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Post by htbrst on Oct 6, 2015 14:04:17 GMT 12
The local paper also has a story which adds that "The original Harvard will go to Paul Gleeson at Mangatainoka where it will be tidied up" ... note the name on the truck delivering her when she first arrived (photo from Facebook )
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Post by chbessexboy on Oct 6, 2015 18:48:24 GMT 12
Where has it gone and what will happen to it?
Sorry, just read that part of the clipping, but where will it end up long term?
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Post by htbrst on Oct 23, 2015 19:12:33 GMT 12
No news on whats happening long term, but there is an article on Page 4 of the local Bush Telegraph newspaper with "A history of the Harvard NZ918" written by Paul Gleeson bushtelegraph.communitynews.co.nz/files/4.htmlOf Note... The supporting structure for the new slide is now in - looking much sturdier than the struts that held NZ918
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Post by Brett on Oct 24, 2015 7:09:30 GMT 12
Speaking of playground planes... I wood like to identify these two planes. This one seems to have had a previous life as a crew trainer, as all of the emergency egress equipment has been activated. Cheers, Brett
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Post by Dave Homewood on Oct 24, 2015 10:23:44 GMT 12
The first one is a Supermarine Spitfirewood, and the second one looks like an Avro Plankaster
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Post by ZacYates on Oct 27, 2015 15:22:19 GMT 12
I'm sorry, Dave, I think you'll find this is a Plankaster: And these are Spitfirewoods, seen escorting same at Duxford: (pictures shamelessly nicked from here[/u]) Brett - I think the first is a Vickers Gunbust'd and the second a Ford Nomotor.
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Post by ZacYates on Dec 3, 2015 10:58:21 GMT 12
Driving through Pahiatua on the way too and from Masterton on Saturday I saw the new steps/mount for the replica Harvard being installed. Hopefully next time I drive through I'll have an aeroplane to take a photo of.
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Post by htbrst on Dec 11, 2015 12:12:15 GMT 12
The new Harvard getting some finishing touches this morning before the fuselage gets mounted to the wings:
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Post by johnnyfalcon on Dec 11, 2015 17:28:51 GMT 12
That looks promising
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bigguy
Leading Aircraftman
Posts: 6
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Post by bigguy on Dec 12, 2015 3:00:25 GMT 12
The new Harvard getting some finishing touches this morning before the fuselage gets mounted to the wings:
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bigguy
Leading Aircraftman
Posts: 6
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Post by bigguy on Dec 12, 2015 3:15:57 GMT 12
Just adding a thread to raise awareness about the Pahiatua "Harvard Adventure Playground" with the infamous Harvard Slide. Pahiatua has (finally!) embraced the Harvard and the playground as a point of difference in the town and is fundraising madly to upgrade the playground facilities. Based on the fundraising sign at the Xmas parade I passed through today, they have now completed the first stage a $100,000 upgrade of the play equipment (which looks amazing!) and and are progressing to the second stage which is an upgrade of the large fort behind the Harvard. What was good to see was that the next stage or two included preservation work on the Harvard itself - it has definitely seen better days with the Canopy being open for quite some time. I must say though I am dissapointed that their application for a Skyhawk was turned down, a Skyhawk slide would have been awesome! (Yes, they did ask for one - www.times-age.co.nz/news/pahiatua-skyhawk-bid-foiled/1057345/) Will try and get some pictures next time I am throught there to make this thread a bit more useful The interesting 1963 story of how the Pahiatua Jaycee's ''Project Harvard'' ended up in the playground with the help of Eric & Paul Gleeson, Joe Ridley, Snow Greaves, Tom Findlay, Jack Cotter & many others. November 1963 article from Pahiatua's ''North Wairarapa News''. JAYCEE'S COMPETE HARVARD PROJECT ...After five months of work by Pahiatua Jaycees a Harvard aircraft has been installed in the children's playground in the Northern Square. Tremendous interest has been taken in this project and the aircraft is extremely popular with children. Jaycee correspondent Jon White supplies the following article on Project Harvard. The Harvard which was purchased from Bennett's Aviation Te Kuiti, was dismantled there by our local Jaycees on May 25 and loaded on to Mr Tom Findlay's articulator which he donated for the occasion. The next day the aircraft was bought to Pahiatua and placed in one of Mr Eric Gleeson's sheds for the work of converting it for use in the childrens playground. With project convener Joe Ridley and Playground convener Jack Cotter organising the work was soon under way. One of the hardest jobs was the sandpapering of the whole plane, this taking a dozen Jaycees some six hours. But as the months passed the finished plane gradually took shape under the eagle eyes of Joe and Jack. Modifications were carried out by Jaycee labour and everyone pulled their weight to make the project a success. Most of the work on the Harvard was done at night and we have Eric Gleeson to thank for this, as we had the use of his shed and power. Without it the work could only have been done in the weekends. The slide and mountings were made by Joe Ridley engineers and a working bee concreted in the first of the mountings ready for the launching which was on October 12. On that morning 18 Jaycees bodily lifted the Harvard on to a lorry and it was carried to the playground where, with the aid of a tractor loader and the muscles of Jaycees, it was lifted to a height of eight feet off the ground to be bolted and concreted in position. A fine peice of spray painting by Jaycee ''Snow'' Greaves finished off the the installation and left very little to be desired. One thing that made work a great deal easier was the co-operation of Sgt. Clements in letting us use his hot point to run power over to the playground for the use of our drills. It has been the co-operation of all those who loaned equipment and facilities that have really made the project go so well. Also the support of the general public of Pahiatua in assisting us in our fund-raising and the donations through our many projects fund-raising have put the plane where it is today. Without this support this project would not have been possible. An estimate of the cost of the complete project would be between four and five hundred pounds, taking into consideration the 250 man hours worked by Jaycee's not to mention members of the public who assisted us along the way. The playground is being modernised for the benefit of the children of Pahiatua and the aeroplane is only one aspect of it and at the moment the costliest, but in the future we hope to add to it with the help of of the people of our town, a concrete skating area approximately 50 x 40 feet square with a pipe handrail around it with possibly a small pavillion. In placing the Harvard in the playground we also hoped to make it a landmark by which Pahiatua can be recognised This has certainly proven the case as there is hardly a car entering the town that does not slow down and stop and look. The original number of the Harvard is NZ918 and since it has been repainted on the fuselage one of our residents on looking up his log books, from his Air Force days, has discovered that he has flown it. He is Mr Graham Reid, Graham found that he had flown the Harvard in August and September 1944 when he was stationed at Woodbourne near Blenheim. This was certainly a thrill for the Reid family, especially the children, who first asked their father out of curiosity. The finishing touches were done to the project during the weekend when Jaycee Paul Gleeson finished the signwriting and the propeller was finally fitted.
