Hobsonville history destroyed this week

[skyhawkdon]

Probably Rimu or other similar native timber. Recycled Rimu is worth a lot of money since you aren't allowed to mill the real stuff any more.

[skyhawkdon]

What is that hideous silver statue outside the old barrack blocks?? Perhaps it is a chrome plated relative of the infamous Pink Elephant that we put up on the water tower at Hobbie in 1985!!! :+)

[rone]

That hangar being demolished is also where the Vampires were assembled at the western end of it and the LAA Squadron was housed in the eastern end

[pjw4118]

David, I think that was part of the prewar expansion programme.
This is the de H hangar in the 1930's



Also a recnt article in the Hobbie News

[rone]

With reference to the RNZAF Institute building. Is the YMCA building still intact, and the older barracks that were beside the Fire station are they still there ore are they gone as well.

[Dave Homewood]

The land at Hobsonville was purchased by the Government in 1925 to create a seaplane base, but it was not till mid-1928 that leveling was carried out to create a landplane strip, and it was at that time the first hangar was built. I believe that is the hangar in peter's photo above, which was substantially built and in later life by the time I was based there in 1990-1991 it was the base gymnasium.

I believe the original hangar owned by Douglas Mill there at Hobsonville was also erected in 1928 whilst the military part of the aerodrome was still being built. The Auckland Aero Club was also established in April 1928 and Mill was a member of the original founders of the AAC, and the Government gave the club permission to use the base. Mill already had his first Moth by then and had first flown over Hobsonville to assess its suitability in March 1928, which he judged to be excellent.That original hangar does not seem to have been very substantial according to this from the Evening Post, Volume CVI, Issue 11, 13 July 1928, via Papers Past:

"Hangar Blown Down.

When Mr. Douglas Mill returned to Auckland in his Moth airplane on Tuesday from a business visit to Christchurch, he found that the hangar on his landing ground had been blown down (states tho "New Zealand Herald'). The accident evidently occurred during the weekend; when there were very strong winds. Fortunately, the hangar is a collapsible structure, and Mr. Mill stated that the damage done was not great, and the hangar could be put together again."

Rone, when I was based there at Hobsonville in 1990-91 the base had neither a YMCA nor a fire station to my recollection.

[Dave Homewood]

Here is a great aerial photo of Hobsonville taken by the late Bob Lawn in around the mid-1930's showing the larger concrete hangar that was the NZPAF/RNZAF's hangar, and another hangar closer to the gate which I suspect may have been Douglas Mill's resurrected/replaced hangar?



I think this is taken from a Fairey IIIF?

[Dave Homewood]

Another of Bob Lawn's aerial photos of Hobsonville a little later on when the first big hangar was now built; plus a zoom in on that same photo to see the buildings more clearly.

[pjw4118]

I will see if I have other early ground shots of the Hobbie hangars

[Dave Homewood]

Cool. There are some good historic photos of Hobby in Shorty's stash pile.

[rone]

Dave, I was there 1956,57, the hangar was a gym. at that time. The photos I had put up on the LAA thread shows us training unarmed combat in there. The YMCA was, if I recall correctly one of the first buildings on the left as coming around a curve back a bit behind Admin. building. Next was the Fire Station then the original airmans barracks. I went to an airshow around 1980's and all were there then. I guess its called progress.

[Dave Homewood]

The YMCA must be what was by my time the AFCC (Armed Forces Canteen Council) Cafe and Canteen. Next to that (on the main gate side) was the Base Library and on the other side the officers' mess.

There were only helicopters flying from the base, and gliders on weekends, so maybe they'd decided it wasn't worth having a fire section on the base? Whenuapai's Unipowers would have been onsite in minutes anyway.

[skyhawkdon]

There was a crash fire flight when I was on 3 Sqn in 1985. I can't recall if it was manned 24 hours a day of just during flying ops?

[Dave Homewood]

Actually now that I think about it, there may well have been one of those little US ute type fire engines on Hobsonville at that time? I never ever saw a Unipower fire engine there in my seven months on the base. But I'd forgotten the RNZAF had those smaller fire trucks too. it was the style of ute that redneck hicks in the USA drive. Maybe a Dodge? I'm not certain if it was based there though or just came across during flying hours and returned to Whenuapai? I don't recall a fire station at all.

[skyhawkdon]

Yeah that was it, a 4WD first response type vehicle. From memory there was a small shed and watch room at the Hobby airfield fire station.

[rone]

I don't recall the exact year now but I think it was late 80's, all the crash tenders were sold off.They were mostly Internationals,all were over at Whenuapai for inspection by buyers. Hobsonville had a single International D1310 4X4 which I tendered for and won. It was stored down in the flying boat hangar at the time. When I went to pay and collect it I was told by the erk handling the sale the 24" search light mounted on the back was not going with it, so I told him where to put the truck. This caper was often tried on when my father bought aircraft there and other stations. The sod thought he was going to get a light cheap. Any way that was the last of the old style crash tenders.

[Dave Homewood]

The one I remember was more modern than a International D1310 4 x 4. I was based there 1990-1991. It was probably a 1980's model Dodge-style ute.

[pjw4118]

Here's a few more shots of early Hobbie

[Dave Homewood]

Look at that fleet of lovely Vincents! Is that a gun emplacement in front of them?

[Peter Lewis]

Back into flying today after recovering from the South Island trip.

At Whenuapai, runway 08/26 was closed while they repainted the numbers, so that gave me a rare opportunity to overhead Hobsonville while joining on base leg for RW21

A couple of photos shot one-handed through the side window of the Aerobat.

Tracking up towards Hobsonville at 1100'
Greenhithe bridge on the right, Herald Island behind Hobsonville
Whenuapai upper left



Pretty much overhead the old flying boat mooring area.
Looks like the two large concrete hangars have gone from the airfield
The large greenish roof building was where the superyachts were going to be built.