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Post by shorty on Aug 1, 2009 20:34:09 GMT 12
Right, back to Tadji with a shot of the A-20G A second shot showing the primer showing through giving us a pink aircraft. In the foreground is the Japanese memorial shrine. another view of the shrine with the B 25-D in the background
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Post by shorty on Aug 1, 2009 21:41:09 GMT 12
Just for the hell of it here are three off topic photos from the area. First up a view from the hill top at Aitape looking down the coast towards the Tadji strips (about 12 miles down the coast) to give you some idea of the area. One reason it was an interesting place, two Hornbills feeding on chopped paw-paw fruit But, try as I might, I couldn't see myself getting cosy with these long tailed swamp dogs!
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Post by Dave Homewood on Aug 1, 2009 21:41:58 GMT 12
These photos are great!!
Was that A-20 among those that the RAAF recovered?
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Post by shorty on Aug 1, 2009 22:41:19 GMT 12
No, I think the A-20s the RAAF got back were Aussie ones from a different location, that one was a USAAC one serial 43-21627 of the 3rd bomb group. Two more B-25 cockpit and B 25, P-39s and P-40s
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Post by mumbles on Aug 2, 2009 0:22:58 GMT 12
Some photos from MY stash . I have, stashed away in a cool, dry, drawer in sealed boxes, some 500 or so colour slides, one or two of which are of aircraft! I haven't taken any slide photos for at least 25 years, so I've been investigating a means of copying them onto a CD to give better viewing and posting access. I looked at buying a special slide copier, but that was expensive for a piece of kit I'd only use once, so I gave that idea away pretty smartly. Then I had an offer in my mailbox from someone offering to do exactly what I was wanting, but at a cost of fifty cents per slide, plus I had doubts about the quality etc. So I gave that away. Then, by sheer chance, I turned up at Te Papa yesterday to meet up with Dave, and he had a mate with him who lectures in photography at the Wellington branch of Massey University! In the ensuing conversation I mentioned my problem and was then staggered by the response! "We have such a machine with a cassette feed at work", he said, "and I'd be happy to put your slides on a disc". The subsequently agreed fee was a bottle of Single Malt. How's that for a deal! So watch this space! Further to this promise / threat ;D I can present as a sort of preview some scans of some of Phil82's / Dad's photos that have unaccountably become part of MY stash..... Couple of Canberra shots. Presumably Phil82 can fill in the location details. I love the guy in the white pith helmet waving at the aircraft in the first shot! Very shiny and new looking RNZAF C-130H, July 1966 South Vietnamese C-130A at Seletar (?) after pitching up full of refugees during the final collapse of South Vietnam in April 1975. According to dad the Singaporeans said 'cheers for the free Herc', and promptly placed the aircraft into service with the RSAF. Note all the C-46's in the background, along with a Convair and maybe a DC-6. Air Force One at Ohakea. Shorty, judging by the T.13 in the background this may predate your previous shots of Dean Rusk's visit, so I'm thinking this may be for President Johnson's visit in 1965 (ish?). Sunderland in September 1967 according to the developer's stamp. Really enjoying this thread so far, I have only recently begun to delve into its deeper recesses! Thanks Shorty for taking the time to make it happen
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Post by ZacYates on Aug 2, 2009 8:30:18 GMT 12
Sorry to take the thread back a page, but the force-landed RNZAF P40 is certainly a P-40N-5 or later. You can tell by the shape of the sliding canopy section rear frame slopes forward) and the similar slope of the headrest.
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Post by phil82 on Aug 2, 2009 8:58:37 GMT 12
I can add captions to those Stash photo's posted by Mumbles!
The first two of the Canberras are at Gong Kedah, which is an airfield built by the Japanese I believe, near Aloh Star, up near the northen border of Malaya. The nearby beach is where the Japanese made their landing, mainly because the water is very shallow with a gently shelving beach. Lot's of old pill boxes in 1966. The Hercules looks like it is the same airfield, although we went up there in a Beverly so I'm not entirely certain. The guy on the left of the three waving looks like Geoff Wallingford.
The South Vietnamese Herc is at Seletar, having arrived there completely unannounced one day in 1975, having fled the collapsing Vietnam. There was a Lockheed facility at at Seletar, with a contract for refurbishing a number of ex-USN A4s [which became the A4 S, for Singapore!], and as the Herc apparently hadn't been paid for, they tried to claim it back. 'Not so" said Lee Kwan Yu, the Singapore boss man; "That aircraft now belongs to Singapore". It may well have been to New Zealand since, although I'm not into aircraft serials.
The collection of Curtiss and Convairs belonged to a very shady airline operated by an even shadier bunch of people "with US Government connections". My house at Seletar backed onto the airfield, and I could watch run-ups and take-offs etc, and I was watching one Convair one day who was having a run-up problem and the starboard engine was misfiring and belching black smoke etc, and I thought "this guy is going back to the pan for sure", but he didn't and eventually the engine settled down and began to run smoothly. So he started his take-off, and sure enough at that critical point that engine failed, and he hurtled straight off the end of the runway into the sea! The water was quite shallow and the two crew emerged from a hatch and awaited a boat! The area was once where Sunderlands used to park at Seletar. Those in the know, incidentally, rated the Curtiss, a contemporary of the Dakota, as a far superior aircraft!
