Graeme Cossgrove's NZ and Visiting Civil Aircraft

[Dave Homewood]

Athenree is a seperate place south of Waihi Beach by the way.

[Dave Homewood]

Are there any Sikorsky S-42's still in existence? It's a really classic looking old aircraft.

[Dave Homewood]

I always find the photos of the Boeing Clippers operating in and out of Auckland very interesting. This photo was in a frame in Graeme's collections:


I wondered how cool it would have been to be there at the harbourside watching one of these big birds landing. Then I decided to create a more colourful version to help me imagine that experience:

[Peter Lewis]

All Sikorsky S-42s were either scrapped or destroyed in accidents.

[Dave Homewood]

Thanks Peter. That's sad. At least there is a Boeing Clipper in a museum in Ireland (although I think it may be a replica?)

[flyjoe180]

Dave, that colourised picture of the Clipper is brilliant work.

[suthg]

Agreed! Fabulous digital manip.

[Dave Homewood]

Thanks chaps!

[kiwithrottlejockey]

Dec 27, 2012 22:11:04 GMT 12 Dave Homewood said:

Thanks Peter. That's sad. At least there is a Boeing Clipper in a museum in Ireland (although I think it may be a replica?)

Unfortunately, no Boeing 314 Clippers survived either.

[kiwithrottlejockey]

This photograph would look really good in colour....

[Dave Homewood]

I agree Bruce. Do you happen to have a larger copy that you could email me please?

[kiwithrottlejockey]

That's the only sized-copy of that image I have got.

I just carried out a search on the National Library's Manuscripts & Pictoral website to see if they have a bigger copy, but although they have that image, it isn't downloadable in any bigger size, although they do have the original negative (I presume it is a glass plate) in their archives as part of the collection of images from Wellington's former Evening Post newspaper. Perhaps they may be persuaded to supply you with a bigger sized copy, Dave. They tend to freely give out their resources provided it isn't being used for commercial purposes.

The image file on their website is at the following URL....

• mp.natlib.govt.nz/detail/?id=27542

[ngatimozart]

Dave how about increasing the resolution of the image when you work on it? I generally use 300 or 600 pixels / inch whilst working on image in Photoshop. I know what goes in comes out but I just feel gives you more to work with, that's all.

[Dave Homewood]

Here are some more of Cossie's collection, including civil aeroplanes and some visiting overseas civil and military type:


A Super Constellation at Harewood, November 1958


This is a Savage


Mustang ZK-CCG at Whenuapai February 1965








Beverley at Whenuapai - obviously it passed through an RAAF base, note the Zap





Short Belfast at Mangere

[htbrst]

Another excellent set - the American aircraft is an A-2 Savage

[Dave Homewood]

Another of ZK-CCG showing its topside markings

[ErrolC]

Jan 2, 2013 21:31:57 GMT 12 htbrst said:

Another excellent set - the American aircraft is an A-2 Savage

To be exact (easy when you have the full serial#)

skaneateles.org/navy/allsavages.html
129195 AJ-2P Operated by VAP-61

HISTORY OF U. S. NAVY HEAVY PHOTOGRAPHIC RECONNAISSANCE

[Andy Wright]

Yep, AJ-2P. Retired Feb 1960 which might help you date the photo, Dave.

www.joebaugher.com/navy_serials/thirdseries14.html

Going by the info from the link below, I would suggest this was one of the aircraft (or THE aircraft) based at Townsville going by the kangaroo painted under the cockpit.

www.vap61vap62.com/historyofvap1.htm

January 1, 1959
VAP-61 – Air Wing COMFAIRPHILIPPINES Tail Code SS

July 1, 1959
Redesignated Composite Photographic Reconnaissance Squadron SIXTY ONE (VCP-61). The squadron mission was to provide aerial photographic intelligence for naval operations and cartographic mapping in the Pacific, providing detachments for deployments aboard carriers as well as land facilities.

VAP-61 had two permanent land based detachments, one in Danang South Viet Nam and the other at Don Maung International Airport at Bangkok, Thailand. We had two semi permanent dets going. One in Osan South Korea and the other in Townsville, Queensland, Australia and a couple of occasional jobs in Japan, Okinawa and the Philippines.

[davidd]

Four AJ-2P Savages were in NZ in period Nov/Dec 1959 for Operation COASTCRAWL, which aimed to photograph the entire coastline of NZ in great detail; the Americans kept the negatives but NZ had the right to order any images if they so desired. The RNZAF provided much assistance including much of the printing. There was an article about COASTCRAWL in the contemporary RNZAF News.
David D

[davidd]

I am fairly certain that none of the twelve Boeing 314s built survived in any substantial form, last one broken up in early 1950s I think (PAA last flew services in April 1946, but some smaller airlines attempted to make money with the survivors.) A book I have on the golden age of the PAA Clippers ("Wings to the Orient" by Stan Cohen, 1985) claims that at this time the only remains of a 314 were "a few pieces of NC18602" at the Pacific Museum of Flight, at Seattle, Washington. If there are any complete or semi-complete 314s still lying about somewhere they may be well be worth purchasing before Boeing finds out!
David D