|
|
Post by mit on Oct 7, 2011 23:25:14 GMT 12
Chocolate fish for you Mit if you can acquire the Hamburger door off it for BEU back here in NZ !!!!!! Cheers Pete Challenge Accepted!!!.... After our flight this morning we made a daring dash into the Military compound (via the cunning use of the crash Ambulance...). Only to discovery, alas some cretin has long ago swiped any and everything not bolted down and some there were... But i still managed some stick time.....    and the missing door...  I think Peter you have more of the nose than this poor work horse... I also have I.D. it as FP-501 MSN 19818 C-47A-80-DL USAAF SN 43-15352 I'll keep a look out for another door.... |
|
|
|
Post by aeromedia on Oct 8, 2011 5:40:09 GMT 12
That looks like a bit of a cracking adventure you had, right there. Great pics!
Thanks for giving it a really good shot Mit, and thanks for accepting the challenge for that Hamburger door which I will need from somewhere!
Bart in Amsterdam is keen to supply me with about 95% of the cockpit internals to complete NZ3518 BEU back to a pretty original 1944 C47A configuration.
Cheers - Pete
|
|
|
|
Post by Peter Lewis on Oct 8, 2011 8:45:28 GMT 12
The world must be littered with DC-3 wrecks.
Cool pics in an obviously interesting location though.
Based on the info given, that one has no Kiwi history. Appears to be ex Portugese Air Force and retired after use as a crop sprayer in 1975.
|
|
|
|
Post by Dave Homewood on Oct 8, 2011 9:52:42 GMT 12
Great pictures Mit. It looks like the set of the Peliliu Airfield in the miniseries The Pacific!
Why do they call it a Hamburger Door?
|
|
|
|
Post by guest on Oct 8, 2011 10:06:56 GMT 12
Why do they call it a Hamburger Door? I guess if you go out that door during flight, Dave, you quickly end up as minced meat?  |
|
|
|
Post by Peter Lewis on Oct 8, 2011 16:33:45 GMT 12
NAC's DC-3 Freightair operations ceased about 1967, and the Safe Air Cook Strait services were closed down in the mid-1980s. This left a gap in the internal air freight market. Alan McGreavy of Alexandra sought to exploit this opportunity by setting up a freight air service. He imported DC-3C VH-PWM from Australia and this aircraft flew into New Zealand on 7Jul1986. Built as a C-47A-1-DK and delivered to the USAAF on 13Oct1943, the aircraft had since seen service with the RAAF as A65-21, with East-West Airlines as VH-EWB, and with Bush Pilots Airways, Connair at Alice Springs and Rebel Air as VH-PWM. VH-PWM became ZK-AMR on 29Aug1986 and started freight operations from Christchurch to Wellington on the 15th September. The aircraft bore the titling Speedlink and was transferred to the ownership of Classic Air Services Ltd., Palmerston North on 24Sep1986.
Classic Air ZK-AMR at Christchurch 25Sep1986, Steve Lowe photo and again, in similar colours 1988  The freight operation was initially successful, and ZK-AMR was joined in the fleet by ZK-AWP and ZK-BBJ. Fieldair became involved, and ZK-AMR was later repainted into new colours incorporating the Fieldair Freight livery complete with the 'strangled goose' logo ZK-AMR in Fieldair Freight colours at Rongotai 1989  The Speedlink parcel courier service was a NZ Railways contract, and eventually Airwork took over the work utilizing ex-NAC Friendships. The three Speedlink DC-3s were put up for sale in March 1993 and ZK-AMR was transferred to North Shore Helicopters Ltd., Dairy Flat on 10May1993 for the use of Morris Catering. ZK-AMR was painted up in UN colours as 'UN 281' and left New Zealand on 18May1993 bound for Cambodia ZK-AMR in transit May 1993 as UN 281 Following a similar path to ZK-BBJ, ZK-AMR was eventually withdrawn from use in Somalia and the registration was cancelled on 14Sep1994. Reported on overhaul Harare, Zimbabwe early 1995; to Kenya? Reported derelict at Mombasa 2000 |
|
|
|
Post by Dave Homewood on Oct 8, 2011 17:44:23 GMT 12
It's such a shame that an aircraft can be pristine like this in 1993 and gets into the hands of the wrong people obviously and is derelict by 2000.
