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Post by pjw4118 on Dec 9, 2010 11:01:01 GMT 12
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Post by Dave Homewood on Dec 9, 2010 11:46:00 GMT 12
Superb photos once again Peter.
The third shot shows the Mechanics Bay hangars and terminal nicely.
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Post by Kereru on Dec 9, 2010 13:44:55 GMT 12
Fantastic pics Peter thanks for sharing. I can remember as a young boy (aged 10) going to Mechanics Bay to watch my Uncle Stan fly to Australia. Quite an event in those days. I guess he went to Sydney and I know he attended the Melbourne Olympic games as he had moved to Melbourne shortly before they started. He returned to NZ many years later and brought back the Olympic games souvenirs.
Colin
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Post by kb on Dec 9, 2010 14:00:33 GMT 12
That lovely shot of AMC is the best I have seen of her and clearly shows the upper wing registration etc and what I presume are the orange outer wing panels. Thanks Peter.
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Post by pjw4118 on Dec 9, 2010 14:26:11 GMT 12
Thanks for the comments guys, its nice to see that photos I have had for decades still are worth showing.Any info on the dates or comments are welcome. Thats the end of the Star flying boats but I have found a packet of prewar deHavilland types in airline service here so they are up next if thats OK
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Post by Dave Homewood on Dec 9, 2010 15:19:43 GMT 12
Sorry, I could not resist having a play with the lovely shot of ZK-AMC, to give it a bit of colour.
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Post by kiwithrottlejockey on Dec 9, 2010 15:40:58 GMT 12
I presume the autograph signed on the first and third photographs is that of Captain Jack Tilton?
Captain Tilton commanded “California Clipper” on the first flight of a Boeing 314 to New Zealand (it was the first survey flight via Canton Island and Noumea) departing San Francisco on 22nd August 1939 and arriving at Auckland on 30th August, the day after ZK-AMA “Aotearoa” arrived on its delivery flight. Captain Tilton's co-pilot was Captain Cluthe (acting as First Officer), who commanded several subsequent Boeing 314 flights to NZ, including the second survey flight which arrived at Auckland on 24th November 1939 (departing again on 26th November), and also operated by “California Clipper”.
Captain Jack Tilton commanded “American Clipper” on the first scheduled flight to NZ (carrying only mail), arriving on 18th July 1940 and departing again on 20th July. His co-pilot on that occasion was First Officer Martin.
On 11th November 1941 (only a few weeks before the Japanese attacked Pearl Harbour and ended Pan American's flying-boat service to NZ for good), Captain Tilton arrived at Auckland commanding NC18602 — formerly “California Clipper”, but now renamed “Pacific Clipper” — on what was to be his last flight to NZ as an airline pilot. It was also the first Pan American service to operate via Suva. The British had finally relented and allowed Pan American into Fiji. Captain Tilton departed for San Francisco the following day on 12th November.
However, Captain Tilton did make one further flight to NZ as a US Naval Reserve pilot, setting out in late-August 1942, commanding a Martin PBM-3R Mariner flying-boat on a Naval Air Transport Service (NATS) survey flight. It departed Pearl Harbour on 22nd August and flew to Brisbane, Australia via Palmyra Island, Canton Island, Suva and Noumea. On 2nd September, the Mariner departed from Brisbane and crossed the Tasman to Auckland, then after a few days, departed again on 7th September for Tonga, Pago Pago, Penryhn Island, Palmyra Island and Pearl Harbour, arriving there on 14th September. NATS Martin Mariner flying-boats then became regular visitors to Mechanics Bay at Auckland as part of the US Navy's transport operation throughout the Pacific.
As a matter of interest, that is “American Clipper” in the first photograph, “Honolulu Clipper” in the second photograph, “California Clipper” in the third photograph, and “Honolulu Clipper” in the fourth photograph with “Aotearoa”.
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Post by kiwithrottlejockey on Dec 9, 2010 15:43:09 GMT 12
Sorry, I could not resist having a play with the lovely shot of ZK-AMC, to give it a bit of colour. That would look bloody good as the group's header photograph (hint...hint).
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Post by Dave Homewood on Dec 9, 2010 15:54:51 GMT 12
Yeah, I spose.
