MoTaT aircraft - Then and now.

[corsairarm]

I have recently started to scan my slides from MoTaT from when is was a member in the 70's and early 80's so I have decided to post them to show the various stages of their time there to the present day.
The trouble is I have some differculty putting an accurate date on some of these so if any of you can help in this area I would be grateful. Also I have downloaded photos from the forum and the Webb over the years but I don not indent to use them unless a: it is to complete the timeline of the aircraft at MoTaT or b: I have done it inadvertantly. If you see any of yours please contact me and let me know as I didn't take details when I downloaded some of them.
The first aircraft is Baz's baby. The little Auster.

The first photo was taken in the original workshop at the main museum site. You can pick out also a tiger moth and the original replica Hurricane.



The next one is taken around 1979 and the man swinging the pro is Murray Rolf.


On display at Meola Rd, 20 Nov 2002.




The next few were taken during it recent refurbishment in 2011.





and finally its present position in the new display hall.

[pjw4118]

Great to see, more please . Its great to see the young old faces

[Dave Homewood]

Superb Richard. So in that shot where the engine is being run, was the aircraft red with RNZAF markings?

[corsairarm]

Yes.
This is a better side shot.

[Dave Homewood]

Cool scheme, was that a genuine RNZAF colour scheme?

[baz62]

The photos of the engine runs are of the RNZAF T7 Auster NZ1707 whereas the later silver ones are J1B ZK-BWH painted as an RNZAF Auster "NZ1708" (which the Air force Museum swapped for NZ1707).

[Dave Homewood]

Yes I thought that might be the case. So did the RNZAF's Antarctic Auster wear the red scheme at some stage?

[baz62]

That I can't answer Dave, Anthony might know. The only colour schemes I'm aware of were the silver/dayglo and the overall yellow down on the ice.

[corsairarm]

Feb 9, 2014 12:10:45 GMT 12 baz62 said:

The photos of the engine runs are of the RNZAF T7 Auster NZ1707 whereas the later silver ones are J1B ZK-BWH painted as an RNZAF Auster "NZ1708" (which the Air force Museum swapped for NZ1707).

Well Baz that is something I didn't know. I presume the swap must have happened after I left MoTaT.

[baz62]

Yes I think BWH turned up around 1983/84 and sometime before the Museum's opening (1986?) the swap between the T7 at MOTAT and the J1B was arranged.

[Peter Lewis]

1985

[Richard Wesley]

Love the old Motat photos, look forward to seeing more.