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Post by benyorkshireuk on Jul 23, 2008 2:30:01 GMT 12
Hi. We were given the link to this over on the Key publishing historic forum. Just to let you know that I ( and many others I am sure) am finding this thread very interesting and can not wait to see more of your excellent photographs. Cheers. Ben.
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Post by shorty on Jul 23, 2008 11:04:32 GMT 12
Here we are back at Auckland with the two that got away. First up is the composite Beaufort at Ardmore. This was taken to Australia at about the same time as Monty moved there. Beaufort at Ardmore by Neville Mines, on Flickr And following some time later was the P 39 here shown while it was at MOTAT along with the TBF on its left P 39 @ Motat by Neville Mines, on Flickr and flanked on the other side by Electra ZK-BUT masquerading as as ZK-AFD Monties P 39 at Motat by Neville Mines, on Flickr
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Post by Dave Homewood on Jul 23, 2008 11:29:20 GMT 12
Great stuff, it's wonderful to see some warbirds that were once in NZ.
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Post by shorty on Jul 23, 2008 13:57:37 GMT 12
On the outskirts of Wewak there was a guy called Roy Worcester who was married to a local and had a tribe of little ones around the place. he was a real character, reminded me of some eccentric planter from a Somerset Maugham novel, however I digress, Roy was into collecting Japanese relics and on his front lawn was this Ki 61 #379. If you look you can see a line just above the air intake running from in front of the guns to the rear of the wing cutout. This is the waterline from where the aircraft had forcelanded nose down in a swamp. The aircraft was very complete with little damage. Roy's Ki 61 by Neville Mines, on Flickr The conclusion reached about which unit it came from was that it either a new aircraft that had not yet been assigned to a unit or was lost very soon after assignment and before the unit markings had been applied. Most likely was either the 68th Sentai or possibly the 78th sentai. I am not sure what became of this aircraft in the years that followed independence. It may possibly be the one being restored for Kermit Weeks (fancy naming your kid after a frog!) UPDATE 2020, This is one of the Ki 61s awaiting restoration at Ardmore. Major problems will be that they have steel ribs which have corroded and also finding engines for them, because of the mounting system Allisons aren't suitable Roy's Ki 61 a by Neville Mines, on Flickr If any of you ever contemplate building the Revell 1/32 Ki 61 be aware the removable cowls are all wrong. They did not have seperate engine mount frames, the circular holes in the front are where the engine attach bolts go through. If the cowls came off as the Revell kit shows, the engine would fall out! Roy's Ki 61 b by Neville Mines, on Flickr Roy's Ki 61 wing by Neville Mines, on Flickr tonymotor by Neville Mines, on Flickr roysyard by Neville Mines, on Flickr
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Post by shorty on Jul 23, 2008 15:13:53 GMT 12
Three more shots of Roy's front yard, first a couple of "used" ki 61 tail assemblies and then some of the hardware he had collected. He offered us one of the "woodpecker" machine guns to bring home but I thought having to explain to customs why you had a machine gun in your baggage would be quite a mission, besides, the baggage excess would be horrendous. Roy's drink of choice was rum and coke and he sat there with his glasses on top of his head and when he tilted his head back to drink he would put his hand on top of his head. He said it was to stop his glasses falling off, after my first drink I figured out it was actually to keep the top of his head on!! It was however, a memorable afternoon. Roy's Ki 61 Tails by Neville Mines, on Flickr [This marks the end of the current batch of PNG photos until I convert the 100 or so slides. (Don't hold your breath though)
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Post by John L on Jul 23, 2008 15:40:14 GMT 12
Here are a couple more shots of the P39 at Motat, about 1979-80. The nose shot, whilst not very clear (old faded Viko colour prints, shows the name "Jane" and 9 (I think) bomb markings
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Post by corsair67 on Jul 23, 2008 15:57:00 GMT 12
Shorty, next time I'm in Christchurch - you and I are going to the Pub! ;D
What an amazing experience you must have had, and thank goodness you took so many photos of such an amazing, and no doubt never to be repeated on that scale, recovery expedition.
Thanks for sharing all your images.
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Post by stu on Jul 23, 2008 17:15:33 GMT 12
What an enthralling thread, keep the photos and stories coming.
