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Post by Dave Homewood on Jun 13, 2016 23:47:43 GMT 12
Hahaha, no worries Les, I thought it was hilarious. It was the stupidest museum name I'd ever heard, couldn't believe it when I first heard it had been changed. Sounds like some Aussie theme park.
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Post by Dave Homewood on Jun 13, 2016 23:50:59 GMT 12
Back to the Iroquois fleet. Ten have left NZ, four have remained in NZ. They were the flying fleet. But what has become of the second hand spares they bought some while ago? Wasn't there about six snapped up cheap? Were they all reduced to spares? Or are they in the training school at Woodbourne?
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Post by skyhawkdon on Jun 14, 2016 7:52:28 GMT 12
NZ3800 at Wigram is on display in the new building as part of the reserve collection. You can see it on the free behind the scenes tours. There has been some talk of what it is going to be used for, possibly an interactive exhibit that people can climb/sit in. Personally I'd like to see it loaned to another museum like MOTAT.
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Post by tbf25o4 on Jun 14, 2016 14:12:44 GMT 12
NZ3800 is in pretty good shape, when we picked it up at Manheim in Germany it had only around 60 hours on a completely refurbished airframe!
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Post by Dave Homewood on Jun 14, 2016 15:16:07 GMT 12
So is it technically airworthy Paul? i.e. able to be made to fly again without a massive amount of work? Or is the airframe poked?
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Post by frankly on Jun 14, 2016 17:00:37 GMT 12
Or are they in the training school at Woodbourne? No. WB has F model Sea Sprites as training aides. There are some T53 engines around though.
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Post by Dave Homewood on Jun 14, 2016 17:40:58 GMT 12
There used to be at least one of them at Woodbourne, it has appeared at the Classic Fighters airshow at Omaka as a static exhibit at least once. I was told they got several bargain basement airframes. Do they no longer exist?
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Post by Peter Lewis on Jun 14, 2016 17:56:58 GMT 12
. . . it has appeared at the Classic Fighters airshow at Omaka as a static exhibit at least once. UH-1H NZ3800 at the Omaka air show April 2007 and on display in the Wigram museum main hall, January 2011
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Post by Dave Homewood on Jun 14, 2016 18:03:41 GMT 12
Not the same aircraft Peter. NZ3800 has been with the Museum since 1994.
NZ38 is the instructional airframe second hand one I referred to.
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Post by Dave Homewood on Jun 14, 2016 18:20:33 GMT 12
The RNZAF operated 16 Iroquois. Three were written off (Kaipara, Waiouru, and ANZAC Day crash). That leaves 13. Three went to museums and ten to the USA. That leaves NZ38 at Woodbourne. Maybe I was mis-informed all those years back and NZ38 was the only one purchased for spares/instructional airframe?
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Post by camtech on Jun 14, 2016 20:07:03 GMT 12
Could NZ38 be a candidate for one of the missing INST serials between the Mitsubishis and the Seasprites (i.e Inst 226 to Inst 230)? I have asked via the Facebook page, but no answer as yet.
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Post by nzjet on Jun 14, 2016 20:13:00 GMT 12
The Iroquois at Woodbourne is Serial number 69-15276. It was one of two attrition frames purchased from AMARC USA in 1995 The AMARC number was AHXA0510. Both frames from AMARC were stripped and surveyed at Whenuapai in late 95 thru 96 and the other (69-15414) was built as NZ3816. The bare fuselage only (no tailboom or major components) of 69-15276 was then stored at Woodbourne and other scrap/acquired parts were added as they became available.
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Post by camtech on Jun 14, 2016 20:24:21 GMT 12
My files indicate that NZ38 is a UH-1H-BF, has a Const. No. 11564, USAF 69-15276, ex AMRAC XA0510
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Post by camtech on Jun 14, 2016 20:56:27 GMT 12
Just noted that according to USAF files, NZ3801 was originally to be allocated to the Peruvian Air Force with serial no. FAP646, then obviously became part of the NZ order.
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Post by Dave Homewood on Jun 15, 2016 0:02:57 GMT 12
Thanks for clearing that up nzjet.
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Post by tbf25o4 on Jun 15, 2016 12:01:36 GMT 12
The museum Iroquois NZ3800 was indeed capable of being restored to full flying status. However, the agreement with the US Army as part of the gift was that it was not to every be flown!
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Post by Damon on Jun 15, 2016 13:03:04 GMT 12
Whats the latest on the eagerly anticipated book there Paul?
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Post by Dave Homewood on Jun 15, 2016 14:07:52 GMT 12
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Post by baz62 on Jun 15, 2016 15:02:00 GMT 12
The museum Iroquois NZ3800 was indeed capable of being restored to full flying status. However, the agreement with the US Army as part of the gift was that it was not to every be flown! I have it on good authority that some parts of her ended up on at least one of our Iroquois. Nothing major like engine or rotor components.
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Post by tbf25o4 on Jun 16, 2016 12:36:54 GMT 12
Hi Baz, nobody was supposed to know that "bits" were recycled into the flying fleet. A previous situation many decades ago happened when several of the No.41 squadron visits to Vietnam realized a host of parts from scrapped Huey's in that theatre. They were all introduced into the No.3 Squadron stores and all went well until one of the "retables" was sent to Woodbourne for servicing and guess what, the serial numbers on said item did not match anything in the RNZAF main stores data base!
2. the book! now being printed at Singapore with advance copies due in country by end of this month/early July. Will update once I have my hands on a real copy
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