|
|
Post by chrisnpl on Dec 2, 2006 23:38:47 GMT 12
Does anyone have any information on the aircraft operated by 1 squadron during the Territorial years out of Whenuapai?
There is some good information in the No.1 Squadron book but there is no definitive list of aircraft, except that it operated a share of the 30 Mustangs released by the government, and some Harvards, and two Tiger Moths.
There aren't any colour photographs either; so I am assuming the blue was the same deep one as the Otago Squadron, displayed at the RNZAF Museum, Wigram.
I'm also interested in why the RNZAF aircraft have what appeared to be the French Tricolour on their tails, and it looked like we used the RAF Roundel for a long time... ?replaced by the Kiwi in the 1970s?
|
|
|
|
Post by Dave Homewood on Dec 3, 2006 10:51:30 GMT 12
The Auckland Squadron blue was not the same as the other squadrons. It was a light blue. And I can tell you why. When the aircraft were brought out of storage from Ardmore and were put back to flying condition at Hobsonville, there was still a shortage of many items left over from the wartime rationing. One of those things was paint.
The Hobsonville paint shop did not have any blue roundel paint left, and so when S&S worker Bill Fitzharding Jones tried to get some more from Dominion Paints he found the colour was unavailable. In the end he actually went with some alternative paint, whcich I believe was a similar colour but was hosepaint. It quickly, very quickly, faded to light blue. From then on the squadron seems to have retained the light blueas their trademark. Bill told me this himself, he was one of the first S&S Workers in the RNZAF and is still working today for the RNZAF Museum - so if you want to check the story, contact him as I'm rememberin this from when he told me 15 years ago.
I also recall he said after the first Mustang was assembled and test flown, he painted it silver (previously flown in bare metal). Once it was painted and more smooth, the pilot reckoned he got an extra 30mph out of it at top speed!
I assume by French Tricolour you refer to the standard finflash seen on all RNZAF aircraft? It has been a standard thing since about WWI - on RAF, RNZAF, RCAF and RAAF aircraft. It is merely a way of showing other aircraft your colours. Red, White and Blue is allies The Nazis has a Swaztika instead. It's a symbol, not a flag as such. In the Pacific in WWII our aircraft had their roundels and finflash modified with the red removed, as the Yanks would see red and shoot at our planes thinking they were Japs. But the standard roundels and flashes returned after the war.
In the 1960's the roundel had an addition of a white fern, then this changed to a silver fern, in the red dot centre. See the Vampire at Wigram for this. The Kiwi roundel took over from the concentric circles inabout 1970 or 1971? The Shyhawks wore the old style for but a few months.
I recommend Warren Russell's books on RNZAF aircraft markings for details of all the markings worn on our aircraft.
The finflash has disappeared now on the low-viz aircraft and the roundels are in black.
As for Auckland Mustangs, i have a list somewhere and will look it out.
|
|
|
|
Post by Dave Homewood on Dec 3, 2006 11:00:34 GMT 12
Operated by No. 1 Squadron included
NZ2413
NZ2414
NZ2416
NZ2423
NZ2425
NZ2428
|
|
|
|
Post by Dave Homewood on Dec 3, 2006 11:35:16 GMT 12
|
|
|
|
Post by Dave Homewood on Dec 3, 2006 11:40:42 GMT 12
Also, Harvards NZ1058, NZ1085 and NZ1074 were operated by No. 1 TAF Squadron, wearing the light blue and white checkerboards and the Auckland City crest on the tail. See Brendon Deere's book "Military Wings" Volume Two
|
|
|
|
Post by steve on Dec 3, 2006 15:27:33 GMT 12
The current low-viz kiwi roundels are in grey i thought with the standard red kiwi centre on the 757s...From my research the move from the silver fern to the Kiwi centre resulted from newspaper reports of teasing of the squadrons especially 75 when operating out of singapore on exercises (SEATO) that they were the "white feather" (cowards) crews.
RNZAF administration were reluctant to change to the Kiwi as the bird as you know is flightless..however the decision was eventually made by someone in the early 70s...Colin...you were well involved at this time is my research correct?
|
|
|
|
Post by phil82 on Dec 3, 2006 15:42:52 GMT 12
I wasn't aware of the change; such things tended to come out of Air Staff, otherwise known as Disneyland, and the first the rest of the air force knew was when it appeared.
Besides, I was in Singapore 1974-76.
|
|
|
|
Post by steve on Dec 3, 2006 16:07:40 GMT 12
ok...thanks for that..I believe the change came in 71 ...such stuff i suspect is only of recent interest in researching history and at the time was no big deal...
|
|
|
|
Post by corsair67 on Dec 4, 2006 12:23:48 GMT 12
Steve, the Skyhawks arrived here with the silver fern/white feather, so the change to the kiwi was certainly sometime after that - so 1971 sounds about right.
Thank God they changed: the silver fern looks stupid in a roundel!
|
|
|
|
Post by skyhawkdon on Dec 4, 2006 14:26:14 GMT 12
Steve, the Skyhawks arrived here with the silver fern/white feather, so the change to the kiwi was certainly sometime after that - so 1971 sounds about right. The Skyhawk roundels changed to the kiwi in December 1970. |
|
|
|
Post by steve on Dec 4, 2006 16:17:09 GMT 12
thanks Don for that info...by the way saw you on TV...good presentation..well done
|
|
|
|
Post by Dave Homewood on Dec 4, 2006 19:40:53 GMT 12
|
|
