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Post by Craig Sargent on Mar 12, 2007 9:04:16 GMT 12
Having had a hand in the move and set-up of the museum (and building quite a few of the display models for it), I have to say it is disappointing to hear of it's closing.
Even more so, I am sorry to hear of Peter's passing - I was not aware. I had many dealings with him and he was a great guy. And yes, he WOULD be spinning in his grave!
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Post by Dave Homewood on Mar 12, 2007 10:19:19 GMT 12
Peter Strugnell passed away some while ago. He'd handed the rains of the museum over to Peter Calkin, a much younger man, in about 1993 I think. I don't know who was running it more recently.
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Post by skyhawkdon on Mar 12, 2007 14:26:01 GMT 12
Peter Strugnell passed away some while ago. He'd handed the rains of the museum over to Teter Calkin, a much younger man, in about 1993 I think. I don't know who was running it more recently. Peter resigned in 2003 in disgust with how Wigram was mismanaging the Ohakea Wing of the Museum. Basically they wouldn't let Peter do anything to make it a viable concern financially. The Ohakea museum has never made any money (it is subsidised by Wigram which runs at a small profit). Peter had lots of ideas to make Ohakea run at a profit but all decisions had to be made by the Wigram HQ and they wouldn't support Peter, so in the end he quit. The new manager has obviously had no more success than Peter did. The Ohakea museum has always had huge potential, but for reasons of internal Museum politics has never been allowed to grow or perform to its true potential. Instead it has been slowly strangled (after Peter left all the good ACF exhibits were sent to Wigram). As one who put a lot into the Ohakea museum, particularly after the ACF was disbanded I am sadend by this news. I hope the guys who are still on base who put NZ6257 together get her back and make sure she stays where she belongs - at Ohakea. They should put her up on the vacant pole at the main gate.
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Post by corsair67 on Mar 12, 2007 14:53:45 GMT 12
This is sad news indeed; although Ohakea's loss is Wigram's gain, I suppose. I've only been to Ohakea once, but I was most impressed with the collection of pieces on display there, although at the same time disappointed to see the state the Strikemaster and Skyhawk were in. The major problem will be Wigram making display space available for all the Ohakea exhibits until I guess the new extension is commisioned - whenever that may be! I don't understand the mentality of the RNZAF Museum management at times. For example, there were hardly any Warbirds (except one ex-SAAF Harvard!) at last year's Wigram Classic, and when I asked one of the museum staff about that I was told that it was because a member of the museum management only wanted RNZAF aircraft there! If this is true, then that individual should be given a good kick up the bum in my opinion.
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Post by Dave Homewood on Mar 12, 2007 15:12:46 GMT 12
The RNZAF Museum is rightly very well respected. And though I have only ever heard good things and have huge personal respect for the regular RNZAF team and volunteers in the retoration facility, and the civilian staff and volunteers looking after the archives, etc, I've heard some nasty things said in recent years about the people at the top who make the decisions. I do not know whether it's warranted and certainly doubt it all is. They are trying to do a job under difficult circumstances.
I find it all very disappointing that certain decisions reflect on the the facility as a whole. The restoration staff do an incredible job on a tiny budget. The archive staff are generally excellent with enquiries, and usually very helpful if they can help. When you visit the museum the shop staff and the guides are also excellent, though I do lament the inevitable fact that most of the original guides who were WWII era airmen and WAAFs, some even pre-war RNZAF, have either passed away now or retired, as they were so much more interesting than those who've followed - not to say anything about the current team though, the fact they give up their time to take tours and pass on information to the public is equally as appreciated.
I think the museum at Wigram remains the best for aviation in the country, and one of our best attractions for tourists. It's always busy every time I've gone there. And I do feel that they are going in the right direction in planning to expand and have all the aircraft displayed in the one building, freeing up space in the other hangars for storage, etc.
But this Ohakea decision does bewilder me.
Craig, I doubt that you'll see the Ohakea displays suddenly - or even eventually - all appear on display at Wigram. Most of it will be put into storage at Weedons I expect. What you see in the Musuem on public display is but the tip of the iceberg of what they hold, and there's lots more stuff with priority for display space I'd imagine than another A-4K and another Blunty, etc.
How many people work at the Ohakea Museum? I assume it's just one permanent staff member, but do they have volunteer guides rostered on like Wigram does, etc?
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Post by corsair67 on Mar 12, 2007 16:37:32 GMT 12
Dave, I totally agree with you about the other staff at the museum; they really do an excellent job with the little money they have to work with.
And the standard of workmanship on the restoration projects is just absolutely fantastic.
