Post War DH89

[ams888]

Hey All,
I found this image on the National Library website. It is Rongotai in 1947. In this cropped shot there seems to be an RNZAF DH89 with a cheatline. I can't tell which one it is. Looking at the ADF page I think it's either NZ524, NZ526 or NZ531, as those three were kept on strength with the RNZAF into the 1950's. All the rest were either destroyed on Fiji, or sold to NZNAC before this photo was taken. Has anyone ever seen an RNZAF DH89 with a cheatline like that. It looks like it is in its wartime scheme still with the thin fin flash. Here is a link to the original image

rongotai 1947 by Andrew Sutton, on Flickr

[Dave Homewood]

Very interesting find. I wonder what the colour of the cheat line was, blue perhaps?

[davidd]

Yes, so far as we know, it was a blue cheat line, although slightly more elaborate than some. And it would be one of the three a/c you nominated. Notice also the very tiny size of the roundels, also typical of early post-war aircraft. All three aircraft served with the General Purpose Flight from about August 1946 onwards, although one (in fact two) were in Fiji for a while post-war, but blowed if I can remember which one it was at this stage, although I do have this information elsewhere (am presently packing for my big move across town, so most of my research material already in banana boxes). The Harvard is also in a typical "uniform" of that early postwar period, naked as a Jay-bird. with just roundels and numbers, probably also with GP Flight. Appears to be another bare-metal Harvard parked beyond the obvious one.
David D

[Dave Homewood]

Was the General Purpose Flight a postwar scaling down of No. 42 Squadron, David?Or was it a flight within the still active 42 Squadron?

[davidd]

The GP Flight was the original 42 Squadron "scaled back" to mere Flight status after the transfer of six Dominies to NAC at end of August/beginning of September 1946. Please note, from about this time, all newly acquired aircraft for NAC were registered in the name of NAC, and definitely NOT to Union Airways. The newly appointed Board of NAC, under chairmanship of Len Isitt, assumed the task of overseeing the new airline as from 1st September from the Union Airways Board. I think the first aircraft to be registered in NAC's name was one of the ex-RNZAF Lodestars. The GP Flight was elevated back to squadron status as from March 1950 (from memory), which comprised a number of Flights and Sections.
David D

[Dave Homewood]

Thanks for that. No. 42 Squadron has probably had the least amount of stand down as any of our squadrons.

[ams888]

It looks like Old Model Decals do the alternative cheatline. That would be the correct colours?
Untitled by Andrew Sutton, on Flickr

[johnnyfalcon]

That's a fantastic photograph. Eleven classic airframes. I count three natural-metal Harvards, and is that a Beech 18 at the far end? Edit: Beech has US Insignia

[planewriting]

I asked Richard Waugh if he could identify which Dominie it is with that cheat line. He couldn't. For the record they became ZK-BAU (NZ526), ZK-BBP (NZ531), and ZK-BCP (NZ524) with the latter two belonging to South Island Airway on joining civvy street. Both wore the same SIA livery which makes me wonder if the aircraft is ZK-BAU. While this is a logical thought it is not necessarily correct. Does anyone out there have a picture of ZK-BAU in its Auckland Aero Club (initial civil owner) scheme and also of RNZAF Dominies to confirm if they had a standard scheme or possibly a mixed one?

[davidd]

There are several clear photographs of Dominies with that type of nose flash in circulation (which show serial number). Unfortunately ALL my books, photographs, etc, are in cartons (banana boxes) stacked up to seven high, so unable to access at moment. However it is possible (probable?) that more than one Dominie wore this type of marking. I constantly think of all those RNZAF Dakotas (C-47s) with all manner of variations in the nose decorations in the late war/immediate post-war era, with plans to have different colour versions for different squadrons, although these plans were not generally carried out. There might even be one of those Dominie photographs in Charles Darby's "First ten years" book.
David D

[Peter Lewis]

[quote source="/post/273298/thread" timestamp="1549337393" author="planewriting "Does anyone out there have a picture of ZK-BAU in its Auckland Aero Club (initial civil owner) scheme . . . [/quote]

[davidd]

Have just located a photo album of mine (which by some miracle has not yet been boxed), and would you believe it, therein was a photo of NZ526, outside DH's @ Rongotai, and it not only has a nose decoration similar to the one posted above, but it had similar decorations on the one engine nacelle/cowling visible (photo taken of port side) which continue to pretty well the rear end of the nacelle under the wing. Also it has the opposite roundels to the one above, they are Type C roundels (and fin-flash), but they are full size ones. The nose decoration extends aft till stopping just forward of the roundel. And here's the kicker - using the clearly visible and contrasting colours of the roundel and F/F as a reasonably reliable colour reference, it would appear that 526 has RED paint for all the decorations! Wonders will never cease.
David D