New NAC planes

[ams888]

Hi all,

I have been busy recently finishing off some new NAC aircraft.

First is my DC3. ZK-AYL flew a fairly undistinguished career with the NAC until its retirement in 1968. It was then flown to Laos where its fate is unknown, but is presumed to have been broken up there. I picked this DC3 to model, because it is called Piwakawaka, which means fantail.







Next is my DH114 Heron, ZK - BBN. This Heron was called Matuhi, which means bush wren. It arrived in New Zealand in April 1953 until its retirement from the NAC. It was the backup aircraft for the Royal tour in 1953/1954, but was not needed. After its NAC retirement, this aircraft went on to serve Southern Airways in Australia, and Fiji Airways. In Fiji it crashed in 1966, and used for fire fighting training.

[silverfox]

Excellent work are the markings commercial or did you make them yourself?

[ams888]

I made them myself

[Dave Homewood]

Great stuff!

However adf.seials states that ZK-AYL was NZ3527 in the RNZAF and became 'TIMARU' with NAC, so did it have a name change to 'PIWAKAWAKA'?

They also state "To Lao Airlines, Vientiane as XW-TDH on 29 May 1968. To USA with Somerset Area Vocational School, Somerset, Kentucky, USA as N8056 1971-1975. Further details unknown."
www.adf-serials.com/nz-serials/nz3501.shtml

Very nice models though. I never realised either type wore the orange stripe with the red. I assumed that came later. Nice to see and to learn something new.

[ams888]

They were originally given Maori bird names, and then when they started converting the DC3's to skyliners (when they upgraded the interiors and put bigger windows in them) they were given place names. Although the NAC book said that ZK-AYL was changed to be called Whakatane. ZK-AOD was called Timaru.

[flyjoe180]

Beautiful models, you have a great collection there.

[Calum]

Good stuff there