Lockheed Hudson Caravan spotted in Motueka

[Dave Homewood]

I have just received a series of fascinating emails from Nick B. of Motueka who spotted this Hudson caravan passing through. The owner and his wife were apparently willing to allow photos and tell the story of the caravan which is great, and Nick is allowing me to share it here. I love it!











Nick wrote (over a few emails) the following info:

Hi Dave...

I spotted this in Motueka. Fully road legal.
 I asked and the owner said he had converted it by adding the back doors so he could wheel his motorbike in there to go from race to race... presumably sleeping in there too.



A beautiful piece of history... repurposed. He has had it for about a year and it came from the south of the south island.


I looked underneath and there's no doubt about it, it's a section of a plane.
On the Rego it says Lockheed Hudson caravan.


I spoke to the owner's wife who said there were a few of this aircraft in the RNZAF and this is one of them after they were decommissioned...


The guy who owns it, who I've never met, and is now on the road with his motorbike in the back, is obviously a handy guy. It's proper 'burt munro' stuff.



I was picking my chin up off the floor at the sight of this... beautiful.



I nearly made an offer on the spot for it, but then my romantic side abated when I realised the practicalities of it.
 If you look carefully you can see the line of rivets along the side where the outline of the wings were.



Brilliant. go ahead, put the photos on your blog.

By the way dave...

I work from home and when I saw this, I figured this might make an ideal home office... up on a steel frame, with ladder access.
 Where would I start if I was looking to buy a few metres of decommissioned aircraft fuselage?

Nick.

[suthg]

Just great - Kiwi ingenuity at its finest! And simple concept too.

[htbrst]

The trailer was first registered with its current numberplate in 1994 by the looks. Wonder what its history before that was

[Dave Homewood]

Denys Jones and I have concluded almost 100% that this is the one that spent a while living on a property in The Caitlins in Southland.

[shorty]

Definitely the same one I saw in a very unloved state lying in a almost derelect at Surat Bay in the Catlins. Spotted it on a trip down there about 10 years ago but on the next trip it had gone, one of the neighbours thought it was going to Queenstown to become a coffeee cart but that was obviously not so.

[Dave Homewood]

Great to have that confirmed. Perhaps it did have a stint as a coffee cart before the current owner bought it a year back for his motorcycle transport.

[Brett]

From the May/June 2015 issue of Vintage Caravan magazine.

[Richard Wesley]

Great that this piece of history is being so well looked after now. Clearly it is surrounded by many other classic items and the owner is taking good care of her.

[Dave Homewood]

Oh this reminds me, I got an email on the 11th of June from Mike Caley about the Hudson caravan his grandfather made. He said:

Hi
I was having a bit of a hunt around on the internet for Hudson models and kits and came across Your web page on the Hudson's that's include photos of a caravan that was made from a Hudson airframe.

I am the grandson of the man who bought and converted the plane in question and can give you a brief segment of information on the purchase and conversion (copy and paste from another email)
NZ2010

　

Serial Number 3823

　

Mk III ?

　

Previously V9238 from British Purchasing Mission contracts. Shipped to New Zealand on Limerick, BOC Unit 1 Hobsonville on 18 September 1941 and assembled at No.1 Aircraft Depot Hobsonville. To No.2 GR Squadron Nelson. To No.4 Squadron Nausori, Fiji August/October 1943. Returned from Nausori to Whenuapai 20 August 1944. Stationed at Norfolk Island for Air Sea Rescue duties from 18 September 1944-mid 1946. Used as Whenuapai/Nausori/Wigram ASR aircraft mid 1946-mid 1948. Sold by WARB tender number WARB/8700 from Taieri to Mr. Caley 09 May 1949.


The caravan still exists and is still registered, My father and Uncle still have various parts from this plane including some glass from the cockpit (from memory) and various other parts.

There is more info if you are interested that we can compile for you including another photo from the paper when the fuselage was delivered in 1949.

Hopefully this info is some use to you.

Mike Caley.

I replied that day but have heard nothing further yet...

[craig]

I wonder if the current owner realizes how interest his caravan is generating on this site

[John L]

What sort of bike does he race....Ducati TT2?