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Post by alanw on Nov 7, 2008 23:23:19 GMT 12
Hi all, thought I would share some photos I took of this venerable old lady while at MOTAT. I had a days leave so I visited MOTAT and also met up with a visiting couple from the UK. I 'm sure I made the wife's day as I was able to give them a tour of the inside of NZ 4115 Q-Queenie. Here are some photos I have taken, I'll do them in increments as there are a few!! This is my second adventure inside NZ 4115 this year, my first one I spent too much time chatting with a former RNZAF pilot called "Mac" who was posted with 490 Squadrom in West Africa WWII, but actually flew with the RAF boats. I thought first I would start off with the bow section If you wonder, why I have taken certain shots it's really to give you an idea of the multi coloured aircraft this is. Destined to make modellers go stark crazy!!   Anyway enjoy The entrance, note paint colour...  General view  Windlass for mooring  More mooring equipment  My father mentioned that in the bow there were bollards to attach the mooring ropes /chains etc Anchor  General shots of equipment  Check out this Brass fire extinguisher, I've only seen pictures before, one in the flesh so as to speak    Extreme bow  Turret  Check out the ring bearing for turret to turn  The ceiling panels were taken out so I was able to get these shots   Behind the Instrument panel... so many wires...  Remember my comment on multi hues.....  The silver door leads to the head/WC/Toilet last but not least  I'll post some more over the next few days  |
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Post by agalbraith on Nov 8, 2008 8:42:11 GMT 12
Great photos Alan, I only got the chance to go inside this big bird once about 4 yrs ago and she is an impressive beast. Didnt have my camera then so this is great....thanks!
I have the new 1/48 Alpha Flight Sunderland I am going to convert into an RNZAF MR5.
Cheers
Anthony
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Post by alanw on Nov 8, 2008 9:08:49 GMT 12
Hi Anthony
I have a whole load of external photos as well, let me know
if you need any pic's, I can send you a CD full of them (int/ext)
I would love to get the 1/48 kit but a little out of my price range at present, I have a few 1/72 one's I will do in RNZAF marking ;D
Regards
Alan
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Post by agalbraith on Nov 8, 2008 16:01:51 GMT 12
Thanks Alan, you are a legend.......email sent!
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Post by Dave Homewood on Nov 8, 2008 22:38:22 GMT 12
Excellent photos, I have never seen inside the MOTAT Sunderland before though I have stood inside the Hendon one. It's nice to see how much is inside this one, looks prety original though slightly worn.
That 1/48 kit must be massive.
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Post by alanw on Nov 8, 2008 23:28:56 GMT 12
Changed title to reflect Sunderald topic Ok a few more for tonight Looking from Ward room to bow/main hatch  This is a small area just inside main hatch (originally used to store weapons rack eg for rifles)  Wardroom entrance  Wardroom  This item is the drouge (sea anchor) used in beaching for steerage or going into braby. They would be deployed from port/starboard hatches and controlled by crew Note crew table under drouge  Galley  Bench/primus stove  Under bench-the silver colour containers are flasks for warm food such as soup or hot drinks caried on by crew just before take off  Rear galley bulkhead- note frame work, Shorts certainly knew how to build a sturdy aircraft  This little item, actually belongs on the flight deck, I tried lifting it and it is heavy at least a 50 kilos or more (no solid state in those days) a testement to the power of the four Pratt & Whitney's to lift a heavy load  Please enjoy ;D |
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Post by Dave Homewood on Nov 9, 2008 22:32:09 GMT 12
I was talking to Barf from the RNZAF Museum today, he's ex-Safety and Surface and does the same work for the museum as a civvie. One of his roles is researching colour schemes for people and he was saying he has researched the RNZAF Sunderland schemes and discovered that every single one of the aircraft we had was painted slightly differently. He said there was a wide variation in the markings such as stencilling, to the point that from one plane to the next ou'd find different wording with the same meaning. He also said each aircraft was repainted in their lifetime at least twice and slight variations crept in during the changes. And he said he'd talked with a guy who worked on them in their early days and he said they had two toned grey on top of the wings at the beginning, which was high gloss, resulting in several airmen sliding and falling off the wings and into the harbour.
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Post by Richard Wesley on Nov 9, 2008 23:09:43 GMT 12
That's interesting Dave, and I am not surprised really, for me the Sunderland feels far more like a home away from home than an aircraft when inside. The galley and and the bunks and the huge aft end. I can imagine than they ended up with all sorts of personal touches as well as the non standard markings.
From my hands on experience of NZ4115 it makes me glad to know there is no right colour as I remember finding all sort of layers of paint inside in every shade of interior green. I think the history of 'restorations' is quite extensive now, including the in service time period, the work carried out by the RNZAF before donation, and now the various work while with the museum.
