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Post by Bruce on May 6, 2005 13:35:24 GMT 12
In a number of references, such as "Aircraft of the Royal NZ air force" (David Duxbury) reference is made of a scaled down airspeed oxford using the Pobjoy Niagara engines taken from the scrapped General Aircraft monospar ZK-AET (which had been impressed). One of the engines is currently on display at MOTAT in auckland. Does anyone have any pictures or information on the scaled replica? was it flyable or just static / taxiing? what was it built for? what became of it? The time period is immediately postwar, when there were plenty of genuine Oxfords around so the whole saga is somewhat puzzling - does anyone know anything about it?  |
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Post by Dave Homewood on May 7, 2005 16:10:04 GMT 12
Yes, I have read references to this too, and have no idea what the story was. I'd love to find out someday too.
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Post by shorty on Jul 29, 2008 22:30:20 GMT 12
Just read this thread and what I had heard about this is that it was built at Rongotai by the trainee planewrights as an exercise to teach them about wooden aircraft construction. To me that sounded quite a reasonable theory.
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Post by Dave Homewood on Jul 29, 2008 22:59:23 GMT 12
Ah yes, that does make a lot of sense. It also makes sense why the Pobjoys were used as they'd have been stored there after the Monospar was scrapped I guess.
Does anyone out there know any wartime plainewrights (ie woodworkers)? Maybe someone is still alive who can confirm it.
I asked David Duxbury about this but he had no info and said it asn't he that contributed that infor to the book. It was more likely Ross Macpherson.
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Post by shorty on Jul 29, 2008 23:18:02 GMT 12
Pobjoys would be about half the size of Cheetahs and the whole deal could have been done as a training project for all sorts of trades. Riggers doing the metal skin bits and control runs, machinists making U/C legs etc
Need to find people who went through the TTS at Rongotai (and perhaps Nelson) and ask them while they are still with us.
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Post by Dave Homewood on Jul 29, 2008 23:40:45 GMT 12
Perhaps a letter to Pacific Wings?
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Post by shorty on Aug 21, 2011 0:04:40 GMT 12
Did anyone ever track down any ex Rongotai trainees to ask them about this?
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Post by Dave Homewood on Aug 21, 2011 14:21:22 GMT 12
Not me since this thread was last active sorry.
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