The photo of Air Force one is an earlier visit to that of Dean Rusk, the rubber-neckers are wearing best blue for a start!
The photo of the Sunderland is, of course, taken from Lauthala Bay in Fiji.
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Post by shorty on Aug 2, 2009 9:21:07 GMT 12
These three OT slides will be the last of the PNG ones. While having a couple of days off the dismantling we went to Vanimo near the Indonesian border (an avernight trip in a small launch. While there we came across this character cycling through a plantation. It's not the best photo, but he was a Dutchman, wearing pyjamas, a silk scarf, pith helmet, sunglasses and jandals! It's pretty hot and thirsty work in the jungle so I had our local boys show me how to get a drink, and here I am up a coconut tree getting our morning tea. A green coconut (the only ones worth drinking) can be seen falling by my foot . Having got your nut, whip out your trusty machete and chop the top off. Do it properly and you have a scoop to get the lovely soft meat out after you've had your drink. Oh to be that young and skinny again! So that's it, the last of the PNG shots
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Post by corsair67 on Aug 2, 2009 13:02:59 GMT 12
I thought that when the RAAF retreived A28-8 "J for Jessica" they also recovered a couple of USAAF A-20 wrecks, one of which, "Hell 'n Pelican", was restored by the RAAF at Amberley and given back to the PNG Govt as thanks?
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Post by shorty on Aug 2, 2009 17:58:45 GMT 12
Thats true (I just looked them up). The one in my photos is now at Pima being slowly restored. Hell'n Pelican is in storage at Port Moresby awaiting the building of the museum.
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Post by corsair67 on Aug 2, 2009 19:21:42 GMT 12
Also, I think that "Hell 'n Pelican" was a much later model of A-20 with an electrically operated dorsal turret - which I don't believe any of the RAAF operated ones had? Great photos again, Shorty. Keep them coming.
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Post by shorty on Aug 2, 2009 20:38:43 GMT 12
Moving back to Singapore in 1968/69 we have these shots taken from our barracks. I'll leave it to you to imagine how noisy it was living there with these things booming off at all ours of the day and night with twin afterburners booming. The Lightnings were flown by No 74 (Tiger) Squadron which accounts for the slightly unusual squadron markings. 74 is a very historic squadron going back to WW1 when it was commanded by "Grid" Caldwell Another of my favourite photos!
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Post by obiwan27 on Aug 2, 2009 21:09:52 GMT 12
Wicked!!! Love the Lightnng pics Shorty, Cheers!!!
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Post by shorty on Aug 2, 2009 21:48:32 GMT 12
Moving further down the tarmac we come across these three dead Canberras, a happy hunting ground for bits to keep the kiwi birds in spare parts. The first two are ex 81 Sqn, I don't know about the third one.
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Post by shorty on Aug 3, 2009 10:35:45 GMT 12
As I previously mentioned the photos are in no particular order so here are some of those funny jumping machines known as Helos or choppers. A pole placing and wiring demo at an airshow at Wanganui in the early 70s, A flyover for a parade at Gruntsville in the 60's, possibly a farewell for either Victor or Whisky Company prior to going to Viet Nam? A Sioux prior to 1970 (no kiwi in the roundel) possibly the opening of hamilton Airport and a Wasp at Hobsonville 1967 Edit, In that photo of Waioru I have just noticed that they are not artillery but are tanks (from the days when the army had such things?) so probably not a farewell to Viet Nam
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Post by corsair67 on Aug 3, 2009 11:08:17 GMT 12
Those Lightning shots are fabulous - especially that last one.
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Post by shorty on Aug 3, 2009 16:23:25 GMT 12
From the Wanganui Air Show hear are the three aircraft operated by Gordon Reader (?) as Earlybird Flying and which were named Rugby, Racing and Beer; This is "Rugby" Here is "Racing" and finally "Beer" (Iwonder if he had got a fourth aircraft what he would have called it?)
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Post by Dave Homewood on Aug 3, 2009 18:31:37 GMT 12
Those are neat photos of Rugby, Racing and Beer!
What are they, Rearwin, DH60 and Moth Minor? That's a quaint little control tower too, especially in the 1950's-60's pastel colours.
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Post by Peter Lewis on Aug 3, 2009 19:14:57 GMT 12
. . . three aircraft operated by Gordon Reader (?) as Earlybird Flying ] Correct - Gordon K Reader, Palmerston North.There was also an Early Bird Flying Ltd.from 1967. (I wonder if he had got a fourth aircraft what he would have called it?) Wimmen ?
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Post by shorty on Aug 3, 2009 19:54:15 GMT 12
Another view of "Racing" ,the recently sold DH 60, "Rugby"was a Rearwin 9000KR Sportster and "Beer" a DH 94 Moth Minor Another aircraft of similar vintage at the same show was Keith Trillo's Avro Avian and also, at Omaka, Sid Listers Spartan when in the the care of the Golden Age Flying Society.
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