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Post by aeromedia on Oct 3, 2014 7:14:29 GMT 12
This may be the ONLY realistic chance for the RNZAF museum to acquire "one of their own" back. Courtesy Aircraft (courtesyaircraft.com) have just taken into their sales inventory a disassembled but substantially complete former RNZAF Corsair. I have made Mark Clark, the owner of Courtesy Aircraft, aware of the gaping hole in the RNZAF Museums collection and offered to do anything I can this end. With over 400 examples being operated ( numerically the largest type operated ever by our RNZAF), I'm of the opinion all the stops must be pulled out to secure this for our nation.
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Post by DragonflyDH90 on Oct 3, 2014 8:21:21 GMT 12
Get it flying, NZ wide syndicate.
There were talks of doing this with the Hertz Tempest.
Big project but certainly doable given the restoration expertise in NZ and OZ (with the guys at Wang. If it went to RNZAF museum it would be a 20+ year project before it would go on public display given the time frame on the P-40.
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Post by Dave Homewood on Oct 3, 2014 9:07:54 GMT 12
The New Zealand Warbirds Visitors Centre desperately needs a genuine RNZAF Corsair! It's the home of the Corsair in NZ after all!
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Post by aeromedia on Oct 3, 2014 9:31:39 GMT 12
Fair comment Ryan, but for me the RNZAF Museum is the best place for it. Virtually all the flying warbirds are exposed to the ebb and flow of their owners economic realities. At least in the nationally accredited collection, the ultimate fate of the aircraft is about as secure as humanly possible. Look at the Tempest for example, in the end their weren't the resources to do it by anyone here. And it went. Just as the last Corsair to leave the country just a few years ago did. I'm no mathematician but I think about 25 - 30 cents per head of NZ population would secure it. We managed 600k for a collection of light bulbs and wires to display overseas as "art" so surely a mil for a piece of "freedom and democracy" is entirely justifiable?
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Post by vs on Oct 3, 2014 9:32:17 GMT 12
I would love to see that Corsair in the RNZAF Museum. It is a big gap they need to fill
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Post by nzjet on Oct 3, 2014 10:34:31 GMT 12
As nice as it may be, who is going to restore this airframe? The museum is not really in a position to do such a huge task, both $$ wise and skilled manpower, Trying to raise funds is another question...
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Post by baronbeeza on Oct 3, 2014 10:44:52 GMT 12
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Post by aeromedia on Oct 3, 2014 10:54:31 GMT 12
As nice as it may be, who is going to restore this airframe? The museum is not really in a position to do such a huge task, both $$ wise and skilled manpower, Trying to raise funds is another question... The funding would need to be managed externally, and the aircraft gifted to the museum. They've brought back aircraft from worse than this "kit". Moreover, the work could be outsourced to the shops at Ardmore, to bring this back to a high quality static museum example. They've worked on projects such as the Wigram gate guard recently. If this country can't manage that sort of an effort for such a significant aspect of our history and our contribution to the fight for freedom and democracy, then it's a very sad commentary on where we are at. IMHO. With heritage grants, lotteries etc, surely? ?
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Post by scrooge on Oct 3, 2014 11:06:44 GMT 12
Anyone feel like setting up a givealittle (or similar) campaign?
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Post by camtech on Oct 3, 2014 11:09:56 GMT 12
What a find - any hint of its history?
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Post by aeromedia on Oct 3, 2014 11:23:38 GMT 12
Anyone feel like setting up a givealittle (or similar) campaign? Or a "give a lot" Campaign ? Seriously, this would need a highly organised, well resourced campaign to have a realistic chance. My question is: Does the RNZAF Museum have the will to add a Corsair to its collection?
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Post by vs on Oct 3, 2014 11:52:58 GMT 12
Kick Starter? What a great idea….gift it from the people of NZ to Air Force Museum?
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Post by skyhawkdon on Oct 3, 2014 12:07:27 GMT 12
Definitely a once in a lifetime opportunity for the RNZAF Museum, but not something they could fund themselves. Maybe an alternative would be some sort of joint ownership arrangement with a wealthy benefactor stumping up the cash to secure it and the RNZAF restoring it? The Biggin Hill hangar at Ohakea would be a nice home for it ;+)
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Post by delticman on Oct 3, 2014 12:49:04 GMT 12
History, I always knew there was another one in that hangar at Ardmore many years ago. A look at ADF Serials will provide more detail.
One confusion, on the Warbirds Registry NZ5527 is listed at N4634. This is wrong as that registration is issued to something much older.
So we have NZ5527 c/n 5203 ex Bu49956 and NZ5503 c/n 5247 ex Bu50000.
NZ5527 has crashed and later became INST106 at Nelson and parts of it ended up with John Smith. NZ5503 ended up at Rukuhia and then Asplins Garage until 1977.
Cant find it on the FAA register or even a hint as being in the Mid West.
So it looks to be ex NZ5503, delivered in 1944.
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Post by Dave Homewood on Oct 3, 2014 13:03:05 GMT 12
There's possibly some parts from Cambridge's Corsair, NZ5644, in there too.
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Post by Dave Homewood on Oct 3, 2014 13:05:45 GMT 12
Do you mean NZ5503 in your last sentence there Ray?
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Post by delticman on Oct 3, 2014 13:46:38 GMT 12
I've changed it Dave..........still suffering from the "Fletcher Blues."
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Post by Bruce on Oct 3, 2014 14:28:45 GMT 12
Maybe if we say it is a Maori Battalion Corsair we can get funding for it
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Post by TS on Oct 3, 2014 14:32:13 GMT 12
Ahwww na brro a lost waka brro...
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Post by baz62 on Oct 3, 2014 16:18:52 GMT 12
She is quite the bitsa. Chatting with Anthony this afternoon and he mentioned that the fuselage (from the rear of the cockpit back to the tail is actually a F4U-1 birdcage model (if you look in the photos you can see the little rear view window (similar to what the P40 has) at the rear of the cockpit. This actually belongs to the "birdcage" Corsair being restored to static in Australia which was missing the rear fuselage. However the main centre section including the cockpit is RNZAF as is the small section of rear fuselage (including the fin). The wings are an unknown. Still worthy to be restored as an RNZAF Corsair I feel. However i think they are dreaming at US$850000 for a project like this. Unless money is no object of course.
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