|
|
Post by Dave Homewood on Mar 5, 2012 21:18:02 GMT 12
It's interesting to see the mix of Pacific and home roundels on the Sunderland NZ4102.
Sunderlands just don't look right with civil registration.
|
|
|
|
Post by planemike on Mar 6, 2012 7:13:32 GMT 12
Errrrrrrrrr...........Why  ?? |
|
|
|
Post by Dave Homewood on Mar 6, 2012 12:09:39 GMT 12
Dunno, they just look like odd types to be airliners.
|
|
|
|
Post by Dave Homewood on Mar 7, 2012 0:29:45 GMT 12
Does anyone have photos of the interior of the civilianised Sunderlands? Having been inside a couple of Sunderlands the interior is huge and cavernous. And they don't really look to my eye to be suited immediately to taking airline seating. Did TEAL perhaps build a structure internally to level the floor out, and maybe even build a second storey, like in the Solents? Did they include a galley kitchen, toilets, etc?
|
|
|
|
Post by Peter Lewis on Mar 7, 2012 7:26:21 GMT 12
The fourth and final Short S.25 Sandringham 'Tasman' class Sunderland conversion for TEAL had been built by Shorts at Rochester as a Sunderland Mk.III c/n SB2018 and was taken on charge by the RAF as JM715 on 8Jul1943. This aircraft saw no operational service, being held in reserve, and was converted to a Mk.V with P&W engines in mid-1945. The aircraft was returned to Shorts for conversion to civil status at Belfast in 1947, and emerged as a 30-passenger Sandringham for the UK Ministry of Supply. Leased to TEAL after demand had shown that three operational aircraft were insufficient, the aircraft was registered ZK-AMH on 29May1947, and bore the name 'Auckland'. The delivery flight from Poole to Auckland took from 15th to 29th October 1947 and it entered commercial service on 7Nov1947. It seems that, unlike the other three TEAL Sandringhams, ZK-AMH was delivered to New Zealand with the Union Jack painted on the fin. The following photos were taken soon after the delivery flight, in late 1947. ZK-AMH moored out, off Hobsonville, presumably during some sort of engine refit Under tow at Hobsonville Taxiing on Waitemata Harbour Moored on the Mechanics Bay buoy Following the revelation of the Sandringham engine problems, ZK-AMH was withdrawn from airline service on 22Feb1948, but following modification work re-entered service in June of that year. By now, the Union Jack had been replaced by the more appropriate New Zealand ensign. ZK-AMH taxiing at Mechanics Bay Passing one of the DSFCo steam vehicular ferries that were in regular service prior to the construction of the Auckland harbour bridge Moored on the Mechanics Bay buoy      Moored on the Hobsonville buoy At the TEAL Mechanics Bay braby ZK-AMH alighting on the harbour. Note the chase boats that were an essential feature of flying boat operations. ZK-AMH flew its final TEAL service in December 1949, and was then stored at Hobsonville awaiting a sale. Barrier Reef Airways Pty.Ltd., Brisbane bought the aircraft, and it was flown from Auckland to Brisbane on 27Apr1950. At Brisbane it was converted to 41 pax seating and operated as VH-BRC 'Coral Clipper' from 28Sep1950 on the Hayman Island service. It was withdrawn from use in early 1951, but following the loss of sister ship VH-BRD it was sold to Ansett Flying Boat Services, overhauled and re-entered service in late 1952 under the new name 'Beachcomber'. Used on the Rose Bay - Lord Howe Island service from early 1953, it continued operating on this run until the conclusion of flying boat services in this area in 1974. ZK-AMH as VH-BRC in Ansett colours at Rose Bay  A documentary film was made on the Ansett Island service in the 1970s featuring this aircraft. Clips from this film have appeared on youtube and are well worth watching Following the end of Australian activity, this Sandringhan was sold to Antilles Air Boats, Virgin Islands where it became N158C on 10Sep1974, leaving Sydney on the delivery flight 28Nov1974. Registration was changed to VP-LVE in March 1976, still with Antilles, and finally back to N158C 9May1980. Following the cessation of Antilles operations, the Sandringham was flown to the UK and bought by the Science Museum there in 1982 for display at the R.J. Mitchell Museum, Southampton, England from Jun83 as VH-BRC. Interesting to note that all four TEAL Sandringhams are still more or less in existence - ZK-AMB underwater at Vila and apparently able to be visited by scuba divers, ZK-AMD underwater at Lord Howe, ZK-AME underwater off the Queensland coast, and ZK-AMH at the museum in Southampton. |
|
|
|
Post by nuuumannn on Mar 7, 2012 15:26:13 GMT 12
'Beachcomber' as it is in Southampton, hemmed in like MoTaT's Solent used to be.    It's in what used to be the Southampton Hall of Aviation, but it's now called Solent Sky. Thoroughly enjoying this thread. |
|
|
|
Post by Peter Lewis on Mar 9, 2012 17:16:01 GMT 12
Short S.25 Sunderland III ML795 had been built by Shorts at Rochester, shop order no.SB46668 and was bought on charge with the Air Council on 23Sep1944. This aircraft departed RAF Mount Batten on 28Oct1944 and flew to Auckland on 2Dec1944. Upon arrival at Hobsonville, ML795 was bought on charge as NZ4104 on 4Dec1944, had the ferry equipment removed and was fitted out for military freight and passenger transport operations. As part of the Flying Boat Transport Flight, the name 'Takitimu' was applied to NZ4104, the name of one of the original Maori migration canoes from early New Zealand settlement. NZ4104 was employed on the Auckland - Suva and Auckland - Noumea - Espirutu Santo routes from February to October 1945, losing its wartime camouflage in favour of a natural metal finish after VJ day. NZ4104 was then laid up at Hobsonville in October 1945 awaiting resolution of the engine/propeller problems that had surfaced during Pacific Service. By January 1946, civilian use for the Sunderland fleet had been identified, and conversion of NZ4103/ZK-AMG to a 26 passenger civilian standard had started at Hobsonville, with work om NZ4102/ZK-AMF to follow. As already discussed, the conversion work on NZ4102 apparently ran into difficulties and NZ4104 was selected to replace it. Ownership of NZ4104 was therefore transferred to the NZ National Airways Corporation and the aircraft became ZK-AMK on 22Dec1947 equiped to carry 26 passengers. ZK-AMK was operated alongside ZK-AMG on the Auckland - Suva - Labasa route, making its last commercial flight on 1Jun50. ZK-AMK moored out at Mechanics Bay Under maintenance at Hobsonville        Moored out at Hobsonville After its service with NZNAC, ZK-AMK was returned to the RNZAF, where is was placed in storage at Hobsonville. It was bought back on charge as NZ4104 so that it could be offered for sale by tender on 28May1951, but it was not sold at that time. NZ4104 was repainted back into military colours and used by 6 Squadron to train crews in the water handling and beaching procedures. The civil registration ZK-AMK was not cancelled until 8Jul1952. NZ4104 at Hobsonville 1953 in its last livery, simplified by just overpainting the civilian registration. Feathered friend inspecting the starboard wingtip Following this episode, NZ4104 was again offered for sale by tender on 23Nov1953. This time, a sale was concluded and the scrapman cometh. However, the ghost of ZK-AMK lives on. When you are passing through the Wellington Airport domestic terminal, walk through to the departure shopping area, turn right walk along the rear wall until you come to the escalators that take you up to the third floor conference and Qantas domestic lounge complex. In the foyer of this third floor area is a glass case containing a nice model of Short Sunderland III ZK-AMK. On the wall above this model is a framed tribute to Brian Layne, one of the Sunderland transport pilots. Well worth a look and not many people know that it is there.   |
|
|
|
Post by Peter Lewis on Mar 12, 2012 19:00:04 GMT 12
