|
|
Post by Jeff Law on May 6, 2008 17:10:12 GMT 12
Here are a few of my Topdresser shots. Percival EP-9  Lockheed Lodestar  Auster Agricola  Manwatu Aerial Topdressing crash   Enjoy! Jeff Law Mt Maunganui |
|
|
|
Post by fletcherfu24 on May 6, 2008 17:55:26 GMT 12
Great photos.........feel free to post more.......especially Fletcher photos...  |
|
|
|
Post by Dave Homewood on May 6, 2008 21:58:40 GMT 12
Welcome to the forum Jeff. That is an interesting selection of photos. I'd have loved to see a Lodestar topdressing.
|
|
|
|
Post by nzompilot on May 7, 2008 9:40:22 GMT 12
Here's some from an old slide collection I have been given by family friends. Most are Mount Cook Air Services aircraft in the Canterbury/Otago high country.  ZK-BPP   ZK-BWK - nose wheel broke off on landing on strip  |
|
|
|
Post by Dave Homewood on May 7, 2008 10:34:08 GMT 12
Great stuff ompilot. Any idea of the date?
Was that company affiliated with Mount Cook Airways, or totally seperate? Is it is the same company, I had no idea they did topdressing.
|
|
|
|
Post by nzompilot on May 7, 2008 10:56:35 GMT 12
Dave - dates are around Sept 55.
The current Mt Cook Airways (NZ Link) and Mt Cook Ski Planes Ltd are both decended from Mount Cook Air Services started by Harry Wigley. They started as an agricultural service then later expanded into freight, passenger and tourist operations.
The slide collection has nearly 200 photos from the 50's 60's and early 70's of all sorts of things from topdresing and ski planes to commercial operators at Harewood, Rongotai and Whenuapai, to early operation deep freeze aircraft and several down on the ice in Antartica. It also has the delivery ceremony of the first NAC Viscount.
I will post some of this here as time permits, as I'm sure it will be of interest to all.
|
|
|
|
Post by nzompilot on May 7, 2008 11:06:12 GMT 12
A couple more of a Tiger Moth topdresser  Unfortunately the registration is hidden by the landrover based loader    Futher info on the top photo in my 1st post have found the slide and it says " Thar Poisoning Maitland Strip 19-9-61 " |
|
|
|
Post by Dave Homewood on May 7, 2008 11:36:42 GMT 12
Great stuff. I look forward to more photos from your collection.
|
|
|
|
Post by Bruce on May 7, 2008 18:54:30 GMT 12
Very classy photos - something to be said for the intensity of colour from slide transparencies - even after all those years. I love the various loaders etc in the photos - all the fert had be be emptied outt of bags. the shots capture the atmosphere of that "2nd Generation Ag aircraft" period beautifully - can almost smell the Super in the air!
|
|
|
|
Post by Peter Lewis on May 7, 2008 21:36:44 GMT 12
Lovely pics - thanks for posting.
ZK-BPP crashed on t/off Simons Pass strip, Putaki, 15May68
If that's really ZK-BWK (reg on tail looks different?) then its a Cessna 180 which was a taildragger - no nosewheel.
|
|
|
|
Post by Dave Homewood on May 7, 2008 22:13:50 GMT 12
The reg on the wing looks like BUK or BLK maybe?
|
|
|
|
Post by Peter Lewis on May 7, 2008 23:37:01 GMT 12
Could be ZK-BUK (Cessna 182). ZK-BLK is a Tiger.
|
|
|
|
Post by nzompilot on May 7, 2008 23:50:27 GMT 12
Is this any better?  I read that as BWK but am open to other interpretations The story I was told by the family was the nose wheel crumpled on landing and the plane skidded off the strip and down the side of the hill to where it is seen in the pics. I am also open to interpretation as to wether the wheel shown below is nose wheel or main gear.   |
|
|
|
Post by Dave Homewood on May 8, 2008 0:54:35 GMT 12
Now I think you're right, BWK.
|
|
|
|
Post by DragonflyDH90 on May 8, 2008 7:41:43 GMT 12
Definately main gear on BWK, you can see the brake caliper. If you look at the first shot I'm pretty sure you can see a tailwheel sticking down just below the horizontal stab (also looks like they have tied it down with rope.
The aircraft looks like a converted early model 172 or 182. No rear window, straight tail, it also has a variable pitch prop so imagine its a 6 cylinder. My guess would be early 182 with tailwheel conversion. Pretty sure its not a 180 but could be wrong.
|
|
|
|
Post by Bruce on May 8, 2008 9:49:02 GMT 12
Definitely a 180. The tailwheel is visble below the tailplane in the original picture. It is a topdresser, as can be seen by the hopper opening in the roof, and 182s and 172s werent used for topdressing for C of G, rough strip and undercarriage strength reasons. That said, there was no structural difference between early 182s and 180s except the gear structure. When I was at Gulf Aeronautics we rebuilt a 180 for Jim Pavitt using an old damaged 182 and the serial number plate and a few odd bits off ZK-BFT - and it took up that identity when complete. The early 180s in turn were structurally identical to the 170 except the tail feathers, likewise early 172s! (obviously Cessnas were prone to inbreeding  ) |
|
|
|
Post by flyjoe180 on May 8, 2008 10:19:54 GMT 12
|
|
|
|
Post by fletcherfu24 on May 8, 2008 14:37:04 GMT 12
Theres dozens of photos out there of one legged 180's at the bottom of airstrips.You could almost guarantee the Manawatu 180 in the first sequence has suffered the same fate looking at the damage and the single wheel track leading up to the wreckage.
Fletchers suffered a similar problem but generally thier mainwheels fell off when the aircraft became airborne and the weight came off and the oleo extended out full travel.
|
|
|
|
Post by Bruce on May 8, 2008 17:40:10 GMT 12
Looking at the severed mainwheel leg assembly, it still the early "standard" thickness leaf spring. After a number of years of aircraft finishing in poses as in the photos, Cessna produced a much thicker Heavy duty Spring which was also used by the 180 / 185 Skiplanes such as Mt Cook's. Heavier axles were also made - sometimes locally - and saw extensive use. the heavier spring legs found their way via the used parts market into a number of non - topdressing 180s and 185s. This has caused a problem in recent years when an AD (Airwortiness directive) requiring regular crack checking of the legs has been issued. Ex topdresser legs require far more intense scrutiny than non - topdresser legs (of both standard and Heavy duty types) and aircraft records often do not distinguish where the bits have come from. The current problem with the legs is not with overloaded heavy landings, but stress cracks from stone chips and corrosion pitting. The leg assembly (one piece) on my own homebuilt has rubberised paint on the leading edges to reduce stone damage; even though it is alloy rather than steel as on the Cessna, the same principles apply.
|
|
|
|
Post by Martin Wienert on May 9, 2008 3:24:53 GMT 12
|
|
)
