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Post by Dave Homewood on Jan 3, 2008 10:26:19 GMT 12
In April 1993 we repainted Harvard NZ1050, the famous Gate Guard at Wigram. It had been well over a decade since its last repaint, and so the old yellow paint was rather poor. It took weeks to strip, clean and prepare the aircraft. I was made in charge of a team stripping the paint, an awful job involving paint stripper and scotchbrite pot scrubbers. I was also involved in painting the new scheme and markings, and in helping to restore the lovely aircraft to its plinth at the gate. Here are some photos... Before - seen in No. 6 Hangar just after it had ben taken down from the pole, and awaiting us to finish painting a TBM Avenger - next on the WWII aircraft restoration production line  During - the aircraft was stripped and partially painted in No. 5 Hangar (seen with its door open in the background of this shot which features Vaughn McAllistar in the white overalls, Andrew 'Max' Maxwell on far side of the tail, and a Corporal Aircraft tech whose name escapes me on the left of photo)  and then wheeled here to No. 6 Hangar for partial reassembly and detailing. Same Cpl whose name escapes me  After - putting the reassembled aircraft back using the RNZAF's Palfinger crane. A tricky business but the RNZAf could do anything in those days without the need for bringing in specialist contractors. I wonder if they still can.     Back on her perch..  |
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Post by agalbraith on Jan 3, 2008 20:54:04 GMT 12
Awesome photos Dave. Thanks for the insight on that one. Very interesting indeed. Looks like she is due again. Went past her the other day and thought she needed a little love again.
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Post by beagle on Jan 3, 2008 21:02:55 GMT 12
Yes She is in need of a tidy up, plus also the spitfire at CHC.
Dave, instead of using all those nasty phenol based strippers (T25) , isn't quite a bit of the fuselage just big panels attached by zus fastners and could have been stripped by PMB in the cabinet, or did you not have one there.
And also the image where you are pushing it down the road, where were your f/s caps airmen ??
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Post by corsair67 on Jan 3, 2008 23:30:26 GMT 12
Wonderful photos, Dave. Have you been having a post-Christmas clean up at home, or something? ;D
These photos are really interesting because I've always wondered how the aircraft was attached to the mounting frame at the top of the plinth; but as I see from the photos, the frame is attached to the aircraft before it is lifted up onto the plinth.
Beags, the Harewood Spitfire sure does need a clean to get all the grime and moss off it: it looks absolutely appalling! Maybe we should write to the airport and/or The Press to complain?
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Post by Dave Homewood on Jan 4, 2008 7:48:34 GMT 12
Yes She is in need of a tidy up, plus also the spitfire at CHC. Dave, instead of using all those nasty phenol based strippers (T25) , isn't quite a bit of the fuselage just big panels attached by zus fastners and could have been stripped by PMB in the cabinet, or did you not have one there. And also the image where you are pushing it down the road, where were your f/s caps airmen ?? As far as I can remember they didn't have a bead blasting cabinet at Wigram. Plus I think if you took the skins off this Harvard the aircraft would collapse. As far as wearing our F/S caps, I most probably had mine on I should think. But by this time at Wigram the base was winding down and there was not many NCO's around to shout at you anyway. Even the Base W/O, Terry Wereta, had laxed out a fair bit and he used to skive off a lot and come to my section (Fabric Bay) to drink tea and tell me his Vietnam stories! You know the base is on wind down when the Base Warrant Officer is skiving off. Regarding the caps, it's actually funny, now almost 15 years later, still getting picked up on it by a Sgt. Cheers beagle! Craig, I wouldn't complain to the Press about the Spitfire - in this day and age they'll declare it a health an safety hazard and remove it. |
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Post by Dave Homewood on Jan 4, 2008 7:59:38 GMT 12
Another thing I have mentioed before but might as well add to this thread, the reason the colour scheme changed from the yellow to the orange and grey was 'management'decided that since the Govt and heirachy had shafted Wigram and the flying training wing was about to leave for Ohakea, they too should be rememebred. Most people at that time were familiar with the orange and grey aircraft buzzing round and a new scheme on the Harvard would be a fitting tribute to about 75 years of flying training at the site.
So we began painting it and after the orange and grey were duly applied, and makrings were going on, our Maintenance Flight Commander was clearing out her office preparing for her shift north to Ohakea. In her old files that she'd never accessed as they'd always been in the MFC's filing cabinet, she found notes from when the Harvard was first erected. She sat down and read through them as she thought it was ironic we were currently repainting it.
In the noted from the 1970's she found a clause that stated the group who bought and donated the Harvard to Wigram (some Wigram old boys association, ex-veterans of some sort) had stipulated that if it was ever painted in the future it must remain in the yellow wartime colours to reflect the days when they trained there during the war!
So everyone was a little red faced and I think Teresa managaed to accidentally lose that bit of paperwork. ;D
It had been painted at least twice before, when it was first erected it was put into a non-authentic wartime scheme. Sometime later it was repainted into a proper wartime RNZAF scheme. And our repaint was the third time since going on gate duties I think. If it's repaited again, I guess the museum or Air New Zealand will have to do it. It would be nice to see it returned to the yellow scheme next time in accordance with the owners' wishes.
It had been down off the plinth again since the photos above because for some odd reason they reworked the gate entrance and shifted the aircraft to the other side of the entrance road. I cannot work out why.
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Post by Damon on Jan 4, 2008 18:40:59 GMT 12
Dave, could the reason they shifted the Harvard to the other side was the on coming traffic was coming from the city( ? ) and they wanted the oncoming traffic/punters to see that the RNZAF Museum was located there?
I would be interested in the condition of the cockpit area.I've always wondered if much of the intruments and other items ,seats etc were still in the airframe or was it gutted before mounting on the plinth?
Damon
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Post by beagle on Jan 4, 2008 19:31:05 GMT 12
You know the base is on wind down when the Base Warrant Officer is skiving off.
I can remember the base W/O coming down in the early 80's to watch "Blue Movies" in the parachute tower. Once he came in and said " I've seen this one, haven't you got any new ones"
In the noted from the 1970's she found a clause that stated the group who bought and donated the Harvard to Wigram (some Wigram old boys association, ex-veterans of some sort) had stipulated that if it was ever painted in the future it must remain in the yellow wartime colours to reflect the days when they trained there during the war!
yes agree totally, next repaint should be in the colours stipulated !!!!!!!!!
Craig, I wouldn't complain to the Press about the Spitfire - in this day and age they'll declare it a health an safety hazard and remove it.
Well to be honest, I wouldn't mind them removing it, tidying it up and returning it to it;s plinth, but
a, put it near the car park to the musuem, because it is a military aircraft and the the musuem is military, and
b, A new gate guard for CHC in the position where the spitfire currently is should be either a B737-200 or to reflect the longer years that C141 Starlifters have been based there, one of then, before they are all chopped up.
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Post by Dave Homewood on Jan 7, 2008 9:10:32 GMT 12
Damon, I think they changed the actual road layout at the entrance when they began building houses there. It's hard to judge why the thing had to be moved though. I do not think it's any more visible now from the road than it was before.
As for the cockpit, I really don't recall what was inside it. I wish i could remember. I am sure the engine was real, as it had perspex fitted in front to stop birds nesting in it.
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