There was a wonderful segment on Holmes of a night freight flight on one of the last Fieldair freight flights, and also a really nice photospread in NZ Wings around the same time too.
|
|
|
|
Post by agile on Oct 8, 2011 21:45:29 GMT 12
There are some great shots about mid-way down this page from forum member Kiwibeavers' website showing AWP in bits in a hangar (at Milson?) along with AMR (still in Rebel Air titles - newly arrived perhaps?). Also one of the Nationwide Carvairs, 3 Beavers, a Fletcher and a Tiger - interesting times (and a big hangar). www.kiwibeavers.com/AWP.html |
|
|
|
Post by Peter Lewis on Oct 9, 2011 7:24:12 GMT 12
If you arrived in the morning with your spanner in your hand, you wouldn't really know where to start would you.
|
|
|
|
Post by baz62 on Oct 9, 2011 9:42:08 GMT 12
I can just hear the Instructor now Mit: "Right rudder......RIGHT rudder................RIGHT RUDDER!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! (For those going huh? check out Mit's right foot position!) |
|
|
|
Post by aeromedia on Oct 9, 2011 13:04:24 GMT 12
Why do they call it a Hamburger Door? I guess it's cos of the rounded shape of the top of the door. |
|
|
|
Post by mit on Oct 9, 2011 17:05:54 GMT 12
Why do they call it a Hamburger Door? I guess it's cos of the rounded shape of the top of the door. I had to look this up (mainly because i didn't know what I was looking for), it is named such because with the engine running anyone trying to use the door would become well...... Hamburgers, not very PC but probably very true.. I can just hear the Instructor now Mit: "Right rudder......RIGHT rudder................RIGHT RUDDER!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! (For those going huh? check out Mit's right foot position!) Arrrr maybe that's what I'm doing wrong..... mind you at that stage I think you would try anything! |
|
|
|
Post by Dave Homewood on Oct 9, 2011 17:20:36 GMT 12
So that explains the DC-3 outside McDonalds in Taupo, it's part of the kitchen equipment. ;D
|
|
|
|
Post by agile on Oct 9, 2011 18:35:58 GMT 12
Lol. And that's the door the Hamburglar escapes through. ;D
|
|
|
|
Post by Peter Lewis on Oct 9, 2011 22:16:26 GMT 12
Pionair Adventures Ltd., Queenstown was set up to operate adventure and tourist charter work. They imported a DC-3 from Australia and the selected aircraft was VH-PWN. This aircraft had started life as a C-47A-20-DL and went to the RAAF as A65-9. Postwar it was operated by Qantas Empire Airways as VH-EAM. After less that two years service it crashed on take-off on a post-maintenance check flight from Archerfield Airport due to incorrectly rigged control surfaces. After repair and further service with Qantas it went to East-West Airlines in September 1953, intially as VH-EWA and later as VH-EWF. In 1967 it was leased to Pacfic & Western Aviation as VH-PWN. Bush Pilots Airways operated this DC-3 from 1972, and subsequent operators were Air Queensland, Air Rambler, and finally Dick Lang, Highbury, SA who operated as Dick Langs Desert Air Safaris. The aircraft arrived at Queenstown on 1May1993. The Australian registration was then roughly blocked out and the new registration ZK-AMS applied before the aircraft was flown to Ardmore. The DC-3C-S1C3G was officially registered to Pionair Adventures Ltd. as ZK-AMS on 15Jul1993. ZK-AMS in ferry colours at Ardmore July 1993 After overhaul and repaint at Ardmore and Palmerston North, ZK-AMS appeared in full Pionair colours as Spirit of QueenstownZK-AMS in Pionair Adventures livery at Ardmore 1994 ZK-AMS was also used in advertising, and in 1999 was repainted to advertise Lion Red beer The Lion DC-3 Auckland March 1999
 A more low-key promotion was participation in the nationwide SPANZ anniversary tour of 2000  After these adventures, ZK-AMS returned to standard Pionair livery to ply its charter trade in New Zealand and also perform outback tourist charter flights in Australia ZK-AMS at the Wanaka air show 2004 ZK-AMS was sold back into Australian ownership in 2006, becoming VH-CWS with Classic Wings Pty.Ltd., Midland, WA on 14Mar2006. Eventually this operator ran out of resources and the DC-3 was repossessed by Westpac Bank, with ownership changing to their name on 12Jan2009 having accumulated 59,844.9hrs of flight time. Taken over by Slattery Auctions later in January in 2009 it was advertised for sale at a price of AUD200,000 or near offer. Registered to JNP Enterprises, Broome, West Australia 24Jun2010 it entered service with Broome Air Services. This operation did not work out and at some point VH-CWS returned to Bankstown, Sydney, where it lay unused until its registration was cancelled on 11Dec2015. The airframe was then moved to Port Kembla from where it was shipped to South Korea in March 2016, apparently destined to become a museum exhibit. |
|
|
|
Post by Peter Lewis on Oct 9, 2011 22:32:24 GMT 12
In response to a query received, I can clarify that the ZK-AM* registrations were originally allotted to marine aircraft, starting with Short S.30 Empire ZK-AMA in 1939.
