Some Photos From My Stash

[shorty]

It gets slightly onfusing as Brendon Deere has the same photo in his book and says it's with 14 SU so the hairs get thinner all the time!

[shorty]

Here are a couple of queries for you.
First is NZ 4550 which hasn't stopped in time. Where and when? It must have been recovered as it is shown as being disposd of from Rukuhia.
NZ 4550 by Neville Mines, on Flickr
Secondly are some derelict Venturas, when I was given the photo I was told it was at Ohakea with the squash club in the background. The more I look at it the more I doubt that. also the mix of markings makes it unlikely as I don't see that one would still be wearing its Pacific roundels and flying post war out of Ohakea. If it was at the end of the back row one could surmise that it was a "unflown spare"
I am unable to read the serials as I was wondering if they were some of those shown as having no disposal details recorded.
It's a long time since I've seen the Ohakea squash court and even then it may not be the original one.
Derelicts by Neville Mines, on Flickr

[Dave Homewood]

I may be wrong on the SU, but No. 10 was attached to No. 1 BR Squadron on their first tour. I could look into it propoerly if you are genuinely interested.

That Ventura which has run off the end of the strip is apparently - according to when it was recently sold on TadeMe from Ross Macpherson's collection - Gisborne and operated by No. 2 BR Squadron while they were on 'rest' there. Can anytone here confirm if that looks like the end of Darton Field, Gisborne? Is it on a sea clifftop?

[Bruce]

Definitely not Gisborne! Gisborne is barely above sea level and this one looks like it has a bit of a drop down to the sea. The foliage is also all wrong too. The uniform (or lack therof) suggests a forward base, somewhere in the islands.

[shorty]

I'm not overly concerned which SU NZ 4551 is with, it does demonstrate how uncertain identifying specific allocations can be with different publications stating different things
As to NZ 4550 I would have definitely thought it was in the islands somewhere too.
The last photo is,I think, the only one I have seen of Venturas in post war markings (which made Ohakea a possibility)

[Dave Homewood]

Yeah I thought it was a little odd because I don't think Gisborne backs onto the sea. And yes it looks tropical.

I wonder if it is Rabaul at the end of the war. There was apparently a cliff at the end of the runway that went down to the sea on one of the strips, and apparently at war's end all the tools, buildings, vehicles and more were simply pushed over the cliff.

[shorty]

But ADF serials show it as being disposed of from Rukuhia so obviously it was recovered and repaired.

[Dave Homewood]

I wasn't meaning they pushed it off, I don't think any of aircrfat were chucked over there. Just all their equipment was, according to an MT Driver I interviewed who served there at war's end with the SU there. he had to drive loads of stuff down to the cliff's edge to sling off it.

[baz62]

Hi Dave
I remember the excitement on seeing 2013 after she had arrived in 7 Hangar and having a look inside a piece of history.
Us Sunday volunteers started cleaning the interior and I climbed right into the rear tailcone with a leadlight and found some signatures and a date which seemed to tie up with her last flight into retirement. Hope they are still there! ;D

[shorty]

Time to move on to some of Mr Lockheeds later offerings. These shots I took at Ohakea in 1964 (the year before out first Hercs arrived.) The formation shot is a bit low res but shows the Yukon that was also there. Note the postition of the external tanks in the last photo.
scan0119 by Neville Mines, on Flickr
scan0120 by Neville Mines, on Flickr
scan0121 (2) by Neville Mines, on Flickr

[tbf25o4]

Re the photos of the Venturas in the graveyard possibly ohakea?
Could very well be as there are several air-ground pics taken around the late 1940s which show venturas parked in storage in that area. They were mostly ex BOTU aircraft which operated at Ohakea or were low houred aircraft selected as reserves for No.2 BR Squadron which operated the type 1945-1947 before becoming No.75 Squadron with the mosquitos.

Paul

[Dave Homewood]

Didn't No. 2 BR convert back to Hudsons from Venturas in 1946 before they became No. 75 Squadron? Something to do with the Lend Lease thing I think.

Ohakea had at least one grounded Ventura used for evacuation drills too, after it had crashed through a few fences and across a railway line in front of the train it became an instructional airframe next to the pool. Maybe the one in wartime markings is it?

[angelsonefive]

The serial no. on the Ventura which has overrun the end of the strip looks to me like it could be NZ 4580, which according to NZ Serials,
crashed on landing at Green Island on 24/7/44 owing to battle damage, and was written off.
Hydraulics shot up ? Landed without the benefit of brakes ?
The flaps seem to be retracted as well.

[Dave Homewood]

You might be right there.

As for the other one alledged to be Ohakea, I cannot help thinking that with the rudders, outer wings and nose caps, not to mention the undercarriage, missing that this scene looks to be Rukuhia. Is that large building perhaps part of the old dairy factory there?

[shorty]

Back on line again after spending a week plus cruising the top of the south.

There were some queries about the progress on Nigel Wicox's aeroplane trailer project.
Here is a shot taken on the 17th . Built from a C-172, which was based on the AH 404, the original fuselage was longer by one section (the length of the windowed section) and was a metre wider. It had to be narrowed to comply with the road transport regulations.
Nigel's Trailer by Neville Mines, on Flickr
also photo'd on the same day was the other side of his mystery Hudson section. It appears to hav an "S" forward of the roundel, this is probably part of the "SJ" code so doesn't help with the identity question.
Nigel's Hudson bit by Neville Mines, on Flickr

[Dave Homewood]

On the starboard side the SJ should be aft of the roundel if the marking is indeed meant to be the No. 1 GR Squadron code. So the S is possibly the individual code.

Where's the rest of the Hudson? If this is the one that was at Wigram when i was there it was almost three times longer as I recall it. If this is the same spare fuselage that the RNZAF Museum had, I believe we have identified the serial here on another thread down to two possibilities, with one being likely. I can't find the thread right now though.

[shorty]

Dave, see posts #506 and 507.
quote from #506
The next bit is a mystery. Taken at my house it was acquired by Nigel Wilcox from the Ashburton Aviation Museum. Depite an extensive search we could find no sign of any serial numbers of any sort.
One story we were told is that either the Methven or Geraldine Scout Troop used the rest of the fuselage (or at least a large portion of it) as their "camp trailer" and this is a section that they did not use. I do not know the truth or otherwise of this rumour. Any one any ideas??

I disagree with the positioning of the codes, as seen in this photo the SJ codes are in front of the roundel. This would correspond where the remains of the letter is.
hudson(3 by Neville Mines, on Flickr

[Dave Homewood]

Quite right. I was just testing you there Shorty. Well done.

OK, so of the S is from an SJ code of No. 1 GR Squadron, then that narrows it down slightly. It is difficult to tell from this photo but does it show any signs of having had a coat of NZ Pacific Blue over the top? If no, it probably never saw combat or left NZ and remained with 1GR the whole time. It shows no sign of the later roundels either.

Maybe it crashed early on and became an INST?

[beagle]

Nov 11, 2008 18:58:08 GMT 12 shorty said:

Time to move on to some of Mr Lockheeds later offerings. These shots I took at Ohakea in 1964 (the year before out first Hercs arrived.) The formation shot is a bit low res but shows the Yukon that was also there. Note the postition of the external tanks in the last photo.

the reason for this is that it is an A model, not 100% if the B model had them but not many B models made.
They would have been 3 bladed props as well.

[shorty]

Just one photo this posting, not a very good quality photo but, I think, interesting enough to show here. I don't know the date, all I was told was Ohakea, which would seem to be right.
Curious about what aircraft it was taken from (i.e what is the tailplane in the foreground?)
Document (56) by Neville Mines, on Flickr