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Post by Gary. on Oct 16, 2012 18:08:21 GMT 12
Metroliner ZK-OAA has avioded reincarnation as a Pepsi can.....I thought i may add a few photos of my pet project of turning a scrap heap metroliner into a great kids sleep out.... As you will see the poor old metro was in a sorry state after the Eagle Air engineers had there wicked way with her striping out all the expensive bits.
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Post by Gary. on Oct 16, 2012 18:21:59 GMT 12
I felt sorry for the poor old metro I know its not the coolest looking propliner around, Ive heard the jokes, Its a flying pencil, the San antonio sewer pipe, someone even said they look like a flying Tampon ;D But i didn't listen, I never do especially to my Wife..... I thought man we've got the makings of a great kids sleep out here.
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Post by Gary. on Oct 16, 2012 18:27:05 GMT 12
So with a bit of planing, alot of head scratching and swearing and a fair bit of greasing with the Boss to let me borrow his Volvo for the weekend. A few phone calls to arrange permits for an oversized load, rent the longest trailer i could find. We were away, Metro on the Highway...
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Post by Gary. on Oct 16, 2012 18:32:43 GMT 12
I had to call in a few favours with the small amount of friends that are silly enough to know me, and with the poor old Mitsi Hiab truck about to tip over. ZK-OAA had a new home as an over grown garden ornament...
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Post by Officer Crabtree on Oct 16, 2012 18:35:34 GMT 12
You have some of the luckiest children in the world
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Post by Gary. on Oct 16, 2012 18:38:17 GMT 12
After many months of cleaning and scrubbing and turfing out bloody Starling nests, the old metro was starting to clean up well. The kids were certainly fizzing about having the coolest toy in the world in there front paddock to play in ;D
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Post by Gary. on Oct 16, 2012 18:45:32 GMT 12
The kids had quickly sussed out that they could open up the rear cargo door and pretend to skydive out onto the grass, they would then run back round to the front door and climb back in for another go, all this i was told was while the plane was on fire and pirates had taken control while they were on there way to see grandma in Australia with a cargo of christmas presents for her......you got to love there imagination.
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Post by Gary. on Oct 16, 2012 18:55:25 GMT 12
I fitted a couple of seats from a van as pilot seats and had a real good go at rebuilding the cockpit as best i could, i had to strip out endless amounts of wiring, build a new floor and cut off old brackets. all along i had to keep telling myself its okay to cut things up a bit as this old metro will never fly again, as she was a one peace Aeroplane when she left the factory in 1981 but when i transported her to the farm she was in two bits. Not quite what her designers had in mind i would think.
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Post by Gary. on Oct 16, 2012 19:02:24 GMT 12
I borrowed a few old instruments form a friend, i also found a training poster of a metro cockpit and blew the poster up to one to one scale and then laminated and cut out the guages and fitted them into the holes in the panel..... from a distance they almost look the real deal...
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Post by Gary. on Oct 16, 2012 19:08:24 GMT 12
Captain Corey says "I hope you brought your sick bag and you have your life insurance paid up cause my brother is taking us in for this landing and he flies this Metro about as well as he can spell his own name"....
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Post by Gary. on Oct 16, 2012 19:14:28 GMT 12
First officer Danny says "put your tray table up and your seat back in the full upright position, put your seat belts on TIGHT and someone tell those pirates down the back to BE QUIET...cause we've got a load of presents on board for Nana....and when I'm flying this Metro i go in HOT"......
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Post by ngatimozart on Oct 16, 2012 19:17:42 GMT 12
Well done, very well done. Your kids are soooo lucky and they looking like they having sooo much fun. ;D
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Post by Peter Lewis on Oct 16, 2012 19:23:49 GMT 12
Nicely done. Congratulations. ZK-OAA in a previous life:
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Post by Ykato on Oct 16, 2012 19:25:06 GMT 12
Very
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Post by TS on Oct 16, 2012 19:30:10 GMT 12
WELL DONE SIR!! What lucky,lucky Kids they are!! Awesome ;D
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Post by Gary. on Oct 16, 2012 19:33:32 GMT 12
Thanks ngatimozart, they sure do love it, when they are old enough i will fit some solar lighting and some beds so they can camp out the night in it. That should give poor old Dad a night off...
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Post by vs on Oct 16, 2012 19:34:03 GMT 12
very cool. I think I have 6 different Metro's in my logbook and everyone of them was totally different in the sharp end!
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Post by Gary. on Oct 16, 2012 19:44:57 GMT 12
Thanks Peter for the Photo of ZK-OAA in her old colours, beautiful i wish she still had that paint scheme.... If any one has any shots of the old metro's from Eagle Airways I'd love to see them.. Also does anyone know how would i go about finding a few bits for the old Metro? I'm missing the upper and lower engine nacelles from the port side. I would love to find some old ones that no one needs, maybe some that are no good because of corrosion or dents. I was thinking that a few of these Metro's have been converted to freighters over the years, what would have happened to all the old passenger seats? I guess old passenger seats would not be of much use to anyone. Do they just get biffed into a skip bin or do they get stored away somewhere? Any advice would be great.... I'm not ever going to try and make any money out of the old Metro, shes going to stay out on the farm for the kids to enjoy.... my intentions are to build a good static display from her old bones. Any help with where i may find Metro bits would be great...
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Post by slackie on Oct 16, 2012 20:22:17 GMT 12
Man! Can I come over and play too?! That's awesome!
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Post by Bruce on Oct 16, 2012 20:24:58 GMT 12
I like the AIP chart for Auckland clipped on top of the panel - nice touch!
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