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Post by emron on Oct 18, 2023 15:00:09 GMT 12
Rex got the fabric covering on both trim tabs today, so they are now ready for painting. I managed to wrestle the elevator torque tube out from the tail, and this is what the bearing bar looks like in daylight, not too pretty. elevator_ torque_tube by Ron Wilson, on Flickr Anyway, the assembly came apart fairly easily. The bearing bar was made in two halves so once I take out a couple of rivets they will split. The two NOS spares that I found earlier are for other locations in the tailplane and are a different shape, so we’ll need to make the best of the original one. elevator_bearing by Ron Wilson, on Flickr Making a second search for another spare bar was unsuccessful, but instead, look what I found in the shed! They were almost as happy to see me as I was to find them, after all this time: the anti-glare shield for the Sunderland’s instrument panel and the fixed mooring bridle that is shackled to the towing eye on the bow. shield_and_bridle by Ron Wilson, on Flickr
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Post by emron on Oct 15, 2023 14:57:35 GMT 12
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Post by emron on Oct 10, 2023 20:27:53 GMT 12
A week later...
Press, 10 February 1967.
YACHT SEEN Chichester Waves
(N.Z. Press Association) Auckland, Feb. 9.
An Air Force Orion aircraft sighted the lone British yachtsman, Sir Francis Chichester, 150 miles north of New Zealand during a routine patrol late today. A message received at the Hobsonville base of the Maritime Surveillance Wing tonight said that the aircraft circled overhead for several minutes to identify and photograph the yacht, Gipsy Moth IV. Sir Francis Chichester appeared on deck and waved to the airmen. The sighting was at 5.30 p.m. The report from the aircraft said the yacht was making about five knots in moderate seas on a south-easterly heading. Visibility was down to one mile and the cloud base was at 300ft.
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Post by emron on Oct 10, 2023 17:26:46 GMT 12
So was April 1967 the month they actually began operational flying? The first news account I can find of off-shore activity: Press, 2 February 1967. Cyclone Will Not Hit N.Z. (NZ Press Association) WELLINGTON Feb.1 Cyclone Dinah was gradually dissolving and almost stationary about 450 miles north-west of Auckland, the Meteorological Office said tonight.... This afternoon the Air Force sent an Orion reconnaissance aircraft and a Canberra bomber into the storm area to collect data. The crews reported that the cyclone had no clearly defined area. They pinpointed the breakaway depression at 500 miles west of Auckland about 3 p.m.
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Post by emron on Oct 9, 2023 10:44:16 GMT 12
Having to duck under this assembly each time going to and from the rear turret position, last time I decided to stop and check out its condition. That’s where all the Sunderland’s rudder and elevator control cables converge and are attached to the levers and torque tubes that they operate. Here’s the joint between the port elevator and the central torque tube. port_elevator_joint by Ron Wilson, on Flickr There’s some bad corrosion between them and I suspect the hinge bearing is seized, so it’s best to remove the torque tube to gain access. Yesterday I brought down the external control locks from storage, rebuilt the port elevator one and fitted it. Now I can withdraw the torque tube without the elevator drooping. I’ve still to complete the lock for the other side but that will be installed next time. Once the rudder and elevators are bolted back on the torque tubes and moving freely, then we need to look at the trim tabs and their control runs in the tail. Both elevator tabs need finishing before they can be refitted. This is one array of sprockets, mounts and chains that move the various trim tabs and crisscross the compartment. Much of the small chain is rusted or missing so replacing that might be left for later. trim_tab_sprocket by Ron Wilson, on Flickr
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Post by emron on Sept 22, 2023 17:26:23 GMT 12
Down back of the Sunderland we’ve been making ready to mount the rear turret. I’ve checked out the row of anchor nuts around the rim where the turret is bolted down on, replaced missing ones and cleared threads on the others, I did the same for the row around the outside where the cover strip later seals the gap. Here are the other three fairings that enclose the top and sides of the turret when in place. turret_fairings by Ron Wilson, on Flickr This cover closes an access port in the hull below the turret, the two arms clamp it in place from the inside. The rubber seal that it seats into has perished, so as soon as that has been replaced this assembly will be put back before the turret is lowered in. access_cover by Ron Wilson, on Flickr We previously left off the back half of the cupola for a better view of the interior, but I’ve now bolted it back on and will shortly rivet the door hinges on too. That will leave just the seals for the gun slots to be finished, before the turret will be ready. turret_doors3 by Ron Wilson, on Flickr
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Post by emron on Sept 20, 2023 17:33:24 GMT 12
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Post by emron on Sept 11, 2023 20:34:21 GMT 12
The Vildebeest fuselage plus a large quantity of parts were provided to the RNZAF by MOTAT in late 1982 and initially on loan. They may have been held at Whenuapai for a while before being ferried to storage at Weedons. 1986 sounds about right for when that loan was converted to a gift. In return the Air Force Museum offered to rebuild the Mosquito wing. MOTAT took up that offer in August 1989 when the pieces of wing were consigned to Wigram. The P-47 wasn’t part of that deal, it was a later gift and dispatched in 1992.
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Post by emron on Aug 13, 2023 16:13:14 GMT 12
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Post by emron on Aug 3, 2023 12:31:51 GMT 12
He flew eastwards during the solo circumnavigation in the JetRanger (following the prevailing winds) and then later (1995) he was first to fly a helicopter around the globe the other way, accompanied by his wife, Pip, in this Sikorsky.