I look forward to the day she is inside the planned hangar. From the Motat website it looks like construction may start next year, though with the economic downturn it'll be interesting to see if the fund raising makes the target now?
A lot of work seems to have been carried out since I was last inside and so I look forward to more of the great photos Alan.
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Post by alanw on Nov 10, 2008 17:40:48 GMT 12
Dave/Richard Thanks for those comments. Dave I'm especially interested in the comment about the airframes receiving at least two repaints in their life time. Do you know if it included the interior? The reason I ask is that when Shorts renovated them for the RNZAF they would have had the RAF Green grey interiors. As you can see NZ 4115 has a dark green painted at some point. Interestingly enough my father had a bottle of that dark green paint for years, in fact I have an old Frog Beaufighter painted in that colour stiil in my collection. I have a coupleof Sunderlands to build I think I will do the MR 5 in that shade should make for an interesting model colour wise!!! Anyway some more shots This is a shot of the bomb bay doors and the sliding action, the doors slide in then down all the time staying vertical (so I believe) -note the yellow paint sirrounds  Bomb bay - note roof framing and the bomb rack mounting, (Racks missing at this time) I'm not sure whether the chain to is to hoist bombs/depth cahrges or to move the weapons out under the wing  This shot is the mid gunner staion where .5 cal MG's could be mounted for lateral defense note frame supports, the grate was placed between the two stations  Station close up  .5 cal mounting frame (not a great shot-sorry)  Above shot from sloping deck  Mid Hatch; Note colours of hatch and surrunding fuselage, again yellow surround paint  I took some shots of the fuselage framing lower section   Flooring/walkway covers - Note different colour greys  Upper Main hull framing note painting has been done part way  Aft shot of fuselage (sorry all didn't make it all the way down to rear turret -next visit (soonish I hope)  Interesting note is that RAF boats during WWII had a rack for spare propeller blade mounted on the starboard side (see LHS of photo about where that rack is with the brownish pipes are poking out. Please enjoy more photos in next day or so (sloping deck/flight deck) ;D |
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Post by Dave Homewood on Nov 10, 2008 18:17:33 GMT 12
Great photos again Alan.
I don't know if the interiors were repainted but I guess if they went in for major servicings then it is likely everything was stripped and painted. Is it also possible some of the interior colours you see here were applied during various MOTAT spruce ups?
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Post by corsair67 on Nov 10, 2008 18:18:21 GMT 12
Alan, these shots are fantastic! I have always wondered what the insides of a Sunderland looked like, and these photos show it off really well. I can't get over how original this aircraft is.  |
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Post by alanw on Nov 10, 2008 21:21:38 GMT 12
Hi Guys
I'm really glad your enjoying them!
Dave wrote
Dave It has crossed my mind that MOTAT had repainted the interior. Next time I'm there I'll ask the pertinent questions.
I seem to recall in the The Golden Age of New Zealand Flying Boats book, there is a picture of the mid gunners section that appears dark in colour (I know it's a black and white photo) it's possible that the Air force did paint them dark green and as I mentioned earlier my dad had a bottle of that paint.
Regards
Alan
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Post by alanw on Nov 13, 2008 18:20:38 GMT 12
Hi all, a few more photos for tonight this is the rear sloping floor above galley/rear of flight deck.  Main Control lines (if you look at the photo of the upper fuslage framing you can see the lines behind the lattice)  Misc. Equipment   Floor (note holes for weight saving and box which is a step to dorsal hatch)  Dorsal hatch (previously position for Dorsal turret on Mk III's and some Mk V's)  Dorsal Gunners foot rest (obviously obsolete on a MR5 or is it?)  This comes in handy for a boost up or to push against coming back down Dorsal Observation window note Rear spar bulk head also  Rear Bulk head/rear spar framing  Entry to flight deck (hatch was referred to as oven door any guesses as to why??)  To get through, you have to cross over the rear spar and you can see the main spar in the for ground Please enjoy Alan |
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Post by alanw on Nov 17, 2008 21:11:57 GMT 12
Hi all last installment for now Onto the flight deck... Looking aft from Flight Engineers station note full effect of "Oven Door"     Note main spar that would be a real chore to have to climb over all the time.... ASV station... Where (well partially due to...) the Fincastle trophy would have been won in 1964   Forward Observation window/hatch  Behind the radio Station lots of wires...  Cockpit  Instrument panel  Throttles  Note these would have been easier to use then the throttles of a Mk III, on the Mk III the pilot/co-pilot had to run (going on memory here) the outer port/starboard engines at about 80% power,and inner engines at about 50% power for taxiing to avoid burning out the Pegasus Engines  Stairwell to bow area-note green dot in black surrounds, this is a hold/handle to a sliding partition to block off the flight deck. Well this is the end of the journey at present, I hope to visit NZ4115 again and post some more photos Thanks for looking Alan |
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