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Post by harvard1041 on Jun 24, 2009 14:31:26 GMT 12
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Post by harvard1041 on Jun 20, 2009 22:54:11 GMT 12
Hi Baz Yes - pretty familiar photos..here's a couple more from early 1991...towed it to Wigram - where we made up the 'partially' retracted frame for the gear...so it would fit in a C-130 - buddy put it into a C-130 one night.
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Post by harvard1041 on Jun 18, 2009 15:09:10 GMT 12
Interesting reading.....was a Design Engineer with Kaman for about a year - back in 1997-98 - and the signs were there back then that the RAN Project would eventually fail ...
Bad spec, bad decisions, poor understanding of what was possible etc etc etc ... we ( the Contractors ) used to talk amongst ourselves about it often ....
Blame - tough one - but the RAN & Commonwealth should shoulder much of it - Kaman obviously not squeaky clean however.
Contrast between the two concurrent Projects - RAN & RNZN - was huge...Kiwi spec was much much more modest - but achievable and - from memory - works fine - not perfect - but a good honest capable helo.
Recall a pair of slides we put up at one Project Review - capability comparisons...one was a P-3 - the other the SH-2G(A) - even the RAN Managers were confused which was which.
...a shambles - and a complete waste of Australian tax dollars.
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Post by harvard1041 on Jun 18, 2009 9:24:42 GMT 12
Great shots of the Oxfords...just neat !
Recognise the location of NZ1342 in Blenheim - that's outside Charlie Saunders old garage - Mayfield Motors (Briscoes is there now) - much of it ended up around at Charlies place eventually - but now long gone.
There was always a ton of Oxford stuff around Blenheim even in the early 1980s...but that too has dried up - a couple of keen collectors have found good use for it..even 'young' Radiculous - who built the one running at Omaka - any photos there Al ?
Used to have a few Oxford bits and Cheetahs etc but have traded them off now... last engine went to Don Subz. about a year back.
Think there might actually be (at least) three Oxfords under rebuilt...a couple of guys up North are building one - using a lot of Australian sources bits ...
Cheers John.
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Post by harvard1041 on Jun 17, 2009 23:39:12 GMT 12
Hi Al Best guy for trailors (in my opinion) is Brian Ford in CHC. www.briford.co.nz/...he builds all sorts of great trailors for reasonable money ...and he's a serious petrol-head. There is one of theirs - not a million miles away from Jay's Hangar - actually right next door ! - great trailor. Cheers Hvd1041
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Post by harvard1041 on Jun 13, 2009 3:03:54 GMT 12
Great photos there Shamus ! - Harvard heaven... most of these aircraft - without engines etc went for just a couple of hundred dollars in the end...
Good to see the photos on NZ1051 - Lyndon Knowles had it for a long time - did a great job rebuilding it - but before it was finished sold thru to Judy Pay in Australia - who finished it in the very attractive scheme you show.
Rgds Hvd1041
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Post by harvard1041 on Jun 12, 2009 8:49:53 GMT 12
Great shots around Blenheim there Shorty ! Before you move on, any chance of some shots of the stuff Pete Coleman had ... or even Anthony Chater - knew Pete fairly well... Chater is - of course - still around - but none the better for wear Rgds Hvd1041
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Post by harvard1041 on Jun 11, 2009 1:55:10 GMT 12
Ah - very nice - here's a photo of his grave at Choloy - which I assume is close by...went there a few years back - about 30 Kiwis buried there.... Rgds Hvd1041
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Post by harvard1041 on Jun 10, 2009 7:23:07 GMT 12
This is politics at its worse....the FAA have a long proud - and well deserved - tradition - of getting things done...if you absolutely positively need the job done - get the Navy to do it.
Scraping the Sea Harrier and now (possibly) all Harriers to pay for - tornadoes - (small t ) - priorities are all wrong..
Rgds Hvd1041 PS- I'm ex-RNZAF - but know a little about the FAA.
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Post by harvard1041 on Jun 9, 2009 8:38:52 GMT 12
Great shots (again) Nev - well remember those Oxford bits on the section off Muller Rd, Blenheim - there was an exhaust ring for a Cheetah up in a tree there (1982 ish) ...been there for a while.. so much so that the tree had grown around it - sort of a permanent horseshoe !
Great shots of John Walsh's Oxfords as well ... what was in the dump along the river on the back boundary of WB back in 1968 ?
Rgds Hvd1041
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Post by harvard1041 on Jun 9, 2009 3:33:45 GMT 12
Hey - great shots there... are most of these in 2 Hangar at WG ?