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Post by phil on Mar 12, 2007 16:54:31 GMT 12
As one who put a lot into the Ohakea museum, particularly after the ACF was disbanded I am sadend by this news. I hope the guys who are still on base who put NZ6257 together get her back and make sure she stays where she belongs - at Ohakea. They should put her up on the vacant pole at the main gate. Age is on the warpath, as will Baz once he gets back of adventure training.
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Post by kiwi on Mar 12, 2007 18:23:43 GMT 12
I have visited twice and was pretty disappointed in the diplays and their condition .
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Post by corsair67 on Mar 12, 2007 18:39:13 GMT 12
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Post by phil on Mar 12, 2007 19:26:00 GMT 12
The escapac seat (without pilot) was done up by the Ohakea seat bay (partly by me), and somehow made it to the museum. A certain armourer took it upon himself to 'donate' quite a lot of memorabilia, somewhat unilaterally, to the museum. Now he will be rather unpopular if it all dissapears down south. Hopefully we can get some of it back.
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Post by Dave Homewood on Mar 12, 2007 19:50:26 GMT 12
I assume the Wairarapa Wildcat panel is fake.
There was a seat rigged up like that there when i last visited in 1993. Was it replaced? Or have you been in the mob longer than thought?
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Post by FlyNavy on Mar 12, 2007 19:54:22 GMT 12
Craig & Phil, Thanks for the pics and the work. I'm not likely to get to Ohakea from here. It looks like there are some great displays there. Phil.
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Post by phil on Mar 12, 2007 20:00:12 GMT 12
There are a few escapac IG3s in the museum, I think there are two in the T bird. (Note I said the one I worked on is the one in the pic without the pilot, just in case you thought I was refering to the MB PB4 blunty seat, which has been there a long time.)
They also have a pilot seated in an escapac seat that is now in the mock up of the Kahu cockpit, so it would appear there may be four escapacs at the Ohakea museum. I'm sure they can give 'my' one back!
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Post by Dave Homewood on Mar 12, 2007 20:07:40 GMT 12
Cheers Phil. One seat looks much like another to me these days. Thinking about it I think the one I saw did have a dummy in it.
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Post by FlyNavy on Mar 12, 2007 20:31:47 GMT 12
All, As I understand from looking at the ejection seat pics we are seeing the Martin Baker "10" seat for your Macchi 339s? Or do you refer to it as the "Blunty seat"? [Going back to have a look I see the top of the seat is marked 'starboard seat' so it is a Blunty.] I have no idea about either aircraft. Yes I would imagine a Kahu pilot would feel wooden stuck in that Kahu cockpit for so long. :-) Just happen to have come across this poster online which reflects the poster at musuem perhaps?: www.ejectorseats.co.uk/seat%20poster.JPGPhil.
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Post by phil on Mar 13, 2007 8:36:02 GMT 12
That looks like the same poster.
The Ohakea museum does not have a Mk 10 from the macchi, it has a few escapac seats, a couple of MB PB Mk4 Strikemaster seats, and an old seat from a canberra I think.
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Post by corsair67 on Mar 13, 2007 10:22:08 GMT 12
Aussie Phil, the "Blunty" seat is the one with the dummy in it and is taken from a Strikemaster.
The Strikemaster was known as Blunty (amongst other things!) in RNZAF service.
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Post by FlyNavy on Mar 13, 2007 11:11:11 GMT 12
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Post by skyhawkdon on Mar 15, 2007 9:31:20 GMT 12
I have been thinking some more about this and can't understand why the Air Force can't/won't get behind the Ohakea museum to keep it at Ohakea. The museum provides a unique "window" into RNZAF operations - where else in the world can you sit in a cafe looking out onto an operational air base, even wander outside onto the airfield to look at the static display aircraft? Even if they build new hangars etc on the existing Museum site surely it could be incorporated into it? The RNZAF PR and recruiting team is also missing a great opportunity. They should be co-siting with the museum and sharing the operating costs. To go back a few years to when the museum moved from being on base to its current location, this only happened because of the tremendous support of the then Base Commander Rick Bulger (in my opinion the best base commander Ohakea has ever had). He was a huge supporter of the concept and pulled lots of strings to make it happen. He copped a lot of flack for it in the subsequent inquiry into the Base Commander's House fiasco - I believe it effectively ended his career which was so unfair as unlike the other party involved, Rick only ever did things for the benefit of everyone else. Ever since then the Ohakea Museum has been something senior RNZAF Officers have tried to avoid having anything to do with. It is a great shame that current senior RNZAF leadership won't support the retention of the museum where it is.
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Post by corsair67 on Mar 15, 2007 10:14:59 GMT 12
Is it definitely moving: is there no chance that this has been a mistake? I can feel a letter to the editor coming on.............
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