Under political pressure, TEAL had ordered four Solent flying boats from Shorts. The Solent was a civilian development of the 1945 Military Short Seaford, a larger and heavier aircraft than the Sunderland. The Solent had developed from the 30 passenger Solent 2 to the 39 passenger Solent 3 between 1946 and 1949. Mindful of the engine and overheating problems encountered with their Sandringhams, TEAL opted for a more powerful and heavier version which became the Solent 4. This version of the Short Solent carried 44 passengers and employed four 2040hp Bristol Hercules 733 engines. The first of the TEAL Solents, ZK-AML c/n SH.1556, was built by Shorts at Belfast, and was christened 'Aotearoa II' by H.R.H. Princess Elizabeth (later Queen Elizabeth II) at a ceremony held at Belfast on 26May1949. ZK-AML was the subject of a number of Shorts publicity photographs taken during its test flights, and these are relatively commonly found on the internet. ZK-AML photographed during a test flight by Shorts prior to departure for New Zealand Apparently ZK-AML spent some months of 1949 at the factory, as delivery of this aircraft to TEAL did not occur until late that year. Commanded by Captains I. Patterson and F. Whillans, ZK-AML arrived at Auckland on 7Dec1949 having set a new record time of 5 hours 37 minutes for the trans-Tasman crossing. In common with last of the Sandringhams ZK-AMH, ZK-AML arrived with the Union Jack flag painted on the fin. ZK-AML on the hard at Mechanics Bay in its early TEAL colours compete with the British flag ZK-AML then entered line service with TEAL, making its first Auckland-Sydney-Auckland flight (Captain J.R. McGrane) on 21Dec1949. With the modernization of aircraft, TEAL could now operate Auckland - Sydney, Wellington - Sydney, services to the Chatham Islands, and the Auckland - Fiji - Samoa - Cook Islands - Tahiti service, later famous as The Coral Route. In December 1953 ZK-AML again met Princess Elizabeth, now Queen Elizabeth, when it carried her and the Royal party from from Suva to Lautoka and return, then to Tonga. Captain J R McGrane commanded the Solent. This was the first flight on commercial airliner by Royal Family. ZK-AML moored out at Mechanics Bay, now showing the New Zealand Ensign on the fin On the hard at Mechanics Bay Solents were not just daytime birds! An arty nighttime shot In final TEAL colours, 'TEAL' across the top of the tailplane and modified fuselage cheatline and logo  With the breakup of British Commonwealth Pacific Airlines, in which New Zealand held a shareholding, TEAL acquired three Douglas DC-6 aircraft. This would lead to the winding down of TEAL's flying boat operations. ZK-AML carried out the last Solent Wellington-Sydney service on 25Jun1954 (commanded by Captains C Le Couteur and N Clarke) and the last Solent Sydney-Auckland service on 27Jun1954 (commanded by Captains J Shephard and B Whyte). At the end of June, ZK-AML was withdrawn from service and offered for sale. Early in 1955 ZK-AML was bought by Aquila Airways Ltd. of Hamble, who operated charter flights from the UK to Lisbon and Madeira using ex-BOAC Hythe class Sandringhams. It was ferried to the UK and became G-AOBL on 5May1955 along with Solent 4 ZK-AMN which had become G-ANYI on 16Jan1955. This pair of more powerful Solent 4s gave Aquila Airways the capacity to fly direct to Madeira and also Las Palmas in the Canary Isles. Aquila Airways suffered a downturn in trade during the later years, and ownership of G-AOBL was transferred to Aerovia Aquilas Ltda in 1Oct1958. Flying boat operations ceased by the end of 1958, and the company's aircraft were left to become derelict on a beach in the Tagus Estuary near Lisbon, Portugal. G-AOBL's CofA expired 17Apr59 and the aircraft lay dormant until scrapped in August 1971. |
|
|
|
Post by kiwithrottlejockey on Mar 12, 2012 20:12:59 GMT 12
I've been trying to chase down the original negative/slide of that image for years so I can purchase a large print and get it framed. The Short archives ended up with Boeing in the USA, but they then passed them on to the RAF Museum in the UK. However, the original negative (plate?) for that particular photograph appears to have gone missing. They did however produce a couple of large prints for me of ZK-AMN during her test flights prior to delivery. I got both of them framed and gave one to a friend of mine, and hung the other one in my bedroom. I'd still love to get a large quality print of that photo of ZK-AML though if the negative ever turns up. The good folks at the RAF Museum informed me a couple of years ago that they have a huge amount of unsorted boxes of Short archives and they suspect the missing negative is somewhere amongst them. |
|
|
|
Post by Peter Lewis on Mar 13, 2012 7:01:12 GMT 12
To me, the photo has a Charles E Brown look about it.
