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Post by ZacYates on Aug 31, 2017 19:09:50 GMT 12
Wow great pics..$8000 for a Corsair! Just for fun: $8000 in 1971 works out to $109,537.64 today. That is a GREAT price for a Corsair! |
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Post by sammie123 on May 25, 2018 15:35:28 GMT 12
HI,
frank Bish was my uncle and took me down to the opening of the Hamilton Airport in 66". I was 16 yrs old at the time.Josephine, the name of the plane was after Frank's wife Josephine(Jo), who was my mother's sister. As a Flight Sergeant, Frank had flown this plane in the Pacific during Ww2. remember the plane going down the tarmac and lifting off the ground. also recall Frank saying before getting into the cockpit, that he was sure the plane could fly, however wasn't allowed to lift it off the ground. So, was it intentional well !!!!
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Post by Dave Homewood on May 25, 2018 20:05:41 GMT 12
Welcome Sammie. Do you or your family have any photos of either the restoration and 'flight' of the Corsair, or from Frank Bish's wartime years? Is his logbook still around?
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Post by kiwi285 on May 26, 2018 17:25:41 GMT 12
We were at Hamilton Airport that day and took a joy ride about that time in a 172. We were coming into land on the main runway and ended up beside the Corsair on it demo run so we had a birdseye view. I remember that the aircraft was bouncing on the mains in the take off position. I took a couple of black and white photos but I cannot find them anymore. Bugger.
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Post by Dave Homewood on May 26, 2018 21:04:09 GMT 12
Oh man, I'd love to see those photos Mike. What a great thrill that would have been.
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Post by cheeky62 on Apr 23, 2021 9:37:40 GMT 12
My Father served in the Solomon’s as a LAC - No.4 Servicing unit. He taken a few photos one being of NZ5211.
I'd like to post the photo, however unsure on how to do this on this site.
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Post by Dave Homewood on Apr 23, 2021 20:08:26 GMT 12
Welcome to the forum cheeky.
If you can email me the photo, to dave_daasnz@hotmail.com - I will post it for you.
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Post by camtech on Jan 18, 2023 15:54:14 GMT 12
Just reviving this thread to try to solve "NZ5648" true identity.
On NZ Civil register, its constructors no is quoted as 32823.
Air Force Doomsday book quotes Buno 92044 and c/n as 3305.
Joe Baugher has two entries for this aircraft:
The first: 92044 (MSN 3305) to New Zealand as NZ5648. Currently airworthy with the Old Flying Machine
Company in the UK. This serial may not be genuine since 88391 (MSN 3205) to New Zealand as
NZ5648. Made airworthy as NX55JP. Now with Old Flying Machine Company at Duxford, UK as
G-BXUL painted in US Navy colors with false BuNo 92844.
Registered Feb 23, 2006 to Air Tight Trust of Ardmore, New Zealand as ZK-COR
The second: 88391 (MSN 3205) to New Zealand as NZ5648. Made airworthy as NX55JP. Now with Old Flying
Machine Company at Duxford, UK as G-BXUL painted in US Navy colors with false BuNo 92844.
Registered Feb 23, 2006 to Air Tight Trust of Ardmore, New Zealand as ZK-COR
Does anyone know the real identity?
As mentioned earlier in this thread, it is quite possible that plates were swapped to achieve airworthy status, but it would be great to know the true story.
And people wonder why it takes time to update NZDF Serials!!!!!
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Post by ZacYates on Jan 19, 2023 20:09:28 GMT 12
I'll be tuning in to this Les as Geoff Goodall's Warbirds Directory says Bu88391.
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Post by camtech on Jan 19, 2023 20:57:31 GMT 12
One point that still confuses me, Zac, is the Constructors No quoted on the NZ Civil Register. 32823 is not a Corsair no by my reckoning. I've tried BuNo and that does not compute. The jury is certainly still out on the correct identification of this aircraft. Some hocus pocus going on here.
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Post by Dave Homewood on Jan 19, 2023 21:47:14 GMT 12
Are you able to contact Joe Baugher and ask him to explain his discrepancy?
