|
Post by aeromedia on Aug 20, 2011 19:44:55 GMT 12
C47 Salvation at last ! For the last ten years, I have been keeping an eye on a C47 cockpit that has managed to keep a relatively low profile, despite the fact it has been hanging from the ceiling in a city pub as a bar theme prop. I signalled my interest in acquiring it way back when and the problem has been , the frontage of the pub was modified after the thing was placed there, effectively entombing the cockpit until some major refit one day, or, . . . an earthquake or three!!!! After the quake I further kept an eye on the situation, keeping a dialogue going with the present owners and the demoliotion company. They were very cooperative, and went to quite considerable effort to lift the boken roof off the bar with two huge cranes, with the DC3 still slung beneath it, out into the street, where contractors could safely release it. The result, a piece of history saved from certain final destruction, and purchased by me. Now the crunch question. Which aircraft is it from??? For years I' ve believed it was NZ3518, ZK BEU, the Yankee Zephyr, but is it? Could it be NZ3503 "Anything, Anywhere, Anytime"? Lets have your considered theories fellas?
|
|
|
Post by Bruce on Aug 20, 2011 21:00:41 GMT 12
awesome work mate! I would say its the "Yankee Zephyr" going by the olive drab paint under the red. Most of the RNZAF one were paint stripped to bare metal before they went into civvy street. either way, you could restore it with some interesting nose art - the Zephyr would also suit your movie memorobilia collection!
|
|
|
Post by aeromedia on Aug 20, 2011 21:15:09 GMT 12
Thanks Bruce. Whats interesting, is that for some reason the area under the floor has disappeared and been crudely reconstructed. The Yankee Zephyr was in fresh water for a while, so not sure why that would have disappeared. Suggested that maybe this one had sat in a garden or somesuch for quite a while and rotted out?? Dont know. Your theory re the olive drab sounds feasible. Thought I'd found the Anything, Anywhere Anytime art work under the red paint, but its a more recent graphic of a cartoon bird which I think was applied for its initial stint as a prop in Fridays Restaurant and Bar. So favouring the YZ theory again now.
|
|
|
Post by Dave Homewood on Aug 20, 2011 21:18:36 GMT 12
Wow, great work Peter. What was the bar called? Which street was it in? I wish I'd visited it to see it there.
It will make a great flower pot sitting there in your garden. ;D
|
|
|
Post by Dave Homewood on Aug 20, 2011 21:21:23 GMT 12
Ah, you answered the question of the bar while i was typing.
What basis was your theory of it maybe being "Anything, Anywhere Anytime"? Ir would look great with that artwork on it regardless, one of the classic RNZAF nose arts.
|
|
|
Post by aeromedia on Aug 20, 2011 21:37:02 GMT 12
"Fridays" was the original fitout it was obtained for. I found deflated Fridays red balloons inside it !!!! It then became the "Vic and Whale" and more recently Winnie Bagoes had taken over the premises as tenants. Dave it was in Colombo Street opposite Victoria Square, I think the building was called The Union Building originally. Not planning on it being a flower pot. it will be in my shed shortly and I plan to create a box section rolling sub frame to mount it on and refabricate the lower section around that. Then I want to recreate a wartime instrument panel, source original overhead electrics panels (the curved top ones), find a throttle pedetal and yokes. I have seats already. In the back, the racks for the radio equipment are still in situ, so would be nice to source some period gear to kit that out. Definitely a Military C47 rather than DC3 display. So the parts hunt begins in earnest. Good base for the nav dome. Need the actual plex though.
|
|
|
Post by Dave Homewood on Aug 20, 2011 21:43:46 GMT 12
It's a really cool item to add to your collection. I would recommend when you start looking for aprts to post a thread onto the WIX forum, there seem to be a fair few people there invoilved in C-47 restorations and you may find the bits you want. Perhaps you can ring in on the open mic show on Warbirds Radio too, and make an appeal.
|
|
|
Post by aeromedia on Aug 20, 2011 21:48:08 GMT 12
Dave asked: What basis was your theory of it maybe being "Anything, Anywhere Anytime"? Ir would look great with that artwork on it regardless, one of the classic RNZAF nose arts.