|
|
|
|
Post by Dave Homewood on Mar 13, 2012 10:55:30 GMT 12
Fantastic set of photos, I'm really enjoying this thread. Does anyone know, when the bare metal flying boats were out of the water for servicing as seen above in several photos, did the skins get polished? Some photos they look very dull and others shiny as.
|
|
|
|
Post by planemike on Mar 13, 2012 11:15:18 GMT 12
Excellent thread. Photos, just wonderful !!!!
Just wonder a little bit about this claim. I always felt that East African Airways claimed to the first airline to fly a reigning British monarch: from Nanyuki to Entebbe in VP-KHK 'Sagana'. This was immediately after her father George VI had died and she returned to London February 1952. At Entebbe, she boarded Canadair C-4 Argonaut G-ALHK 'Atlanta' for London.
She was accompanied by Duke of Edinburgh. Would they count as the Royal Family?
|
|
|
|
Post by Peter Lewis on Mar 15, 2012 19:35:30 GMT 12
The second of the TEAL Solents, ZK-AMM c/n SH.1557, was built by Shorts at Belfast, and was named 'Ararangi'. As ZK-AML was delayed in the UK, ZK-AMM was the first of the TEAL Solents to appear in New Zealand, arriving on 29Sep1949 commanded by Captains C. Griffiths and F. Kilgour. Entry into commercial service did not take long, ZK-AMM carried out the first Solent Auckland - Sydney passenger flight on the 14th November, Captains A. Jury and T. Brewer. With Solents ZK-AMN ZK-AMO and ZK-AML following in the next few months, the Sandringhams were withdrawn from the trans-Tasman service after 19Dec1949. Solent ZK-AMM at Mechanics Bay late 1949 with Sandringham ZK-AME and TEAL Catalina ZK-AMP in the background  In common with the post-war deliveries, ZK-AMM arrived with the Union Jack painted on the fin ZK-AMM on the Mechanics Bay buoy. We now have lesson time. You have your Solent nice and secure on the hard So how do you get it back into the water? Slowly, very slowly . . .       Full marks for that effort guys! Sister Solent ZK-AMN arrived in October 1949 ZK-AMM carried ot the first TEAL Wellington-Sydney scheduled service 3Oct1950, commanded by Captains C. Griffiths and T. Brewer. At some point in the early 1050s, the New Zealand ensign appeared on the fin of ZK-AMM. ZK-AMM on full-power take-off, Waitemata Harbour A nice sequence of ZK-AMM in the Mechanics Bay circuit, taken from further along the waterfront     and, after alighting, taxiing in to base  By now, TEALs maintenance facilities at Mechanics Bay had been developed, and civil aircraft no longer had to maintaned at Hobsonville. ZK-AMM on the hard at Mechanics Bay  On 7Apr1954 ZK-AMM carried out the last TEAL Wellington-Chatham Islands service (which had been operated on a once-every-three-months basis) commanded by Captains C Le Couteur and M Wallace. RNZAF Sunderlands and chartered Australian Sandringhams then took over flights on this route until an airstrip suitable for DC-3s and Bristol Freighters was built in 1957. The following month, on 28th May1954, ZK-AMM was badly damaged in a port inner engine fire while under maintenance at Mechanics Bay. Eddie Tredrea, who was flying for TEAL at the time of this incident, tells me that ZK-AMM was up on the hard at Mechanics Bay undergoing maintenance on the engines. At the same time, some work was being carried out on the fuel tanks in the wing. A spark from the engine maintenance ignited spllt fuel, and the aircraft caught fire. The aircraft was sufficiently badly damaged that, after any useful parts had been removed, it was sold for scrap in 1955. This was the only TEAL flying boat to be destroyed during service with the airline. |
|
|
|
Post by AussieBob on Mar 15, 2012 23:03:57 GMT 12
Peter, Dave,
A fascinating and information-filled thread.
