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Post by camtech on Feb 19, 2014 20:48:56 GMT 12
I assume the shot of the Lincoln and the Mosquitos will be the delivery of the first ex-RAAF aircraft (NZ2301, 02 and 03). Cant quite read the serials in that shot.
I believe the 4th arrived a few days later, but could stand to be corrected.
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Post by saratoga on Feb 19, 2014 20:53:25 GMT 12
My Grandfather came to NZ in the Halifax 'Mercury', leading the Empire Radio School mission.
I've got a few pics of it,hoping to one day make a model of that modified aircraft.
This is the first pic i've seen of the rear mods,so no excuses now...
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Post by Dave Homewood on Feb 19, 2014 20:59:58 GMT 12
Halifaxes just look wrong without turrets and camouflage.
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Post by pjw4118 on Feb 20, 2014 15:21:47 GMT 12
There are a couple of other shots in the Mossie series and one serial is A52 1006. The others arent visible.
The fourth aircraft was navigated by a freind of mine , Bunny Burrows.
His log shows 8/4/47 Mossie 1052 Bankstown- Ohakea 5.00 hours. He thinks this was a record at the time . His pilot was Johnny Checketts.
Bunny did two Mosquito ferry trips from Pershore to Ohakea , the first with F/O Connors in "479 " 25/6/47 to 22/7/47 and the second with F/L Hutt in "885" New Years Eve 1946 to Ohakea 12/2/47.
Later Bunny navigated the topdressing Avenger 2504 on test drops around Ohakea in September 48 then in the R&D flight at Masterton in May 49 .
I must stay on the topic Dave so I will look for some more Whenuapai shots now.
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Post by Dave Homewood on Feb 20, 2014 15:51:07 GMT 12
A52-1006 became NZ2302.
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Post by camtech on Feb 21, 2014 18:31:58 GMT 12
Thanks for the extra info Pete
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Post by pjw4118 on Feb 22, 2014 10:15:00 GMT 12
With the Mosquitoes , I looked up some old AHSNZ data and 479 would have been PZ 479 that became NZ2384 and ended up in USA, while 885 was RF 885 then NZ2377.
Also for the train spotters the LAMS (London&Aero Motor Services) Halifax G AIWK ex PP295 arrived here on a freight charter with pineapples.
It was later vandalised in Sydney and scrapped in December 1947.
Mercury , RG815 left UK on 19.5.46 on a tour demonstrating AI and Nav aids to the Commonwealth Air Forces,
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Post by Dave Homewood on Feb 22, 2014 10:30:16 GMT 12
What sort of person would vandalise a freight plane in 1947? Strange!
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Post by Peter Lewis on Feb 22, 2014 11:11:11 GMT 12
What sort of person would vandalise a freight plane in 1947? Strange! Well there is a little bit more to that story. The owners of G-AIWK, London Aero and Moter Services Ltd., went into liquidation in 1948. The Halifax was in Australia when funds started to run low, and and as an economy measure was parked up at Mascot (alongside another dead Halifax, G-AGXA/VH-BDT) and both were subject to unwanted local visitor activity which lead to them being scrapped. Given that the following photograph is dated Whenuapai 23Dec1947, I suspect that this took place in 1948.  Aircraft Halifax at Whenuapai. Whites Aviation Ltd :Photographs. Ref: WA-11665-G. Alexander Turnbull Library, Wellington, New Zealand. natlib.govt.nz/records/22879597
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Post by Dave Homewood on Feb 22, 2014 11:41:21 GMT 12
So sad.
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Post by chinapilot on Feb 24, 2014 20:04:31 GMT 12
Saw this in the National Library Archives...  ...Portrait of Lieutenant James A Lowe, Pilot of the USAAF Mitchell Miss Temperance transport plane after a record trans-Tasman flight (4 hours 33 minutes), Whenuapai Airfield, Auckland City... Guessing it was Sydney to Whenupai? Have Googled around but couldn't find any other info. |
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Post by errolmartyn on Feb 24, 2014 21:33:21 GMT 12
TASMAN AIR RECORD BROKEN.
(P.A.) AUCKLAND, July 23.
Only 13 days after a new record had been established for the air crossing of the Tasman, a B25 Mitchell aircraft of the United States Army Air Corps today reduced the time still further, covering the distance in four hours 33 minutes. The aircraft left Mascot, Sydney, at 9.31 a.m., and landed at Whenuapai at 2.04 p.m. It was assisted by a tailwind of almost 60 knots. The previous record of four hours 49 minutes was established on July 10 by another Mitchell aircraft of the United States Army Air Corps.
(The Southland Times, 24 Jul 1946)
This was about the fourth time a Mitchell had broken the trans-Tasman record in the last six months or so.
Errol
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Post by chinapilot on Feb 24, 2014 21:56:35 GMT 12
Thanks Errol.
Hadn't realised that B-25s visited NZ frequently then.
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Post by boxerchocs on Jun 25, 2018 23:12:54 GMT 12
Reference to PJW41182s post That Mossie flight does feature in Dads Logbook and the time was 5 hours. A later flight (11/6/47) from Bankstown to Ohakea in Mosquito 1054 with F/L Kitson was done in 4 hours which Dad had noted as "Record" in his log book
Chris
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Post by McFly on May 19, 2022 17:25:43 GMT 12
Team New Zealand’s new land yacht has been successfully tested on a runway at the Whenuapai air base in Auckland. (link)
The 14m craft named Horonuku was only launched on Monday, but the America’s Cup defenders have been quick to get it rolling as they prepare for their wind-powered land speed world record attempt.
They need to eclipse the 202.9kph set by Britain’s Rickard Jenkins in 2009. Team New Zealand's new land yacht Horonuku has made a swift start in testing for the wind-powered land speed world record attempt. It’s small steps but Horonuku has already hit around 130kph after tow starts down the runway as the Royal New Zealand Air Force lend their crucial infrastructure to “Project Speed”.
Pilot Glenn Ashby has been thrilled with the early runs as structural and systems checks are done. “Super cool, super happy with how it has gone,” Ashby said. “The boys have done an awesome job. The design of it and the build of it has been incredible. To get it out here has been one of those moments that everyone has been looking forward to for a long time, certainly me.”
They will continue early testing at Whenuapai before Horonuku is containered to South Australia where the record attempt is scheduled for July-August on the salt bed surface of Lake Gairdner. “The time we spend testing at Whenuapai is going to be critical to the success of our wind-powered land speed world record attempt,” Ashby said.
“From the very first contact and meeting with the personnel at the base, we have been fully supported, and they have done everything they can to make our time there as productive as possible. “We have a few very valuable weeks ahead, and look forward to working in partnership with the RNZAF during that time.”
Current New Zealand land speed record holder, Flight Sergeant Dean Hart, is part of the RNZAF team and is excited to be part of the project.
“In 2020 I drove a jet-powered dragster down the runway at Ohakea setting a 1-mile average record speed of 363kph and a top speed of 473kph. Our car was built by personnel from the Air Force with all the various trades helping out with specialist knowledge in their respective areas in their own time.
“It’s great working with Team New Zealand for the testing phase of their project. They have a highly skilled team of people similar to our own team, and it’s great to help out Glenn and the rest of the team achieve their goals after so many people helped me with my own,” Hart said.
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Post by planewriting on May 20, 2022 8:19:59 GMT 12
Crikey, at first glance I thought that was a Venom ducking to get out of the way of a glider... Anyway, well done to the Horonuku team with those efforts.
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