MOTAT acquires Cliff Tait's Airtourer

[Bruce]

MOTAT are doing very well at the moment. This week they acquired ZK-CXU "Miss Jacey" that Cliff Tait (NZ aerospace test pilot) flew around the world solo in 1969, thus becoming the first NZer to complete a solo Circumnavigation. The survival of the little airtourer 115 had been in doubt, but it will eventually go on display in the new aircraft hall shortly to be constructed. A very unassuming aircraft but one of national significance - great to see it safe now.

[Dave Homewood]

Excellent news. Who was the owner before Motat purchased it? Was it owned by Tait himself right up till now?

It is certainly an aircraft of national significance, almost as much as Jean Batten's Gull.

[corsair67]

A picture I took on my recent vist to MoTaT for you all to enjoy.

I gather that this Airtourer is rather famous. ;D

[Dave Homewood]

Well, that is not impressive. It looks like they have smeared bog all over it. Why???

This is how it looked in November 2005! Much nicer. I hope I'm very wrong here, but it looks like a "typical Motat" job...

[corsair67]

Don't panic! ;D

I think it's only grey paint they've applied; God knows why though.

[Dave Homewood]

I think they may be attempting to put it back into the famous colours it wore when Tait flew around the world in it. There's a photo of it in The History of New Zealand Aviation I think like that.

Fingers crossed.

[Bruce]

It appears they arent doing a full strip and repaint - looks like a "sand and Prime" job. Not necessarily the best, but at least it wont sit around unpainted for years like the Lodestar!. It looks as though they have sanded down the blue stripes and chucked a bit of primer on to feather the edges. I guess it will look O.K. eventually - for a little while.....
I remember seeing this aircraft in its original green and white scheme at the 1980 Hamilton Airshow - It had a sign beside it saying it was an important record breaker that had flown around the world - I though that looked very unlikely! (I was 7 at the time...)

[corsair67]

Bruce, what are you talking about? Sitting outside all these years hasn't affected the Lodestar at all! ;D

[turboNZ]

Oh no more !!!!
That's too heart-rendering to see !!!
They should be shot for letting the poor girl get like that.

[Dave Homewood]

Especially when you see it in that clip on the Forum Video that's circulating where it was resplendent in pristine paint and had both engines running. I'd like to see this aircraft and the Ventura move to Wigram personally, and the Sunderland just quietly.

[corsair67]

A couple more of Cliffies little girl.

[Bruce]

While generally recent progress at Motat has been pretty positive, the Lodestar is definitely an exception. Last week I saw the remains of the Ventura that crashed on Mt Egmont in WW2 on display in the TATTM Museum at New Plymouth - the Ventura panels had been in the bush since the 1940s and were in better condition than the poor old lodestar. It should never have been partially painstripped, regardless of the paint condition, until it was safely inside. 1940s alloy is extremely prone to corrosion in salt air environments and leaving it unprotected is criminal. Add to that the inevitable fertiliser dust contamination and it has no option but corrode. The skin panels are not a huge concern, although a time consuming job, they are relatively easy to replace. The biggies are the various castings and extrusions which would be almost impossible to replace - unless GAPS in gisborne have some in thier spares Cache. I wonder how much the GAPS project has distracted those with a Lockheed interest (and Skills) away from this one? While the Airtourer is in good enough condition for "Part time amateurs" (no disrespect intended) the C60 is now virtually outside the skill set of anyone but a full time professional specialist restoration company (or Air force tradesmen). with that comes big investments in resources, which, with all the other excellent projects under way at Motat, wont happen until it is too late. You cant restore a heap of aluminium oxide! I wonder whether Lockheed Martin would like to come aboard?

[Dave Homewood]

The thing that has saved many of the once rusting aircraft at Motat, in particular the Solent and Lancaster, are individual groups who have an afinity with the type who were willing to do their bit for that one aircraft to save it. There was also a team of people dedicated to the Locheed twins but alas with the death of team leader Barrie East it seems this team dissolved. All the best laid plans...

To save the Lodestar the only hope is to initiate such a team, generating the interest of the people who once flew and maintained these aircraft, and their families and enthusiasts of the type. I doubt the museum will ever give up the Lodestar to the RNZAF Museum or anyone else. Not that they'd want the burden.

Perhaps you could try asking Lockheed Martin Bruce, and if they come to the party with a cheque that could be the catalyst to initiate such an enthusiast group to get the work done. Somehow I doubt it'll happen sadly.

[Peter Lewis]

Cliff sold CXU in 1969, shortly after the world flight. It was operated by Eagle Aviation (at their flying school, before they became part of AirNZ!) and was then was based at Te Awamutu from the early 1980s. It ended up at Ardmore with Eagle Flight Training in 2005.
Compare this photo taken at Hamilton in December 1968:




with this one at Ardmore in 2005:



Possibly MoTAT is trying to get back to the original colour scheme.

By the way - not to be nitpicky - as I recollect it, Cliff did not actually fly right around the world. As the Soviets would not let him land in their territory, he was forced to tranship himself and the plane across the North Pacific leg by ship.
Dick Smith had a similar problem during his round-the-world-by-helicopter saga a few years later, but of course was able to charter a ship to be in the right place at sea so that he could land and refuel during this leg of the voyage.
If only Cliff could have found a friendly aircraft carrier . . .

[Dave Homewood]

Thanks for that additional history info Peter, much appreciated.

I hope someone can check back on this plane in a month or two and update us on what the paint job actually turns out like.

[corsair67]

On the day I was there the main restoration hangar wasn't open to the public, but fortunately a very helpful gentleman named Clive was working in the railway restoration area that day (he normally works for the aircraft restoration group, but when no else is around he helps the railway group instead) and he was able to take me through the hangar.

Anyway, the Airtourer is stored in one of the other sheds/hangars (along with the DC 8 engine from the crash at Mangere), so if someone else is interested in checking it out you'll probably need to ask specifically to see it.

[cliff]

pity the forum hasnot tet acquired a recent photo of cxu after I personally spent three years having it repainted in its original colours complete with logos.

I now live in a retirement home  at red beach with my ever loyal and lovely wife joyce.

cliff tait

[cliff]

please update your forum re cxu
cliff tait

[Dave Homewood]

Thanks Cliff, photos have indeed appeared on the forum of the aeroplane in its current display situation, just not on this thread. It looks superb now, it really does. Here's a shot I took a while back:

[Peter Lewis]

Welcome, Cliff.
Good to hear you are still active.

AESL Airtourer 115 ZK-CXU in proper 'Round the World' colours at MoTAT - a very nice repaint by the guys there: