|
Post by Dave Homewood on May 3, 2006 21:06:01 GMT 12
I'm confused over the ownership by Motat of a or possibly several Corsairs.
I understand that the Corsair that is currently flying in NZ and based at Masterton with the Old Stick and Rudder Company was placed at Motat by the owners, the Asplin family, in the 1960's.
According to Ivan's adf.serials site this aircraft was removed from Motat and sold by the Asplins in 1971 to Ed Jurist in the USA.
However I recently purchased some old magazines called Museum News, which was the magazine Motat put out for its members. These issues I have span over 1978-81. In several of them it mentions that their Corsair was currently progressing in their Ardmore hangar under the leadership of Ross Jowitt.
So, did Motat have another Corsair apart from the one loaned by Asplins?
Did it later pass into the ownership of Ross Jowitt who seems to be the only other known NZ owner of Corsair airframes?
Has anyone got any ideas here?
|
|
|
Post by corsair67 on May 3, 2006 21:41:24 GMT 12
I'd guess that'd means that FG-1D NZ5612 was 'owned' by MoTaT at some stage?
Isn't NZ5612 the only one that was anywhere near being restored, as I thought Ross' other Corsair, F4U-1 NZ5503 was only a collection of parts?
|
|
|
Post by corsair67 on May 3, 2006 21:45:25 GMT 12
I noticed that FG-1D NZ5648 was recently placed on the NZ register as ZK-COR by a gentleman/company based in Auckland: has she been sold by the Old Stick and Rudder Company?
|
|
|
Post by Dave Homewood on May 3, 2006 21:57:48 GMT 12
Often the registration of aircraft seems to be done by the lawyers or accountancy firms of the actual owners. Not sure why. I would imagine this aircraft is still firmlyin the possession of James Slade and his pals at OSRC. He made quite a point at Wanaka of correcting the commentators that he owned the Corsair and P-40 and not OFMC as one of them mistakenly said.
|
|
|
Post by Dave Homewood on May 3, 2006 21:59:09 GMT 12
As for Ross Jowitt's Corsairs, I really don't know if any of his three 'airframes' were owned by Motat. That's what I want to know.
|
|
|
Post by Peter Lewis on May 3, 2006 23:06:20 GMT 12
NZ5612: Left USA 29Apr45 on SS Benjamin William. Assem. CAU, Los Negros, Admiralty Islands. To storage at Rukuhia Oct45. Sold by WARB tender #3381 to J Asplin of Hamilton 9May49. To MoTAT Auckland 1972 for restoration, to Ross Jowitt of Auckland. NZ5503: Left USA 10May44 on SS Northfield. Assem., Unit 36. No.1 Assembly Depot, Hobsonville. Stored at Rukuhia. Sold by WARB tender #1704 to H J Larsen of Palmerston North 2Mar48. Forward fuselage to Ross Jowitt of Auckland 1977 NZ5527: Left USA on SS Sunnyside Park. Assem., Unit 36. No.1 Assembly Depot, Hobsonville. O/turned landing at Ardmore 8Jan45, pilot Flt.Sgt. T G Simpson. To INST106. Stored at Rukuhia. Sold by WARB tender #1704 to J Larsen of Palmerston North 2Mar48. Sold, axed, parts to John Smith of Mapua, then Ross Jowitt of Auckland
So I would say that NZ5612 would be the one referred to in your publication Dave, as it is the only one that seems to have MoTAT/Jowitt connections. I do have a photo of NZ5612 taken at Ardmore dated 24/2/1979, as a fuselage with fin up on its wheels. I will scan this and post here a a later time (ie when my negative scanner has been repaired!).
The registered owners of NZ5648/ZK-COR are a Trust, so the Auckland address could mean anything (or nothing). This aircraft was certainly in residence in the hangar at Masterton when I was there the week after Easter.
|
|
|
Post by Dave Homewood on May 3, 2006 23:26:33 GMT 12
Thanks Peter. So it must be NZ5612 then. Wasn't that the one recently sold and exported to the USA?
It's a huge pity it never went to the RNZAF Museum. They desperately need a Corsair to fill a gap and an RNZAF one would do nicely.
Mr Jowitt also has/had the remains of NZ5644 which he bought from the Walsh brothers here in Cambridge. That was little more than a collection of bits by the time he got it, as detailed on my website.
|
|
|
Post by Dave Homewood on May 3, 2006 23:31:44 GMT 12
Actually Peter, while on the subject of aircraft that were with and are no longer with Motat, do you know anything about the large section of Zero they had?
This comes from a March 1978 report in New Zealand Wings magazine about the then short history of the Museum of Transport and Technology (Motat) in Auckland, NZ:
"The battleground of the South West Pacific has proved a fruitful source of aircraft and components - Catalina VH-SBV, parts for the museum's Ventura and Avenger restorations, two Willys jeeps, and even the tail section for a Zero are among items recently acquired."