When I collected it, the weather was foul and I didnt have time to really look at it. When I went back home today I saw this artwork featuring a big cartoon bird and I immediately thought, "Hells bells, its the stork off the Anything Anywhere Anytime famous nose art. Then as I scratched through the red, I thought, "hold on, this is a relatively modern graphic which has been pasted on." But the coincidence of the bird theme caused me quite a bit of confusion there for a wee while.
|
|
|
Post by Bruce on Aug 20, 2011 21:51:25 GMT 12
The nose of the Zephyr in the film was chopped up by the art dept to show crash damage - I guess it then needed some internal bulkheads to make it watertight for the sequence in the film where it is towed across the lake. That would explain the crude rebuild. Trying to find a clear image (checking several online clips) that shows it....
|
|
|
Post by aeromedia on Aug 20, 2011 21:58:15 GMT 12
Ahhhh, hence all that bandaging under the nose in this shot then ?? Would almost certainly make it the Zephyr wouldn't you think? That and the olive drab, sounds like a positive ID to me???
|
|
|
Post by Dave Homewood on Aug 20, 2011 22:22:19 GMT 12
Check and see if they left any of the gold bars in it!
|
|
|
Post by Bruce on Aug 20, 2011 22:39:02 GMT 12
Some screen grabs from the movie - A view showing the damage done to the nose underside: the artwork on the LH side: and also on the RH side - unlike most WW2 nose art: to quote Barney from the movie "What you have there is a Yankee Zephyr!"
|
|
|
Post by dakman on Aug 20, 2011 22:56:12 GMT 12
great to know the nose section of BEU has survived submersion in Whakatipu CH ,CH quakes etc well done guess if it was a bar feature there is no chance of purple heart medals gold or good old bourbon
|
|
|
Post by Dave Homewood on Aug 20, 2011 23:03:28 GMT 12
A lot of the US aircraft had nose art on both sides Bruce. Memphis Belle is a famous example, and she wears a blue dress on one side and red on the other.
Is the film out on DVD??
|
|
|
Post by dakman on Aug 20, 2011 23:07:19 GMT 12
Good question Dave have it on tape .
|
|
|
Post by shorty on Aug 20, 2011 23:27:29 GMT 12
Does Chris Rudge have a C47 nose mounted on a trailer? Maybe he could help with bits. Nigel Wilcox has a pile of stuff but I am 98% sure there isn't any C47 stuff in his collection but it could be worth an ask.
|
|
|
Post by aeromedia on Aug 21, 2011 7:28:50 GMT 12
Shorty, Chris Rudges nose section is over at the the Ashburton Airfield, spitting distance from my place so there are currently 3 DC3s (at least 2 bits and one whole) within a few hundred metres. I crawled all over it yesterday. I think BEU will come up nicely, none of them are perfect when you really look at them closely. There are a lot of possibilities when chosing nose art names , "QUAKE SURVIVOR" "Shaken Not Stirred" "Twice Not Out" etc but that Yankee Zephyr nose art looks so good, it HAS to be olive drab with that on it I reckon. Would be interesting to try and locate someone who actually worked on the film crew and learn more about what they put the old girl through. This is certainly one relic with a history and a captivating story to tell, both in the air and all that followed. I'm quite chuffed to have finally secured her after all this time.
|
|
|
Post by Damon on Aug 21, 2011 8:54:58 GMT 12
The DVD of the film RFTYZ has been out for sometime.Maybe try the local rental shop or The Warehouse DVD section as I have seen it in the bins from time to time.Great movie!
|
|
|
Post by Bruce on Aug 21, 2011 9:08:09 GMT 12
It is available online too: stagevu.com/video/vzaggkegjvnuwhich is where I got the screenshots. BEU had quite an unusual life for a NZ Dak, with service with Mt Cook Airlines (Including Skyliner conversion) and with luggate Game packers as a "Stagliner". I think though that the Yankee Zephyr colour scheme would be ideal to fit in with the rest of Aeromedia's Cinema collection. The movie couldnt be described as a "masterpiece of NZ Cinema" but it was quite popular and featured some famous NZ actors such as Bruno Lawrence. (Bruno is seen running up the cabin roof trying to escape the rapidly sinking aircraft). Certainly a better film than "Shaker Run" which I watched on YouTube the other night!
|
|
|
Post by Dave.K on Aug 21, 2011 9:19:46 GMT 12
I am pretty sure Rex Dovey was one of the pilots of the dak in the film.
|
|