Lockheed B-34 Ventura at MOTAT

[Calum]

Great photos Dave

[shorty]

A few shots I took of it a few years ago

[agalbraith]

Great photos Shorty, she has come a long way since those days!

Cheers
Anthony

[Dave Homewood]

Wow, thanks Nev, that really does prove how much work the team did in the cockpit. What a fantastic job they did.

[htbrst]

There are a few articles in the Wings archive about the restoration, in particular from June 1978: www.pacificwingsmagazine.com/content/ventura-restoration-bank-managers-pet-investment

From that article:

All instrumentation has been fitted together with control lines to the ailerons, rudder and elevators. The bomb bay doors are cabled to a hand winch inside the fuselage. The original type D.F. receiver, main transmitter and receiver have been installed in working order, (a radio ham occasionally operates his call sign from NZ4600 in order to test the radio gear). The starboard Double Wasp engine is beyond immediate rehabilitation, due to exposure to the elements. but the port engine was fortunately unmolested and has the potential to run again with very little additional attention.

So the original radio seen there still works - or at least it did back in 1978

[Dave Homewood]

Here's a comparison with NZ4600 as it looks now, and a wartime RNZAF Ventura's cockpit. The latter photo from John Coom's photos via the Wairarapa Archive

[corsairarm]

Shorty
Can you please put a date on the photos you took.

Thanks

Richard

[scrooge]

Shorty's photo's do show that the 'preserved', 'historically significant' roundal is a very recent addition. Perhaps these photo's should be pointed out to the MoTaT man (politely of course).

[shorty]

Photos were taken at Russ's place in Appleby in April/May 1968. Hudson NZ2049 was at the same place and photos were posted in my "Stash"thread