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Post by shorty on Dec 16, 2013 16:10:06 GMT 12
Sometime ago I posted a photo of an aviation garden shed that I had seen at Waikawa in the Catlins. I was down there again last week and the shed still exists and this time I was able to see both sides of it. I reckon it was originally a C-47 but the rest of it's provenance is a big unknown. This time I noticed the gun port in the window which, to my mind anyway, indicates that it was never civilianised. Now the big qustion is, do people agree that it's a C-47? If so, the $64,000 question- which one is it? The house alongside had no one home when I called, so no help there. How did it get there, the road was only sealed in 2005 and the nearest airfiels would probably be Invercargill. Possibly it would have been barged there? Lot of expense and hassle just for a woodshed! I'm open to, and look forward to, all suggestions
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Post by suthg on Dec 16, 2013 16:36:01 GMT 12
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Post by Bruce on Dec 16, 2013 16:38:22 GMT 12
I suspect its been a caravan at some stage going by the proportions and the fact its cut at floor level. It could therefore have been dragged in from anywhere.
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Post by Bruce on Dec 16, 2013 16:42:18 GMT 12
I'm picking its one of the ones broken up by Airwork at Woodbourne
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Post by Dave Homewood on Dec 16, 2013 18:01:51 GMT 12
Fascinating photos Shorty, many thanks for posting these. So there was this and also a Hudson relic in the Catlins area?
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Post by Radialicious on Dec 16, 2013 19:05:20 GMT 12
I agree Shorty that it's a C-47 looking at the size, shape and spacing of the emergency exits. It's very cool to see the remains of the window with the opening for a rifle barrel.
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Post by dakman on Dec 16, 2013 22:04:03 GMT 12
Interesting photos .Shorty . agree with Bruce.Probably not a C47 civillianised .
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Post by shorty on Dec 17, 2013 6:42:19 GMT 12
Fascinating photos Shorty, many thanks for posting these. So there was this and also a Hudson relic in the Catlins area? Thats correct Dave, the Hudson caravan was at Surat Bay/Newhaven
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Post by Dave Homewood on Dec 17, 2013 9:36:29 GMT 12
Thanks Nev.
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Post by planewriting on Mar 5, 2020 8:14:48 GMT 12
Came across this thread just now. I have for many years wondered if this is a section of NZ3503. I understand part of the sharp end is, or was, in the Air Force Museum. That would beg the question "what happened to the rest of it?" Comments anyone? I wrote to the owner many years ago and he stated he had never known its identity. When I visited the area about 2010 someone gave me directions as to where it is located but I couldn't find it.
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Post by Dave Homewood on Mar 5, 2020 10:45:10 GMT 12
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axelford
Squadron Leader
I have visited 13 Plane wreck sites and counting, happy to help with info!
Posts: 120
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Post by axelford on Mar 11, 2020 19:33:34 GMT 12
It’s a pain not having a photo bucket account. Still very interesting.
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Post by shorty on Mar 11, 2020 19:58:38 GMT 12
Came across this thread just now. I have for many years wondered if this is a section of NZ3503. I understand part of the sharp end is, or was, in the Air Force Museum. That would beg the question "what happened to the rest of it?" Comments anyone? I wrote to the owner many years ago and he stated he had never known its identity. When I visited the area about 2010 someone gave me directions as to where it is located but I couldn't find it. Its situated on the short side road that leads to the jetty.
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Post by planewriting on Mar 12, 2020 16:43:42 GMT 12
Thanks Shorty. On the understanding that it is an ex RNZAF C-47 then it would be a C47 (NZ3502, 05 or 06) or a C-47A (NZ3516,17,19,20 or 22-24). When looking at www.adf-serials.com/nz-serials/nzdakota.htm I wonder if it is NZ3516 or NZ3519. Looking at the fates for these two aircraft they have a ref Disp. No.146, as does NZ3503. Dave Homewood says that aircraft went to Peter McQuarters. Still looking at ttose three listings there is no reference to "broken up" only "reduced to spares".Looking at the others they have a ref Disp. No.147 and "fuselage sold to Metal Smelters Ltd." Somewhere in an Aviation Historical Society journal I spotted many years ago a reference to two DC-3 fuselages being in a Christchurch scrap yard. Going the simplistic way they may well be 16 and 19 with 03 gone to Peter McQuarters. Obviously I cannot prove that with the information I have but I have put in just in case someone else reading this may have that piece of jigsaw we have been looking for over many years. I know Peter had F-27 ZK-BXG which went to Ferrymead. Maybe someone can get in touch with him as he just might know the answer.
