MOTAT

[delticman]

Feb 14, 2024 11:38:18 GMT 12 Dave Homewood said:

A very nice photo of MOTAT's Avenger has just gone up on the Air Force Museum of New Zealand's FotoWeb page:

2023-214.2 LINK
3/4 rear view of No. 42 Squadron Avenger NZ2527. Unknown location.

That's Wanganui. Maybe it was the one that I saw at an air show there in 1958 or 1959. That sound is forever in my memory bank.

[emron]

NZ2504 and NZ2527 were retired by June 1959 if that helps to pinpoint the date.

[emron]

The theme of MOTAT’s Live Day on this coming Sunday, Feb 18, is “Emergency First Response.” Taking pride of place on the day will be Sikorsky helicopter ZK-ISJ. It will be the first opportunity for visitors to see “Juliet” since she arrived and likely the only chance for a public view in the short term.

[Deleted]

Thanks for sharing that Avenger photo Dave, it's a cracker! And like Ray I immediately recognised the background!

[emron]

Juliet enjoying a day in the sun with new old friends.

ISJ_and_friends by Ron Wilson, on Flickr

[Peter Lewis]

As mentioned above, there was a Live Day held at MoTAT on Sunday.
This was billed as promoting the Fire & Emergency Services 150-year celebrations.

As the museum was also rolling out the restored Sikorsky S-76A Sprit ZK-ISJ, which was recently donated to MoTAT by the Northland Emergency Services Trust I went along to see the action. The Sikorsky will eventually be placed on permanent exhibition within the display hall.






I did see this aircraft at Ardmore back in 2009 when it was an active part of the NEST fleet.




Also out in the fresh air was the museum's DC-3 ZK-BQK which is also nearing the end of its long restoration.




Not sure what the 'Mother Hen' graphic on the nose represents. 




I'm sure it was not there during its NAC days.

[emron]

My how time flies and also how some things seem to remain the same.

Here’s a link to a November 1964 photo of some previous major roadworks in Meola Rd.
kura.aucklandlibraries.govt.nz/digital/collection/photos/id/162154

This was taken before MOTAT first occupied its Meola Rd site on the southern side, which began following the arrival of the Solent in May 1966.
Coincidently MOTAT’s Western Springs site opened to the public for the first time on 14 October 1964.

A modern-day scene of the same stretch of road nearly 60 years later.

meola_rd_2024 by Ron Wilson, on Flickr

[Dave Homewood]

Lol... looks like they're not even close to finished after 60 years.

[Dave Homewood]

This article from The Press dated 21 September 1956 talks about the Richard Pearse 'Flyer' that is now at MOTAT in its early days of being saved for preservation, long before MOTAT was founded.

R.A.F. Sergeant’s Hobby Is Antique Aeroplanes

One of the thousands of people who can boast, “I flew with Alan Cobham,” is Sergeant J. R. Wright, a crew member of the Royal Air Force Shackleton which visited Harewood airport this week.

Any Clark can be called “Nobby,” and any Miller is likely to be dubbed “Dusty,” but for an R.A.F. man named Wright to be nick-named “Wilbur” there must be some special reason. Sergeant Wright earned his by collecting photographs of old aircraft, and modelling them. Sergeant Wright dates his interest in aircraft from the day when, at the age of five, he flew with the barnstorming pilot now known as Sir Alan Cobham.

Wherever he goes — and he has seen service in many parts of the world — he inquires about any old aircraft which might be “lying around.” It was these inquiries which led to his being shown the battered heap of engine, wheels, struts, and canvas lying in a corner of the Canterbury Aero Club’s hangar at Harewood airport. This was the monoplane built by the late Mr R. W. Pearse, of Woolston.

Poking his head inside the cabin, noting the variable pitch propellor which can be set almost vertical for extra lift, and the “fillet” leading along the upper edge of the fuselage towards the tail, he said: “This man was years ahead of his time."

“Take the enclosed cabin for example, the v.p. airscrew and this fillet — we’re only getting round to some of those things now,” he said.

He was glad to learn that it is intended to send the old machine to Auckland for inclusion in the collection which has been started by the Auckland branch of the New Zealand division of the Royal Aeronautical Society.

“If not, it will only be too easy to lose these old machines — so many have been destroyed already,” he said.

Walking out of the hangar he pointed out a Puss Moth, a Whitney Straight —“We have only two of those left in Britain” — and a De Havilland Dragonfly — “and only one of those.”

While serving with the British Commonwealth Occupation Forces in Japan, Sergeant Wright considered himself lucky to find several of the Kamikaze suicide planes. One type was specially built for the job, he said, and named the Baka (Fool). The pilot was strapped into the cockpit, the aircraft was air-launched, and driven by three rockets.

Sergeant Wright said he was disappointed not to reach Canberra while in Australia, because he wanted to see the Southern Cross, which is exhibited there, and the Spitfire which the Australian fighter ace, “Blue” Truscott, flew during the Second World War.

When he left Christchurch, Sergeant Wright had with him a roll of film including shots he took of the Pearse monoplane lying in the Harewood hangar, and he will show them to his friends at Aldergrove, his unit’s base in Northern Ireland.

There is a move afoot to repair the old monoplane in time to exhibit it at the agricultural aviation show at Palmerston North, in November. In the meantime, the Royal New Zealand Air Force has been approached to fly it north when space in a freighter is available.

Mr G. B. Bolt, chief engineer for Tasman Empire Airways, Ltd., to whom the aircraft has been entrusted until it finds a place in the Aeronautical Society’s collection, is now making inquiries about other old aircraft.

