James Aviation's Tiger Moth ZK-AJO - Jan 1967

[Dave Homewood]

My Mum's cousin has leant Mum all their family photos to scan, etc, and among them I discovered these two of ZK-AJO, Ozzie James's Tiger Moth, taken at Rukuhia, Hamilton in - according to the photo edge on these polaroid snaps - January 1967. Note a certain Corsair wingtip too! What a shame the photographer never snapped the Coirsair Josephine more fully.

[pa18]

Nice old photo
Con Clarkin with the Park Drive rolly and Gentex bone dome?

[Dave Homewood]

I have no idea who the pilot is. Thanks for the clue.

[pa18]

Could be wrong here but I thought "Josephine" was misnamed?
Something to do with a WAC members old boat or girlfriend?

[fletcherfu24]

Must have been just after James bought it back(1966) from a farmer who used it to dust his farm.Great photos.

[Peter Lewis]

That would have been around the time of the Hamilton Airport 'opening' in 1966. James Aviation put up a formation of (from memory) around 40 Fletchers, lead by the Tiger AJO.
Largest formation flight I have ever seen!

Some b&ws's also taken around that time:

[pa18]

The high speed tail up taxi runs up and down the runway by Frank Bish in the Corsair that day were a sight to hear and see
Quite daring really when one of the major concerns WWII pilots had with the bird was brakes locking and flipping the beast over trapping unfortunate inside
Not much on the net about that day in 66

[Bruce]

Great Photos Peter, I especially like the two James Aviation Ag - Daks CQA and the original AZL. CQA would have been reasonably fresh off conversion (hence the clean shiney paint) wheras AZL is looking a bit scruffy! Unfortunately AZL is looking far worse now, lying in very poor condition at Mystery creek.

[fletcherfu24]

Do you have a photo of the big line of Fletchers Peter ?.

[Dave Homewood]

The farmer who bought the Tiger Moth from Ozzie and then sold it back to him a few years later was Wing Commander Dereck 'Bill' Kain, who later lived here in Cambridge. While he owned it he flew it as a hack around his Rafglan farm, and used if for fishing (landing on the mud flats and beaches etc), for picnics (he transported the food while his family followed in the car) and farm work. He also flew the opening display of the airshow that opened Auckland International Airport in 1966 in this plane, but it went wrong as he was meant to do a topdressing display but the hopper ceased up and so no Super came out. He was the only aircraft on the display without a radio and couldn't tell the tower. So his display was a little cut short. After the airshow when all the planes were leaving he got impatient with the cue and apparently overtook the RAF jet transport (BAC-111 or Tristar or something) in the taxiing queue, and he got told off afterwards! In the end CAA grounded him and he sold the Tiger back to Ozzie.

[Dave Homewood]

By the way those are excellent shots there Peter, and I'd love to hear more about that day. Mum and Dad reckoned an RNZAF Vampire team came in low and fast from the east behind the terminal and frightened shit out of everyone, was that the same day? I'd love to see any more photos you have of that day please.

[Peter Lewis]

Kain's farm was at Te Mata during his ownership.
I'm a bit surprised to hear that AJO was at the Auckland International opening. I was there, and would say I saw every aircraft that participated. I don't remember a Tiger, and I have no photograph of it at Mangere. (I'm not saying you're wrong, I'm just surprised).

The Hamilton Aiport openeing was to commemorate the opening of the new runway, the one that carved into the part of the airfield where the wartime wrecks had been stored.

The stars of the show were the Corsair and the P-51D - I've posted photographs of these two aircraft taken on the day before, but for those who missed them:





James only had two Dakotas at that time, AZL and CQA (AOI and AZA came later) and both were there. CQA was an import from the USA, and at the time of the display (26th March 1966 ) had not been used operationally. I have a note that CQA's first commercial operation was on the 13th August.
CQA on display day:



AZL a month earlier in Hawkes Bay:



If you look at the port side of AZL as it sits behind AJO, the crew door is open. The hopper took up the full width of the fuselage, so there was no internal access from front to the rear of the aircraft. The double doors at the rear could be opened, and I have seen this area used to carry a Fiat 500 car during positioning flights. The car could then be used as crew transport at the new location.

Looking in the background of the Corsair photo, I see that Wellington was also there in the CivAir Dakota ZK-AUJ



Don't remember the Vampires as such, I think I used to be more impressed with the RNZAF Harvard aerobatic team (nice and noisy).

