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Post by planewriting on Sept 10, 2017 17:56:56 GMT 12
Dave, chapter five of my book DC3 Southern Skies Pioneer covers all the aircraft and operations of the royal flight DC3s in 1953-54 Three aircraft used NZ3551 (newly refitted), the original NZ3553 VIP aircraft and NZ3545 backup and positioning of steps etc. These were in turn backed up by Devons NZ1801/1802 cheers Paul With Les posting the latest on this thread I have just now read all the contributions on this thread. Although the back up C-47 went on the tour still painted as NZ3545 it was actually by that stage registered to NAC as ZK-AZL and according to the Whites Directory of that time it was named Kuaka. According to the CAA card it was registered to NAC on 14 April 1953 but never entered airline service. Like so many other ex RNZAF C-47s it took its turn at Palmerston North waiting for that day when it would be wheeled into the workshop and converted to a DC-3 airliner. NAC's DC-3 conversion hangar caught fire on 13 October 1953 and so ZK-AZL missed out. By this stage it was the last one planned to undergo airliner conversion so it was put to good use as the baggage aircraft on the tour. Soon after it was snapped up by James Aviation, to who it was registered on 14 May 1954 to become the famous Hiland Duster and even then it commenced its topdressing life with much of its RNZAF scheme still applied, just as did the early NAC DC-3s before conversion into the red lightning stripe scheme in the late 1940s. I also note that furyfb11 recorded on 17 March 2010 in this thread that the Queen and Duke flew on an NAC de Havilland Heron on the leg from Matamata to Gisborne. The flight, on 6 January 1954, was from Rotorua (Fenton Street) to Gisborne on board Heron ZK-BEQ.
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Post by Dave Homewood on Sept 10, 2017 18:25:39 GMT 12
They also arrived at Rotorua aboard that Heron.
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