Rgds Hvd1041
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Post by harvard1041 on Jun 4, 2009 15:33:53 GMT 12
Hi Baz Yes - sure seems like it...and also in (another) 4 FOTU aircraft- NZ1046 - below. Kind of neat photo - PSP under the aircraft at OH etc. 4 OTU being one of the two Fighter OTUs..... OD-1 to OD-10 being Harvards...and OD-11 to OD-40 something being P-40s. Question is when were they changed out for metal rear fuselages..and does anyone know the RNZAF Mod Number ? Here's another shot of your missing Harvards - Wayne - NZ1020. Not a great photo..but understand this was one of the Army Co Op Units at Norwood. Rgds Hvd1041
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Post by harvard1041 on Jun 4, 2009 3:15:21 GMT 12
Good List of 'missing' Harvard photos there NZ1009 ... here's one of them...NZ1047 (OD-8 on 4 FOTU)...will see what others I have. Rgds Hvd1041
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Post by harvard1041 on May 29, 2009 23:46:30 GMT 12
Top right is Joe Keegan - now retired (Wg Cdr) - sort of recognise the guy lower right - but can't recall the name.
rgds Hvd1041
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Post by harvard1041 on May 29, 2009 9:28:07 GMT 12
Hi Zac - no overall silver - with the Red OD coded letters and red on the cowl.
This is pretty much (bar the Sqn codes) as how they came out of NAA Dallas later part of the war - the drawing on the same photo board is straight out of the -2 Maint. Manual which is what the aircraft was delivered like.
There are a number of great photos around of the red OD coded 4 FOTU P-40s... but only a couple of the OD coded Harvards - I've found Qty 3 different Harvards in similar schemes - and talked recently to an ex-OTU Instructor who confirmed they coded the Harvards like their P-40s.... At one stage both OTUs were at Ohakea...the other being 2 FOTU ... who FE codes were white - I understand.
Actually any wartime Harvard shots are interesting - as most units seemed to have a Harvard or two floating around.
Rgds Hvd1041
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Post by harvard1041 on May 27, 2009 0:38:11 GMT 12
Great shots Peter...keep them coming ...really interesting. Hi Zac - not planning to put 1041 back in ANZ colours - heading towards putting it back in 4 (F) OTU scheme...something 1041 was in back in 1944 - when this photo was taken. Rgds Hvd1041
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Post by harvard1041 on May 23, 2009 16:20:31 GMT 12
Great shots as always - here's 1041 with the Canterbury Crest - 1963 (scaneed Slide) - keep them coming. Rgds Hvd1041
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Post by harvard1041 on May 14, 2009 13:41:08 GMT 12
Hi Dave
There were several days of PAG training...and several traps each day...so your memory may be fine...PAG operated at WB for 2+ years I think...ended up being used on post-Group flights as well.
Secretary was Frank O'Flynn at the time I think...we had a 'big' KAHU NZ6254 unveiling in the P-3 end of the ARS Hangar with lots of media etc ...and I think some sort of parade when the first production ones came out (think I dodged all but one parade during my 3 years at WB !?!).
DM - no the 'other' one - P-3 Sgt then A-4 F/S.
In my opinion, KAHU was a good example of Service & Civilian cooperation - something NZ is reasonably good at - one advantage (over say the typical RAN or RAAF Project) is the much smaller size - and better communications achieved.
Rgds Hvd1041
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Post by harvard1041 on May 14, 2009 12:25:28 GMT 12
Ah - here's a thread I know a (little) bit about....was OIC Portable Arrestor Gear (PAG) at WB at the time - 1988-89...it was purchased as part of the KAHU work...idea being to always have it at the 'long' end of the runway for all KAHU flights- should there be a problem. First 'traps' were done pre-NZ6254 (KAHU T-Bird prototype)...but not by much...Steve Moore was the pilot on the first couple of traps. Good gear...and a good team effort at WB - lots of trades involved. Think it went to OH when the first two aircraft went up to 2 Sqn.
KAHU was at the time called KAHU 1 (wing rebuild) and KAHU 2 - (avionic upgrade) ... but the wing rebuild program had been going for some years by then...ever since Ced Seater came back from Pensacola and we got the ex-RAN wing jigs. First two KAHU prototypes- 6254 and 6205 - were done by AMDF in the main ARS Hangar - and the subsequent production ones down the road at Safe. Lots of work was done in-house (and within NZ) of course - great experience for all involved.
Other interesting job at the time was the rebuild on NZ6218 which had rolled over at Townsville a year or so earlier...ton of work on the rebuild at the time - Dave Mitchell, Rag Gordon & Mike Tunnicliffe did (another) great job on it.
Rgds Hvd1041
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Post by harvard1041 on May 4, 2009 23:37:08 GMT 12
...and a very nice guy John was too...please pass condolences on to his family there Al.
Knew John from when I was a kid in Blenheim and worked with him making up a Display Board for the Woodbourne Anniversary in 1987...nice nice guy...and a great guy to talk about old aviation.
Rgds Hvd1041
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