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Post by Dave Homewood on Jun 13, 2017 11:32:32 GMT 12
Over several years now I have been privileged to know about and follow the P-40E restoration project to airworthy condition that forum member and moderator John Saunders has been restoring. This week he has gone properly public with the project, so it's great that it can now be discussed here on the forum. It is an ex-Russian P-40E but it's being restored using a lot of ex-RNZAF P-40 parts, and as it will eventually be based at Omaka John is considering putting it into a No. 16 Squadron RNZAF colour scheme, as they had P-40E's based at nearby RNZAF Station Fairhall. Here is an example of a No. 16 Squadron RNZAF P-40E (Air Force Museum of New Zealand Photo)  The aircraft is being worked on by Pioneer Aero Restorations Ltd at Ardmore right now. I actually visited it yesterday. Here are some Pioneer Aero photos of the project:    |
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Post by johnnyfalcon on Jun 13, 2017 12:34:34 GMT 12
Be still, my beating heart!!
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Post by baz62 on Jun 13, 2017 13:55:08 GMT 12
Yes been hard not to talk about this one, certainly going to neat to see three P40s flying here. Now John just has to get his Harvard flying, get checked out on that and then he'll be able to fly the P40. Easy peasy.  |
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Post by Mustang51 on Jun 13, 2017 14:43:59 GMT 12
Excellent news....... nice new thread also......Guessing like the Temora Hudson colours the nearest equivalent American paint to the British specification? And another excuse to get back on your side of The Ditch.....
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Post by fwx on Jun 13, 2017 16:02:36 GMT 12
Wow, fabtastic news!!
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Post by ZacYates on Jun 13, 2017 16:57:35 GMT 12
I can only breathlessly, excitedly echo everyone else's comments! A P-40 flying in NZ, in RNZAF colours? Superb! This will be well worth the wait.
Thanks Dave and John for sharing! This has really brightened my day.
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Post by Dave Homewood on Jun 13, 2017 17:27:08 GMT 12
Yes Pete, when the early P-40's arrived here they were diverted from Lend Lease RAF batches and had duPont colours on them that replicated the RAF colours. Later they usually got local repaints.
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Post by joey05 on Jun 13, 2017 17:49:48 GMT 12
OMAKA!!!! Awesome news, I already get a sore neck hearing an Alison in the air (not to mention Nanchang, Harvard, anson and the rest) looking forward to seeing her take her place at home in the sky.
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Post by harvard1041 on Jun 13, 2017 18:52:00 GMT 12
Thanks for the comments - but any rebuild needs the help of lots of people ..and in this case, two of the best are Pioneer at Ardmore and specifically Will Lowen ... and CAMS at Omaka and Tony Wytenburg. www.pioneeraero.co.nz/www.cams.net.nz/Rgds Hvd1041 |
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Post by ZacYates on Jun 14, 2017 12:19:26 GMT 12
I've long seen CAMS post on Facebook about making P-40 bits but I never connected the dots. Bravo to all involved.
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Post by ZacYates on Jul 21, 2017 14:45:51 GMT 12
Now the Photobucket extortion programme has taken its toll is it possible to get the photos of this very exciting project reposted, Dave and John?
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Post by Dave Homewood on Jul 21, 2017 15:31:22 GMT 12
Done.
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Post by ZacYates on Jul 21, 2017 16:02:20 GMT 12
Thanks Dave, much appreciated  |
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Post by Mustang51 on Jul 21, 2017 16:41:23 GMT 12
Can we have this as a named thread when John decides on the machine's future RNZAF identity....... and maybe by that time an alternative to the extortion being played by Photo%^&*#@ will have been sourced. Very much looking forward to this.
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Post by alanw on Jul 21, 2017 16:54:35 GMT 12
Excellent news....... nice new thread also......Guessing like the Temora Hudson colours the nearest equivalent American paint to the British specification? And another excuse to get back on your side of The Ditch..... If it's any help, these are the actual DuPont colours from RNZAF P40E-1, NZ3031 drive.google.com/file/d/0B3Yff6LKWML1VS00MVFaR04ycjg/view?usp=sharingThe lower colour is DuPont 71-021 Sky Type S-Grey, which is actually a Duck Egg Blue Colour - ignore the "Grey" term, there is nothing grey about the colour. Regards Alan |
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Post by 11SQNLDR on Jul 22, 2017 12:07:13 GMT 12
Exciting news & wonderful to finally have a P-40 back in the Mainland... and in NZ markings |
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Post by komata on Jul 22, 2017 12:41:20 GMT 12
A most excellent project, but I have to ask: Is anyone, in NZ rebuilding (or even 'replica'-building) a long-fuselage extended-canopy P40-N-25? We have several short fuselage 'original outline' examples being worked on, but AFAIK, none of the final version flown by the RNZAF, hence my question.
Thanks.
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Post by Dave Homewood on Jul 22, 2017 15:58:30 GMT 12
Exciting news & wonderful to finally have a P-40 back in the Mainland... and in NZ markings By "Mainland" do you refer to the South Island? Because a) this is currently at Ardmore; and b) there are four P-40's in the South Island, one of them on public display in RNZAF markings. |
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Post by 11SQNLDR on Jul 22, 2017 23:23:20 GMT 12
As in flying condition and based in the South Island Dave. As in 'eventually'  I was at Wanaka when Tim's P-40 was wheeled out for its first test flight just before the WoW airshow all those years ago (Easter '92), a magic moment as that Alison sprung to life around sunset & me standing only a couple of metres away...so I've always had a fondness for the ol' P-40 ever since! |
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Post by Dave Homewood on Jul 23, 2017 17:09:55 GMT 12
I was there for that first test flight too, it was just taking off as we drove into the airfield in our RNZAF van. It was pure magic to witness, I'd long been a fan of the P-40, I fell in love with NZ3009 when it was at MOTAT, and this was the first time I'd seen one in the air.
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