What ten NZ aircraft would you have preserved?

[Dave Homewood]

Which ten aircraft - by type or individual - with NZ connections, no longer with us, do you wish had been preserved.

Here is my wishlist

Short Empire "Aotearoa" - NZ's first international airliner, what a shame the tea shop preserved example was not kept.

DH60 Moth '995', New Zealand's first combat aircraft (1930)

DH86 Express maybe two, one in RNZAF colours, one in airline scheme)

Blackburn Baffin - any one really from the TAF/RNZAF (I know Charles Darby has the remains of one, but a complete one would be great)

Short Stirling from No. 75 Sqn

Vickers Wellington from No. 75 Sqn

RNZAF Venom FB.1

Short Singapore III

DH Moth Madame Elijah - Francis Chichester's record breaking Moth

486 Sqn Typhoon

[phil]

Soon the Aermacchi MB339 - one type that will not remain on display in NZ. A shame the museum couldn't have one.

[Bruce]

I would add a Lockheed 10 Electra, a Walsh Flying Boat, a Grumman Goose (ZK-DFC), a Canberra B(I) 12, a DC-6 (in BCPA, Teal or RNZAF scheme) A genuine RNZAF Catalina. Mitsibishi Dinah and Nakajima Kate (as taken as war prizes by RNZAF postwar) WWI Albatros Fighter as destroyed by Canterbury Museum in the 1930s, De Havilland DH9 D3139 - Air mail pioneer and NZPAF veteran. (thats 10....)

[Dave Homewood]

I agree a Maachi would be great but I suspect the RNZAF Museum may someday pick up a cheap older version and update it like they did with the A-4 that was gifted to them, hoepfully.

Aren't there a couple of Lockheed 10's preserved already in NZ?

I agree about the Albatross. However it wt was a lot more recently than the 1930's that the machine was destroyed, more like 1946/7, at the same time as the RNZAF's Bf109E was burned. It was certainly after WWII because the museum staff (who I think may have been a 'new guard sweeping the broom in the postwar period') were anti-war and decided that the Bf109 they'd just been gifted was distasteful. If the staff members had served themselvesa and seen the horrr of WWII I can understand this stance, not wanting the reminder there for them. But a sad decision though. They also considered that it'd take up too much space so they apparently burned it. At the same time they thought "Oh and that other piece of useless warmongering material can go too". Imagine how much more foot traffic and revenue the place would get if they had those two prizes there still.

Mind you I'm still waiting for the day when these two are found in a barn kept there by a conscientous museum staff member who rebelled against the pacifist authorities...

PS I have modified the title of this thread to actually match the theme! Doh.

[turboNZ]

hmmm,...tough one.

Vildebeest/Vincent
Oxford
Anson
Lancaster
Wellington (esp with the VC connection !!)
Typhoon
Tempest (flyable if poss)
Venom
Horsa ( I assume Kiwi troops were on board these).

[SeanG]

Didn't the Ohakea museum end up with the remains of the Macchi that went into Whangarei Harbour? I'm sure that was the one on a big trailer outside....

SeanG