Some Photos From My Stash

[Dave Homewood]

Great photos. I'd think that they were probably all 2FTS shots. I'm not sure whether its paint or shadow on the tails, the aircraft were silver doped so perhaps it was shadow. But if it is paint I guess it could be red or blue for A and B Flights, or Intermediate and Advanced Squadron as it was at the school.

What's the structure in the forgound of the last shot on the grass? It looks like bits of timber or something?

[shorty]

Its shadow giving that diagonal stripe effect but not the fins. Where would the shadow come from? Especially if you compare the shadows on the ground.
Not sure about that H shaped thing either. I'd say the diagonal bit is on the stay wires for that mast to make it more visible. You can see another two of those, one under the prop and another between it and the pole.Same thing that they still do on cables for power pole braces.

[Bruce]

Maybe not so much shadow but a difference in the reflectivity of the fin, compared with the rudders which arent centralised. Bit of a trick with silver finishes!
excellent photos as always.

[Dave Homewood]

Shorty can you read the serials on any of those Vilde's that may have coloured tail's?

[shorty]

Right to tie up a few loose ends.
The HS 748 photos were both taken in 3 hangar (the Mt Cook/Christchurch Aero Club hangar) at Harewood.
The noses of the aircraft were lifted up to enable the fin to get under the tie rods that held the hangar up. Once the aircraft were at the far end (so that there was room for another behind it ) they would be lowered down again with the fin between rods. This was not done on a daily basis but for more major servicing where they would be in there for a longer time (usually during the off season for tourists)
Initially we used two fork lifts working in unison lifting via a large steel channel section with clamps in the middle which hooked ove the wheel rims. This was a slighly fraught operation with hired fork lifts.
The cut out in the end of the hangar roof enabled the fin to fit in just far enough for the hangar doors to be closed and was used for everyday hangarage. The cut out had it's own roller door.
Document102-1 by Neville Mines, on Flickr
Later on there was a purpose built scissor lifter built which fitted through the front axle where the tow bars normally were fitted. This was a far more secure and quicker method.
This is seen in the second shot taken of the last 748 to use it. By this stage we had moved into the CAC end of the hangar as our original end had been demolished. Shortly after the whole hangar was demolished to make a bus park, we were all made redundant and Mt Cook was no more, just a name on the front of some ANZ aircraft. A sad ending for NZ's oldest airline.
Document103-1 by Neville Mines, on Flickr
Now back to Vincents, the coloured fin can be seen in this shot also.
vincents by Neville Mines, on Flickr
I've examined the original closely and the serials are unreadable.

[nzompilot]

Great photos Shorty - loving the ones from Woodbourne as well as the Mt Cook ones, would love to see more of both - thank you for posting them

[shorty]

Ok then another couple of Mt Cook ones which may give people ideas for different colour schemes.The freindship is BXF which was leased for a while. It was a bit limited in what routes it was used on as it didn't handle the mountain turbulence as well as the squiddly diddleys did.
(Just remember the a 748 is one better that a 747!)
The Royal Tongan is ZK-MCA which was leased to them when the fleet was dispersed.
scan0076 by Neville Mines, on Flickr
scan0077 by Neville Mines, on Flickr

[nzompilot]

Is that VH-JCC I see hiding behind MCA - was this during its tour of NZ in the National Party Spirit of Recovery scheme during the election campaign, or just in the standard Aircruising Austalia scheme? I can't quite see...

[shorty]

Standard Aircruising Australia scheme. Photo taken 1997

[nzompilot]

Thanks

[Dave Homewood]

I see what you mean about the Vilde fins. Very interesting, I've studied that last photo before but not noticed the coloured fins.

[corsair67]

Shorty, those photos of the HS-748s are wonderful, and bring back some great memories of school holiday afternoons spent hanging off the fence just watching what was going on around the hangars.

I recall while I was on a hangar tour one day there was a guy polishing the tops of the wings of one of the HS-748s with what looked like a bucket of Turtle Wax!

[shorty]

Back to the 60's Air Force, in fact 7th January 1960.
Again these are the rewards for doing a spot of dumpster diving.
However in the interests of nostalgia I feel we should have a good old Saturday movie serial. So here we are with a photo labelled "1st fence"
NZ 5771 1st fence by Neville Mines, on Flickr
Then we have "2nd fence"
NZ 5771 2nd fence by Neville Mines, on Flickr
In this photo the caption says "3rd Fence"
NZ 5771 3rd Fence by Neville Mines, on Flickr
And now we have one that says "4th Fence Close up"
NZ 5771 4th fence close up by Neville Mines, on Flickr

Stay tuned folks for the next thrilling episode, same Bat time, same Bat channel!!

[sniff]

looks like a Devon wingspan to me......