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Post by marygarden on Dec 9, 2010 16:19:09 GMT 12
Wonderful photos: the first one must be the actual delivery of Awarua as my father, Oscar Garden, delivered it that day. Who found them in the Auckland Star rubbish bin? Air New Zealand told me a few years ago that much of their archival material (of TEAL) was either lost in a fire or taken to the Auckland dump (many years ago).
I've got some photos of the crew and their wives on arrival, although my father's wife (his first) was in Sweden so she is not there. She came out some time through war torn Europe and my father flew to Sydney to collect her in one of the two flying boats.
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Post by kiwithrottlejockey on Dec 9, 2010 16:22:51 GMT 12
I've had the following photo parked on an external hard-drive for years.... I can't even remember where I got it from, but I've seen it in black & white on quite a few websites and published in books. I presume it has been artificially coloured. While looking for the above photo, I came across the following one on the same hard-drive which I don't even recall saving....it must have been there for a long time. I really must get around to sorting out my collection of aviation photos....it's rather a mess.
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Post by marygarden on Dec 9, 2010 16:45:27 GMT 12
Ah yes, I've got that one which has been parked on your hard-drive for years (kiwithrottlejockey). It was one of my father's collection and he had it framed (amongst others) and they adorned the walls of the various homes we moved to. Didn't think much of them at the time, but luckily I inherited the lot. He would have got his copies in 1940, I presume. He grew to hate flying them over the Tasman Sea because they were never built for such crossings, and they had lots of hair-rising times he said. Also, long (up to 10 hours) and boring flights which he had to make sometimes two or three times a week. Ah, but they were allowed to smoke back then!
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Post by pjw4118 on Dec 9, 2010 17:04:29 GMT 12
Gee those comments are filling in the gaps. Kiwi TJ just how do you colour a print so realistically? just superb and thank you. These and others to come were saved by a printer at the Auckland Star Leon Moller who passed them to me as a boy who loved aeroplanes. His father was an engraver who served in the Desert and penned a lot of pictures of Arab life and colourful fish!! Just what his role was I dont know but the family was certainly foreign to us in the 1950s, but passed not only these pictures but some of their art to my parents over the years. Does any one remember the painted rose fire screens, thats where they came from, but dont start a new thread on this subject please.
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Post by Dave Homewood on Dec 9, 2010 17:29:00 GMT 12
Well I raise a glass to Leon Moller, not only for having the good sense to rescue these treasures, but for having the good sense to give them to you Peter. They are in very safe hands. Here are two more I just colourised for a bit of fun, I hopoe these are not annoying to viewers. Let me know and I'll stop if necessary.
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Post by kiwithrottlejockey on Dec 9, 2010 17:36:29 GMT 12
Here are two more I just colourised for a bit of fun, I hopoe these are not annoying to viewers. Let me know and I'll stop if necessary. There's a few photos of a Sikorsky S-42 flying-boat in the other thread that could do with a wee bit of colour!
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Post by Dave Homewood on Dec 9, 2010 17:41:27 GMT 12
It is amazing to me how the Auckland War Memorial Museum was so imposing on the Auckland skyline back then, perhaps moreso than the Sky Tower is today. Does anyone know what the other big building right of the museum and closer to the cost is? It's quite large. I first thought perhaps it was the hospital, but thta wasn't there then I don't think.
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Post by shorty on Dec 9, 2010 18:59:32 GMT 12
It looks to be in the Stanley St/Carlaw Park area. It's too much in front of the museum to be the hospital. It's closer to where the university is but the uni clock tower isn't showing so it can't be that.
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Post by Bruce on Dec 9, 2010 19:14:23 GMT 12
Could be the old Nestle Chocolate factory in Parnell (or whatever company owned it then...)
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Post by Bruce on Dec 9, 2010 19:36:29 GMT 12
I just used Google earth, drawing lines from the approx mechanics bay site and the museum, and another to Mt Eden. the mystery building would be somewhere in the middle of the two lines, on a high point. My estimate is the corner of Parnell Rd and Garfield St - there is a modern car park building on the site now....
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Post by shorty on Dec 9, 2010 19:58:22 GMT 12
If you look at the photo "SikorskyAuckland7" you can't see that building although the Museum stands out like the proverbial.
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