Issue then stopped after the allocation of ZK-AMQ to Short S.45 Solent 3 in November 1951.
The remainder of the ZK-AM* registrations were held for marine aircraft use. However, despite the precedent set by the amphibious Walrus ZK-AMJ, no attempt was made to register the Grumman Widgeons, Geese or Mallard within this sequence.
Eventually in 1986 the unused registrations were made available for general use. Over time they were taken up as follows:
ZK-AMR Douglas DC-3C
ZK-AMS Douglas DC-3C-S1C3G
ZK-AMT Ultralight Thruster Gemini
ZK-AMU Beech D.17S
ZK-AMV Vector Aircraft Vector 610
ZK-AMW Micro Aviation B22 Bantam
ZK-AMW/2 Aeronautical Corporation Aeronca 100
ZK-AMX Eipper Quicksilver MX II
ZK-AMY Douglas DC-3C-SIC3G
ZK-AMZ Micro Aviation B22 Bantam
None with any marine connections!
|
|
|
|
Post by Peter Lewis on Oct 10, 2011 19:44:41 GMT 12
Peter Vincent of Wellington imported DC-3C-SIC3G VH-CAN in April 1994. This aircraft had been built as a C-47A-25-DK and served with the USAAF in the Pacific operational area from Jun1944. Sold from Manila in the Philippines to the Australian Government , it became VH-ASD for the Department of Civil Aviation, Melbourne on 26Mar1947. The registration was changed to VH-CAN in August 1950. VH-CAN was bought by Paradak Pty.Ltd., also of Melbourne, in October 1950 and under their ownership carried the name Can-o-Bus. From October 1982 VH-CAN was operated by G W A Gold Wings and then went north in 1984 to Air North Pty.Ltd., Winnellie, NT. Further owners were Flight Australia Pty.Ltd., Bankstown in 1989, Winrye Pty.Ltd., Bankstown in 1990, and Illereserve Pty.Ltd., Albury, in March 1992. Flown to New Zealand as VH-CAN on 8Apr1994, the aircraft became ZK-AMY on 24Aug1994 for Vincent Aviation Ltd., Wellington. ZK-AMY at Rongotai soon after commencing operations in 1994 By October 1994 the wording Vincent had been added to the tail logo ZK-AMY at Rongotai in full Vincent livery As Vincents moved on to other things, ZK-AMY became surplus and was placed in outside storage in the care of Fieldair at their Palmerston North base from mid-1998. Ownership was transferred to GYM Properties Ltd., Nelson on 14Oct1998, but the aircraft remained stored. As the Pionair Adventures business grew into the Australian market, they needed further capacity beyond ZK-AMS, so they bought ZK-AMY on 27Jun2001 and put it back in the air, repainted in their own livery ZK-AMY in Pionair colours 2003 ZK-AMY was leased to the Tongan domestic airline Peau Vava'u Air alongside ZK-AWP from December 2004 to 2nd October 2005, and then returned to New Zealand for further work with Pionair. With the sale of ZK-AMR and the winding down of the Pionair business, the Southern DC3 Charitable Trust was established in 2006 to purchase ZK-AMY, with ownership being transferred to Southern DC3 Ltd., Christchurch on 23Feb2007. Since then, ZK-AMY has been gifted to the Ashburton Aviation Museum in perpetuity to secure her long term future. The Charitable Trust continued to raise funds to clear the remaining debt incurred purchasing the aircraft so that the gift to the Ashburton Museum was debt free. In consequence, This DC-3 continued to operate on charter work in the South Island from Christchurch and Ashburton under the operating name of Southern DC3 until early 2014. At Ohakea 31Mar2012 On 25Jan2014 ZK-AMR was flown into Ashburton airfield and officially retired as at that date. It is now on display at the museum. ZK-AMY in 'Southern DC3' colours in the AAM hangar at Ashburton 3Jan2011 |
|
|
|
Post by Bruce on Oct 10, 2011 20:43:14 GMT 12
Painted in their own Liver?!! Gross! (You picked on my "land on water")  |
|
|
|
Post by Peter Lewis on Oct 10, 2011 21:10:01 GMT 12
OK, ok we're all square then.
