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Post by corsair67 on Jan 10, 2006 22:12:22 GMT 12
How did the system of aircraft impression operate?
Were the aircraft simply taken off the owner/operator for the duration of the war without any money being paid to them, or was a 'rental' fee actually paid by the Govt, or were the aircraft bought outright?
Just curious to know, as I have never understood how the system operated.
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Post by Dave Homewood on Jan 10, 2006 22:22:07 GMT 12
I'm not fully conversent with how it worked, but I know money was paid by the NZ Government to the owners.
For example, just one of the DH86 Express airliners from Union Airways cost £26000. So the company was not left out of pocket as such. I don't know if all aircraft were purchased on impressment though, some aeroclubs were given the plane back or an equivalent at the end of the war so I don't know if that meant they never got compensation too, or maybe they got both, payment and return.
I'm sure someone here will know more than me.
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Post by Dave Homewood on Jan 10, 2006 22:24:33 GMT 12
An interesting thing is most impressed aircraft retained their civil schee for some time and only had roundels and the serial added, with the ZK-registration removed. So that makes for some interesting colour schemes.
All the impressed trainer types - DH60 Moths, Tiger Moths, Miles Magisters and Hawks, etc went to No. 2 EFTS, so that must have been a colourful unit in 1939-40.
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