Post by Dave Homewood on Sept 26, 2010 19:58:40 GMT 12
Here is an opportunity for aviation enthusiasts to get involved with a very special project, which will see a hugely historic Douglas Dakota restored and finally placed under cover, at Mystery Creek.
This aircraft began life as a Douglas C-47B Dakota military transport. A quick run down of its historic career is this:
- Delivered to the USAAF 23 April 1945
- Taken on charge with the RNZAF at RNZAF Station Rukuhia, Hamilton, 17 June 1945
- Service with No. 40 (Transport) Squadron, RNZAF
- Service with No. 41 (Transport) Squadron, RNZAF
- Withdrawn from service August 1952
- Reinstated with No. 41 Squadron in 1953 to act as a baggage aircraft for the Royal Tour of New Zealand
- Withdrawn from service 1954
- Purchased by James Aviation 14 May 1954
- Sent to Rongotai airport 24 June 1954 to undergo a refit to civil status and fitting of equipment to convert it to become a topdressing aircraft
- Arrived at home base of Rukuhia, Hamilton on 11 August 1954 carrying the new name of Hiland Duster
- Underwent its first commercial flights near Kawhia on 3 December 1955
- During 1959 ZK-AZL was converted to single pilot operation configuration
- In 1960 the company "Airland" formed with ZK-AZL loaned from James Aviation
- ZK-AZL returned to James Aviation in 1963. At this time it was flying 600-800 hours per year, dropping 100 tons of fertiliser per day, from 100 to 120 feet above ground level.
- ZK-AZL retired from topdressing in October 1974 having flown 9959 hours as a topdresser, on top of the 4081 hours clocked up in the RNZAF. It was estimated 1,120,000 acres of land had been topdressed by this pioneering aircraft with James Aviation
- The registration ZK-AZL was cancelled on 6 June 1986
- The Dakota was gifted by James Aviation to the Agricultural Heritage Museum of New Zealand at National Fieldays, Mystery Creek, a few kilometres from its Rukuhia home. The aircraft has been on outdoor display since then.
The time has come to bring the aircraft inside, and give it an external restoration and new paintjob, returning it to the James Aviation livery. As well as putting the Dakota into a new purpose built museum building, there will also be displays created around it to reflect its long history and importance in the New Zealand aviation scene, and also that of James Aviation.
A special group called The Ossie James DC-3 Conservation Trust has been formed with the aim of achieving this goal, and the Board of Trustees are:
John Gallagher CNZM, C. St.J, JP - Chairman
Chris Luoni - Deputy Chairman
Terry Harpe - Treasurer
Dr. Jenny Cave - Trustee
Lynette James - Trustee (daughter of Ossie James)
Wayne Green - Trustee
The Trust are hoping to get together a supporters club of people who are able to help with the restoration of the DC-3. So they have asked me to put the call out for anyone interested in helping out. Whether you're a licenced aeronautical engineer or just an avid enthusiast of the Dakota and New Zealand topdressing, the group would like to hear from you.
They have had a study conducted by Licenced Aircraft Maintenance Engineer David W. Ellis (NZ Licence 10266) and this is available from the Trust in their prospectus. There will be a lot of work to do but the cause and the goal is a very worthy one, and one I know that many of you would find an interesting challenge.
This will be one of the biggest aviation restoration projects in the Waikato for many decades. It is very handy to Hamilton, Cambridge, and Te Awamutu, and not too far really for the likes of Matamata and Morrinsville enthusiasts, and even those from Auckland to Tauranga to Taupo and beyond can get involved.
If you would like to make a donation to the cause, offer your assistance or seek further information, please contact:
Mr Terry Harpe
Curator
Agricultural Heritage Museum
Private Bag 3206
Hamilton
New Zealand
Telephone 07 843 7990
Email terryh@mysterycreek.co.nz
Finally if you have any photos, video or interesting snippets of information on this aircraft in RNZAF or topdressing service, please feel free to share it as I'm sure the trust members would welcome adding copies of it to their archive and eventual museum display.
