What if they tried a Dauntless for topdressing?
Mar 20, 2019 10:40:35 GMT 12
harrysone and johnm like this
Post by ZacYates on Mar 20, 2019 10:40:35 GMT 12
I did this over the last week or so. Here's a little trip into my imagination and some photos.
Untitled by Zac Yates, on Flickr
After WW2 the method of using aircraft to spread fertiliser over New Zealand's hill country meant every war-surplus DH Tiger Moth was snapped up, converted to carry fertiliser, and flown by mostly ex-RNZAF pilots to give new life to the country's vital agriculture-based economy. However the little biplane was hardly the best tool for the job and industry leaders began to seek out new, purpose-built aircraft designed specifically for New Zealand conditions. Others persisted with finding and converting other war surplus types.
Wally Harding, head of the growing Wanganui Aero Work aerial application company, purchased the last ex-RNZAF Douglas SBD-5 Dauntless dive-bomber before it went to the scrapper and had his engineers convert it into a topdressing aircraft. The forward-facing gunmounts and front cockpit were removed and replaced with a fertiliser hopper and the cockpit controls moved to the rear. Originally the plan was to keep the front cockpit and put the hopper in the rear however this was ruled out due to centre of gravity issues. The upper dive brakes were disconnected, fixed in place and faired over, a taller tailwheel leg and larger wheel fitted to help with ground visibility, and the main undercarriage were fixed in place and the bays faired over. Finally a WAW-designed hopper box and fairing were fitted below the centre section, with a sturdy actuating handle fitted to the lower left of the pilot's seat.
Its sword-to-ploughshare conversion complete, the one-time NZ5062 was rolled out as the civilian ZK-BSQ in an attractive silver and red paint scheme and flew from Wanganui Airport in early 1952. Initial trials showed the aircraft handled well when fully loaded and performed well on the job. However the one-off nature of the conversion - and that there were no more Dauntlesses left in the country to convert - meant that ZK-BSQ remained the sole example of the "dung-dusting Douglas Dauntless". By 1955 the Fletcher FU-24 had been developed and chosen to form the backbone of the WAW fleet and the Dauntless was retired and broken down, only a fuselage panel and the tailfin surviving into the 1970s in the spares department.
Untitled by Zac Yates, on Flickr
Untitled by Zac Yates, on Flickr
Untitled by Zac Yates, on Flickr
Untitled by Zac Yates, on Flickr
Untitled by Zac Yates, on Flickr
Untitled by Zac Yates, on Flickr
Untitled by Zac Yates, on Flickr
This is the third time I've built this kit but the first time I've realised it has no exhausts. Nice one, Airfix! Anyways there's no way I can ID where most of the extra bits came from but that doesn't matter...it looks cool, and I had a lot of fun "designing" and building this thing.
Untitled by Zac Yates, on Flickr
After WW2 the method of using aircraft to spread fertiliser over New Zealand's hill country meant every war-surplus DH Tiger Moth was snapped up, converted to carry fertiliser, and flown by mostly ex-RNZAF pilots to give new life to the country's vital agriculture-based economy. However the little biplane was hardly the best tool for the job and industry leaders began to seek out new, purpose-built aircraft designed specifically for New Zealand conditions. Others persisted with finding and converting other war surplus types.
Wally Harding, head of the growing Wanganui Aero Work aerial application company, purchased the last ex-RNZAF Douglas SBD-5 Dauntless dive-bomber before it went to the scrapper and had his engineers convert it into a topdressing aircraft. The forward-facing gunmounts and front cockpit were removed and replaced with a fertiliser hopper and the cockpit controls moved to the rear. Originally the plan was to keep the front cockpit and put the hopper in the rear however this was ruled out due to centre of gravity issues. The upper dive brakes were disconnected, fixed in place and faired over, a taller tailwheel leg and larger wheel fitted to help with ground visibility, and the main undercarriage were fixed in place and the bays faired over. Finally a WAW-designed hopper box and fairing were fitted below the centre section, with a sturdy actuating handle fitted to the lower left of the pilot's seat.
Its sword-to-ploughshare conversion complete, the one-time NZ5062 was rolled out as the civilian ZK-BSQ in an attractive silver and red paint scheme and flew from Wanganui Airport in early 1952. Initial trials showed the aircraft handled well when fully loaded and performed well on the job. However the one-off nature of the conversion - and that there were no more Dauntlesses left in the country to convert - meant that ZK-BSQ remained the sole example of the "dung-dusting Douglas Dauntless". By 1955 the Fletcher FU-24 had been developed and chosen to form the backbone of the WAW fleet and the Dauntless was retired and broken down, only a fuselage panel and the tailfin surviving into the 1970s in the spares department.
Untitled by Zac Yates, on Flickr
Untitled by Zac Yates, on Flickr
Untitled by Zac Yates, on Flickr
Untitled by Zac Yates, on Flickr
Untitled by Zac Yates, on Flickr
Untitled by Zac Yates, on Flickr
Untitled by Zac Yates, on Flickr
This is the third time I've built this kit but the first time I've realised it has no exhausts. Nice one, Airfix! Anyways there's no way I can ID where most of the extra bits came from but that doesn't matter...it looks cool, and I had a lot of fun "designing" and building this thing.