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Post by rone on Mar 12, 2020 18:31:41 GMT 12
In the above post, with reference to Disp. No.147 'fuselage sold to Metal Smelters Ltd', that particular C-47 would be the engineless aircraft that had sat on 44gallon drums at Hobsonville for a good few years, and was broken up for scrap at the same time as the last of the Catalinas and the Seafire. All of which were sold to Metal Smelters Ltd. based in Neilson Street, Onehunga. That C-47 ended as many pieces of aluminium.
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Post by camtech on Mar 12, 2020 20:08:02 GMT 12
Interesting that those aircraft listed against Disposal Authority 146 don't appear to have been sold by tender. I'm trying to make sense of what was sold or otherwise disposed of in that period. Some sold by tender, some only appear as disposal authorities and yet others seem to have just disappeared. Rone, the identity of that particular aircraft is one I would love to confirm.
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Post by planewriting on Mar 12, 2020 21:20:37 GMT 12
Well this is quite extraordinary. Twenty minutes ago I came across the letter I typed to Hector McLean (the Waikawa C-47 man) back on 5 January 2004 filed in the wrong folder when looking up something else for Keith Skilling!
We had spoken onthe phone. Interestingly I picked out NZ3503, NZ3516 and NZ3519 in my letter. "I suspect your aircraft was one of NZ3503, NZ3516 or NZ3519. The rest of the following were sold to a smelter or broken up in the North Island. I note that NZ3503 was broken up in 1955 so that may be a possible elimination".
From my father's logbook I see he logged NZ3519 several times for radio range flights at Whenuapai. I wonder if that is a factor to keeping this aircraft in contention or discarding it. For example, if '19 was based at Whenuapai then '16 may have been based at Woodbourne or Wigram. Thoughts anyone?
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Post by rone on Mar 13, 2020 10:46:48 GMT 12
camtech, I believe you spent time at Hobsonville, so you will know about the C-47 that was on drums. I know it once was among a pile of aircraft parked near the large hangar that was demolished (no3). When I first saw it, it was over the far side of the field in rotten row, parked on drums. The story was told that the hydraulic fluid had drained from the system , but the undercarriage was locked in place, but not by conventional means. For some reason the aircraft was to be moved (unknown). A person had suggested he could get underneath, lock the legs correctly and get out again safely. Something like that anyway. But it did not work, the aircraft collapsed onto him. It was fairly common knowledge back around late 50's. The aircraft number I do not recall other than it was supposed to have been one of the original batch received.
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Post by planewriting on Mar 13, 2020 13:56:10 GMT 12
camtech, I believe you spent time at Hobsonville, so you will know about the C-47 that was on drums. I know it once was among a pile of aircraft parked near the large hangar that was demolished (no3). When I first saw it, it was over the far side of the field in rotten row, parked on drums. The story was told that the hydraulic fluid had drained from the system , but the undercarriage was locked in place, but not by conventional means. For some reason the aircraft was to be moved (unknown). A person had suggested he could get underneath, lock the legs correctly and get out again safely. Something like that anyway. But it did not work, the aircraft collapsed onto him. It was fairly common knowledge back around late 50's. The aircraft number I do not recall other than it was supposed to have been one of the original batch received. I can't be certain but on looking at ADF serial reference (see below) it would seem the subject aircraft was NZ3501 which, as you suggest, was one of the original (6) C-47s. NZ3501 9111 42-32885 C-47-DL 01/04/1943 BOC Unit 19 Whenuapai. To No.40 Squadron, Whenuapai. Involved in collision with Ventura NZ4518 near Whenuapai on 21 March 1945 but landed safely. Flown from Ohakea to Hobsonville 21 March 1946 and became INST114 with TTS Hobsonville. SOC 1946. Towed to Whenuapai in March 1953 and used for fire-crew training. Remains sold for scrap in 1962.
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Post by tbf25o4 on Mar 13, 2020 14:26:26 GMT 12
The aircraft may have been NZ3549 which "ditched" into the upper harbour during a night flying exercise on 16 November 1949. It was towed to Hobsonville and then the majority of it was reduced to spares and eventually sold for scrap in January 1957.
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