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Wings Over Cambridge :: General :: Preserving New Zealand Aviation History :: Omaka's Bristol Freighter to run again
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AuthorTopic: Omaka's Bristol Freighter to run again (Read 44,053 times)
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Omaka's Bristol Freighter to run again
« Thread Started on Mar 27, 2008, 10:43pm »
Hey all, I'm writing this to give a bit of publicity to a project of mine that has just kicked off at Omaka and involves the Marlborough Aero Club's Bristol Freighter ZK-CPT. I'm a propliner fanatic from way back and a member of MAC since 1990. Ever since I have been a member, ZK-CPT has sat, silent, on guard in front of the MAC clubrooms. Her preservation has been the focus of the Friends of the Bristol. FOTB formed shortly after she landed at Omaka in 1986 and have maintained her in a state of static display ever since.

As a boy, I was able to sit in the cockpit of ZK-CLT when she was owned by the RNZAF museum and run up prior to her trip to Canada. Ever since I have had a bit of a soft spot for for the B-170. When I joined the MAC, ZK-CPT was still on the airfield and had recently been run. She now lives outside the aeroclub bar and has become a silent but not forgotten relic of NZ's history.

I'm keen to reverse her 'silent' nature and have started a project to breathe life back into her engines. Both engines were run and inhibited back in the 90's and a certain amount of preservation was carried out on the airframe. Recently I noticed a propeller had been turned through 30 or 40 degrees. Obviously this does the inhibiting no good at all. In saying that, inhibiting doesn't last forever either. I decided that it is about time that we did something to re-preserve these engines.

I am looking two courses of action. Both involve running the engines to get oil in amongst the guts. After that, one plan is to re-inhibit the engines, immobilise them and leave them alone. The other is to run them periodically and keep them in a condition where we only need a battery cart and a source of fuel and oil. Both have pros and cons. Personally I would like to see these engines run more often than not for the following reasons,
1, there are very few B-170's anywhere in the world in running condition
2, a living machine would attract more visitors, attention, donations and support than one sitting mute.
3, group visits to Omaka and the Aviation Heritage Centre could, through donations, provide towards the cost of fuel and income than we presently recieve
4, twin, twin row, sleeve valve radials sound bloody good at the best of times and there are a lot of people who would love so see and hear them again.

To support this, I took the cowls off the port engine today to see whether I was barking up the wrong tree. I was pleasantly surprised to see that, externally, everything looks really good. The internals of the magnetos and carbs is anyones guess but it seems like there is only one way to find out......

I would love to see our Bristol Freighter taxi up and down the crowd line at Classic Fighters 2009 and perform a run-up in front of the crowd during the lunch break. It's a long way off but I reckon it can be done.

What are your thoughts?

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Re: Omaka's Bristol Freighter to run again
« Reply #1 on Mar 28, 2008, 6:43am »
That is a great idea. Have you thought about approaching Safe Air for some support? Even if it was just to lend you a battery cart, some fuel and oil! They might also be able to repair the damaged wing tip? As an AC on Basic Engineering at Woodbourne in 1984 we used to watch and listen to them starting and running up every day from 4TTS. On cold winter mornings they really struggled to turn the engines over and get them going. They were quite a sight and sound.
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Re: Omaka's Bristol Freighter to run again
« Reply #2 on Mar 28, 2008, 10:07am »
Al, I know what you mean when you talk about having a soft spot for the B-170, as growing up in Christchurch I used to see them coming into Harewood all the time - battling the nor'-westerly during Summer.

I think you are right that people like to see a live aircraft rather than one just parked up an rotting away, plus to hear those engines run again would be fantastic!

