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Post by jthomso1 on Dec 14, 2013 13:23:02 GMT 12
Perhaps someone may be able to add something on occasion where I saw a S-55 (being assembled?) in the Penrose area east of the current motorway. The timing would have been mid 50's? Basic internet searches don't turn any relevant S-55 presence in NZ around that time.
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Post by davidd on Dec 15, 2013 8:48:59 GMT 12
This was an American (N prefix) registered machine owned by Helicopters (NZ) Ltd at Nelson. It was used for quite a few years as a registered foreigner by some means (like on a temporary visitor's permit), as New Zealand's only "heavy lift" helicopter, but was eventually damaged at some time in the early 1960s, and from memory was then converted to a kind of mobile workshop. Perhaps parts of it still survive in some abandoned hangar? Unfortunately cannot recall the registration. We must appeal to the great enthusiast community for the American number I fear. I have the civil negative collection of the late Des White, so probably have a photo somehwere, but I do not feel like looking through hundreds of little brown paper packets (reeking of cigar smoke!) on the off-chance that I may blunder across it David D
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Post by delticman on Dec 15, 2013 11:41:40 GMT 12
The helicopter was a Sikorsky S.55B, N5096V #55617. It was built as an H-19B as 52-7526 for US Army and DOM (on plate) was December 1953. It was first registered to to Trans Alaska Helicopters.
It would have been test flown in Auckland somewhere, the date was 23/8/62 and it was operated by Helicopters NZ Ltd and flown by John Reid. On 13/3/63 it suffered an engine failer and forced landed at Alton (South Taranaki) while of a lifting job. It was then stored near Wanganui until December 1968 when it went to Nelson and became a flying shed.
It was the first helicopter that I ever had a ride in, a local flight around Wanganui on 15/12/62. Where has the time gone?
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Post by delticman on Dec 15, 2013 11:50:16 GMT 12
By golly gosh, it shows up on US Register. It was registered to Trans Alaskan on 17/6/1969 and cancelled on 15/11/1972. I suspect that it was actually registered on 17/6/1959.
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Post by kiwi172 on Dec 15, 2013 21:56:40 GMT 12
I seem to recall that the tail boom of this was mounted vertically near the H/C NZ office at Nelson for some years. It appears in the background of many photos taken there.
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Post by jthomso1 on Dec 18, 2013 18:50:24 GMT 12
Thanks you gentlemen for the update.........................
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Post by frankmettner on Mar 9, 2014 18:19:08 GMT 12
Whirlwide Helicopters or Whirlwide Aviation? Frank Mettner ring a bell? it was whirl wide aviation. My dad Frank Mettner was asked by the American owner to operate the company for her for 2 years, he liked the east coast( gisborne) so much he bought the company in 1966-67 and died due to mechanical failure on January 29th January 1968. My mother then sold the company to Mel Cain in '69. The hawkes bay branch was run by a man named Ed Fenton. I have a lot of information so if you want any more just email me. frankmettner@xtra.co.nz
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sid
Leading Aircraftman
Posts: 3
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Post by sid on Jul 3, 2014 7:00:17 GMT 12
It seems that S-55 N5096V made it back to the USA, as it was operating with Carson Helicopters by 1966. It was sold to City Electric of Anchorage, in January 1968 and then to Trans Alaska Helicopters in July 1969. It was written off at Valdez, AK on 12 August 1971, with the loss on both on board. So, what was made into a "flying shed" at Nelson if not this helicopter?
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Post by davidd on Jul 3, 2014 9:19:16 GMT 12
Is there a possibility that another S-55 received this registration in the USA following the demise of the original in NZ? David D
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Post by delticman on Jul 3, 2014 9:29:17 GMT 12
When I rediscovered the airframe hidden and layers of fibreglass dust in 1967/1968 it still had all the data plates attached. Up until that time I had no record of c/n or previous identity. It was transferred from Wanganui to Nelson in December 1968. So I guess the plates went then and attached to a "new" machine in June 1969.
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Post by davidd on Jul 5, 2014 12:52:34 GMT 12
Thanks for that delticman, sounds like a right bit of skullduggery - now you will have to attempt to locate the true idetity of the one that was flying in the 1970s! Seems like this sort of thing did not just happen in NZ with agricultural Tigers and Super Cubs in the 1950s/60s. Dave D
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sid
Leading Aircraftman
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Post by sid on Jul 9, 2014 9:35:11 GMT 12
The S-55 that crashed in Alaska in August 1971, N5096V is given the correct c/n 55617 in the FAA files. I will try to buy a copy of the file for this aircraft from the FAA, to see if can throw any light on the matter.
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Post by delticman on Jul 9, 2014 10:52:17 GMT 12
Sid, from my inspection of the plates in 1968 of our N5096V, the airframe serial was 55617 built 1253.
US Army as H19B, 52-7526.