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Post by camtech on Jan 20, 2023 15:59:19 GMT 12
Are you able to contact Joe Baugher and ask him to explain his discrepancy? Have just emailed him to see what he can tell me. |
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Josephine
Jan 20, 2023 19:04:55 GMT 12
via mobile
Post by ZacYates on Jan 20, 2023 19:04:55 GMT 12
One point that still confuses me, Zac, is the Constructors No quoted on the NZ Civil Register. 32823 is not a Corsair no by my reckoning. Goodall has the constructor’s number as 3205, for what it’s worth. |
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Post by Mustang51 on Jan 20, 2023 19:34:20 GMT 12
I know Geoff Goodall personally. He lived at my place in Bangor, Sutherland Shire, (Centre of the known Universe), for over nine months and went through every magazine, article, book, note etc in my collection during the preparation of his weighty tome, the "Warbirds Directory". Why do I say this, its because I know the lengths that he went to in the investigations of each aircraft and the angst he had regarding contentious machines. It happened often that he published data that the 'owners' disagreed with but from his research and a plethora of sources - primary, secondary and tertiary - he tracked down the accurate data. He often said "...a grown man making lists of aircraft..." but then took up his glass of wine and sallied forth. He never stated his lists were without error but from my personal observation, I believe that from any two sources one of which was his, I would follow Geoff implicitly.
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Post by camtech on Jan 20, 2023 20:56:45 GMT 12
Ando, I would agree in most cases, and in this case, Geoff's data is worth its weight in gold. However there are a few things about 5648 that don't sit right.
The oddball MSN on the NZCR, the RNZAF records and the convoluted restoration process are waving little flags still.
It may be a simple explanation, but I think we would all like to see it and confirm Geoff's research.
One additional issue is that the MSN quoted on the US Civil Register is the same as shown on the NZCR - 32823, albeit the US version has a "P" as a prefix. Could that originate from an engine?
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Post by curtiss on Jan 21, 2023 7:34:24 GMT 12
One point that still confuses me, Zac, is the Constructors No quoted on the NZ Civil Register. 32823 is not a Corsair no by my reckoning. I've tried BuNo and that does not compute. The jury is certainly still out on the correct identification of this aircraft. Some hocus pocus going on here. I am not surprised about the MSN being wrong on the register. There are oddities with many warbird aircraft on the register. Harvards have the RNZAF "NZ" number for their serial, not the MSN. |
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Post by davidd on Jan 21, 2023 10:05:59 GMT 12
The "P" prefix to a number mentioned in camtech's post (above) set off some loud alarm bells. The letter "P" was used as a prefix for Pratt & Whitney aero engines, so I think an R-2800-8W is probably what was inadvertently included in the data on this aircraft. What was the serial number of the engine fitted to 5648 on receipt by RNZAF in 1945? Remember that aero engines in the forward area had fairly short overhaul lives (I think 100 hours in case of R-2800s, mainly due to erosion of supercharger impellers resultant on ingress of coral dust), so may not have remained long in the airframe under discussion. It is highly likely that 5648 flew no operations with RNZAF in forward area due to end of the war, and the factory-fitted engine possibly powered this aircraft on its return flight to NZ in about Sept 1945.
Other pre-fix letters were allocated to cover all United States aero-engine manufacturing companies to standardise the nomenclature systems in about 1944, which simplified and improved the previous, overly complex situation. The main aim of the revised system was to simply use the actual manufacturer's engine serial number, plus the new (Army/Navy) prefix letter (which was a code) intended to quickly indicate the true manufacturer, in cases where another company was involved in the production programme. Previously, the US Navy and the USAAF had, like the RAF, allocated a specific-to-Service serial number (each US service had their own series of numbers) to each engine ordered/received, thus effectively giving all engines two serial numbers.
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Post by camtech on Jan 21, 2023 14:42:44 GMT 12
Bingo - never thought of that one. Checked AF380 and there it is - P32823 is the engine fitted to NZ5648 on acceptance by the RNZAF. So one mystery solved thanks to David.
Now, how do we confirm the correct Buno and MSN for this aircraft?
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f28
Leading Aircraftman
Posts: 3
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Post by f28 on Jan 26, 2023 14:55:32 GMT 12
With the news that "Our" Corsair Josephine is for sale by the "Old Stick and Rudder" place in Masterton, does anyone know what price they are asking for this Corsair? It's been kept pretty quiet. An email to them brought no reply. I see on the Australian Aviation Trader website, that the formerly Darwin based ex Honduran Corsair (owned by Hoskins) is for sale around 5 million Australian dollars. It's something to think about.
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Post by keroburner on Jan 26, 2023 21:55:44 GMT 12
The oz F4U-5 has been for sale for a few years now.... Undesirable model to most people..... Plenty of Corsairs for sale at the moment. Check out Platinum fighter sales website..... remembering these are a lot more expensive than other warbirds to buy... Reflective of the cost to restore these complex machines...
There has been an increase in rebuild activity for this type in recent times, Vultures row are 1 player.... but the overall cost to rebuild corsairs won't really decrease that's for sure...Sadly...
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