Motat 1's Aviation Hall

[Dave Homewood]

It has been absolute years since I visited Motat 1, the main museum with all the houses, car collections and trains and stuff, on Western Springs Road.

My recent visits to Motat have been straight to Motat 2 on Meola Road, with the aircraft section.

I was wondering, what things aeronautical are still there at the main museum? I know the Richard Pearse aircraft must be there, and I guess the Gemini capsule is still on loan to Motat? Is there anything else still up that end worth a look if I return to Motat?

I recall the days when the Lancaster was up Motat 1's end, and I saw at least one engine run there. Brill. I recall also in the aircraft hall seeing the P40E, I simply didn't want to move when i saw it, aged about 14. I just stood and stared!

Something else about that original aircraft hall, the Harvard used to be in it. A photo appears in Ross Macpherson and Ross Ewing's book "The History of New Zealand Aviation". Wow, it was really shiny and gorgeous in that photo. Last year when I saw it stored in the Restoration hangar at Motat 2 it was really depressing. It looked like it had been dredged out of a lake, all the paint was worn off, obviously by being outside at some point.

Does anyone know how long it was stored outdoors? Does anyone have a coloured photo of what it looked like before when under cover and shiny? Or photos of it outside?

I really hope it gets a makeover and restored to former beauty for display in the new extension. It wears the best Harvard scheme there is, the yellow and camouflage scheme (as also seen on the RNZAF Museum example). I love that scheme. from the darkest days of the invasion threat when Harvards were given bomb racks and guns!

[hairy]

Here you go Dave NZ944 as it was in about 1987...............



And as it is now................................



Enjoy

[hairy]

Personally I prefer this scheme, as seen on on the RNZAF Museum reserve example that was given to the RAAF which is now on display at (I think) Point Cook in an all over yellow scheme........

[Bruce]

It would be good to see it in tidy condition again, its a mark IIA I beleive, which are quite uncommon. Does anyone know of any Mark IIs anywhere - with the original wooden rear fuselage?

[Dave Homewood]

Thanks Marcus. I see it's now properly stripped, which is good. When I was there in May 2004 it still wore the remnants of its paint but it had worn very thin. I hope they repaint it nicely and in the same scheme.

Have you other Motat photos from the 1980's era at all?

Now... it is really nice and very interesting to see that ex-RNZAF Museum one, I've not seen it before. When was this photographed? I see from your file name it's NZ1034 at Ohakea.

It wears an interesting scheme indeed, No. 2 (Fighter) Operational Training Unit (A unit based at Ardmore, then Ohakea I believe - or was it the other way round?). A real rarity to see this, thanks.

The scheme is similar to ZK-WAR I guess, though I believe that scheme is a made up one, and no RNZAF units carried the codes of AR. Another nice scheme but also made up was that which used to be worn by NZ1066, ZK-ENE. The codes of E-NE were made up, but some operational Harvards wore the actual scheme it represented, which was Pacific Blue/NZ Green.

[Dave Homewood]

By the way, that's the biggest Chux cloths I've ever seen covering the Motat Harvard, hehe

[hairy]

admin said:

Have you other Motat photos from the 1980's era at all?

Hi Dave, if you look on my photobucket (see link below) there are a couple including the Lanc, Sunderland and Solent. Incidently the two float planes on my coverpage are actually photos taken during the "Great White Fleet" visit from the 1920s and were taken on the docks in Auckland (I recently bought these originals on Trade-me) ;D