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Post by nuuumannn on Jan 21, 2016 17:14:32 GMT 12
Possibly, the same image can be found in Rev Waugh's book Early Risers and taking a close look there is a definite cut-and-pasted look to the Dragon, unless it has been retouched around its edges to give it definition. Mind you, on the other page is a nice pic of Tui over Marine Parade Napier, which is most certainly not a composite image, although there is no information as to the camera ship.
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Post by The Red Baron on Jan 22, 2016 13:50:48 GMT 12
 Looking at the hills in the background I would be guessing that was taken at the original Rotorua airfield in Vaughans Rd,or it may be at the old airfeild at Whakatane,which was out towards Taneatua. Manawahe is tiny and only has a country school,no village,its also rolling to steep land all through that area. |
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Post by Dave Homewood on Jan 22, 2016 15:10:37 GMT 12
But you'd think a lot more people would have shown up from Rotorua or Whakatane.
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Post by komata on Jan 23, 2016 8:32:24 GMT 12
Dave H:
FWIW: Based on the distances involved and the conditions of the roads at the time, I would suggest that the image could well have been taken Whakatane rather than Rotorua, if only because of the diastances involved; to Rotorua is 52 km, while to Whakatane is 42 km. This would also be why there are 'relatively' few people in the photograph. Travelling along poor roads (with sometimes, but not always, metalled surfaces), in vehicles that were not very reliable (and with little in the way of 'spares backup') while being dependent upon only a few 'petrol stations' for fuel (no on-farm petrol deliveries; they came much later) was no sinecure and would have involved a large logistic effort to simply to get anywhere, let alone to a paddock 'somewhere in the middle of no-where' to see a flying machine. The pioneer farmers weren't 'ignorant country hicks' but rather very practical people who knew the value of the little money they had, especially as this was as the Great Depression was starting to bite. As a result, if it came to a choice between spending money to see an aeroplane at some distant location or to buy something for the farm / family, the farm / family would naturally win. As already noted, Ron's father (my Grandfather BTW), was a rural mail contractor as well as a farmer, and was thus far more mobile than many in the vicinity, with access to (Post Office supplied?) petrol in quantity as a result of his mail contract. In common with many of his generation he was also very interested in 'scientific' matters (an interest he retained through-out his life), and this is probably why he would have driven his family the (immense at the time) 42 km's to see what was then a wonder of the age. This may also explain my father's presence at the site, and also (perhaps) the existence of a camera at the scene, camera's (even the little box brownies) being rather-expensive 'luxury' items that were not exactly common in rural, pioneer, New Zealand. This latter possibility is, of course, in the only in the nature of hypothesis, BTW.
A somewhat-long explanation, but trusting that it helps to answer your question.
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Post by Dave Homewood on Jan 23, 2016 10:24:37 GMT 12
Flight Lieutenant Charles Ulm, with Mr. G.U. Allen and Mr. R.T. Boulton as crew, and Mrs Ulm and Miss Kathleen Rogers as passengers, flew Avro 10 "Faith In Australia" across the Tasman landing at Bell Block, New Plymouth on the 4th of December 1933. Mrs Ulm and Kathleen Rogers (a business associate of Ulm's) were the first ladies to fly across the Tasman Sea.
A tour commenced thereafter and the aircraft flew from Wigram to Rotorua on the 23rd of December 1933. It remained there doing joyrides till the 26th of December apparently.
A report on the 3rd of January 1934 states "Faith In Australia"landed on Ohope Beach, Whakatane, that day and "record crowds" came to see the aeroplane. The crew was met by Mr. Walter Reid, Chairman of the Whakatane County Council, and also Tom McWilliams (the kiwi wireless operator from the previous Southern Cross flights) among other dignitaries.
The aircraft and crew stayed overnight at Ohope/Whakatane and the next day the aircraft took off from Ohope Beach at 11.00am and made a 52 minute flight of over 70 miles to overfly White Island, with a full compliment of passengers onboard. The aircraft circled the island four times, and then returned to Ohope. At 1.30pm the aircraft departed Ohope Beach (which Ulm stated to be the best beach he'd ever landed on for such purposes)and flew to their next stop, Gisborne.
So, to sum up, my guess is the photo is not Whakatane because it is clearly not on Ohope Beach and nor are there thronging crowds. As the aircraft stayed at Rotorua for several days this is much more likely to be there, but not on the first day, as the crowds that would have greeted the aircraft have abated and now perhaps only those who're after a flight or who've come late for a look are around.
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Post by The Red Baron on Jan 23, 2016 10:45:04 GMT 12
I found a picture in a reference book taken of the plane from another angle at Rotorua,with a similar size crowd by a different photographer.Its definitely at the old old Rotorua airstrip which was about half way between the new airport and the old one in the middle of town.The crowds are probably small because by that time there quite a few joy ride operators in the area so aircraft werent quite the novelty they were in earlier years.Plus it was in the depression and times were tough.
I would love to know the exact location of the old Whakatane airport that was in use before they built the current one.It was somewhere near the Poroporo area?.
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Post by errolmartyn on Jan 23, 2016 12:08:21 GMT 12
Flight Lieutenant Charles Ulm, with Mr. G.U. Allen and Mr. R.T. Boulton as crew, and Mrs Ulm and Miss Kathleen Rogers as passengers . . . 'Kathleen' Rogers was not Ulm's secretary's real name, though it became something of an in-joke with the crew during their New Zealand visit: Miss Kathleen Rogers, it turns out, was not the woman who flew the Tasman Sea in the Faith in Australia (says a northern paper). It has been published all over New Zealand that she was, but members of the Faith in Australia party confessed that she was not even in the plane. It appears that it was a different young woman altogether, and that her name from birth has been Miss Ellen Rogers. Miss Ellen Rogers was christened Miss Kathleen Rogers by someone in New Plymouth as soon as she landed in New Zealand, and that name has stuck ever since and has been used at almost every public function she has attended. When members of the Faith in Australia's party have been inviting people to "come and met Kath," and things like that, no one has known just how much they have been enjoying their little joke. ( The Southland Times, 6 Jan 34) Ellen Rogers later wrote a biography of Ulm, Faith in Australia - charles Ulm and Asutralian Aviation, which also features many excellent views of the aircraft. Errol |
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Post by Dave Homewood on Jan 23, 2016 21:13:43 GMT 12
Hahaha, great stuff Errol. I believe a similar thing happened to our own Gavin Conroy when he went to Temora the first time and somehow ended up being renamed Kevin there.  |
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Post by Deleted on Feb 1, 2016 7:22:53 GMT 12
Regarding the Mosquito, 1947-50 certainly seems likely based on the airframe history at ADF-Serials:
"Built at Standard Motors. Previously TE757 and delivered sometime between 27 May 1945 and 21 December 1945.
Ferried from the United Kingdom by an RAF/RNZAF crew and BOC Ohakea on 09 May 1947.
Ferried to Woodbourne for storage shortly after arrival.
Destroyed by fire in No. 2 Hangar at Ohakea on 02 June 1950.
An inspection lamp fell into an oil drip tray, starting a fire and the aircraft was unable to be pushed out of the hangar in time to save it.
Written off books at Ohakea on 05 July 1950."
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