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Post by Dave Homewood on Jan 10, 2016 21:36:45 GMT 12
Hi guys and girls,
In recording interviews the past few years for my Wings Over New Zealand Show series I have managed to capture the memories of a few of New Zealand's legendary topdressing veterans of the past - Dave Starr, Les Marshall, the late Doug McElwain, and recently but not yet released also Dave Cohu.
But with a new year ahead and planning being put in place for the WONZ Show I reckon I should try and get a few more of these older seat-of-their-pants, hard case, awesome pilots' stories recorded for posterity.
Can you recommend who you think are the must-be-interviewed topdressing pilots that are still around, and either not too far from here so I can get to them, or perhaps have access to Skype?
In recent years I was lining up a couple of other legendary WWII/topdressing pilots for an interview who I sadly missed out on because they died before I got to meet them. So who can I try to get recorded in the near future while they're still around? Are there any of the originals, the ex-WWII guys who started the whole industry, still around? The same goes for loader/drivers and others in the industry if they have interesting tales to tell.
Suggestions please Ray? Zac? Allan W? Graeme? etc
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Post by Peter Lewis on Jan 11, 2016 9:31:38 GMT 12
Some time ago I was at one of the Tiger Club events at Taumaranui, and had a chat with John Pheasant (of Tiger AIA fame).
Although not exactly a topdressing pilot, he was an engineer with Rural Aviation during their heyday, and seems to have a fund of interesting anecdotes about life in the aerial work industry during those years.
He is currently living in one of the apartments-above-the-hangar at Tauranga airfield.
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Post by The Red Baron on Jan 11, 2016 10:18:09 GMT 12
Probably the only original operator still going is John Barr from Barr Brothers.
There may still be some older James/Robertson pilots around Cambridge/Hamilton area.Mike Feeney,who was an old ag pilot himself would be a good interview/source to contact some older pilots.
Looking forward to the Dave Cohu interview,he was one of the original Tiger Moth pilots.
The other day when it was raining I scrolled through all the ag pilot podcasts on your list.Most enjoyable.
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Post by Deleted on Jan 11, 2016 12:43:06 GMT 12
PM inbound Dave  |
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Post by starr on Jan 11, 2016 13:08:32 GMT 12
Alan Rose from Tauranga, a long time driver for Dave Cohu and Derek Williams. also Ron Henneker from Hamilton, long time driver for Robertsons and James. Merv Thornton from Algies Bay, long time driver for Ken Fenwick, Adastra, Robertsons, Pays air Service and Warkworth Air Services.
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Post by Dave Homewood on Jan 11, 2016 14:29:44 GMT 12
Thanks chaps, that gives me a list to goon with. Some great suggestions there. I have interviewed Snow Barr about his RNZAF days and we touched a little on his Tiger Moth flying, maybe I should go back and delve into that further.
Cheers!
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Post by thomarse on Jan 21, 2016 21:14:08 GMT 12
Don't let time go by Dave - I thought I had forever to catch up with Phil Lightband and Clive Thorne, but I didn't
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Post by Deane B on Jan 21, 2016 21:57:31 GMT 12
Bruce Aitken would be another good one. I believe he currently resides in Taupo. He started in Tiger Moths with Wanganui Aero Work in 1953, then Piper Cubs, Pawnees and Air Truks. He was well known for his airshow barnstorming acts in Piper Cubs.
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Post by Deleted on Jan 22, 2016 8:49:26 GMT 12
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Post by kiwibeavers on Jan 23, 2016 11:47:00 GMT 12
Sent PM Dave
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Post by atea on Jan 16, 2017 8:45:46 GMT 12
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Post by Deleted on Jan 16, 2017 9:42:24 GMT 12
You beat me to it! Bruce would be a great interview subject for sure.
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Post by The Red Baron on Jan 16, 2017 12:03:18 GMT 12
Have you done the Dave Cohu interview yet Dave?.
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Post by Dave Homewood on Jan 16, 2017 18:20:40 GMT 12
Yes, I have interviewed Dave, for a future release.
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Post by kiwiduster1 on Jan 16, 2017 20:39:22 GMT 12
Frank Desborough was a early tiger driver out of Feilding in the 50s. Lives in Napier i think !! |
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Post by kiwiduster1 on Jan 16, 2017 20:56:40 GMT 12
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Post by Deleted on Jan 17, 2017 11:10:47 GMT 12
The Bruce Aitken story is in the local paper today. It's one of the stories "previewed" above the masthead...with the title "CRASH SURVIVOR".
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Post by kiwibeavers on Jan 17, 2017 20:27:25 GMT 12
Dave, last known contact details for a few topdressing pilots, some a little more recent but worthy of some good stories. Bruce Aitken: 52 Ngamotu Road, Taupo 07-378-5871 Frank Desborough 87 Eskdale Road RD2 Napier 06-836-7145 Bob Cranston 6 Weka Place Masterton 06-377-2449 Harley Cadwallader 29A Anzac Ave Napier 06-843-9396 Jim Campbell 60A Treadwell St Wanganui 06-348-8000 Jim Doyle last heard of in Timaru 021-221-1882 Mike Feeney 07-846-4210 Jim Frogley 237 Brookvale Road Havelock North 027-444-2796 Hallett Griffin Kairanga-Bunnythorpe Road RD5 Palmerston North 06-357-3828 Ditch Harding 217 Great North Road RD1 Wanganui 027-443-4824 John Harding 06-388-0899 Gerry Kluck now in Perth, I can get his number Jack McCurdy 8A Waikare Place Welcome Bay 07-544-3724 Basil Martin 30A Lloyd George Road Gisborne 06-867-9576 Ken MacKenzie 156 Knapdale Rd RD3 Gore 027-432-0274 Bob Monds 027-241-2967 Ray Misson Wairoa 06-838-6244 Noel Mangin 03-578-6554 John Rika 15 Balwyn Ave Rotorua 07-345-8008 Bruce Thompson 587 Aberdeen Road Gisborne 06-867-1410 Neville Worsley 15 Montague Grove Stratford 06-928-4126 See how ya go with them Dave  Graeme |
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Post by Dave Homewood on Jan 17, 2017 21:06:40 GMT 12
Thanks Graeme. They all live in out of the way places, don't they? Hey have you changed your email? |
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Post by kiwithrottlejockey on Jan 18, 2017 20:17:32 GMT 12
Interesting....Bruce Thompson lives only six doors down the road from an address I lived at in Gisborne for ten years.
I had a great day flying with him a few weeks before ZK-BBJ, Fieldair's last topdressing DC-3, was retired from dung-dusting.
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