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Post by emron on Aug 3, 2023 11:30:57 GMT 12
Well that is a great new addition to the MOTAT collection. But I am puzzled, I watched the TV series Dick Smith made where he flew the helicopter around the world and I am pretty sure his helicopter was a Bell Jet Ranger? Did he circumnavigate the globe twice, in two different choppers? Dick Smith completed the first solo circumnavigation of the World in a rotary wing aircraft, aboard Bell 206B JetRanger III, VH-DIK, during 1982/3. VH-DIK is now preserved in the Powerhouse Museum, Sydney.
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Post by emron on Aug 2, 2023 20:05:29 GMT 12
Northland Emergency Services Trust Rescue Helicopter, Helimed 1, Sikorsky S-76A, ZK-ISJ “Juliet.” Former operators include Royal Jordanian Air Force, Round the World record holder, Dick Smith (first east-west circumnavigation as VH-CFH, 1995) and Order of St John’s Auckland rescue helicopter service 1997-2000.
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Post by emron on Aug 2, 2023 16:49:07 GMT 12
Denys, the wooden guns illustrated above will not fit either the Frazer-Nash or the Boulton Paul turret without some modification. However they do have both front and rear brackets that would slot straight into the Mosquito mount. Here are details of the front Boulton Paul mount from MOTAT’s turret. bp_front_mount by Ron Wilson, on Flickr During installation on this mount, the pin is withdrawn from the square block and then the front of the receiver is lowered down over the block. the pin is inserted back through holes in the side plate of the receiver that line up with centre hole in the block. Next the rear bracket beneath the receiver is lowered into the rear mount and that pin pushed through the aligned holes. bp_rear_mount by Ron Wilson, on Flickr To select a suitable version of replica you would need to ensure that it has the correct gap under the front of the receiver to accept the square block and that holes have been drilled in the side plates in line with it, so that the gun sits parallel in the mounting.
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Post by emron on Jul 27, 2023 11:52:44 GMT 12
Last time I looked it didn’t have an ejection seat. But you’re right, we should call time on those erroneous stencils. That standing joke has gone on for long enough. What may have started out as a bit of fun for painting apprentices at the TTS before WR202 was donated to MOTAT, has raised more than a laugh or two in the years since. We’re aware of other things that should be done to improve the FB.9’s appearance too, but let’s leave it to the Collections team to decide when and how to carry out the re-vamp as it were.
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Post by emron on Jul 25, 2023 14:12:50 GMT 12
Next instalment on the captivating topic of Sunderland floorboards. Now that the wooden ones for the rear compartment are painted, they needed some minor trimming before they fitted. That’s been done to the first four and they are in the process of being secured in place. I decided to re-work the fifth one as that was the only original left, but the light wood was split and broken on the ends, so I’ve glued and patched them to return some strength. This board is the final one that butts up to the bulkhead forward of the rear turret. There are some panels missing from that area which I may need to re-create before everything will connect. I’m still not sure if a step was there too, as it’s quite a climb into the turret from up the back.
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Post by emron on Jul 19, 2023 21:07:49 GMT 12
Credit to Gabby and Max for their patience and thoroughness during the prep-work on the undercarriage, props and cowls, which has assured the pleasing finish to the new paint on these items.
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Post by emron on Jul 19, 2023 15:57:12 GMT 12
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Post by emron on Jul 16, 2023 19:03:04 GMT 12
New Zealand Herald, 18 July 1939.
AEROPLANES ARRIVE 16 VICKERS VINCENTS _____
SHIPMENT FROM CALCUTTA _____
ASSEMBLY AT HOBSONVILLE ____
A further shipment of military aircraft for use by the Royal New Zealand Air Force was brought to Auckland yesterday by the British India steamer Gamaria from Calcutta. The 182 cases which are to be unloaded from the vessel at Prince’s Wharf contained 16 dismantled Vickers Vincent machines, which will be assembled at the Hobsonville base and then assigned to various Air Force centres. The machines are part of the fairly extensive purchases made by the New Zealand Government. To expedite their delivery the Gamaria was specially diverted to include Auckland in her itinerary, and the unloading of the heavy crates on to motor-lorries for transport to Hobsonville will be carried out to-day. The Hobsonville staff is still engaged in assembling a number of Fairey Gordon bombers which were contained in a prior shipment from Royal Air Force depots in Egypt. However, this work is now well advanced, and as soon as it is completed the assembly of the Vickers Vincents will commence. Almost identical with the better-known Vildebeest, the Vickers Vincents are newcomers to New Zealand, but they have been used by Royal Air Force units in other parts of the world for a number of years. They possess the same air-frame and engine as the Vildebeest, but they are not equipped to carry a torpedo.
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Post by emron on Jul 16, 2023 18:19:58 GMT 12
Star (Christchurch), 29 April 1935.
NEW BOMBERS ARRIVE
The Vickers Vildebeest bomber machines for the Royal New Zealand Air Force, which were delivered at Lyttelton last week, were unloaded to-day and transported by rail to Christchurch, whence they were taken by horse-drawn lorry to Wigram Aerodrome. The machines will probably remain in storage for a week, pending the arrival of two employees of the Vickers company, who will superintend their assembly.
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Post by emron on Jul 10, 2023 16:19:11 GMT 12
While Richard and Mike have been powering through the cleaning and paint of the bow compartment, I’ve been working down the back in the rear compartment which they’ve already finished painting, making my way forward and fitting out the equipment as I go. One of the not so soft furnishings is almost ready for riveting, the new made gun charger lever assembly for the left-hand receiver side plate of the 0.5” Browning. port_receiver_side_plate by Ron Wilson, on Flickr
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