Hairy , great postings, oh I forget how I loved the smoke, flames and backfires as they started up.It puts a modern jet to shame. Whenuapai was a regular Sunday outing for the family but sadly my 620 folding Kodak just had no resolution so your photos fill in a big gap. With Tigers , theres just so many , maybe the thread should split out prewar, RNZAF, ag and civil. I will have a go with a shot of Auckland Aero Club in the 1930s to kick it off.
Post by Dave Homewood on Jan 17, 2011 18:00:27 GMT 12
I forgot to say thanks for that other view of the Embassy Dakota. Very interesting to see that. I wonder if other Embassies had their own aeroplanes based in NZ too, such as the brits, etc?
"They only ever painted the one that colour (ZK-APU) It was painted that colour while in Australia being fitted out as an airliner by QANTAS, after being bought from the RAAF. It was also missing the "New Zealand" from its "National Airways Corporation" wording above the windows. "
Fantastic ams888! Do you have any idea of the colours? I guess they are not NAC, rather Qantas.
Cheatline - Qantas red? Striping black?
Anybody know the aircraft name?
Is the registration on the tails natural metal?
Can I see "NAC" on the port upper wing?
Are there any other photos?
I can see that I will have to put one of my two Lodestar kits aside for this one WHEN I start modelling again. At least I will know where they are when I finish my current task of cataloguing the kits.
Thanks once again to Marcus for posting the photo and AMS888 for the information.
..................................................Horses racing a Hudson along the runway at Norfolk Island, April 1943...................................................
. I wonder if other Embassies had their own aeroplanes based in NZ too, such as the brits, etc?
The British high commission had Avro Anson PH600 which crashed in 1947 and was replaced in 1948 with Anson PH599 which was sold in 1951 to become ZK-AXY. (See post #31 on page 3 in this thread).
..................................................Horses racing a Hudson along the runway at Norfolk Island, April 1943...................................................
With Tigers , theres just so many , maybe the thread should split out prewar, RNZAF, ag and civil.
I have decided to do a "Tiger Stash" thread (thanks Dave) and post the Tigers in their post war civil registration order.
..................................................Horses racing a Hudson along the runway at Norfolk Island, April 1943...................................................
Post by Dave Homewood on Jan 17, 2011 19:47:05 GMT 12
Ah yes, that's right. So diplomatic aircraft include a couple of Cessna Cranes, a couple of Ansons and a Dakota so far.
That Lodestar APU is very shiny, I wonder how much more speed that they got out of it over an Olive Drab one. It must have been a beggar to keep these planes shiny like that. I guess that's why they had all the ice cream men on standby.
Thanks for the additional photos of APU Marcus. That's defionitely one to model if I can identify the colours. I guess I will have to find another Lodestar kit if I am to do the classic Union Airways/NAC scheme plus an RNZAF one to keep Dave happy. ;D ;D ;D
Ah yes, that's right. So diplomatic aircraft include a couple of Cessna Cranes, a couple of Ansons and a Dakota so far.
Cessna Cranes? Do you mean Beech C-45 Expeditor?
American Legation - 1 x C-45, 1 x C-47 American Embassy - 1 x C-47 Vice Admiral Robert L. Ghormley, United States Navy - 1 x C-45 British High Commission - 2 x Anson
..................................................Horses racing a Hudson along the runway at Norfolk Island, April 1943...................................................
"I must say that if I win the big one with Lotto, the aircraft in the link below would be very tempting in the correct colours of course."
That is a very nice looking Lodestar Marcus. I guess it would cost about 200K or a little less landed in NZ. The running costs would be high but hey, who cares when they have won 15 mil in Lotto! ;D ;D
Ah yes, that's right. So diplomatic aircraft include a couple of Cessna Cranes, a couple of Ansons and a Dakota so far.
Cessna Cranes? Do you mean Beech C-45 Expeditor?
American Legation - 1 x C-45, 1 x C-47 American Embassy - 1 x C-47 Vice Admiral Robert L. Ghormley, United States Navy - 1 x C-45 British High Commission - 2 x Anson
Hmm, I did mean to say the C-45's but I am also certain I have read the US Govt had two Cranes/Bobcats here in NZ for official business too. Anyone got any ideas? Or am I wrong again?
I can see that I will have to put one of my two Lodestar kits aside for this one WHEN I start modelling again. At least I will know where they are when I finish my current task of cataloguing the kits.
The name of this lodester was Korimako (Bellbird)
It definitely had NAC on the bottom of the starboard wing, and the rego on the bottom of the port wing, and i would take an educated guess that, as with all the other lodesters in the old scheme, the top wing would be reversed, with NAC on the port wing, and the rego on the starboard. The colours were in the exact same colour scheme as the DC3's in NAC service in the years following. The fact that it was painted in Australia probably wouldn't affect the colour, as quite a few of the DC3's were painted there too.
Hmm, I did mean to say the C-45's but I am also certain I have read the US Govt had two Cranes/Bobcats here in NZ for official business too. Anyone got any ideas? Or am I wrong again?
I hate to say it Dave but you may be wrong here, two Cessna UC-78 Bobcats (Crane in RCAF service) were imported in 1948 and registered as ZK-ARS and ZK-ART but both were found to be in such bad condition they were both rejected for service by the CAA and sat derelict at Mangere until being broken up.
..................................................Horses racing a Hudson along the runway at Norfolk Island, April 1943...................................................
both rejected for service by the CAA and sat derelict at Mangere until being broken up.
Not exactly.
They were shipped into Auckland in February 1948 and assembled by Aircraft Service at Mangere. The plan was to fly them to Rongotai for overhaul by DHNZ. 42-58177/ZK-ART was test flown at Mangere 15Mar48 and then flown Mangere-Paraparaumu-Rongotai by Arthur Hewitt. His report on the flight plus investigation by DH resulted in this aircraft condemned due potential wing spar deterioration and it sat at Rongotai until broken up 13Apr52. 42-58176/ZK-ARS 'Forever Amber' never flew, and was the one derelict at Mangere.
Retirement is something for the young. Once you are old you never seem to have the time.
Since ART was flown it must have sported it's NZ registration. Are there any photos?
Yes there are, but there's also a hitch
ART was flown down in its US livery. ARS stayed at Mangere.
When it became obvious that nothing further was going to happen, an Aircraft Services employee painted ZK-ARS on the Mangere Bobcat, took a photo or two, then altered the painted registration to ZK-ART on the same aircraft and photographed that.
So if you do find a photo of ZK-ART, carefully check out the nose art to see if 'Forever Amber' is visible. If it is, you have the ring-in.
Retirement is something for the young. Once you are old you never seem to have the time.