Wigrams Bristol

[Calum]

Anyone who was in wigram in the late 1980's/early 1990's would remember this guy

[Dave Homewood]

Hey look, a Vampire cockpit under the cover.... oh no, wait

I read very recently about this Britstol which was donated to the museum. I'd never heard about it till about three weeks ago. It was gone from Wigram by the time I arrived in May 1991.

I just looked it up on adf.serials

"Allocated G18-149 to Bristol Aeroplane Company 22 December 1953. Delivered to Royal Pakistan Air Force as S4404 during 1954. To SAFE 01 June 1965 registered as ZK-CLT. Delivered to Auckland 24 August 1965 and entered service 17 December 1965 named Merchant Hauler. WFU 23 September 1986 with 19022 hours and 18720 landings. Donated to RNZAF Museum as exchange aircraft and flew Wigram-Woodbourne as NZ5913 on 25 June 1988 for overhaul. Engines exchanged with the Museum's NZ5903. Sold to Trans Provincial Airlines Ltd, Prince Rupert, BC, Canada on 25 July 1988 and registered as C-FTPA. Leased to Hawkair in late 1994. Crashed at Bronson Creek 24 April 1997, when ground looped on landing and ran off runway into ditch. Stripped of useable parts and hulk of fuselage left at Bronson Creek."

What a pity it's no more. I wonder what the RNZAF museum invested the money made in, another airframe? or just general stuff.

[Calum]

I have a feeling that it ended up in the musemn, as a 41 Sqn aircraft. just a feeling though

[Dave Homewood]

I have amended my post.

The one in the museum is NZ5903 and went straight from service into the museum. This one is '13, see above

[Peter Lewis]

Like to see a side view photo of this to check if 'NZ5913' was actually painted on the aircraft.

[Bruce]

It did indeed have the NZ5913 serial painted just forward of the tailplane. I have seen a picture in an old wings magazine (which I no-longer have). There was a bit of controversy at the time it departed as the canadian deal was originally going to be a swap for a Bolingbroke (Blenheim) but the Museum Trustees decided that didnt have enough of a NZ connection, so they acquired the Pup replica instead. There was also concern that as 5913 took '03s engines with it, it ruled out the possibility of flying the museum's example at a later date (That would be good at an airshow...) surely though the Pup replica wouldnt have been worth as much as the Bristol, so maybe the extra cash went into other projects. (would hope so)

[turboNZ]

A flying Freighter
Wouldn't that be awesome....dreams are free...

[phil82]

Dreams indeed! Flying in a Freighter was a unique experience; cold, draughty, and incredibly noisy. Without ear-defenders, and the RNZAF had a brilliant sense of timing in only handing out those to passengers at the very end of its service, you were virtually deaf during flight and for some time after landing! I can only describe that engine noise as an intense racket!

[Dave Homewood]

Bruce, my understanding from what my freinds in the restoration team at the time told me is that the Pup Replica (which when acquired was damaged and needed a rebuild) was actually swapped for the P-47 wreckage the museum had.

This makes little sense to me as a Pup is more removed from RNZAF service than a Blenheim/Bollingbroke - the RNZAF did fly Blenheims in the UK with No. 489 Squadron and many RNZAF aircrew flew them in other squadrons and at OTU's.

I'm certain the Pup was certainly nowhere near as valuable as a Bristol Bollingbroke or a Freighter. It's a recently bult replica with no history or service of its own, and little relation to NZ military aviation. I believe it may have been the first attempted flight that saw it crashed, and I also believe it had to be rebuilt twice by Wigram? It was certainly having some heavy maintenance there in 2004 when I first laid eyes on it, some years after I'd read of it being rebuilt and displayed (was there an accident involved?)

Note too that there is a big gap in time between the Freighter's departure and the Pup's purchase. I cannot see it was a deal as such, and I'd hate to think the money from the Freighter's sale AND the Thunderbolt were used to acquire the damaged Pup?!?

[Bruce]

Yeah come to think of it the Pup is from the Thunderbolt deal, but in that case then no, nothing was swapped for the Bristol. Your comments about the significance of the Blenheim / Bolingbroke are exactly right - that was the issue that prompted the criticism at the time. so really, who knows where the money went!.

[Dave Homewood]

I don't mind the museum using the money for other infrastucture - apart from aircraft acquisition and restoration that are of course many hundreds of other costs to be met. But a Bolly would have been lovely.

I'm looking forward to the day when the Blenheim Blenheim graces our skies. I'd ratehr see that any day than a Freighter. I've only ever seen both types on the ground.

[Dave Homewood]

Just an update here with an additional note to back up what was written above:

From New Zealand Wings, July 1987, News Briefs, page 8
"Bristol Freighter ZK-CLT, noted last month as a swap item for a Britstol Bolingbroke for the RNZAF museum, assumed a military identity last month as NZ5913, when it was ferried to Wigram from Woodbourne. Used for the flight were engines from NZ5903, the RNZAF Museum's Freighter."

[beagle]

Yes I can say i flew in a bristol.
Took a flight at night as a paying passenger from Woodbourne to WLG.
Yes noisy, bit weird ditting down the back of a tail dragger, Nostalgic.

[turboNZ]

I was talking to some people at work the other day about Freighters. A few said they remembered the Safe Air ones flying out of Wellington.
One guy said he remembered seeing one take off into a strong head wind once. It lifted off and practically hovered for about 15-20 minutes over the runway until the wind eased off and was able to make some form of forward progress !!!! ;D
Those poor Hercules Radials !!

I've seem Britten-Norman Islanders do that !!

[Dave Homewood]

Apparently one of the Territorial Air Force's Baffins flew from Rongtai to Johnsonville backwards due to the wind once!

Landing conditions with te win were, amazingly, worse then before they removed the hill, and the Baffins didn't have brakes either. Tough flyers in those days.

[phil82]

I heard once of a Beverley en-route to the UK which had to constantly revise its ETA due to very strong headwinds, until it made one final call to Air Traffice and was asked : "will that be today or tomorrow"?

[corsair67]

During circuits and bumps, the CT-4B Airtrainers used to struggle into the air against the southerly at Wigram, fly downwind at about '500' knots, and decelerate markedly after turning back into wind to repeat the whole process all over again. ;D

I used to watch them for hours after school, when I should have been doing my homework! I never really made the connection that doing my homework might mean I could one day be up in an Airtrainer learning to fly.........sigh.

[beagle]

Is it true that a bristol on take off run at Woodbourne had it's front doors open up

[turboNZ]

beagle said:

Is it true that a bristol on take off run at Woodbourne had it's front doors open up

That would be like a huge air-brake !!!!!

[Peter Lewis]

bruce said:

It did indeed have the NZ5913 serial painted just forward of the tailplane.

Finally found a good pic of NZ5913.
Apparently it was hangared in the crew de-briefing room!