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Post by corsair67 on Feb 15, 2008 17:41:31 GMT 12
Bugger!  |
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Post by p40fanatic on Feb 18, 2008 14:23:31 GMT 12
Damn! Just heard that at NZFF today!!! Well that's my airshow season ruined. Great.
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Post by vgp on Feb 24, 2008 6:19:26 GMT 12
Spitfire downed 5:00AM Sunday February 24, 2008 By Cliff Taylor The most famous fighter plane of World War II has lost none of its awesome reputation if the reaction of United States authorities is anything to go by. A Supermarine Spitfire Mk IX, which was to have been the star attraction at this weekend's Mercury Bay Shell Airshow at Whitianga, has been impounded by US Customs - apparently because they still consider it to be a deadly military machine. The rebuilt two-seater, one of only five in the world, was bought in the US by Aucklander Doug Brooker, who had hoped to see it fly over the Coromandel this weekend and appear at the Warbirds Over Wanaka airshow in March. It would have been the first time such an aircraft had been seen in the Southern Hemisphere. But the fighter has been prevented from leaving the US, caught for the past fortnight in a web of bureaucratic red tape. "It seems that a plane built in 1943 goes into the same category as an F16 or something. With an exported military aircraft it has to be in a certain category. "My guess is the same thing would happen with a WWI aircraft." Brooker would not reveal how much he paid for the Spitfire, which comes complete with replica wing-mounted machine guns, except to say the price was "very reasonable". The plane is painted to represent the Spitfire flown by American Major Robert Levine of the 4th Fighter Squadron in the Middle East during WWII. Brooker said he had been a Spitfire enthusiast "since reading Biggles books as a boy". He was still hopeful the plane would make it for the Wanaka airshow, but admitted it was "getting pretty tight". www.nzherald.co.nz/section/1/story.cfm?c_id=1&objectid=10494166 |
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Post by kiwi on Feb 24, 2008 8:08:00 GMT 12
I was under the impression this aircraft was all but a new build , with the additon of a data plate from a genuine firewall . I have no problem with this as to me it is all Spitfire and I will be able to see it in its element , where it belongs . However it could be argued , to get around these current issues , that this is in no way a real warplane .
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Post by lumpy on Feb 24, 2008 10:58:29 GMT 12
Pretty sure they will take the attitude that if it looks a Spitfire , sounds like a Spitfire , and goes like a Spitfire , then it is indeed a spitfire . The actual build date of some of the components will be totally irrelivent . Pretty sure this will be just an inconvieniant delay whilst the correct paper work is sorted ( dont think this will turn into a Skyhawk type saga - hopefully )
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Post by corsair67 on Feb 24, 2008 12:12:33 GMT 12
My God, things really are silly in the good ole US of A! |
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Post by vs on Feb 24, 2008 12:40:01 GMT 12
according to the latest warbirds international magazine, the project started with an original fuselage and the wings and tail section are from another spitfire, therefore it is an original....just 2 genuine spitfires made into 1!
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Post by lumpy on Feb 24, 2008 19:07:22 GMT 12
Could it be that they dont care so much that its an " ex military " aircraft - but want to make sure that its not a gunuine war artifact ? ( remembering it is presented as the aircraft of a US pilot . Perhaps they just want to make sure it doesnt have major historical significance for the nation ?
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mark16
Leading Aircraftman
Posts: 3
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Post by mark16 on Feb 25, 2008 19:15:23 GMT 12
Tri-State P40 NZ3119 has also been held up on entry to the USA
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Post by Dave Homewood on Feb 26, 2008 12:37:51 GMT 12
Where is/was the P-40 headed for mark16? Are yiou able to reveal the new owner and where its retoration is probably to be completed?
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mark16
Leading Aircraftman
Posts: 3
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Post by mark16 on Feb 26, 2008 14:41:43 GMT 12
Check out the WIXs site, under new P40 to the US!
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Post by p40fanatic on Feb 26, 2008 20:35:15 GMT 12
damn! I would've loved to see her fly in NZ! Imagine her and '09 together....*smiles wistfully*. Ah well, as I've been told before, for every one that leaves there's normally two or more as/more interesting which come in their place. So....twin stick Spit for Wanaka? I hope so! |
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Post by sputnik767 on Feb 29, 2008 19:33:24 GMT 12
i've just looked at the pic's, she looks fantastic, great job by a kiwi team(?),  where did this job get done?, Who did the work?? Does anyone have any pics of the work??? Its a tradgedy that one of 'our' pieces of history should end up oversea's....  It's a small consolation that the NZ markings are on it, but how long will that last?? Why couldn't someone have fronted up with the money to keep her here...... (I've been trying to get some funds together (lotto tickets) but not luck there yet) |
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Post by Dave Homewood on Mar 1, 2008 10:28:06 GMT 12
I too have just found the thread Mark16 mentioned, it's here warbirdinformationexchange.org/phpBB2/viewtopic.php?t=19977&highlight=p40The photos are great, and well done to the Subritzky team for such an impressive looking restoration so far. It's nice to see RNZAF markings on a P-40M like that. I hope the new owner will retain the markings for a while. I hope someday it will return to NZ, like NZ3009 did. In the meantime I wish the new owners well and I hope they have a lot of fun operating it. |
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Post by Dave Homewood on Mar 1, 2008 10:29:50 GMT 12
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Post by stu on Apr 9, 2008 9:52:05 GMT 12
I've heard a rumour that the Spitfire may be here within a couple of weeks.
Can anybody shed any light on this or is it just crossed wires, out of date news or wishful thinking?
Cheers,
Stu.
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Post by Naki on Apr 30, 2008 22:27:33 GMT 12
Word is on the NZFF forum that the Spitfire TR9 has finally arrived. Apparently it is to be registered as ZK-WDQ and going to be repainted in RAF colours
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Post by nzompilot on Apr 30, 2008 22:40:07 GMT 12
according to www.caa.govt.nz it has arrived and is on the register WDQ Initial registration Supermarine Spitfire Mk IX Lasbrook Holdings Limited Aeroplane 29-4-2008 N367MH |
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Post by p40fanatic on May 1, 2008 15:31:14 GMT 12
*applauds*
I think I'm not alone in hoping for pics soon. She's to be based at Ardmore, so if anyone in AKL sees/hears/senses anything, please let us all know!
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Post by vgp on May 20, 2008 18:26:21 GMT 12
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