The Harvard Pile

[Dave Homewood]

What's the issue? Is it because I mis-typed NZ rather than INST (which I've fixed now) or are you saying that NZ1100 is wrong?

Wasn't NZ1100 the famous Harvard slide?

[hairy]

Okay, I will try that again....................

Your book and the AHSNZ NZ Military Aircraft and Serial Numbers both state that NZ1100 became INST149 and that NZ954 became INST142.

The Harvard in the photo is NZ954 and it is marked INST149.

Which is correct, the books or the photo?

Absolutly nothing to do with a mis-type in your post, which I did not notice until you mentioned it.

[Dave Homewood]

Oh, now I see. Well they say the photo doesn't lie, but in the case of instructional airframes sometimes the number son them can lie, if the trainee painters have been practicing on them.

Could it be a rear fuelage of one stitched to the front of another?

[harvard1041]

Great photos there Shamus ! - Harvard heaven... most of these aircraft - without engines etc went for just a couple of hundred dollars in the end...

Good to see the photos on NZ1051 - Lyndon Knowles had it for a long time - did a great job rebuilding it - but before it was finished sold thru to Judy Pay in Australia - who finished it in the very attractive scheme you show.

Rgds
Hvd1041

[NZ1009]

Dave & Shamus - thanks for the inst numbers. What I thought was inst157 was actually 1057.

[Dave Homewood]

No problem.

[baz62]

Jun 12, 2009 21:36:49 GMT 12 shamus said:

nz1009.

Sorry what was the NZ1009 reference for shamus?

[Dave Homewood]

He was "talking" to the member who calls himself NZ1009, not referring to a Harvard. ;D

[NZ1009]

A couple of lesser known photos of the Red Checkers taking off. The first photo is by Shorty, taken on a Pentax SV with a 135mm lens at Ohakea while standing on a Canberra wing in either 1968 or 69. He originally posted it earlier on in his "Photos From My Stash" thread.



Not sure of the source of this second photo


The following picture of a mid-1950s Harvard formation is from Ted Arundels book "A Sport of Kings"



Finally, it is 50 years since this well-known RNZAF Museum photo was taken. Personally I think it
is the best Harvard formation photo around. Four still flying, three written off, one a gate-guardian and one in a museum.

[Dave Homewood]

Super photos NZ1009, I'd not seen any of them before I don't think, maybe the third one. Is that hill below the formation where the Christchurch gondola now is?

[baz62]

Jun 13, 2009 22:11:39 GMT 12 Dave Homewood said:

He was "talking" to the member who calls himself NZ1009, not referring to a Harvard. ;D

Duuuuuuuurrrrr. Must take the pills lol. ;D

[baz62]

Jun 14, 2009 15:08:52 GMT 12 Dave Homewood said:

Super photos NZ1009, I'd not seen any of them before I don't think, maybe the third one. Is that hill below the formation where the Christchurch gondola now is?

I think it might be out of shot to the left?

[Peter Lewis]

Jun 12, 2009 11:01:15 GMT 12 Damon said:

The black and white photos ..is there a story behind them? Were you with the RNZAF at the time at Wigram and able to take the pictures or did you know someone and was able to get on base? Was it a special open day?

Damon

The Harvards photographed by me in August 1964 were taken during an ATC camp at Wigram at that time. I guess I was a little nuisance, ferreting around the place and getting in the way.

As I indicated, they were taken on my Russian folding camera, and quality-wise seem to have scanned up quite well.
The camera story - I had fiddled around with the family Box Brownie for a little while and become interested in photography. I saved up my paper-round money - 13/6 per week - and bought a plastic 126 camera, fixed aperture and fixed speed. A plastic developing tank and a contact printer and I was big time. Not much good really.
At that time my Mother worked for Roseman and Warren in Whangarei. As well as being accountants, Roseman and Warren were also the local NAC agents. Old Reg Roseman had a stack of really bad photos of itinerant Avro 504s taken at the Kensington Park racecourse in Whangarei pre-war and had also been the secretary of the pre-war Whangarei Aero Club (which had never actually done anything).
These were the days of strict Government restrictions on travel allowances, and a crew member off a Russian fishing vessel berthed at Auckland, having decided to give himself a holiday tour of Northland, had arrived at Whangarei with no funds left to get back to his ship. He offered to swap his camera in return for an air-fare back to Auckland. The deal was done, and my Mother bought the camera off Reg as a Christmas present for me.
The camera was I think based on a German Zeiss design and took 8 shots on 120-size film. It had a coupled rangefinder but no method of calculating exposure so I had to save up yet again to buy a light meter. You soon learnt to try and make every shot count.
I used that camera for about ten years, but finally the shutter, which had to be manually spring-tensioned before every shot, wore out so I had to change to 35mm.
I still have it, packed away somewhere. Souvenir of youth.

[Dave Homewood]

That's a great story Peter, and it makes me appreciate your wonderful collection of photos all the more. To think that all those photos you took as a kid for your own personal hobby are now giving so many people such pleasure and knowledge all these years later must be really pleasing.

[Damon]

Thanks very much for your story Peter.The pictures really show how things went on in the hangars. Great to see the Harvards at 'home' at Wigram in a not often seen colour scheme.
Thanks for sharing them with us all. Are there any more by chance?

Big thumbs up!

Damon

[shorty]

NZ1009, that first photo is one of mine! Taken on a Pentax SV with a 135mm lens at Ohakea while standing on a Canberra wing in either 1968 or 69,
I originally posted it earlier on in my stash thread.

[NZ1009]

Hi Shorty - and a fine picture it is - can only imagine the noise! Have updated my original post to add your information.

[Peter Lewis]

Thanks for the comments on the trip down memory lane guys. Been to an 11-year-olds birthday today, so that tends to bring out the reminiscences.

Mighty collection of Instructional airframes there shamus, thanks.

Continuing down the list:

Harvard NZ1082 had the misfortune to be damaged in a ground collision with another Harvard in 1957, and was relegated to ground duties at Woodbourne as INST175. It was included in the great 1978 sell-off, and passed through Engine Support Inc. and was passed to the Confederate Air Force at North Shore for restoration in 1979 . The civil registration ZK-ELN was allotted, but the rebuild was not completed, and the registration was revoked some years later. Eventually, restoration was restarted under the new registration ZK-USM.

At Ardmore 31Mar1979:



NZ1083 remained active for most of its RNZAF life until a ground accident at Kaitaia on an unknown date (anyone?) caused it to become one of the last instructional Harvards, INST212. It was eventually transferred from Woodbourne to Ohakea and is currently held in reserve there for the Historic Flight.

At Wigram 26Aug1964:





At Whenuapai 2Apr1977 (still airworthy, so presumably the Kaitaia accident was soon after this date?):





Harvard NZ1085 was active at Wigram until end of service in 1977. Sold W. Williams, Mount Maunganui 18Oct78, then became ZK-ENM with D G Reidpath, Auckland the same month. Sold to K J Arditto, Lara Lake, Geelong, Vic. in March 1979 and taken to Australia where it became VH-SNJ in April 1980.

At the old Fenton Street airfield, Rotorua, 4Mar1963:

[shamus]

A photo of NZ 1052 at New Plymouth.

[Dave Homewood]

Here are two shots I took of NZ1082 in February 2005, at the CAF hangar at Dairy Flat. Is this aircraft flying these days? It was near to flight after some work at the time but I've never seen it since.