This aircraft began life as a Douglas C-47B Dakota military transport. A quick run down of its historic career is this:
- Delivered to the USAAF 23 April 1945
- Taken on charge with the RNZAF at RNZAF Station Rukuhia, Hamilton, 17 June 1945
- Service with No. 40 (Transport) Squadron, RNZAF
- Service with No. 41 (Transport) Squadron, RNZAF
- Withdrawn from service August 1952
- Reinstated with No. 41 Squadron in 1953 to act as a baggage aircraft for the Royal Tour of New Zealand
- Withdrawn from service 1954
- Purchased by James Aviation 14 May 1954
- Sent to Rongotai airport 24 June 1954 to undergo a refit to civil status and fitting of equipment to convert it to become a topdressing aircraft
- Arrived at home base of Rukuhia, Hamilton on 11 August 1954 carrying the new name of Hiland Duster
- Underwent its first commercial flights near Kawhia on 3 December 1955
- During 1959 ZK-AZL was converted to single pilot operation configuration
- In 1960 the company "Airland" formed with ZK-AZL loaned from James Aviation
- ZK-AZL returned to James Aviation in 1963. At this time it was flying 600-800 hours per year, dropping 100 tons of fertiliser per day, from 100 to 120 feet above ground level.
- ZK-AZL retired from topdressing in October 1974 having flown 9959 hours as a topdresser, on top of the 4081 hours clocked up in the RNZAF. It was estimated 1,120,000 acres of land had been topdressed by this pioneering aircraft with James Aviation
- The registration ZK-AZL was cancelled on 6 June 1986
- The Dakota was gifted by James Aviation to the Agricultural Heritage Museum of New Zealand at National Fieldays, Mystery Creek, a few kilometres from its Rukuhia home. The aircraft has been on outdoor display since then.
The time has come to bring the aircraft inside, and give it an external restoration and new paintjob, returning it to the James Aviation livery. As well as putting the Dakota into a new purpose built museum building, there will also be displays created around it to reflect its long history and importance in the New Zealand aviation scene, and also that of James Aviation.
A special group called The Ossie James DC-3 Conservation Trust has been formed with the aim of achieving this goal, and the Board of Trustees are:
John Gallagher CNZM, C. St.J, JP - Chairman
Chris Luoni - Deputy Chairman
Terry Harpe - Treasurer
Dr. Jenny Cave - Trustee
Lynette James - Trustee (daughter of Ossie James)
Wayne Green - Trustee
The Trust are hoping to get together a supporters club of people who are able to help with the restoration of the DC-3. So they have asked me to put the call out for anyone interested in helping out. Whether you're a licenced aeronautical engineer or just an avid enthusiast of the Dakota and New Zealand topdressing, the group would like to hear from you.
They have had a study conducted by Licenced Aircraft Maintenance Engineer David W. Ellis (NZ Licence 10266) and this is available from the Trust in their prospectus. There will be a lot of work to do but the cause and the goal is a very worthy one, and one I know that many of you would find an interesting challenge.
This will be one of the biggest aviation restoration projects in the Waikato for many decades. It is very handy to Hamilton, Cambridge, and Te Awamutu, and not too far really for the likes of Matamata and Morrinsville enthusiasts, and even those from Auckland to Tauranga to Taupo and beyond can get involved.
If you would like to make a donation to the cause, offer your assistance or seek further information, please contact:
Mr Terry Harpe
Curator
Agricultural Heritage Museum
Private Bag 3206
Hamilton
New Zealand
Telephone 07 843 7990
Email terryh@mysterycreek.co.nz
Finally if you have any photos, video or interesting snippets of information on this aircraft in RNZAF or topdressing service, please feel free to share it as I'm sure the trust members would welcome adding copies of it to their archive and eventual museum display.