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bigguy
Leading Aircraftman
Posts: 6
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Post by bigguy on Dec 12, 2015 3:18:23 GMT 12
The interesting 1963 story of how the Pahiatua Jaycee's ''Project Harvard'' ended up in the playground with the help of Eric & Paul Gleeson, Joe Ridley, Snow Greaves, Tom Findlay, Jack Cotter & many others. November 1963 article from Pahiatua's ''North Wairarapa News''. JAYCEE'S COMPETE HARVARD PROJECT ...After five months of work by Pahiatua Jaycees a Harvard aircraft has been installed in the children's playground in the Northern Square. Tremendous interest has been taken in this project and the aircraft is extremely popular with children. Jaycee correspondent Jon White supplies the following article on Project Harvard. The Harvard which was purchased from Bennett's Aviation Te Kuiti, was dismantled there by our local Jaycees on May 25 and loaded on to Mr Tom Findlay's articulator which he donated for the occasion. The next day the aircraft was bought to Pahiatua and placed in one of Mr Eric Gleeson's sheds for the work of converting it for use in the childrens playground. With project convener Joe Ridley and Playground convener Jack Cotter organising the work was soon under way. One of the hardest jobs was the sandpapering of the whole plane, this taking a dozen Jaycees some six hours. But as the months passed the finished plane gradually took shape under the eagle eyes of Joe and Jack. Modifications were carried out by Jaycee labour and everyone pulled their weight to make the project a success. Most of the work on the Harvard was done at night and we have Eric Gleeson to thank for this, as we had the use of his shed and power. Without it the work could only have been done in the weekends. The slide and mountings were made by Joe Ridley engineers and a working bee concreted in the first of the mountings ready for the launching which was on October 12. On that morning 18 Jaycees bodily lifted the Harvard on to a lorry and it was carried to the playground where, with the aid of a tractor loader and the muscles of Jaycees, it was lifted to a height of eight feet off the ground to be bolted and concreted in position. A fine peice of spray painting by Jaycee ''Snow'' Greaves finished off the the installation and left very little to be desired. One thing that made work a great deal easier was the co-operation of Sgt. Clements in letting us use his hot point to run power over to the playground for the use of our drills. It has been the co-operation of all those who loaned equipment and facilities that have really made the project go so well. Also the support of the general public of Pahiatua in assisting us in our fund-raising and the donations through our many projects fund-raising have put the plane where it is today. Without this support this project would not have been possible. An estimate of the cost of the complete project would be between four and five hundred pounds, taking into consideration the 250 man hours worked by Jaycee's not to mention members of the public who assisted us along the way. The playground is being modernised for the benefit of the children of Pahiatua and the aeroplane is only one aspect of it and at the moment the costliest, but in the future we hope to add to it with the help of of the people of our town, a concrete skating area approximately 50 x 40 feet square with a pipe handrail around it with possibly a small pavillion. In placing the Harvard in the playground we also hoped to make it a landmark by which Pahiatua can be recognised This has certainly proven the case as there is hardly a car entering the town that does not slow down and stop and look. The original number of the Harvard is NZ918 and since it has been repainted on the fuselage one of our residents on looking up his log books, from his Air Force days, has discovered that he has flown it. He is Mr Graham Reid, Graham found that he had flown the Harvard in August and September 1944 when he was stationed at Woodbourne near Blenheim. This was certainly a thrill for the Reid family, especially the children, who first asked their father out of curiosity. The finishing touches were done to the project during the weekend when Jaycee Paul Gleeson finished the signwriting and the propeller was finally fitted.
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Post by delticman on Dec 12, 2015 18:30:21 GMT 12
Drove into Pahiatua this afternoon from the north. Good to see the new Harvard but something is not quite right, maybe it's the yellow around the cockpit canopy. Only the rivet counters will notice.
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Post by TS on Dec 12, 2015 19:08:17 GMT 12
ssshhhhhhh do not talk ill of the rivet counters..... What about that prop...... What has happened to the original airframe??? is it weetbix
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Post by htbrst on Dec 14, 2015 16:02:01 GMT 12
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Post by htbrst on Dec 14, 2015 16:06:19 GMT 12
Drove into Pahiatua this afternoon from the north. Good to see the new Harvard but something is not quite right, maybe it's the yellow around the cockpit canopy. Only the rivet counters will notice. It is nice to see so many (fake) rivets on it though - much neater than a flat surface. There are a few obvious differences for rivet couters but overall a closer look to the real thing than I feared it could have been.
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Post by ZacYates on Dec 16, 2015 13:35:58 GMT 12
Driving through a week or so back - between Harvards - I was pleased to see how extensive the playground revamp was. There is a lot of shiny, new-looking equipment. At 4pm on a Saturday it was also chocka with kids and teens - great to see.
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Post by ZacYates on Feb 1, 2016 7:18:07 GMT 12
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Post by kiwithrottlejockey on Apr 10, 2016 21:15:32 GMT 12
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Post by saratoga on Apr 10, 2016 21:46:50 GMT 12
So,Start with a Harvard and end up with an . Looks like the 1/1 scale equivalent of a Starfix kit.I bet the boxart was even worse!.
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