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Post by htbrst on Feb 5, 2014 10:10:58 GMT 12
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Post by Dave Homewood on Feb 5, 2014 10:20:12 GMT 12
Surely it would be cheaper to buy an existing Harvard replica from the USA, rather than going to the expense of making moulds for a one-off. That would cost a fortune. There are plenty of replicas about in America, I believe. Or at least look into getting a new one made from existing moulds in the USA.
It is good that they plan to save and preserve the poor old aircraft, it's been outdoors too long.
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Post by baronbeeza on Feb 5, 2014 11:15:47 GMT 12
I think it could be another of those ones where we may not have all the facts. A committee's comments reworded by a reporter.
Most here will be surprised by some of that content.
I know some members here have been closely associated with the plane/slide over the years. They will have a good idea and views.
I am surprised at the speed that seems to have been assigned to the replacement, perhaps there is some background hidden agenda. While the aircraft was removed for assessment/repair within the past months it also has me wondering whether a formal maintenance plan was in place for the slide. The inside could for the most part have been preserved with a treatment of anti-corrosion spray or fogging. Tectyl or Time-ex Boeshield or similar would be ok. The exterior may have been washed.
While it may seem an overkill for a kids' slide I am sure the present proposals are more than lose change as well.
Are other pedestal aircraft about the place getting regular maintenance, and I mean preventative measures ?
1050 anyone ?
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Post by htbrst on Feb 5, 2014 12:33:27 GMT 12
While the aircraft was removed for assessment/repair within the past months it also has me wondering whether a formal maintenance plan was in place for the slide. The inside could for the most part have been preserved with a treatment of anti-corrosion spray or fogging. Tectyl or Time-ex Boeshield or similar would be ok. The exterior may have been washed. While it may seem an overkill for a kids' slide I am sure the present proposals are more than lose change as well. Are other pedestal aircraft about the place getting regular maintenance, and I mean preventative measures ? It's still on the pedestal as we speak, as far as I know they've only looked up at her from the ground and not done any formal inspection of the inside. The worst visible corrosion from the ground is steel holding it up. It had a repaint (house paint) ~3 years ago. I'd like to see it stay up there as a slide, it has more history there than as a flying aeroplane
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bigguy
Leading Aircraftman
Posts: 6
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Post by bigguy on Feb 8, 2014 8:38:11 GMT 12
The Pahiatua harvard has been in the park in Main Street since Nov 1963. This particular harvard has a personal connection to Pahiatua, local Pahiatua farmer and cadet trained in this Harvard. It was originally painted silver when it was first put in the park with ''Pahiatua Jaycee Project pained on the left hand side, in the 70s it was painted light blue but by the 80s was painted yellow. To my knoledge it has been removed only once in 1990 for repairs and a repaint then put back on a slight angle for effect. It has had at least half a dozen pait jobs in its life as a slide. Being directly opposite the Pahiatua Police station has probably saved it from being trashed and the park is in a highly visible place with traffic on both sides of the park. The park has had a major make over in the last couple of years and the plan was to do more restoration on the Harvard to ensure it lasted another 50 years. Ironically the park has finally been re-named ''Harvard Adventure Park'' but after 50 years in the rain a recent report (FEB 2014) on the health of the Harvard has revealed it is in danger of collapse and the alumiminium has corroded beyond repair. It was a sad day in Pahiatua when the news broke last week. So now the last surviving Harvard in a playground in NZ will have to be removed. But all is not lost, the plan now is to put an exact replica Harvard in it's place as it has become a local icon and tourist attraction that the town has decided they can't do without their beloved Harvard. ( I have a photo of the Harvard on the back of a truck on it's way to Pahiatua in 1963 and many photos of it in the Pahiatua park).
Here's an interesting 1963 story of how the Pahiatua Jaycee's ''Project Harvard'' ended up in the playground with the help of Eric & Paul Gleeson, Joe Ridley, Snow Greaves, Tom Findlay, Jack Cotter & many others. I copied it from an old November 1963 article from Pahiatua's ''North Wairarapa News''.
JAYCEE'S COMPETE HARVARD PROJECT
...After five months of work by Pahiatua Jaycees a Harvard aircraft has been installed in the children's playground in the Northern Square. Tremendous interest has been taken in this project and the aircraft is extremely popular with children. Jaycee correspondent Jon White supplies the following article on Project Harvard.
The Harvard which was purchased from Bennett's Aviation Te Kuiti, was dismantled there by our local Jaycees on May 25 and loaded on to Mr Tom Findlay's articulator which he donated for the occasion.
The next day the aircraft was bought to Pahiatua and placed in one of Mr Eric Gleeson's sheds for the work of converting it for use in the childrens playground.
With project convener Joe Ridley and Playground convener Jack Cotter organising the work was soon under way. One of the hardest jobs was the sandpapering of the whole plane, this taking a dozen Jaycees some six hours. But as the months passed the finished plane gradually took shape under the eagle eyes of Joe and Jack.
Modifications were carried out by Jaycee labour and everyone pulled their weight to make the project a success. Most of the work on the Harvard was done at night and we have Eric Gleeson to thank for this, as we had the use of his shed and power. Without it the work could only have been done in the weekends.
The slide and mountings were made by Joe Ridley engineers and a working bee concreted in the first of the mountings ready for the launching which was on October 12.
On that morning 18 Jaycees bodily lifted the Harvard on to a lorry and it was carried to the playground where, with the aid of a tractor loader and the muscles of Jaycees, it was lifted to a height of eight feet off the ground to be bolted and concreted in position.
A fine peice of spray painting by Jaycee ''Snow'' Greaves finished off the the installation and left very little to be desired.