I haven't yet seen Wings on the Waitemata but I was doing some searching recently and came across these gems;
The first is described as "Wings over the Waitemata Harbour. Bill Subritzky used his 8mm movie camera to take this movie of the activities of personnel and planes of Tasman Empire Airways (TEAL) at the Mechanics Bay Base at Auckland, New Zealand in the 1950's."
It is approx 36mins and covers maintenance and operational footage, mainly of Aotearoa II. I don't think it is the "Wings on the Waitemata" I was looking for, but probably more fascinating ? Some of the footage towards the end looks to be cyclone damage to the base in the Islands (Fiji) and some aerial flying over Wellington/Auckland. If it was Mission Bay it was difficult to see if ZK-AMA was in its final resting place.
The other is;
Various Flying Boats
Initial segment on Catalinas No. 6 Squadron activities then following the routine activities based around ZK-AMD at Mechanics Bay & on the dry at Hobsonville followed by a flight on ZK-AMD to Sydney.
|
|
|
|
Post by gunny on Mar 16, 2012 2:30:17 GMT 12
AussieBob that first vid was excellent! Oh that poor Grumman Drake/wigeon? (not a radial Goose) i thought it would be swamped at 13:03.
Can anyone answer why ZK-AML had her outboard spinners removed? as they are gone in the above pics and on AussieBobs 1st vid.
The 2nd was great also and with sound! Ahh I've said it before and I'll say it again i was born in the wrong era, seeing the kids in a bassinet reminded me of our 1st holiday here in aus in '91 with our 6month old 1st borne on a 767 but Mrs Gunny had a little extra belt to put around bubs and into her lap belt! thank god there was no water landing that time!
Well done AussieBob they were blooming good vids!
karma to you
|
|
|
|
Post by shamus on Mar 16, 2012 10:52:08 GMT 12
Don Subritzky says, not Bill Subritzky but his father, Les Subritzky who took the movie and he still has the original 8mm film. Don's father, Les worked at one time for TEAL driving the launches and took the film at that time.
|
|
|
|
Post by agile on Mar 16, 2012 11:27:15 GMT 12
Awesome. Amazing how the sea breaks right across the #1 engine in the early alighting sequence. I love the comedy diving sequence from about 19:10 onwards. Diving for lost tools? ;D
|
|
|
|
Post by Dave Homewood on Mar 16, 2012 14:59:22 GMT 12
Fantastic footage there by Les Subritzky, wow. And it answers my earlier question, yes they did polish the hulls when they were out of the water.
|
|
|
|
Post by Peter Lewis on Mar 16, 2012 22:04:02 GMT 12
Fascinating video.
As all the TEAL boats are in the final stripey colours, and given the presence of the Widgeon ZK-AVM and Solent ZK-AMM I would date the footage as between January 1951 and May 1954. Therefore ZK-AMA would have been scrapped by then.
The rough seas on landing shows how strongly-built and water resistant these aircraft needed to be.
The location around the 24 minute mark looks to be Evans Bay.
I can identify Waiheke Island and the Lake Pupuke area (Auckland's North Shore) in some of the air-to-ground shots.
The tropical location from the 29 minute mark would seem to be Lauthala Bay, and the aftermath of a Fijian hurricane.
Looking at the second video, the search Catalina in the first film is KN-L NZ4055 which later gained fame as the hulk that went to Wellsford with John Sellars.
The presence of Sandringham ZK-AMD in the other films dates them to the late 1940s.
An amazing collection. Thanks for tracking them down.
I have taken the liberty of posting details of these films at the Seawings board.
|
|
|
|
Post by Dave Homewood on Mar 16, 2012 22:30:46 GMT 12
That rough sea was REALLY rough, I wouldn't have enjoyed being onboard, either in the landing and swell and I'm sure in the air it must have been bumpy. it is great that the camera was taken inside for a look around the cabins, and captured the maintenance stuff like the engine change, and the staff members, a real snapshot of life.
|
|
??
