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Post by Bruce on Apr 20, 2010 10:59:13 GMT 12
Probably the whites reporter was more used to the earlier 3 Tone schemes and seeing one in the dark blue may have created the impression it was almost black in comparison. the dark blue was also a glossy finish as opposed to the earlier schemes which were "non Specular" or satin finish, so the reported drag reduction could have been quite correct. Even reputable period publications arent infallible!
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Post by tbf25o4 on Apr 20, 2010 15:31:05 GMT 12
there was a silver corsair at the E & W School immediately post war, and from memory it and another one were flown for a brief time immediately post war at wigram by CFS, primarily to get 14 Squadron pilots back up to speed before departing for Japan, and then they linger on before either being scrapped or as stated one went to the E & W school circa 1947
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Post by SEAN on Apr 20, 2010 15:50:42 GMT 12
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Post by camtech on Apr 20, 2010 16:51:03 GMT 12
Sorry, Damon, but NZ5545 is a F4U-1D, one of the group delivered direct to New Zealand in September 1944. I do agree that the aircraft serial must be black, which means the aircraft is certainly finished in a dark blue, maybe as a result of being "freshened up" for the Victory Loans campaign flights.
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Post by Dave Homewood on Apr 20, 2010 21:52:08 GMT 12
Superb photos Les and Sean, thanks or posting them. This photo proves just how remote and desolate Ardmore was in the days when it was established as an airfield, South Auckland was probably Remuera in those days. Something I had never picked up on before but the pld runway that is no longer in use really juts out into Airfield Road next to my grandparent's old farm. Note how it bites a chunk out of their farm. No wonder they used to end up with Corsairs in their paddocks.
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Post by furyfb11 on Apr 24, 2010 9:49:30 GMT 12
Here is another shot of NZ5545. Again it is hard to tell what color it is.It also looks as if it may have carried a larger fuselage roundel
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Post by thomarse on May 5, 2010 18:54:42 GMT 12
Doug Greig is still with us isn't he?
Can't find him in Whitepages.
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Post by Dave Homewood on May 5, 2010 20:36:26 GMT 12
Doug Greig died on the 21st of May 1998, in Auckland. He was 72.
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Post by thomarse on May 6, 2010 18:20:58 GMT 12
Wow, I'm way out of date!
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Post by Damon on May 6, 2010 21:45:19 GMT 12
Thanks for the correction camtech .( its nice to know peaople actually read my posts!) It was a deliberate mistake ofcourse.
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Post by trx850 on Jul 1, 2010 21:02:50 GMT 12
And also from 'The box', another photo of NZ5545 "CORSAIR" Note it still has the standard white instruction panels on the undercarriage front covers. Cheers, Pete M. ;D P.s. Damon. I'm still only part way through it mate!
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Post by Damon on Jul 1, 2010 21:06:54 GMT 12
I am guessing the visit worked out well.Glad to see an Op was not needed.Looking forward to seeing those pic's!
Damon
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Post by komata on Sept 25, 2013 15:44:38 GMT 12
I'm a 'newbie' to the forum, so hope that I've posted this in the right place (as it appeared to be discussing 'post-war' RNZAF Corsair markings). If not, please move this enquiry to the appropriate section.
My son has recently given me a post-war photo of a Corsair ostensibly taken at Rukuhia. The machine has the faded blue scheme that the type acquired as a result of its Pacific service, and retains its narrow FF-type markings on the fin.
HOWEVER, its national markings (at least on the fuselage)appear to be of RAF Type C1!! If it is not RAF C.1, then nearest I can find, after checking Warren Russell's book on Corsair Camouflage and markings, would be RNZAF type R-10y. There are no sidebars visible in the vicinity of the roundel. The under-wing marking (Starboard only) is unfortunately obscured, but it also doesn't seem to have the 'side bars' that I would have expected. There is also a vertical white 'step-indicator stripe' below the cockpit.
As this seems to be an unusual marking for the type to have carried in RNZAF service, I have carefully checked W. Russell's book, but can find no indication of any NZ-based Corsairs carrying C.1 roundels, the nearest being NZ5632 which was in Japan when it had C.1's put in place.
Unfortunately the aircraft number is obscured by a rather tatty engine cover (which IMHO is in itself an unusual thing to find on a supposedly 'withdrawn' aircraft), there are no evident unit markings, and the area around the tailplane is obscured in shadow. There are no numbers evident on the fin or rudder. An odd detail is that there is no radio mast on the fuselage behind the cockpit canopy. It does seem to be a somewhat confused aircraft.
