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Post by Dave Homewood on Oct 15, 2016 20:31:26 GMT 12
Did you know that the Gloster Meteor NZ6001 was attached to No. 75 Squadron RNZAF when it went to Ohakea? I'd always read it was there as part of the Central Fighter Establishment, but Jim Arnold, who was an Airframe Rigger with No. 75 Squadron from the time the squadron formed in New Zealand. told me at the recent squadron reunion the Meteor was attached to 75 Sqn, and he used to do maintenance on it as well as the Mosquitoes.
Was Central Fighter Establishment like a Wing that took in No. 75 Squadron and No. 2 Squadron TAF perhaps?
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Post by camtech on Oct 16, 2016 11:09:52 GMT 12
I would assume that CFE was a unit similar to the CFS/PTS arrangement at Wigram. Possibly only having flying and admin personnel, but no aircraft as such. CFE would have borrowed aircraft from other units (possibly including units at other bases) to develop tactics and train fighter pilots.
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Post by davidd on Oct 17, 2016 15:13:24 GMT 12
I don't think that 75 Squadron specifically operated the Meteor, but the two main flying units at Ohakea at this time (75 Sqdn and CFE) often shared aircraft or aircrew, and presumably also technical staff. The original purpose for which CFE was set up in the first place (development and/or evaluation of new tactics, weapons, etc, which included evaluation of the new Meteor, as well as converting a large number of extant pilots to fly it) never seemed to have became reality, and in the end it simply seemed to function as a glorified Corsair conversion unit (to train replacement pilots for 14 Squadron in Japan), and this task seems to have been completed in about March 1947. Another small group of pilots were converted to Corsairs for the third rotation in early 1948 using the two Corsairs at Wigram, this course being under Central Flying School tutelage. Therefore it is quite possible that CFE "vanished" in about March 1947. No. 75 Squadron was nominally a larger unit than CFE, but most of its resources during 1946/47 were engaged in the huge task of ferrying 80 Mosquitos from UK to NZ as well as a another 8 trainers from Australia to NZ.
David D
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Post by Dave Homewood on Oct 17, 2016 15:52:18 GMT 12
No. 75 Squadron may not have operated it per se, but what I meant was that their ground crew guys maintained it.
There was a third flying unit at the time, the GP Flight, or General Purpose Flight, and Jim said they (75 Sqn) also looked after their aeroplanes, which were a Harvard, an Oxford and an American twin which I assume was the Beech 18.
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Post by camtech on Oct 17, 2016 19:05:29 GMT 12
I can recall seeing in a pilot's logbook a reference that indicated he was posted to 15 Sqdn (in the postwar period). I suspect that reference indicates a paper unit that was used as a holding unit for pilots being trained/converted for 14 Sqn. I'll have a look through what I have to find the reference.
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Post by Dave Homewood on Oct 17, 2016 19:27:48 GMT 12
No. 15 Squadron was indeed reformed at Ardmore while No. 14 (Occupational) Squadron was in Japan, and was intended to go to Japan when No. 14 Squadron rotated back, but the Air Force later decided to simply exchange the pilots but keep calling the deployed squadron No. 14 Squadron. I guess it cut down on paperwork.
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Post by davidd on Oct 18, 2016 22:32:36 GMT 12
Although the Americans (US Military Legation) had a twin Beech (C-45F) at their disposal in NZ until about 1946/47, when it was ferried away to Japan of all places, this aircraft was never a part of the RNZAF, and was usually based at Rongotai to best of my knowledge. However the RNZAF may have helped with its servicing from time to time (42 Sqdn?) and may also have had some work undertaken on it at Rukuhia late in WW2. The "American twin" with the GP Flight was actually an Avro Anson, but not the usual MK.I model previously seen in NZ. This was a Mk. XII with Cheetah XV engines and Rotol c/s props, serial number PH600. This aircraft seems to have been flown by just about any pilot stationed at Ohakea, but was eventually written off in an undershoot landing following engine failure at Paraparaumu in about Nov 1947. In early 1948 it was replaced by its sister aircraft from Australia, PH599, having been ferried across the Tasman. I had completely forgotten about the GP Flight being at Ohakea, put it down to extreme old age. Strangely enough neither of these two Ansons was owned by the NZ Govt, as they were still Air Ministry machines stationed here for the use of the Governor General as well as other high ranking British officials, including the High Commissioner to NZ at the time, a Patrick Duff I believe (correct me if I am wrong). However in about 1949/50 (or perhaps a little later) the British Govt requested the NZ Govt to dispose of the second Anson to best advantage, and it was duly entered on the NZ civil register as ZK-AXY. And yes, 15 Squadron had a very brief existence, probably only a few months, in early 1946,supposedly to protect NZ, but the Govt soon decided there was no need for such a squadron, and CFE thereafter fulfilled the conversion training role.
David D
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Post by Peter Lewis on Oct 19, 2016 9:02:01 GMT 12
This aircraft seems to have been flown by just about any pilot stationed at Ohakea, but was eventually written off in an undershoot landing following engine failure at Paraparaumu in about Nov 1947. Exactly.  |
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Post by Dave Homewood on Oct 19, 2016 10:37:05 GMT 12
Thanks David, Jim could not recall the name of the American twin that was on the GP Flight when he was telling me about it, I asked Ventura, and Lodestar, he said no, but he couldn't grasp the name he wanted. So I made the leap to Beech 18 as I knew there was one floating around at that time. I never thought of the Anson. I wonder where he got the American bit from.
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Post by isc on Oct 19, 2016 21:42:12 GMT 12
I was down at Wigram yesterday, but none of the staff that were there knew much about the Meteor apart from the two sectioned Derwents, all that is left of it. isc
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Post by rone on Feb 19, 2017 20:08:45 GMT 12
those sectioned Derwent engines were probably instructional engines delivered separately to the Meteor. They were never from the aircraft. By that I mean sectioned after the Meteor was taken out of service. Of the 2 engines, 1 is at MOTAT, the other was broken up. There is bits still in circulation, the front bullet proof panel of the canopy is at Warbirds Museum, Ardmore. I still have a couple of bits, the altimeter,tachometer and generator plus other bits I gave to a well known forum member. It was my father who scrapped it.
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Post by noooby on Feb 20, 2017 6:30:54 GMT 12
There are engine bits at 4TTS in Woodbourne.
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Post by davidd on Feb 20, 2017 21:54:23 GMT 12
So far as I know, FOUR Derwent engines came to NZ with the Meteor, including the two installed ones. The spare engines were required as the overhaul life of these very early turbines was quite short, something like 150 hours from memory, but don't quote me on that! I am not certain that NZ could even overhaul this type of engine, but the amount of flying carried out by our single aircraft was such that it is probable that the first pair were run out of hours, then the spares were installed, and these saw it out till retirement in 1950. I think the original (installed pair) had consecutive serial numbers.
David D
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Post by isc on Feb 21, 2017 20:18:01 GMT 12
Overhaul would probably involved shipping the engines back to the UK, wouldn't be a great problem I suppose. isc
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