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Post by hairy on Jul 8, 2011 23:13:14 GMT 12
After contributing to the P-40 Pile I thought "why not a Corsair pile?". So here we go............................... All photos are Whites Aviation unless otherwise noted. Air Vice Marshall Leonard Isitt and Sqdn. Leader Allan "Skip" Watson inspect the rockets under the wing of a Corsair at Ardmore, October 1945. Corsairs on the ramp at Armore in 1944 right where the Warbirds hangar is now. RNZAF MuseumCorsairs breaking over the tower (Ardmore?). Corsair from Ardmore pulling out after firing it's rockets on the Clevedon(?) range, October 1945. NZ5326, NZ5315 and NZ5307 of 18 Squadron off the coast of Guadalcanal in February 1945, taken from Hudson NZ 2080. RNZAF MuseumRNZAF MuseumDerelict Corsairs at Rukuhia post-war. Hey, all you modellers out there, this would make an awesome diorama. More tomorrow.
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Post by Dave Homewood on Jul 9, 2011 1:14:43 GMT 12
Super idea Marcus, well done.
That first shot is definately Leonard Isitt but that's not Wing Commander Webb with him, it is in fact Squadron Leader Allan "Skip" Watson, who was then the CO of the Rocket Firing School at Ardmore. Skip was the 2i/c when it formed under Sqn Ldr Don Winstone, but once they got it all established and Skip was proficient in the methods, Don got his ticket out of the Air Force so Skip took over the school. His role was training pilots from squadrons returning from the islands in rocket firing to prepare them for conversion to the weapon as they converted to the Mustangs. But the war had ended just after the school was set up so they only ran a few courses and then it was disbanded and he went to Wigram to fly with the E&W School.
That firing range shot is great. I think Skip said they fired the rockets off of Kaipara, but I don't know if this is there. The RNZAF also had a live firing range in the sea just off of Seagrove so maybe this is there. Skip's logbook doesn't note where the range was, he just wrote 'Rocket Firing' each time.
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Post by Damon on Jul 9, 2011 9:45:00 GMT 12
Dave, I think the life firing shot is taken just east of the Clevedon river mouth around Pakihi Island.Its quite hilly there compared to Seagrove.Cool shots! Thanks Hairy.
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Post by corsairarm on Jul 9, 2011 11:27:37 GMT 12
Great to see this thread about Corsairs. I thought I would post this photo of my father. I was taken somewhere in Bourganville. I am not to sure of his SU. I have to get his service records from the RNZAF. Been meaning to do it for years. This photo apeared in the Weekly News (I think). My brother has the original which I will try and get back off him to confirm this. The next photo I'm sure is dad also and may have been taken at the same time. This photo also appears in the book "Courage in the skies". Both photos are of course are RNZAF Official photos.
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Post by Dave Homewood on Jul 9, 2011 11:32:41 GMT 12
Damon, now that you have said that, yes, I am sure that's were Skip said the firing range was, just off of Clevedon.
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allok
Squadron Leader
Posts: 113
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Post by allok on Jul 9, 2011 16:04:22 GMT 12
Hey, all you modellers out there, this would make an awesome diorama. It certainly would. Unfortunately, I build 1/32 so I don't have the space or the time.
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Post by hairy on Jul 9, 2011 19:21:40 GMT 12
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Post by hairy on Jul 9, 2011 19:31:31 GMT 12
Hey, all you modellers out there, this would make an awesome diorama. It certainly would. Unfortunately, I build 1/32 so I don't have the space or the time. Where's your sense of adventure, there's only 40-some Corsairs in that picture. ;D
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Post by hairy on Jul 10, 2011 19:45:24 GMT 12
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Post by shorty on Jul 10, 2011 20:23:27 GMT 12
Thats not 5612 next to the Hudson, it's 5648
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Post by curtiss on Jul 10, 2011 21:26:09 GMT 12
All RNZAF Official. Some via John Regan. NZ5651 Iwakuni Japan 21 JAN 1948. f/o C C Nairn. NZ5485 NZ5459 NZ5393 NZ5312 Piva FG1 Corsair
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Post by curtiss on Jul 10, 2011 21:28:28 GMT 12
A few more. All RNZAF official again. Jacquinot Bay.
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Post by errolmartyn on Jul 10, 2011 22:52:48 GMT 12
"NZ5651 Iwakuni Japan 21 JAN 1948. f/o C C Nairn."
Just a minor correction: the pilot was actually Fg Off R. C. C. Nairn (Ronald Charles Cecil Nairn, to give him his full name).
Was executing a steep low turn as No.4 when he was caught in the slipstream of No.3.
Errol
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Post by hairy on Jul 10, 2011 22:56:10 GMT 12
Thats not 5612 next to the Hudson, it's 5648 Cheers, the post is now corrected.
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Post by Dave Homewood on Jul 11, 2011 12:55:24 GMT 12
Great stuff, keep them coming guys.
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Post by pjw4118 on Jul 11, 2011 13:28:57 GMT 12
Great pictures, so many sad Rukuhia ones, it brings back memories of the days when Don Noble and I went down regularly to strip out NZ 3009. We should have done a corsair at the same time. I will now have to have a scratch in my old Corsair bin and see whats there.
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Post by Dave Homewood on Jul 18, 2011 11:55:15 GMT 12
Here is a great shot that Kerry Foster has sent through, which he has scanned from the album of a No. 2 (BR) Squadron member. It shows Corsairs NZ5321, NZ5323, NZ5325 and NZ5326 lined up plus a fifth aircraft unidentified. Not that on the cowl of NZ5325 is the name "Judy". Thanks Kerry.
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Post by phas3e on Jul 19, 2011 21:33:33 GMT 12
Nice Clear copy of this known photo
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Post by Dave Homewood on Jul 19, 2011 21:57:13 GMT 12
Oooh I do like that one. One of the Corsairs that went to Japan had the white cowl rind like that too. I wonder what it meant?
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Post by shorty on Jul 20, 2011 16:45:04 GMT 12
We had the discussion about the white cowl ring when we were discussing the aircraft in the forum header BTW the aircraft "M" is NZ5357
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