Roll on Classic Fighters 2009! :D
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Re: Omaka's Bristol Freighter to run again
« Reply #3 on Mar 28, 2008, 10:44am »
Go for it Al, Should be great to hear some big round engines chugging away. Hopefully the all important sleeve - barrel interfaces have held up O.K, otherwise it will be a huge job. Conventional valve trains don't have the same issues, but hopefully plenty of inhibitor got into everything and everythings still good. Should be a great smokey time!
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Re: Omaka's Bristol Freighter to run again
« Reply #4 on Mar 28, 2008, 2:56pm »
Where can i donate-seriously?
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Re: Omaka's Bristol Freighter to run again
« Reply #5 on Mar 28, 2008, 3:40pm »
Al, sounds like a fantastic plan! Please keep us posted! Superb!

I vote for the running/taxiable plan, as quite rightly Omaka should play host to a running Freighter.
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Re: Omaka's Bristol Freighter to run again
« Reply #6 on Mar 28, 2008, 8:01pm »
Agreed , it would be a great shame if the engines were no longer able to be run , simply because nobody actually did . Would be a good project to run , than re inhibit the engines once every two years or so ( around easter time ) :-)
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Re: Omaka's Bristol Freighter to run again
« Reply #7 on Mar 29, 2008, 8:17am »
Sounds like a great idea and something the AHC should be involved in. After all, It's certainly a part of our aviation heritage.

As for sponsorship, Goldpine seems very keen to help with aviation related projects!
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Re: Omaka's Bristol Freighter to run again
« Reply #8 on Mar 29, 2008, 9:39am »
Yip, this is a great idea.
Al and I have spent some time discussing this project and I hope it all goes well.

As for sponsorship, thank you for the plug Alex but Goldpine wont be involved this time round although we sponsor many projects around the district not only aviation but its good to be able to help where possible.
Free time and effort will most likely play the most part and I am sure Al will accept any offers with that.
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Re: Omaka's Bristol Freighter to run again
« Reply #9 on Mar 29, 2008, 8:24pm »
Sounds like a great idea to me! Here's a photo of the aircraft in question for those who haven't been to Omaka:

[image]

In rather better condition than the Ardmore Freighter!

Leo P.
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Re: Omaka's Bristol Freighter to run again
« Reply #10 on Mar 29, 2008, 9:30pm »
Sounds like a great project. Note that MoTaT has four Bristol Hercules engines from the Hastings that was broken up at Ohakea, they might be useful for spare parts if needed. Perhaps even ask Motat for a loan of one for display if you don't already have a spare.
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Re: Omaka's Bristol Freighter to run again
« Reply #11 on Mar 29, 2008, 9:56pm »
There is another Freighter in a park in Nelson .
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Re: Omaka's Bristol Freighter to run again
« Reply #12 on Mar 30, 2008, 10:54am »
Dwen Airmotive at Ardmore has most of the former RNZAF Spares stock. There were a couple of completeB170 QEC engine assemblies tucked away in various Ardmore Hangars in the past as well. Certainly bits for Hercules radials aren't too hard to come by in NZ - one of the advantages to being the last place the Bristols served in any great numbers. When i was at Gulf aeronautics looking after the sea fury, we found Dwens were very useful for obtaining spares for the centaurus, as there were quite a number of smaller fittings etc that were common between the Hercules and its bigger brother.
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Re: Omaka's Bristol Freighter to run again
« Reply #13 on Mar 30, 2008, 12:03pm »
Dwen still have the Hercules engines sitting outside covered by tarps. The entire aircaft is there, just in a sad state.
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Re: Omaka's Bristol Freighter to run again
« Reply #14 on Mar 30, 2008, 1:45pm »
Al, this sounds like a very worthwhile project. Well done for taking the initiative.

I for one have never seen nor heard a Bristol Freighter running in the flesh, only in old films, so I'd love to have that opportunity. I'm sure if it was run something like one day per month on a weekend, it would become popular with visitors to the AHC, etc. I rememebr how impressive the experience was of seeing the Lancaster with all four Merlins running at Motat as a kid, and though this won't be quite in that league it's still going to be one of those experiences that kids and adults alike won't forget in a hurry. It will likely inspire a new generation to come to love radial engines.

If it were made taxiable perhaps there's even potential for rides like the Lancaster does at East Kirkby. It's a possibility.
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