Will rummage for more photographs, but bear in mind this is all over 40 years ago.

[pa18]

Peter thank you for your beautiful pictures
The Mustang is sitting in front of what looks like an ADASTRA AVIATION loader that would have been driven at the time by Paul RoweThe shed in the background is the old refuellers shed and the one next to it I think was ADASTRAS

Do you have a photo of the ADASTRA Snow S2-D Commander flown on that day by Dave Barker?
The DC3 cockpit was as I recall entered by squeezing past the hopper
I flew in AZL quite a few times in the 60's
Here is a photo of Gerry Kluck DC3 pilot with a little car.This was a mini van but I do seem to recall the Fiat.


I cannot recall the Tiger at Mangere either but I sure remember the USAAF Phantom full AB just about busting mach sneaking up on the crowd and giving everyone a heart attack !! ;D

[Dave Homewood]

The Tiger was almost certainly the opening act at mangere but perhaps because of the hopper failure no-one noticed it. I have seen paperwork and programmes relating to that show in Bill Kain's affects, which his daughter Jenny leant me in October. She also told me the story of the airshow - and the fact that the hopper failed, as well as the fact he got told off for overtaking a big jet when they were leaving. She was there too.

You're right about his farm being at Te Mata, but that's near Rag's somewhere isn't it?

As for the Vampire team at Hamilton, that may have been the opening of the Terminal rather than the runway so may have been a seperate day. Great photos thast have been added, I like the one of the Mini van squeezing into the C-47.

[Peter Lewis]

pa18 said:

Do you have a photo of the ADASTRA Snow S2-D Commander flown on that day by Dave Barker?

That was ZK-CPH, I had already seen it and Papa Golf at the Mangere opening on 30th January. Both were then new aircraft, being registered to Adastra on the 24th January 1966.

Papa Hotel parked early in the morning, 26th March 1966:



and on take-off for it's display during the day:



I have found a folder with a pile of negs taken during the display, so I will post some of these at a later time

[corsair67]

Peter, is there an aircraft that has resided in New Zealand within the past 40 years that you haven't taken a photo of? You must have a whole room in your house full of photos and negs! ;D

Again, thanks for sharing these wonderful images with us.

[pa18]

Thank you for the great pictures of the Snow
I have never been able to find a picture of them anywhere
They were flown by Dave Barker, Dereck Wiliiams (The Pirate ;D )aRusty Nairn and others. I dont remember the aircrafts ultimate fate
There was a sister ship in PNG with Scotty Adams the "Yellow Submarine"
Do you please have picture of an ADASTRA Fletcher there on that day?

[Peter Lewis]

corsair67 said:

You must have a whole room in your house full of photos and negs! ;D

I blame my wife.
It's her choice.
She can choose if I spend my time on aeroplanes or on strong drink and loose women.
So far (unfortunately) she has always chosen aeroplanes.
But I live in hope . . .

[fletcherfu24]

Thank you for the great pictures of the Snow
I have never been able to find a picture of them anywhere

Useless info,on the DVD 'The Superpilots' there is a clip of an Adastra Snow spraying pine trees.

I to appreciate Peters great photos,they are so good its like your walking around the airfeilds and hangars 40 years ago.
Old Fletcher photos especially make me go weak at the knees...

[Peter Lewis]

Indeedy, where would a Hamilton air show be without lots of Fletchers?

The Adastra Fu24 for the show day was ZK-CLM, which eventually went to Malaysia in 1989:



CLM getting airborne for it's display:



The James Aviation contingent seemed to dominate that particular airshow with the Tiger, the Daks and many many Fletchers. In retrospect, this was probably the high point in that company's history, before the Australian adventure and delicensing. Some random photos from walking down their lineup of Fletchers:

ZK-CBC in James subsidiary 'Aircraft Service' colours, went to Pakistan in 1975



ZK-CLA, just over a year old at this time, Hit power lines & cr Whangape Harbour, North Hokianga, 5Feb70.



ZK-COB, new in January 1966, Cr Mimiwhangata Station, Northland, 15May71.



The large James (now PAC) hangar was open for inspection. Inside, ZK-CMO was undergoing final assembly. This aircraft had quite a short life, it crashed on t/off La Fontaine settlement, Westland, 26Feb69.



In comparison to the James profile, Robertson Air Service was low key. However the CB twins were out-and-about:

ZK-CBA - still current



ZK-CBB, went to Australia in December 1988