|
Post by Bruce on Jun 14, 2008 9:11:31 GMT 12
Ross Jowitt would probably be able to resolve the mystery - Any Ardmore people able to have a chat with him?
|
|
|
Post by fletcherfu24 on Jun 14, 2008 22:51:36 GMT 12
After wasting an hour or two.. fiddling and enhancing the photo it appears to have been originally in a scheme like this.. It appears to have been repainted white with a red tail rather crudely over the original scheme,a large piece of white paint has peeled of just forward of the front cockpit. The roundel does appear to be just a roundel when enlarged,which doesnt really help as most Commonwealth countries displayed a roundel in the war and immediate post war years. The fail fin flash must have extended over most of the fin as only the white segment has not been painted over. Other than that I'm still convinced the building in the background has a lodge emblem on the wall.
|
|
|
Post by Dave Homewood on Jun 14, 2008 23:46:35 GMT 12
That is not white paint on the fuselage, it's Dove Grey.
And the white of the finflah is present, not painted over as you say. However the blue appears to have disappeared. Remember the tal rudder on the Pahiatua Harvard has been replaced from the fabric original to a thinner mock up. I'd say that is when the blue section disappeared and thus this is, as I always thought, Pahiatua.
The original colour was probably silver as you ascertain when bought from Bennetts and I'd wager the RNZAF helped out the community with a repaint into modern colours when it was erected.
|
|
|
Post by mumbles on Jun 15, 2008 1:32:23 GMT 12
Probably clouding the issue somewhat, but the gate/gap in the fence is in pretty much the same place as the Paihiatua example.
It isn't inconceivable to me that the aircraft may have been removed from its original mounting and remounted in a more 'dramatic' pose at some point, however this idea is pure speculation.
|
|
|
Post by Dave Homewood on Jun 15, 2008 13:12:03 GMT 12
I agree with you entirely Sam and it would have been removed and remounted while being painted. They would surely not have done the repaints on sight, on a traffic island.
|
|
|
Post by shorty on Jun 15, 2008 13:27:22 GMT 12
I think the "Canadian" idea is a complete red herring.
|
|
|
Post by hairy on Jun 15, 2008 20:31:02 GMT 12
I still do not think it is the Pahiatua Harvard, I do think it is an ex.RNZAF Mk.II or Mk.IIB with the "curved" coaming. As for the gate in the fence. if it is the same one in the photo as the one that is there now, it would place the green building (in the background of the original photo) on the island in state highway 2 and as can be seen by the following picture from Whites Pictorial Reference of New Zealand published in 1953 the island has been a park since at least 1953. Also the green building does not match up with anything in the 1953 photo or current Google Earth. As for remounting the aircraft during its spruce-up, the Jaycees had $5000.00 to spend, I do not think this would have covered remounting, painting and replacing the slide and ladder. Thanks to the my recent 'Wings' photos purchase I have come accross the following photo taken during the refurbishment. MacPhearson/Wings photo. Which shows that the mounting poles had been there for some time. Notice the primer on what could have been rust and the undisturbed ground. In this close up...... .......you can see the poles were in situ when the aircraft when was painted, also notice the fairings for the retracted wheels in place which the Harvard in the original photo does not have. One other thing if it is the Pahiatua Harvard in the original photo, where is the road? State highway 2 runs down both sides of the park and is level with the ground in the park.
|
|
|
Post by shorty on Jun 15, 2008 20:35:17 GMT 12
The early aerial photo, is that the north end or the southern end of the island? Just a thought
|
|
|
Post by hairy on Jun 15, 2008 20:46:12 GMT 12
The early aerial photo, is that the north end or the southern end of the island? Just a thought It is the north end, the south end has a well defined change in direction between the first and second island.
|
|
|
Post by lumpy on Jun 15, 2008 21:00:41 GMT 12
I agree with Hairy , they would never bother to retrofit wheel buldges . To me , the trees even look smaller in the latter " refurbishment " photo , than the orignal . Could also be my eyes , but is that a cloud covered hill / mountain range way in the distance of the orignal ?
|
|
|
Post by Dave Homewood on Jun 15, 2008 21:16:32 GMT 12
In NZ Wings from December 1978/January 1979 there's a list of where all extant RNZAF Harvards were at the time. It lists playground Harvard NZ1100 as being at Takapua.
adf.serials lists the location of NZ1100 as being at Takapau. I guess Wings made a spelling mistake?
|
|
|
Post by hairy on Jun 15, 2008 21:40:29 GMT 12
Another observation , in the original photo the lower engine cowl has been removed and the centre section intact for the slide exit and the Pahiatua a/c has the lower cowling in place with a cut-out and the centre section has been cut back. The slide is mounted further back into the cockpit floor whereas I assume you go through the firewall to access the mystery aircrafts slide.
|
|
|
Post by Dave Homewood on Jun 15, 2008 22:06:54 GMT 12
Hold the phone! Pool Guy was barking up the right tree with his Canadian built Harvard it seems... I just emailed Dave Lochead and asked his opinion as he is owner of NZ1100 of takapau fame. He replied just now: "Hi dave, that appears to be a Noordyn built Mk2b, and if thats the case it is definitely the aircraft owned by Bruce Black and myself, and currently listed on Trade Me NZ1100 was the only 11b to be made into a slide, and I can confirm this having personally seen the carcasses of the other 2 Mk11bs that came to NZ"Now that that's out of the way, here's another Harvard on sticks, from the inside back page of NZ Wings in November 1976.
|
|
|
Post by Dave Homewood on Jun 15, 2008 22:14:10 GMT 12
|
|
|
Post by fletcherfu24 on Jun 15, 2008 23:15:39 GMT 12
The Paihiatua Harvard has different cockpit frames (bigger side panels) than the mystery one,although in the most recent Paihiatua photo one of the canopies has been replaced with a closely spaced frame. I still maintain the Harvard is white,the same colour as the slide.I just have an inkling I've seen the photo before(a 1980s Air Classic or similar?) and it was in Canada/or US.You would think if its in NZ it would have been more photographed.
|
|
|
Post by Dave Homewood on Jun 15, 2008 23:28:11 GMT 12
Did you read my last post on the previous page? It's pretty much confirmd as NZ1100 by its owner.
|
|
|
Post by baz62 on Sept 1, 2008 21:47:56 GMT 12
NZ1102 would be a Mark IIA* or Mark III, If this is NZ 1102 then she is a Mark 2B built in Canada along with 1100 and 1101.
|
|
|
Post by fletcherfu24 on Sept 6, 2008 14:46:33 GMT 12
Yes....but where is it ?.... ;D
|
|
|
Post by b10m on Sept 6, 2008 17:45:34 GMT 12
Yes....but where is it ?.... ;D Well?
|
|
|
Post by angelsonefive on Sept 7, 2008 17:45:56 GMT 12
I did a google search for info. on the Masonic Lodge in Takapau and found the following :
" Lodge Ruataniwha No.172 handed in its charter in 1996 after 85 years of existence in the small Hawkes Bay town of Takapau. "
So there was a Masonic hall in Takapau in the time the Harvard was there.
After only 12 years there is a good chance that the distinctive building is still around.
Does anyone here live within easy reach of Takapau ?
|
|