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Post by davidd on Aug 3, 2017 8:41:01 GMT 12
NZ3119 was NOT the Wairarapa Wildcat, that was 3072. Still, that's life, if it's not one thing, it's another!
David D
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Post by Deleted on Aug 3, 2017 9:20:20 GMT 12
Oh, good point! Thanks David! Pure typo by me, now corrected. They were keen on NZ3072 (or a K as second choice, for whatever reason) but '09 was easier for the recovery folk to get to.
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Post by rone on Aug 3, 2017 11:38:37 GMT 12
I would like to correct a statement given by Rayman in his second post on page 1 of this article. In, discussing the various Hamilton locations of RNZAF during WW2,Rayman stated that the buildings at the south end of Dey Street were, he believed to have been RNZAF Administration. Those buildings, recently demolished, were built early 1940 for use as No1 factory of the Colonial Ammunition Company. There was a second factory built, also on Dey Street but further north nearer to Clyde Street. These were in use by CAC until late 1945 when they were closed down and all operations moved back to Mt Eden. I believe the recently demolished buildings were used by Waikato University at some stage, while NO2 factory was given to the maoris and is now the Marae.
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Post by Dave Homewood on Aug 3, 2017 13:21:38 GMT 12
Yes the original buildings were made into accommodation for students, and it was known as the Dey Street Campus.
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Post by Dave Homewood on Aug 3, 2017 13:23:09 GMT 12
Going through my records ( junk as my wife calls it) I came across a air record publication Warhawk issued by C Darby and P Hanson in 1962. Many may know of it but it lists a 100 or so P40 s at Rukuhia. For a folded A4 it has plenty of info. Of note are the aircraft still showing " jap flags" (...) 3119 (...) with one each. What a score for a museum today. As per The Whole Nine Yards, Charles Darby and Bob McGarry were wanting to take out NZ3119 NZ3072 but when the recovery team (not including them due to time issues) went in they got NZ3009 instead because it was closer to the gate. We were very close to having the Wairarapa Wildcat survive! Also if DavidD or anyone still has this booklet I'd love to see it. Denys Jones has sent me these two scans to post for you Zac   |
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Post by Deleted on Aug 3, 2017 14:38:40 GMT 12
Fantastic, thanks a bunch Denys and Dave!
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Post by pjw4118 on Aug 3, 2017 15:39:39 GMT 12
Zac , just to clear up a point of fact , 3009 wasnt chosen because it was close to the gate but because it was the "oldest " airframe there. Bunny and Bob came down initially to select which one , but Don Noble and I went down from Auckland week after week ( alone ) to strip 3009 and pull off bits from other P40s that were missing on 3009. When notice came through that all the remains had to go within 7 days when the airport earthmovers were due to come in , my father took two of his vans and trailers down to Rukuhia to collect up all the lose panels , canopies etc. The fuselage and wings were collected by truck. The pile of P40 bits lived in my backyard for months until taken across to MOTAT. Sadly I only ever took two photographs of the work , though Don may have more.
The payment for the hulk was a bit of swapping of metal arranged by Bunny and Bob plus maybe another fuselage then in Mt Albert Auckland. The smelter wanted 1/6 per LB ( old money ) for any aircraft assemblies but smuggling and blind eyes helped with the liberation of many items.
Lyndsay Mayo was another who became involved. A student at AU Engineering then based at Ardmore. He found an Allison in a shed on the airfield , so the trailer went out there a picked up a new crated motor. I think that the cost was 1 pound.
The whole project caused a bit of concern in the AHSNZ as the Auckland branch were busy looking at recovery of old airframes and were told from HQ that this wasnt an aim of the Society. Motat became the default museum as negotiations with the new Auckland airport authority were underway to set 3009 up in the terminal. Sadly they declined .
One other outcome was when the boys collected all the P40 stuff they nabbed the extra cockpit canopy I had , a stack of gun ports and even a Sunderland door. Luckily a control column and a few other treasures were locked inside.
This all came up again some years later during a dispute over ownership between Bunny and MOTAT , So out came the notes, diaries and letters plus two photos, and a good settlement was reached . MOTAT have a P40 on display and 3009 flies.
If only we did the same to a Corsair , but at the time there were a few about and they were another size up from a P40 , too big to slip into Dons mini !
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Post by Deleted on Aug 3, 2017 16:49:44 GMT 12
Thanks for that Peter, I recently re-read John King's book so that narrative is the one I know. Do you still have the bits you managed to keep back then?
I still love the prices these things were worth back then - a pound for a crated V-1710!!
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Post by pjw4118 on Aug 4, 2017 16:43:22 GMT 12
My latest disposals from those days were a P40 control column and fuselage panels for the new restoration at Pioneer. That leaves me with a engine cowl panel from a Ventura , the grip from a Corsair control ,a few instruments and a tyre . Who wants to rebuild a Corsair based on the grip !!
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Post by Deleted on Aug 6, 2017 8:43:23 GMT 12
I wouldn't say no, but based on the asking prices on eBay it's a tad above my price range!
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Post by harvard1041 on Aug 6, 2017 21:05:18 GMT 12
Great stories there Peter .... and thanks again for those parts ...they will definitely find there way back to a flying P-40E.
Cheers
John.
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Post by camtech on Aug 16, 2017 12:43:40 GMT 12
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Post by Dave Homewood on Aug 16, 2017 17:10:25 GMT 12
Superb photos Les.
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Post by agalbraith on Aug 16, 2017 18:25:53 GMT 12
Wow, very cool! Thank you
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Post by davidd on Aug 16, 2017 18:39:04 GMT 12
Great views of the (removed) fuselage fuel tank cells (rubber, but only one per aircraft), and is that the belly window visible in second shot? (without the Plexiglas of course!)
David D
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Post by camtech on Aug 16, 2017 20:22:33 GMT 12
Great views of the (removed) fuselage fuel tank cells (rubber, but only one per aircraft), and is that the belly window visible in second shot? (without the Plexiglas of course!) David D I believe you are correct, David. I can recall sitting in the cockpit of "Josephine" when she was at MoTaT and feeling as if there should be a second deck below the pilot - the fuselage is deceptively deep. |
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Post by TS on Aug 18, 2017 14:48:01 GMT 12
Well I know we have lost a heap of photos here because of PB but this YouTube clip helps in just a small way at least.
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Post by Dave Homewood on Aug 18, 2017 16:18:48 GMT 12
Yes, all those photos in the Youtube clip were lifted from this thread.
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Post by TS on Aug 18, 2017 16:33:22 GMT 12
Yeah I knew that. But in this case we are lucky to have them back ... no thanks to PB.
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Post by madmac on Aug 18, 2017 17:01:04 GMT 12
Not sure if its been observed but the Aspins fence is either Hudson or Ventura flaps (at least 5 full panels).
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