into service. So the colours may date back to their RAF days I guess.
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Post by angelsonefive on Jan 13, 2010 10:24:38 GMT 12
I am pretty sure that some of the Mosquitos were supplied in wartime RAF cammo. paint schemes.
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Post by Dave Homewood on Jan 13, 2010 11:14:07 GMT 12
That's correct.
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Post by angelsonefive on Jan 20, 2010 12:15:23 GMT 12
It looks like the RNZAF operated, or a least owned, 8 Mosquito Trainers. NZ2301 never flew in NZ and was reduced for parts.
4 were T3's ( UK production ) and 4 were T43's ( Aussie. production converted from FB40's. )
2 of these aircraft , NZ2306 and NZ2308, were sold to Ansa Orchard Equipment Ltd of Nelson (!) and broken up for useful parts.
If, as I suspect, these RNZAF Mossie Trainers were delivered painted in the traditional trainer colour scheme with Trainer Yellow under surfaces then Mr Smith, living as he does in the Nelson area, may well have acquired the relics from Ansa.
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Post by shorty on Jan 23, 2010 13:11:59 GMT 12
The nacelles in question did not come from Nelson but from an orchard off Rapaura Road near Blenhiem. There are a couple of colour photos of them (in the apple orchard) in my stash thread.(can't remember which page number)
The area is where they were is now a vineyard (now there's a suprise!!)
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