I wonder what happened to this Zero tail section?? Or should I repost this in the thread about items missing from Motat?
|
|
|
Post by corsair67 on May 4, 2006 10:01:55 GMT 12
Does anyone know where in the US NZ5612 has gone too? How much chance do you think there is of it being painted up in RNZAF colours? According to to the May edition of Australian Aviation, ZK-COR was registered to Paul Dodds of Auckland on 22/02/2006; but the April edition of Pacific Wings April notes the ZK-COR was registered by Air Tight Trust of Auckland on 23/02/2006. I thought this might have meant that she'd changed hands, but as you pointed out Dave, it's probably all just legal/accounting mumbo-jumbo. As long as she's staying in NZ, that's all I care about.
|
|
|
Post by Dave Homewood on May 4, 2006 11:48:50 GMT 12
I noticed on the first day of Wanaka that the Corsair had the small legend of EXPERIMENTAL painted under th port side of the canopy. It also had a faint trace of the ZK- registration as Damon pointed out, like it had been put on then removed again. I'm unsure what the story was but someone said that there was a last minute rush to register it so it could fly at the airshow. I'm not sure of the full story of course.
|
|
|
Post by amitch on May 5, 2006 7:58:10 GMT 12
The CAA web site lists the owner as
Air Tight Trust C/- Paul M Dodds & Associates Ltd PO Box 74-079 Market Road AUCKLAND 1130
So both are correct.
|
|
|
Post by agalbraith on May 6, 2006 0:41:19 GMT 12
Hi Gents
As far as I still am aware 5612 is still in Ross's possesion. I was up there a year or 2 ago to look at 5503 which he had for sale that a friend of mine in the UK was interested in buying, 5612 definately wasnt for sale then. In fact the tail section had been quite nicely rebuilt by some Air NZ??volunteer engineers and they going to work their way forward replacing many of the damaged skins, she was looking quite good and relatively complete(he has a ton of stuff).
NZ 5503 was a composite plane with the rear fuse coming from a birdcage one from Vanuatu(I got to walk around the wing/forward fuse remains on Villa), wings etc from various airframes, but certainly everything was there for an expensive rebuild. Philip ended up buying NZ 2406/2429 Mustang remains instead. In the meantime NZ 5503 was sold to an american, I dont know who.
Ross was very friendly to me and I appreciated his time, as I believe not many people get to see in his hangar. I havent seen him since.
Well I hope that helps some
Cheers
Anthony
|
|
|
Post by Dave Homewood on May 6, 2006 10:48:55 GMT 12
|
|
|
Post by corsair67 on May 6, 2006 16:54:22 GMT 12
It's moments like these I wish I had a 'lazy' few million sitting in the bank. Dave, that Dennis Thompson link wouldn't work.
|
|
|
Post by agalbraith on May 6, 2006 19:16:11 GMT 12
Great info gents
Wouldnt it be sad to see her go if she hasnt already.
Thanks for the update on that one, I was a bit behind the 8 ball on that one.
I wish I had that sort of money to keep her here!!!
Cheers
Anthony
|
|
|
Post by Dave Homewood on May 7, 2006 12:56:55 GMT 12
No problem Anthony.
Craig, it works for me. Copy and paste it into Google if it isn't working, that should give you a link that will. the link has several photos of the Corsair, it looks pretty complete. And Denis Thompson's estimate is it needs just 2000 man hours of work to get it flying.
|
|
|
Post by Peter Lewis on May 7, 2006 22:18:41 GMT 12
If Ross is selling this stuff, I guess that means he has given up on his original intention of restoring one complete aircraft. I know that he spent a considerable amount of time looking for NZ5320, the one that forcelanded in the Piako swamp and, after the pilot walked out (splashed out?) sank down into the mire and has never been seen since. Every time I fly over this area ( ie yesterday) I look down half expecting to see the glint of aluminium . . .
Don't know about the Zero tail section Dave, a lot of stuff came into MoTAT in the 60s, much of it seems to have been thrown/taken away. When do the remnants stop being an aircraft and become just a bit? I have a Sunderland turrent and a P-40 fuel pipe at home, but I certainly don't claim to own a Sunderland and a P-40!
|
|
|
Post by Dave Homewood on May 7, 2006 23:24:27 GMT 12
I recall reading of the long search that Ross Jowitt went to to find that Corsair in the mire. What a great story, I only wish he'd found it.
Dad grew up at Ardmore during and after the war. and he told me once that he remembered the army from Papakura doing an exercise in bren gun carriers on a large piece of land near Ardmore after the war. This land was apparently covered in thick gorse and rather inpenitrable. Apparently it has long since been redeveloped and is probably housing nowI guess.
Anyway these soldiers were crashing around in their carriers in the gorse and came across a Corsair that no-one knew was there. I can't recall if Dad said the pilot was still in it. I think he said he'd survived but the RNZAF hd left the plane because it was too hard to get out.
I'd love to know more details of this aircraft, how and why it crashed, the pilot and his fate, and what the army did with the plane when they found it.
If only my grandparents had squirrelled away and kept one of the several Corsairs that crash landed on their farm, which was at the end of Ardmore's main runway. Sadly the crash crews were highly efficient at crashing through the fence, picking up the wreck and trucking it back across the road, so no time to nick one as a souvenir. Pity.
|
|
|
Post by Peter Lewis on May 13, 2006 18:19:25 GMT 12
Following up on my message above, this is a photo of NZ5612 under restoration at Ardmore in February 1979. At that time it was owned by MoTAT. Given what has now been revealed, I don't think the work has progressed at all speedily over the last 27 years.
|
|
|
Post by agalbraith on May 13, 2006 22:02:00 GMT 12
Nice photo
Thanks for posting it, has anyone heard if she is still at Ardmore?
Cheers
Anthony
|
|