Collingwood Museum Display

[nuuumannn]

Hi Guys,

On a recent holiday in Golden Bay we stayed in the wee town of Collingwood, where I happened to visit the local museum, which we (my wife and I) like to do, because small town museums are real gems and you never know what you are going to find in them. Of an aviation bent, Collingwood's has a small display on Hudson NZ2007, which crashed near Kaihoka and a nice print of a Fairey Gordon.





From Errol Martyn's For Your Tomorrow Vol One:

"Mon 15 Dec 1941
Operational perimeter patrol, area 'D'
2 Squadron, RNZAF (Nelson)
Hudson III NZ2007 - took off at 1650 and failed to return. Eight days passed before the bomber's fate was finally determined. In bad visibility at about 1900 NZ2007 had struck the side of a hill at 700 feet, 3 miles NW of Westhaven Inlet (also known as Whanganui Inlet). It exploded on impact killing the four crew who are buried at Nelson, Stratford, Levin and Wellington respectively.

Pilot: NZ401400 Plt Off Alexander John Macfarlane, RNZAF - age 25. 461 hrs solo (92 on Hudson)
(Pilot): NZ404432 Plt Off Louis George William Volzke, RNZAF - age 27. 342 hrs.
WOp: NZ391703 Sgt Keith Robertson Jack RNZAF - age 20. 308 hrs.
WOpAG: NZ401929 Sgt Philip David Harrison, RNZAF - Age 20. 325 hrs.
Wolzke was acting as navigator for the exercise. Jack had been promoted to Sgt the day of the crash."

Very sad. Apparently the wreckage was found by local farmers.

The Gordon picture; I think it might be by Maurice Conly, there was no information about it and my photo is too blurry to read the writing on the bottom left of the picture:



We also found out that Collingwood was considered as New Zealand's capital city once apon a time.

[mit]

There is also part of it tail plane floating around...
I can't find the picture I have of it, but I will take another when I can.

Found it...

[Dave Homewood]

That looks like aroundel so my guess it's wing top skin?

[scrooge]

Don't think it's a roundal, just the way the pattern was. Plus there's a trim tab on there which makes it a control surface.

[baz62]

looks to be a panio hinge on the skin there too at top right. Anyone familiar with Hudson/lodestar wings to know where that might be on the wing?
As Dave said if its a roundel it would roughly be near the wingtip end.
An access panel of some sort?

[Bruce]

It looks like an elevator or aileron, with trim tab. Looks like it is in the blue-grey / green colour scheme. The brown "roundel" area is probably just a section of the green paint which is known to fade to a browny colour.

[mit]

Its not a roundel, that is the trailing edge of the elevator that is indeed the trim tab. as I said it's the tail plane

[Dave Homewood]

I sit corrected. Cheers.

[mit]

I remembered there are a few more bits about and when out this afternoon to get some pictures.


I think this is neat, marked as "rejected"

[shorty]

Boy, thats going to be one hell of a restoration job!

[suthg]

What interests me is that on any one plane from WWII there are so may casting pieces that need a measured design and drawing, approvals etc, and some of different materials - eg aluminium for small components and some steel pieces for linking the tubular structures together around the cockpit and firewall etc.

That for so many new and different aircraft, that they were designed in entirety new for each machine. Perhaps for the likes of the Hawker Hurricane, Hawker Typhoon, and Hawker Tempest, that there were some parts in common, and some elements of the design were carried through, but pieces required a drawing, a part No and a model reference. A very formal and exacting process but done with expediency at the start of and during the war. Similarly too for the Avro aircraft Manchester, Lancaster, Lincoln... It was great to see the developments and improvements made so quickly and effectively. Noted that the Hurricane, Typhoon and Tempest were all still flying in service at the end of WWII.

So many parts still bear their Part no and a model No and sometimes a Drg no. To see "Rejected" on something does not inspire confidence though!