[b10m]

Just to add to the thread re aircraft out of New Guinea, I had the opportunity to take a Boston reunion group out to Amberly some years back. We were treaded very well by the Air Force including a look at a F111 and a wander through a Bou. The highlight was a tour through the hangar were they were restoring a Boston Bomber that had been recovered out of New Guinea. The Officer who told the story was in fact the Officer who went up to extract this Aircraft out of its resting place which happened to be a swamp. The Aircraft was American and it appeared that during a raid the plane lost one of its engines and as a result of the loss of all oil the prop could not be feathered, so it eventually ran out of fuel. The pilot landed it it on an area he though was flat and hard ground but it turned out to be a swamp covered in long marshy grass.
Fast forward 40 odd years to the Air force getting a report of a plane being seen in this swamp area. On arrival to crew could not see any sign of the plane so they came up with the idea of flying a Helicopter over the swamp which bent all the reeds but not the tail plane, which is how they found it. Next a Big Russian Helicopter was employed to sling this A20 out of the swamp and onto dry land. The Officer went on to explain that they used a lot of native helpers to wash down all the part as they stripped them off and during this stripping down they discovered that the gun cameras still had film in them. So even though the film was 40 years old and had been in the swamp the Photographic Unit back at Amberly felt that they may be able to develop the film which of course would reveal all the action. Unfortunately the native workers who had been told to wash everything in fresh water with a tooth brush also stripped the film out of the cameras and washed it with a toothbrush.

Fast forward back to Amberly and one of the other strange things that was found was a cylindrical object that had what appeared to be a screw top. They were quite unsure as to just what this was and after xraying it it was discovered that it was the pilots thermos flask complete with the coffee that he had in it. (and before you ask yes the coffee was cold.) When the restoration was completed the pilot who was then still alive was invited to the ceremony and was presented with the thermos after some 40 odd years. This aircraft is now back on display in New Guinea. As this was some time back when I did this trip some of the memory may have faded, Like for the life of me I cannot remember the Officers name, but at the time he was quite well known for his restoration work within the R.A.A.F.
I do remeber seeing some photos of this on the net so I will have a look and post some up.
My friend google has just informed me that the Aircraft I saw was hell-in-pelican which was returned to NewGuinea, The R.A.A.F. also rerstored another Australian A20 which now resideds at Pt Cook.

[shorty]

HELL'N PELICAN II is 42-86786 and was written off near the Gogol River on 16 April 1944 while serving with 388th Bombardment Squadron as part of 312th Bombardment Group and assigned to Lt Charles Davidson, It had previosly been named Lousiana Belle and then Gloria.

The one recovered by Mil-26 was an A-20G 43-9436 "Big Nig" flown by 2nd Lt Tom Reading which came from Bumbura near Annamberg where it force landed after a mission against Wewak where ground fire hit it causing an oil leak and a broken crankshaft. Used as spare parts by the RAAF for the rebuild of A28-81 DU-J "Jessica" and Hell'n Pelican. Big Nig is now with Murray Griffiths for restoration to flying.

Ref Classic Wings Vol 2 no 1 and Vol 14 No 2
Hope this helps

[shorty]

Well back to the next thrilling episode of the ongoing saga. When we left our hero was busy doing some fencing work, what will happen now? Sit back and enjoy the thrilling story of when there was some Force in Air Force!

Next we have a more general shot of the 4th fence, with something happening in the adjacent paddock, judging by the vehicles!
NZ 5771 4th fence by Neville Mines, on Flickr

At last the perpetrator is revealed!
NZ 5771 by Neville Mines, on Flickr
Notice the aircraft is wearing 14s markings. This was 2 1/2 months after the arrival of the Canberra so either it hadn't yet been repainted or 14 hasn't yet relinquished it until the crews get up to speed on their new Canberras.
NZ 5771a by Neville Mines, on Flickr
This mishap was caused by an impeller failure on take off and the aircraft was written off as a result.
NZ 5771b by Neville Mines, on Flickr
NZ 5771c by Neville Mines, on Flickr
NZ 5771d by Neville Mines, on Flickr
So ends this serial so next time I'll be back with fewer photos of aircraft events.

[shorty]

Yet another Vampire that had an engine failure on take off and was written off, this time on March 14 1958. Note there are no squadron markings at all on this one.
NZ 5766 by Neville Mines, on Flickr
Finally for this post an unidentified Vampire at Woodbourne.
Document (43) by Neville Mines, on Flickr

[Dave Homewood]

Amazing shots of the belly landed Vamps.

[shorty]

Seeing as how a previous one was favourably received here is another shot of the "Yellowhammers" peforming at the opening of Hamilton Airport.
Formation Hamilton Opening by Neville Mines, on Flickr
Cloth Badge by Neville Mines, on Flickr