As N5096V, USCAR-0766, Carson Helicopters Inc, PERKASIE PA USCAR-0167, City Electric Inc, ANCHORAGE AK
Further information I have as registered to Trans Alaska Helicopters in 1955 but that is unconfirmed.
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sid
Leading Aircraftman
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Post by sid on Jul 23, 2014 8:03:12 GMT 12
I have just received the FAA file for N5096V. It was disposed of by the USAF 16th Nov 1954 for Reclaimation, after a Cat 3 accident, 14 miles NE of Norton AFB, CA on 22 Sep 1954. It was then registered as N5096V, quoting the military serial number 52-7526, to Donald E. Harris and James E. Kofahl of Montrose, CA on 23 Aug 1955. Sold to Kern Copters, Bakersfield, CA and registered to them 15 Nov 1955. The next bill of sale appears dated 14 Dec 1965, when Kern Copters sold it to Carson Helicopters, Perkaise, PA. This time the serial number is given as 55617. Carson's then sold it to City Electric Inc, Seattle, WA on 22 June 1966. Then sold to Trans Alaska Helicopters, Anchorage on 9 May 1969. Cancelled as destroyed 15 Nov 1972.
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ced
Leading Aircraftman
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Post by ced on Nov 8, 2014 21:40:36 GMT 12
Reading through the above posts certainly brought back fond memories from my childhood and the adventures my Dad had. Dad was involved in setting up the spraying program for Eylnor Rudnick in Wanganui,mostly based out at the shed at Helicopter corner which is still there. This was in the early to mid Sixties and certainly got a smile out of the old man when he recounted the personalities involved. He thought the world of pilots like Sam Thrasher etc who were part of the American team at the time. I can remember flying along the Wanganui River in the Sikorsky with a man hanging off the bottom for a rescue appraisal and thinking this was pretty cool. When it later crashed Dad had just got out and I remember Mum patching the pilot up in our backyard at home ? There were all sorts of incidents from crash landings alongside the highway just South of Wanganui too been caught up in telephone wires up the Waitotara Valley and having to be cut down as the chopper hovered and a P&T truck suddenly turned up out of the blue to save them. They were caught on the pilots side and Dad was being instructed to climb over and fix the situation.Not! Even in those days the Post & Telegraph guy took his time and got his ladder out - no hurry - cut the cables etc like he came across this scene often ? Dad was not the best with heights and the guys liked to practice there auto rotational landings on him. Which often involved the bubble directly pointed at the ground and hanging up in the harness in a free fall. My sister scored the best flights and photos from.that time but it was pretty neat to have a Sikorsky land outside your house and the neighbouring kids scoring a ride. The first skid bitters came from Durie Hill i'm proud to say! There were some interesting articles and photos written at the time as it was pretty novel and Eylnor was a pretty interesting story in her own right. She trained and funded the initial Israeli Airforce pilots? Cheers Guys
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Post by Swingtail on Jan 27, 2016 19:54:34 GMT 12
Another veteran type but still on the civil register is Sikorsky S-55B ZK-HSB seen here at an ag reunion at Feilding 28/5/94. It had also displayed at Wanaka the previous month. I remember ZK-HSB at one of the Paraparaumu airshow, might have even been the last one. I thought this thing can't fly, it made plenty of noise and off it went! The pilot threw it around, it was fantastic. Nice pictures!
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Post by xbaggy on Feb 1, 2016 10:43:17 GMT 12
Don Kennedy worked as a young fella in the early days of the venison recovery industry in the 1970's, a job which he thoroughly loved and which he put his heart and soul into. Unfortunately he passed away in 1977 at a young age of 22. Recently his brother arrived at my door looking for one of Dons former pilots, with Dons old photo album. He has very kindly allowed me to copy some of the pictures and post them here. I had the pleasure of working with Don for a short time in my early days at Whirlwide Helicopters when Don was loader driving and venison recovering. He later went on to fly helicopters himself. Some of the pictures are before my time at whirlwide , but some I recognise. The first is of Don in his element on the hill. Pilot Neville Cox in HHS "borrowed" from Alpine Helicopters.
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Post by xbaggy on Feb 1, 2016 11:02:32 GMT 12
More of Don Kenedy's collection. Bell 47's and Hiller 12E's probably late 60's? Timaru HBL could be Noel Boyd
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Post by xbaggy on Feb 1, 2016 11:49:13 GMT 12
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Post by xbaggy on Feb 1, 2016 12:49:44 GMT 12
More of the pictures from Don Kennedy's album. This may be during the big snow of 1973,HEN being recovered from in the field. Rod Brown and the late Murray Mcmillan flew this machine out of Oamaru in later years. but I do not know who was flying it on this occasion. First up is Alpines first Jetranger probably being flown by either Bill Black or Rex Dovey. Norm Kensington on ground and I think Keith Mitchell attching strop. On Don's truck ready for home.
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