petera
Flight Lieutenant
Posts: 88
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Post by petera on May 24, 2008 19:39:25 GMT 12
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Post by Dave Homewood on May 24, 2008 19:55:53 GMT 12
Absolutely super photos Peter, thanks for posting them here. I have to say how interesting it is to get a glimpse inside the Croydon Aircraft Company's wonderful premises through these pictures. There are many more projects on the go that I, and possibly many others, realised.
Ryan or anyone, what's the relic of aircraft in the photo above the Croydon sign? Is that part of the original Pither Monoplane perhaps?
And what are the two high winged de Havilland machines?
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Post by Bruce on May 24, 2008 21:52:28 GMT 12
The high wing DH in the big new hangar is a Puss moth, the other is a Leopard moth (the differences being the point of attachment of the Undercarriage legs)
Great pictures Peter! Must get down there sometime (Scheduled for the great Southern tour of ZK-CKE...)
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Post by Dave Homewood on May 25, 2008 18:21:17 GMT 12
Thanks regarding the two DH types Bruce. I hope we'll see them both on the airshow circuit in the future (or ar they for foreign customers?).
Is that red Staggerwing on of the two that was at Omaka last year? I thought they were both off overseas. Just how many of them are there in New Zealand.
I was thinking, Mandeville must be a little bit like what No. 42 Squadron's hangar at Rongotai was like in about 1941-43. It looks like a smashing place, I'd love to go there someday.
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Post by Damon on May 25, 2008 19:12:54 GMT 12
Very nice pictures Peter. I think I was there about 1 month before your pictures were taken!The aircraft look to be in the same place when I was there.
Damon
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Post by FlyingKiwi on May 25, 2008 23:25:54 GMT 12
That's a really impressive collection, don't think I've seen such thorough photo coverage of it before until now. Thanks for uploading the photos, looks like a place I'll definitely need to visit next time I'm down that way.
Leo P.
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Post by stu on May 26, 2008 9:25:09 GMT 12
Amazing series of photos Peter, I never realised the size of the collection. Without wanting to sound like I'm plagiarising Leo's comments, it's great to see such a complete coverage of it. Cheers, Stu.  |
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Post by flyjoe180 on May 26, 2008 10:25:04 GMT 12
Although some members here have talked about this collection and workshop often, I had never seen any photos until now of the inside and workshop. Great photos Peter, thanks for posting them.
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Post by DragonflyDH90 on May 26, 2008 20:22:12 GMT 12
To answer a few questions......... The aircraft wreck is of a machine built by a local farmer in the late 20's. Forgive me for not knowing the story exactly (I will find out a bit more) but from some photos of the aircraft it looks to be a Pietenpol, and the time frame possibly fits. From what I understand he saw the drawings in a Popular Mechanics magazine (which makes the Pietenpol likely circa 1929) and built the aircraft. The wood structure is fairly agricultural to say the least with knots in just about every piece, some right through the whole longeron, trimmed down with a spoke shave. The fuse is held together with gussets cut from kerosene tins and nails with the wire bracing being fence wire just wound tight. We have pictures of it flying and also as a crumpled heap in a swede paddock. Dont know what engine but a Model "A" Ford would make sense. Any other questions?  ?? |
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Post by sqwark2k on May 26, 2008 20:38:31 GMT 12
Nice pics... particuarly like ZK-BRC, wish that was still on line at work What's the military style crest on the tail of ZK-ARY? |
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Post by DragonflyDH90 on May 26, 2008 20:40:02 GMT 12
Oh, Stag NC16S is still in NZ we just finished its annual check and its due to leave for its around the world odyssey Nov this year (starting with a tour around NZ).
From what I here Robin Campbell's Stag is still here and hasnt left for Australia.
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Post by Peter Lewis on May 26, 2008 20:41:20 GMT 12
Yes - two more questions: Why has Croydon now been renamed Croyden? Who is this fellow I found lurking in the hangar there when I visited Croydon myself in January?  (Thanks for the fascinated conducted tour at that time Ryan!). From what I here Robin Campbell's Stag is still here and hasnt left for Australia. Yes I saw it still in its hangar at Ardmore last weekend. |
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petera
Flight Lieutenant
Posts: 88
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Post by petera on May 26, 2008 20:45:43 GMT 12
To answer a few questions......... The aircraft wreck is of a machine built by a local farmer in the late 20's. Forgive me for not knowing the story exactly (I will find out a bit more) but from some photos of the aircraft it looks to be a Pietenpol, and the time frame possibly fits. From what I understand he saw the drawings in a Popular Mechanics magazine (which makes the Pietenpol likely circa 1929) and built the aircraft. The wood structure is fairly agricultural to say the least with knots in just about every piece, some right through the whole longeron, trimmed down with a spoke shave. The fuse is held together with gussets cut from kerosene tins and nails with the wire bracing being fence wire just wound tight. We have pictures of it flying and also as a crumpled heap in a swede paddock. Dont know what engine but a Model "A" Ford would make sense. Any other questions? ?? I have posted your response on the 'Planetalk forum' in the UK as there is interest in the identity of this wreckage. PeterA  |
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Post by sniff on May 26, 2008 20:54:09 GMT 12
A DH88 under restoration, I presume?
