Pacific Aviation Museum (Pearl Harbour)

[planecrazy]

Fortunate to be on holiday’s with my wife and daughters on the island of O’ahu, Hawaii.
I guess you could say it would almost be a sin for an Aviation buff to not visit Pearl
Harbour. Will put more on getting there and the experience further on for now some pic’s.



Being a New Zealand based forum we should begin with a machine with a New Zealand
connection. This Kate was captured by the RNZAF and handed over to the Americans.






I paid an extra $5.00 for the “Aviator’s tour” well worth it, turned out the others who booked
didn’t show so I got my private guide, a young fella who was keen as and very knowledgeable.

This is an early model Zero which has had a Pratt and Witney fitted, it flew a few years back
and the run the engine frequently.




Absolute fan of the Curtiss P40 Kittyhawk so sorry pic heavy. She is privately owned on loan
to the museum this one is airworthy. Every six months the owners fly in their personal mechanic who runs
it and checks her over you can see a few signs of her being airworthy.






Correct me if I am wrong, pretty sure the flying tigers did not fly later model P40s like this
one at a reunion some ex flying tigers signed the tail plane of this machine.


Evidence that the result of V12 horsepower can come out of those fish tail exhausts!


Bit more evidence, modern gauges and a locked canopy to keep me out!


This is one of many US Navy machines to be pulled out of Lake Michigan, manual under
cart retraction, I was told it took 29 turns of a crank handle to get the gear up.




Another one pulled out of Lake Michigan, all they had to do restoration wise was repair
the nose and give her a good clean up, apart from the nose section original paint.










Getting square screen eyes so more later……..

[harvard1041]

Great photos - and thanks

The P-40E is interesting ... ex RCAF machine and a varied history if this link is correct

www.warbirdregistry.org/p40registry/p40-ak979.html

Flying Tigers paint schemes seem a ( too ) popular US scheme, but of course they originally flew P-40Bs not P-40Es, and by the time later model P-40s came on strength, they had been been disbanded ( July 42) & incorporated in the USAAC 14th Fighter Group.....but hey, it's close.

en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Flying_Tigers#Curtiss_P-40

Love the photos.

Cheers
Hvd1041

[planecrazy]

Yeah the place is unbelievable a few more here, saving the "Swamp Ghost" till last in my opinion
the gem of the collection.

One of eight civil aeroplanes that where flying at the time of the attack, this Aeronca was
shot at briefly but landed safely.


Strange to think the same people who made the mighty P47 Thunderbolt also made the
Seebee, this one has a time expired engine.




Stinson L-13 Grasshopper again this one is not far from airworthy.




Big collection of rotary wing machines.














Some jets as well.






Even an Aussie pig!






Spotted this pair in the bone yard.


Finally there is damage from the attack still visible in the windows of the hangar.


On the way out took a couple of pic’s of a modern day American naval goliith, the USS John C. Stennis was in port.
This city on water has over 6,000 crew, over 90 fixed and rotary wing aircraft.
en.wikipedia.org/wiki/USS_John_C._Stennis



Finally lest we forget the lives lost on that fateful day 7/12/1941.

[Dave Homewood]

That's a much larger collection there than I realised. Great photos Peter.

[hbpencil]

Great photos, I especially like the SBD with its original paint. If I get the chance this evening I'll try dig out my copy of Bloody Shambles vol 2 to check if I'm right in thinking that the AVG got a handful of P-40Es just before they were disbanded.

[planecrazy]

PS Finally and in my humble opinion the most impressive aircraft at the museum the early model
B17 named “Swamp Ghost.” Considering the amount of time she has spent in a swamp under the hot
sun in fantastic condition!

Her story is told in more detail via the below site, click on the history link..
www.theswampghost.com



The port wing fell 150 odd feet when it fell out of the straps from below the helicopter carrying the item out.



You can clearly see the stencilling here.








How clear are these markings, over seventy years ago they where applied.


Those bullet holes up on the fin from the attacking Zeros that brought her down, a fuel line being
severed by bullets brought about her demise, loss of fuel meaning she didn’t have enough of this
vital fluid to make it home.


Due to the aircraft losing height the crew lightened her by discarding access equipment, the port side
gunner put these holes in the underside of the tail plane trying to get rid of an inflatable raft they was
wrapped around the leading edge.


The damage on the leading edge of the fin from the straps used to helicopter this section out of the swamp.

[shorty]

That recovery was exceptionally controversial

[hbpencil]

That's an interesting story Swamp Ghost has, great that one can still see evidence of it with those bullet holes.
As per my previous post, it seems that the AVG did receive some Es in drips'n'drabs during March, April and May of 1942.