“We have nothing very old yet, apart from Mr Pearse’s plane,” he said in Auckland yesterday. “But we have a number of engines and other equipment. We have also heard a rumour about an old D.H.-6 which is supposed to be somewhere near Wanganui.”

Any equipment or aircraft which the society obtains will have to be stored for some time until the collection can be properly housed. The Auckland Museum may be approached for its assistance.

[emron]

Richard’s Utility Plane is in storage at present but will soon take centre-stage in the new Science and Technology Centre opening at MOTAT’s Western Springs site in late May.

Back to the topic of flying boat bilging, we’ll have to consider what similar equipment should also be fitted to the Solent. Next time I might take a trip aboard AMO and check out what other marine equipment in common is required there too. We now have two overhauled hand pumps:

bilge_pumps by Ron Wilson, on Flickr

Here’s the number plate from one.

number_plate by Ron Wilson, on Flickr

This Generating and Pumping Unit is missing parts and just loosely assembled to check for shortages. What we have of it will next be cleaned and painted and can be displayed in the Sunderland's Bomb Compartment, where the other bilging equipment is stowed.

ABC_GPU by Ron Wilson, on Flickr

The Solent used a different type of Auxiliary Generating Plant, the ALCO Featherweight made by Arthur Lyon & Co., powered by a 1.25hp re-badged J.A.P. model 3 single-cylinder petrol engine. I think MOTAT is still to find one of those.

[Dave Homewood]

That is great news about the new Science and Technology Centre.

[Deleted]

Hear hear! Definitely one to add to the itinerary.

[emron]

On Sunday, I did the mini stocktake of marine equipment in the Solent and found the flag mast, boat hook and two drogues aboard. I noticed both the drogues needed repairs like the Sunderland ones did, with some ropes frayed or cut off, so I brought them back to the workshop to mend. Meanwhile moving ahead with the replica gun mount, the two sights are ready.

gun_sights_2 by Ron Wilson, on Flickr

The major parts of the backplate are now cut out and next up to shape, trim and final assembly.

backplate_2 by Ron Wilson, on Flickr

[emron]

A start was made on degreasing and re-painting the crankcase for the Generating and Pumping Unit on Wednesday, while the accessories are off to get the same treatment on the bench.
Pleasing progress has also been made during the week on the build of the replica backplate.

backplate_3 by Ron Wilson, on Flickr

[emron]

Here’s an update for curtiss and for the quarter-millionth viewer too.
Not quite finished but the fabrication’s over and just the final assembly, adjustments and trimming to be done.

backplate_4 by Ron Wilson, on Flickr

[emron]

The second backplate is now painted and installed on its frame. Next up is the pair of side units that join the two sections of frame together. The yoke pivots between them as well.
Last month, while removing the bomb sight storage rack from the bow compartment of the Sunderland, Richard discovered it was badly corroded and the steel vibration mounts had rusted through. We found a set of good vibration mounts to replace them and he’ll soon have the rack repaired and painted. Bob and Henry had previously refurbished the bomb sight and its stowage box so these can be returned too once the time’s right. Mike has finished painting the last of the interior doors. The bunks were repaired and re-covered years ago but when it came to put them back one of the rear ones didn’t fit, so we’ve been forced to swap the hinges over on a shorter spare frame to complete the set.
The near side cylinder head for the GPU has been re-assembled and the section of crankcase below it was painted prior.

GPU_cylinder_parts by Ron Wilson, on Flickr

ABC_GPU_2 by Ron Wilson, on Flickr

[emron]

Today, having a re-think about the bunk problem, I took a tape measure to the two that had been previously fitted in the wardroom, only to find that one was three inches shorter than the other!! Soon after, we had all four fitting in their rightful place and no need to modify the spare one after all.

Continuing on with the replica beam gun mount, here are the two side fittings that stiffen the frame, the last major parts of the mount now done and fitted.

side_fittings by Ron Wilson, on Flickr

Moving on to the second replica Browning, the parts of its charger assembly ready to build on to the receiver side plate, to complete the matching pair.

pair_of_chargers by Ron Wilson, on Flickr

[emron]

The Sunderland’s bomb sight is the low level Mk III type. It’s sighting head part is what the bomb aimer used in the bow compartment. When not in use it was stowed in the box on the shelf at the back of the compartment on the starboard side. The shelf frame and tray have now been paint stripped and just need a few small rusted screws to be removed before they will be ready for painting. As well as the sighting head in the storage box we have a spare that has been overhauled as well, so we could display that one in position at the window if we choose.
Here’s a photo of the other major component of the bomb sight, the computor, which is operated from the right-hand seat in the cockpit and connected to the sight head by electrical and flexible drive cables.

computor by Ron Wilson, on Flickr

[davem2]

Ron

Check your PMs, thanks.

Dave

[emron]

Some more progress on the Sunderland front. Here is one of the sight heads mounted on its adaptor, now ready to slide onto the bracket by the front window and a spare adaptor that can be displayed separately.

sight_head_and_adaptors by Ron Wilson, on Flickr

The second sight head in its storage box, ready to stow on the shelf.

sight_head_in_-box by Ron Wilson, on Flickr

The frame and shelf for the storage box, paint-stripped and corrosion dealt to. Soon to be painted and re-assembled.

storage_rack by Ron Wilson, on Flickr

More additions to the nearside of the GPU.

ABC_GPU_3 by Ron Wilson, on Flickr