... and the bubble canopy on the Chipmunk? Have I missed something here?
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petera
Flight Lieutenant
Posts: 88
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Post by petera on May 26, 2008 20:56:58 GMT 12
Yes - two more questions: Why has Croydon now been renamed Croyden? It hasn't. My 'typo', but I can't retrospectively fix subsequent post headings. PeterA  |
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Post by sniff on May 26, 2008 21:01:32 GMT 12
Ah, answered the Chippy Q myself; Canadian.
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Post by DragonflyDH90 on May 26, 2008 21:20:21 GMT 12
The crest on AYR is the squadron crest of the 601 Sqn County of London. The aircraft was purchased in 1936 by the Rt. Hon. Sir Philip Albert Gustave David Sassoon. Sir Philip Sassoon was Under Secretary of State for Air and also Honorary Air Commodore of 601 (County of London) Squadron.  Have a look at this website, I'm sure everyne will find it interesting if they havnt already seen it. There are some great photos of AYR from very very early on. www.adastra.adastron.com/ |
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Post by hairy on May 26, 2008 21:50:23 GMT 12
To answer a few questions......... The aircraft wreck is of a machine built by a local farmer in the late 20's. Forgive me for not knowing the story exactly (I will find out a bit more) but from some photos of the aircraft it looks to be a Pietenpol, and the time frame possibly fits. From what I understand he saw the drawings in a Popular Mechanics magazine (which makes the Pietenpol likely circa 1929) and built the aircraft. The wood structure is fairly agricultural to say the least with knots in just about every piece, some right through the whole longeron, trimmed down with a spoke shave. The fuse is held together with gussets cut from kerosene tins and nails with the wire bracing being fence wire just wound tight. We have pictures of it flying and also as a crumpled heap in a swede paddock. Dont know what engine but a Model "A" Ford would make sense. Any other questions? ?? I have posted your response on the 'Planetalk forum' in the UK as there is interest in the identity of this wreckage. PeterA "A farmer from Gore, Southland, purchased some books on building aircraft, aquired an old Henderson motorcycle engine and, in mid-1932, set out to build his own aircraft in a barn. Twenty four year old Dave Cross pushed out a high winged, single seat aircraft in 1933. The Henderson engine proved not to be powerful enough, so a JAP 40-horsepower engine, originally used by Herbert Pither in Invercargill many years previously, was fitted, with better results. The first flight, on 21 May 1933,was rather dramatic. Airborne after a short run, the tiny homrbuilt cleared some trees before descending and striking a log. Losing a wheel, it nosed into a ditch. Having repaired the machine and , more importantly, receiving some flying tution from the Southland Aero Club, Cross returned for another, more successful, series of four flights on 8 July. The 'Ladybird' made about six flights altogether, some more adventurous than others, until the pilot lost control during a flight that had covered some 6 kilometers and reached 1000 feet. He recovered from one spin only to go into another. The aircraft came to earth in a turnip field, Cross was lifted unconscious from the wreckage, suffering from a fractured nose, cheekbone and ankle. The Gore farmer subsequently completedhis 'A' licence with the Southland Aero Club in June 1934" -from "The History of New Zealand Aviation" by Ross Ewing & Ross MacPhearson, Heinemann Publishers (NZ) Ltd, 1986  |
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Post by DragonflyDH90 on May 26, 2008 21:59:41 GMT 12
There we go....hairy to the rescue.
The Herbert Pither JAP engine idea sounds a bit suspect though, could be mistaken but Herb' made mostly his own engines and left New Zealand fairly smartly after his aircraft exploits (possibly along with a local chaps wife, so one of the stories goes).
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Post by DragonflyDH90 on May 26, 2008 22:00:19 GMT 12
Yes on the Comet DH88 and the Canadian Chippy.......
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