I have not found copies of this photograph in any books on the RNZAF, but given the fact that the type's NZ-service is well-illustrated and documented, (and that there can't be too many photos of one with an engine-cover still in place) no doubt it is well known to the membership. Should this be the case, identification of the aircraft would be appreciated.
Thanks in advance.
Komata
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Post by davidd on Oct 6, 2013 11:52:34 GMT 12
I am in total agreement with Damon - and it again goes to show that you can NEVER entirely rely on eye witnesses (and particularly witnesses way ouside their specialist subject) - the gross and disastrous mistakes made by eye witnesses (on oath) in criminal trials are legion. However if one of these Corsairs in THAT particular colour scheme flew past in front of you with the sun behind it, most other people watching (with absolutely no knowledge of standard US Navy colour schemes) would say, with absolute certainty, "That is a really dark looking aircraft, almost black", or, more emphatically, "That's black!! Any fool can see that! David D
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Post by davidd on Oct 6, 2013 12:07:29 GMT 12
Another point; all the later-model F4U-1D Corsairs (past a certain point) were delivered in the overall dark blue scheme, exactly the same as the much later FG-IDs - this affected aircraft delivered to New Zealand as well as to Espiritu Santo. NZ5545 was supposedly painted up as "Corsair" in latter 1944 or very early 1945, for a bit of a publicity tour throughout the country, to introduce the new "star player" of the RNZAF to the public, despite fact that these aircraft had been operating out of Ardmore in some considerable numbers since July 1944. And they had been regularly flying around the whole country in small formations on cross country nav exercises as a normal part of the training syllubus, mostly on the squadrons rather than the Conversion Flight. The second "silver" Corsair, which was retained by the Electrical & Wirless School at Wigram as an instructional airframe from about early 1947, was NZ5526. David D
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aotea
Warrant Officer
Posts: 35
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Post by aotea on Sept 15, 2015 0:01:02 GMT 12
And also from 'The box', another photo of NZ5545 "CORSAIR"
Note it still has the standard white instruction panels on the undercarriage front covers.I was planning to create some artwork for this aircraft. This post mentions the "standard white instruction panels" visible in the photo. Does anyone here have any close-up photos of these panels. Were they blank, or were instructions printed on them? Any help most appreciated. Regards. Greg
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Post by Ian Warren on Sept 15, 2015 12:54:53 GMT 12
I was planning to create some artwork for this aircraft. This post mentions the "standard white instruction panels" visible in the photo. Does anyone here have any close-up photos of these panels. Were they blank, or were instructions printed on them? Any help most appreciated. Regards. Greg From Charles Darby's book , two Corsairs NZ5531 and NZ5526 were the only known to be metal painted except for the identity markings and and black anti-glare panel, course from the book paint description below being dark naval blue. Brendon Deere maybe the best source for markings as from his book 'Miltary Wing' published in 1979.
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Post by Dave Homewood on Sept 15, 2015 13:39:25 GMT 12
Ian, don't forget that Charles Darby's book is almost forty years old, and his comment of "only known" pertains to only what he and his peers knew back then. As this forum continues to prove time and again as previously unpublished photos and information comes to light, there's a lot more information out there that was not known to the experts and historians back in the 1960's and 1970's. So never take such a statement as "the only known" as being still the case as they were the only known at the time.
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Post by Ian Warren on Sept 15, 2015 15:05:35 GMT 12
Dave, that is correct regard to old information and publications but for example .. if the aircraft a 'polished black' how dose the identity marking show up? the registration in an even more darker, the Corsair would be the US Navys standard midnight blue. One off the biggest tail tales is the red fin flash that only just stands out, course the old United States Star and Bar showed that to good effect.
I'd tend to believe only two Silver Corsairs existed, one off the biggest problems was most records and manuals were dumped, the recent and classic example would have been the Short Sunderland and even earlier the Vildebeest, Strange we start searching for something that should have been documented at least recorded for the next generation that pops thru.
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Post by Dave Homewood on Sept 15, 2015 15:56:59 GMT 12
Yeah, I was speaking generally there about not relying completely on 40 year old books, not specifically about the actual colours of the silver and alleged black Corsair. I personally don' believe it was black at all.
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