Corrected.
|
|
|
|
Post by Peter Lewis on Oct 11, 2011 20:16:46 GMT 12
The New Zealand Warbirds group had established themselves at Ardmore during the 1980s, and various individuals and syndicates had bought a number of WW2 aircraft back to active life. However, one significant aircraft was missing from the lineup - a Douglas Dakota. So in 1987 the Warbirds DC-3 Syndicate was formed, and purchased a DC-3 in Australia. This particular aircraft, VH-SBT, had served with the USAAF and the USAF from October 1944 as a C-47B-10-DK in the US, Japan and Philippines areas of military operations. Bought by Philippine Airlines, Manila in April 1959 it then flew as PI-C486 until sold to Papuan Air Transport Ltd., Port Moresby and becoming VH-PNM on 7Apr1970. Subsequent owners were Ansett Airlines of PNG Pty.Ltd., Lae (later Ansett (P&NG) Pty.Ltd.) from 22Jul1970 and Bush Pilots Airways Ltd., Cairns, Q 4Mar1974 which became Air Queensland Ltd. in January 1982. On 19Nov1983, it was sold to the Mackay Air Museum in Queensland, re-registered VH-SBT on 27Jan1984 and flown as Gooney Bird Tours in Northern Queensland before being retired as a static exhibit. VH-SBT in 'Mackay Air Museum' livery Purchased by the Warbirds DC-3 Syndicate (Inc.) it had the fuselage titling replaced with the wording New Zealand Warbirds Assn and was flown to New Zealand as VH-SBT on 27Mar1987. At Whenuapai 1987 in transit colours The aircraft then underwent an extensive overhaul and was repainted into a colour scheme used by the RAF and other allied air forces during the invasion of Normandy and at Arnheim during World War 2. Olive green on upper surfaces and eggshell blue below. The black and white stripes around the inboard wing and rear fuselage were for identification purposes during the Normandy invasion and were carried by all allied aircraft. The aircraft markings were those of a 48 squadron RAF C-47 flown by New Zealander Squadron Leader Rex Daniell, DFC, AFC and Netherlands Flying Cross. He flew the original aircraft on D-day and over Arnheim, and later, the Rhine crossing. Squadron Leader Daniell was awarded his DFC for action over Arnheim in the Dakota in 1944. Back in 1969 a Cessna 177 Cardinal 200 had arrived in New Zealand, been assembled and was registered to James Aviation Ltd., Hamilton on 18Dec1968 as ZK-DAK. The ownership moved to the Aorangi AC, Taihape on 11Dec1972 and then to an Auckland syndicate of D M Strongman, G L G Richardson & I G Spicer on 23Mar1977.
Cardinal ZK-DAK at Ardmore 25Jan1976 As this Cessna had been destroyed in a long landing on a short golf course at Ruakituri on 10Jun1978, the registration ZK-DAK was again available. Thus VH-SBT became ZK-DAK/2 on 16Oct1987. DC-3C ZK-DAK2 at Whangarei 2002. The civil registration letters are just visible under the tailplane. Although ZK-DAK/2 remained based at Ardmore, the operators became Flightline Aviation, Ardmore on 4Apr1990, Pionair Adventures Ltd., Christchurch on 1Oct1998, Leslie Aviation Ltd., Rotorua on 12Mar1999, Flight 2000 Ltd., Ardmore on 30Nov1999, Future Flight Ltd., Ardmore on 24Jun2002 and Flight 2000 Ltd., Ardmore on the same day. ZK-DAK/2 on a wet-day takeoff at Ardmore 19Sep2006 In late 2006 and early 2007 the aircraft was stripped back and repainted to represent a RNZAF C-47B, NZ3546 (which had eventually become ZK-AWQ). There was now no apparent reference to the civil identity in the external paintwork. ZK-DAK/2 as NZ3546 at Ardmore 18Feb2007 By March, small NAC logos had been added to the paintwork as the aircraft participated in the National Airways Corporation 60th anniversary events. This DC-3 is now a well-known feature of Ardmore, and a frequent participant in airshow events and charter services throughout the country. ZK-DAK/2 showing its paces at Ohakea 16Mar2008 |
|