Cheers, Stu.
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Post by shorty on Jul 23, 2008 18:48:20 GMT 12
As a change from pNG aircraft I thought I'd show something nearer to home. The first part of some photos of NZ 2035 when it was on Holdaway's farm in Dillons Point Rd (Blenheim). from there it was acquired by Warwick Bint who hoped to set up a Museum in Marlborough and the aircraft ended up at Ferrymead. I took these photos when I was based at Woodbourne in early 1968. More to come NZ2035a by Neville Mines, on Flickr nz2035b by Neville Mines, on Flickr NZ2035 by Neville Mines, on Flickr
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Post by Bruce on Jul 23, 2008 18:59:03 GMT 12
Great pics - awesome thread.. Sounds like you've had some great adventures in your time!
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Post by shorty on Jul 23, 2008 19:17:24 GMT 12
Three more photos of NZ 2035, first is the cockpit area, interestingly the canvas shell collection bags were still in place for the forward firing guns. nz2035cockpit by Neville Mines, on Flickr The wings were doing service as a machinery shelter so I had a mad scramble up onto the barn roof to get this photo of them. nz2035wings by Neville Mines, on Flickr and from Darby's book a photo of it in it's working days parked beside the RAAF Lancaster A66-1 in June 1943 NZ2035 & Lancaster by Neville Mines, on Flickr More adventures later.
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Post by Dave Homewood on Jul 23, 2008 20:34:09 GMT 12
Those Hudson photos are utterly fantastic. Marvellous. I have realised recently that the Holdaway family who had that are undoubtedly relatives of Eric Holdaway, known as Rowdy, who trained as a pilot with the Marlborough Aer Club before joining the RNZAF and becoming a Hudson pilot. He was killed in a flying accident in a Hudson from No. 1 GR Squadron. I wonder if the family bought it as a memorial to him. Also, was Warwick Bint related to the Bint brothers who are currently aviators? Oliver is in the RNZAF and the other chap is an Air New Zealand pilot I believe. Oh, and those Ki-61 in the garden shots are great. That chap must have been a real character. I wonder if his Ki-61's are those now with Robert Greinert in Australia?
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Post by Dave Homewood on Jul 23, 2008 20:41:25 GMT 12
Looking at the Hudson's instrument panel with no gauges, this reminds me that John Smith told me when he got his Hudson (now with Bill Reid) that the instruments had also been gutted by the RNZAF as they'd donated them out of all the stored Hudsons to universities who were crying out for such things at that time.
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Post by shorty on Jul 23, 2008 20:48:23 GMT 12
There ia a lot of Holdaways in Blenheim. I used to be secretary of the Marlborough Associated Modellers and there were 4 different Holdaway families involved with that. I have some slides of Johns Hudson before he got it when it was at Russ's place in Appleby along with the Lexington NZ 4600.
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petera
Flight Lieutenant
Posts: 88
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Post by petera on Jul 24, 2008 1:12:53 GMT 12
Shorty, A superb set of images. Thank you for sharing them. On my first zip around Australia in May 1987, I captured the P-39 at Essenden Airport, Melbourne, and up the way a little, this Beaufort in Ian Whitney's back yard. PeterA
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Post by shorty on Jul 25, 2008 11:25:51 GMT 12
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Post by Dave Homewood on Jul 25, 2008 12:19:25 GMT 12
Amazing to see the Avro in that state, I never knew it had gotten than degraded before it was restored. Thanks for posting them.
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Post by denysjones on Jul 25, 2008 20:30:30 GMT 12
Damn you Shorty, posting that pic rekindles my outrage at the fact that some light fingered sod lifted the control wheel from NZ2035 while she was sitting at Woodbourne awaiting the C130 to bring her south...any leads on a replacement from anyone out there would be a big favour!
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Post by shorty on Jul 25, 2008 20:36:07 GMT 12
I've got the control wheel out of NZ4113 but it won't fit 2035!
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Post by denysjones on Jul 25, 2008 20:58:40 GMT 12
How many beers or threats of sending people like Rintoul to menace you will it take to relocate it to NZ4112 for which we have but 1?
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