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Post by shorty on Jul 25, 2008 21:51:57 GMT 12
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Post by Dave Homewood on Jul 25, 2008 22:34:33 GMT 12
That's an interesting view of the Baffin, I've never seen an unimpeded view of one like that before. As it has not got NZ numbers under the wings it must be sometime between February 1938 and May 1939 when they were applied. I can't be more specific. Does anyone recognise the buildings in the background? Could that possibly be at Rongotai?
What's the second aircraft? Is that a Tiger Moth? It's a little small on screen.
Denys, that's a real shame about the wheel being nicked from the Hudson. I guess you've investigated whether the one on its belly in the Pacific has its wheel attached?
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Post by shorty on Jul 25, 2008 22:46:09 GMT 12
Ist photo I think is Wigram (looking at the water tower) The 2nd aircraft might be a Tomtit, (Tips too rounded for a Tiger Moth)
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Post by shorty on Jul 26, 2008 11:25:22 GMT 12
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Post by Dave Homewood on Jul 26, 2008 11:50:13 GMT 12
I've been told be people who flew the Vampires that the two seaters were much nicer to fly than the single seaters.
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Post by shorty on Jul 26, 2008 12:07:00 GMT 12
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Post by Dave Homewood on Jul 26, 2008 13:38:01 GMT 12
They certainly have cramped and cluttered cockpits, don't they?
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Post by shorty on Jul 26, 2008 15:43:12 GMT 12
While I have my Vampire photos here is one of a Vampire that's a bit out of the ordinary Taken at 1 TTS between 1955 and 1958. Visible on the u/c door is part of the RAF serial (TG443) The aircraft was transferred to 4 TTs in 58 and is shown as reduced to spares in 1960. By 1967 the fuselage (minus booms and wings outboard of the divebrakes) was permanently on jacks at 4 TTS in the hydraulic and pneumatic section so that we could play with it and have all the appropriate bits moving. The booms were in the metal skin area with the skin removed off one side of one of them to illustrate the structure. All of this ended up with John Smith. I don't know what became of the tailplane and presumably the outer wings were in the scrap pile. Also there serving a similar purpose was the nose and cockpit section of Devon NZ1809 (INST 179) In the photo intake guardsare fitted so presumably it wasused to teach ground running techniques INST166 by Neville Mines, on Flickr
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Post by Dave Homewood on Jul 26, 2008 16:01:24 GMT 12
When an instructional airframe is reduced to spares, can parts of it - if serviceable - go back into the spares pool for flying aircraft? Or is every part grounded once it becomes a non-aircraft INST airframe? Does anyone know?
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Post by shorty on Jul 26, 2008 16:15:18 GMT 12
Depends how desperate for parts! Towards the end of the Vampires service all the Goblin engines that had gone out to ATC units were called back to check the turbine wheels and see if they could be put back into service. They also checked the scrap pile at Woodbourne to see if there were any there that could o go a little bit longer. But the general answer to your query would be that I don't think so as there would be problems with the paper trail and no knowing what had been done to the items whilst in instructional use. I suppose if push came to shove (as it did with the Goblins) they would have to go through a complete overhaul process and then, only if they did not have a finite fatigue life.
Then you get aircraft like INST 166 whuch was a RAF Instructional airframe before it arrived here and an orphan version.
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Post by Dave Homewood on Jul 26, 2008 20:57:25 GMT 12
Cheers, I thought that might be the case. I guess only a handful of items would be safely reused, like a canopy but yes the paper trail would be too difficult on most items. I wonder why the ex-INST airrames are not classed as 'written off the books' or 'scrapped' rather than rtp?
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Post by shorty on Jul 26, 2008 21:17:13 GMT 12
Does anyone have a photo of the Mk 3 Vampire INST167 (ex VT806)?
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Post by denysjones on Jul 26, 2008 23:19:48 GMT 12
Okay Shorty since no answer to the threat of sending Rintoul I'll up the anti...Sheppard and Thompson on a sortie from Woodbourne that wheel is really of interest :-)
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Post by shorty on Jul 27, 2008 12:17:25 GMT 12
Continuing with Vampires here is an unidentified T 11 being serviced at ASF Ohakea on 10-10-72 Of the guys working on it I can identify the SNCO on the ladder is "Tweety" Stormont, in front is "PC" Callaghan and of the two guys waiting for the Joe Wagon the partly concealed one is Russ Torrey NZ 5711 by Neville Mines, on Flickr NZ 5711 a by Neville Mines, on Flickr Dave Bryant ("14Liney") working on the U/C Micro switches
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Post by yak2 on Jul 27, 2008 12:23:40 GMT 12
Just noticed Inst 166 is a real early model with the squared fin tips.
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Post by yak2 on Jul 27, 2008 12:25:40 GMT 12
......and built at a time before the Pom's had discovered cockpit ergonomics.
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Post by shorty on Jul 27, 2008 12:54:48 GMT 12
I wondered how long before someone noticed that. It is a Mk 1 originally used as experimental aircraft in United Kingdom during 1948 when fitted with a DH Goblin 3 engine and a high speed metal canopy. Became instructional airframe 7072M in May 1953. Damaged in June 1953 and reconditioned before being stored. It came to NZ solely as a Instructional airframe (as did INST167 (a Mk F3) INST169, INST171 (Mk FB9))
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Post by shorty on Jul 28, 2008 12:09:56 GMT 12
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Post by Dave Homewood on Jul 28, 2008 12:54:57 GMT 12
Great photos of the Vampires at Hamilton. Mum recalls that event and said it was the first time she'd seen Vampires. They apparently came over low on their first run from behind the crowd - coming from the east, and over the new terminal - scaring the heck out of everyone.
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Post by shorty on Jul 28, 2008 13:47:28 GMT 12
If you look at the tailpipe of 54 you can see the tubes for the diesel to produce the smoke, they had them both sides so that you get a trail from both sides as you can see in this (not very good) shot (also at Hamilton) Hamilton Opening formation by Neville Mines, on Flickr
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