One thing that made work a great deal easier was the co-operation of Sgt. Clements in letting us use his hot point to run power over to the playground for the use of our drills.
It has been the co-operation of all those who loaned equipment and facilities that have really made the project go so well. Also the support of the general public of Pahiatua in assisting us in our fund-raising and the donations through our many projects fund-raising have put the plane where it is today. Without this support this project would not have been possible.
An estimate of the cost of the complete project would be between four and five hundred pounds, taking into consideration the 250 man hours worked by Jaycee's not to mention members of the public who assisted us along the way.
The playground is being modernised for the benefit of the children of Pahiatua and the aeroplane is only one aspect of it and at the moment the costliest, but in the future we hope to add to it with the help of of the people of our town, a concrete skating area approximately 50 x 40 feet square with a pipe handrail around it with possibly a small pavillion.
In placing the Harvard in the playground we also hoped to make it a landmark by which Pahiatua can be recognised This has certainly proven the case as there is hardly a car entering the town that does not slow down and stop and look.
The original number of the Harvard is NZ918 and since it has been repainted on the fuselage one of our residents on looking up his log books, from his Air Force days, has discovered that he has flown it. He is Mr Graham Reid, Graham found that he had flown the Harvard in August and September 1944 when he was stationed at Woodbourne near Blenheim. This was certainly a thrill for the Reid family, especially the children, who first asked their father out of curiosity.
The finishing touches were done to the project during the weekend when Jaycee Paul Gleeson finished the signwriting and the propeller was finally fitted.
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Post by baronbeeza on Feb 8, 2014 11:06:16 GMT 12
Many here are well aware of the construction of a Harvard. We have a few owners, many who have maintained them and also quite a few who would know this particular machine. Fifty years is a good effort but surely the aircraft has been getting some form of maintenance over the years. You can imagine what a Mk 1 Zephyr would look like if it was abandoned in that park 50 years ago. Brushing new paint on will only do so much preservation.
I am just curious about the urgency of the decision and the haste in getting a fibreglass replica. Given the flying days are probably in the past we are only concerned about the structural integrity (for static display) and outward cosmetic appearance. A galvanised steel spaceframe would take care of one and fibreglass cloth the other. The remaining internal structure could be sprayed with any suitable compound.
I knew those involved in the fibreglass Spitfire projects and it was no easy task. While we are talking about a town's icon here we are also talking about a kid's slide.
Is it really that much different to a giant trout, salmon, carrot or even L&P bottle ?
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Post by htbrst on Apr 7, 2014 18:46:13 GMT 12
Here is a summary of an article in today's local paper about the Pahiatua Harvard replacement: - The committee have almost finished looking at quotes for the fibreglass replacement
- The use of a genuine replacement was "hindered by deteriorated state of many survivours and the high cost of those restored - in the hundreds of thousands of dollars"
- The cost of the fibreglass replacement with slide is expected to reach $120,000. Approximately half this amount has been raised already.
- "The cost of the plane is higher because of OSH rules that did not exist when the real Harvard was hoisted"
- Target to have the project completed by the end of November
- The current slide is "marginal in terms of safety"
I know there's a little more to it, but $120,000 pretty much gets you a flyable T-6 in the States. Perhaps they have not set their nets wide enough ?
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Post by nzjet on Apr 7, 2014 19:46:27 GMT 12
I will make them 2 for that price
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Post by raymond on Apr 7, 2014 20:31:09 GMT 12
Here is a summary of an article in today's local paper about the Pahiatua Harvard replacement: [li]The cost of the fibreglass replacement with slide is expected to reach $120,000. I bet resource consent costs and permits probably come to 70K.....the rest is the actual cost of the work! oops forgot to ad the consultants as well
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Post by rayo on Jan 13, 2015 7:33:22 GMT 12
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Post by avenger on Jan 18, 2015 11:34:31 GMT 12
Early on the thread the question asked whether there was a record of the Avenger in the Rotorua playground. Here it is. If you I/D the two in front please don't post the names.
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Post by Dave Homewood on Jan 20, 2015 14:11:55 GMT 12
Great photo! Thanks for posting this avenger.
I note the fin flash, which looks like it may be original RNZAF paint, so was the red (dayglo?) cowl ring and tapered cheat line also original RNZAF paint? It looks a little like the two-seat Vampire scheme with the red nose and tapered cheat line.
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Post by baz62 on Jan 20, 2015 15:18:26 GMT 12
I don't recall seeing our Avengers in that kind of colour scheme in service. Unless they let loose the painters with some paint to tidy her up for the playground? The only red colour I've seen was NZ2503 with a red rudder.
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Post by ZacYates on Jan 21, 2015 7:45:18 GMT 12
My maternal grandfather was tasked with repainting one of the playground Avengers (somewhere in the Hawke's Bay area - Havelock North?) and, from what my mum tells me, it wasn't standard RNZAF marks! He popped up on this very forum a while back to post about it, I'll see if I can find it.
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Post by avenger on Jan 21, 2015 10:47:48 GMT 12
The cowl and cheat line red not RNZAF but possibly applied when the aircraft a potential civil aerial topdresser?
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Post by ZacYates on Jan 21, 2015 13:08:08 GMT 12
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Post by htbrst on Jul 25, 2015 5:50:12 GMT 12
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Post by htbrst on Jul 25, 2015 6:00:03 GMT 12
There was an article in the local paper with a quick photo of the fibreglass Harvard in bits Turns out its available on their facebook page:
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Post by ZacYates on Jul 25, 2015 14:38:46 GMT 12
Quick and dirty photo of the article in today's paper:
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Post by htbrst on Oct 6, 2015 13:56:13 GMT 12
... and its gone
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