Post by agile on Oct 15, 2022 7:31:09 GMT 12
Just to further unify the various bits of information on the Ferrymead project, Denys posted on another thread:
Evidently the pod wasn't VZ838, if that is extant elsewhere. It could have been VZ852/NZ5768/Inst181 which was another TTS airframe, given that there was obviously a degree of mixing and matching of bits going on at TTS. It's slightly academic now I guess.
There's a typo in Denys' post above relating to the fire dump nacelle in that WA314 is NZ5765 which is still extant and now back with the AFMNZ. I'd be happy to conclude that the actual serial was WA385/NZ5775, which ties up with the NZDF Serials entry "Remains noted in Wigram fire crew training area mid 1972. Some parts salvaged and are being used in the rebuild on NZ5758 by Ferrymead Museum in Christchurch." Annoyingly no photos were taken of the serial before it was painted over.
So that leaves us with:
Booms from NZ5758
Wings from NZ5753
Pod probably from NZ5775
We probably need to reconsider the final identity of our project in light of the fact that NZ5758's fuselage is still around. My vote would be for NZ5753, as it saw some 75 Squadron service (hopefully 5753's pod doesn't then come out of the woodwork as it were) but that's a matter for us to sort out internally.
The thing that most people don't know about our Vampire is that it is a cobbled up beast presumably made so by Woodbourne at the disposal time and then further by our guys. The booms were clearly marked on arrival as INST196 which makes them ex NZ5758. The wings equally clearly arrived with underwing serials NZ5753. The fuselage of course had no external marks but I recall it had a RAF serial on the front bulkhead which began with VZ which is consistent with it being NZ5758 which was VZ838. I'll see if anyone has a photo of it to nail that as perhaps it's even another one.
Anyway we disposed of that fuselage due to its condition being poorer than another one we also held and now have installed. It is one that spent considerable time, as a solo item, on the Wigram fire dump before being liberated by Malcolm (?) MacDonald. He was the guy from down Invercargill way who collected mossie stuff down there before joining the RNZAF as a pilot trainee but, I'm told, failing the course and evaporating, leaving said fuselage pod and two very sad mossie wing sections in 6Shed Wigram whence we collected them. That fuselage had it's RAF serial WA314 on the bulkhead and on that basis it was id'ed as NZ5775.
Anyway we disposed of that fuselage due to its condition being poorer than another one we also held and now have installed. It is one that spent considerable time, as a solo item, on the Wigram fire dump before being liberated by Malcolm (?) MacDonald. He was the guy from down Invercargill way who collected mossie stuff down there before joining the RNZAF as a pilot trainee but, I'm told, failing the course and evaporating, leaving said fuselage pod and two very sad mossie wing sections in 6Shed Wigram whence we collected them. That fuselage had it's RAF serial WA314 on the bulkhead and on that basis it was id'ed as NZ5775.
Evidently the pod wasn't VZ838, if that is extant elsewhere. It could have been VZ852/NZ5768/Inst181 which was another TTS airframe, given that there was obviously a degree of mixing and matching of bits going on at TTS. It's slightly academic now I guess.
There's a typo in Denys' post above relating to the fire dump nacelle in that WA314 is NZ5765 which is still extant and now back with the AFMNZ. I'd be happy to conclude that the actual serial was WA385/NZ5775, which ties up with the NZDF Serials entry "Remains noted in Wigram fire crew training area mid 1972. Some parts salvaged and are being used in the rebuild on NZ5758 by Ferrymead Museum in Christchurch." Annoyingly no photos were taken of the serial before it was painted over.
So that leaves us with:
Booms from NZ5758
Wings from NZ5753
Pod probably from NZ5775
We probably need to reconsider the final identity of our project in light of the fact that NZ5758's fuselage is still around. My vote would be for NZ5753, as it saw some 75 Squadron service (hopefully 5753's pod doesn't then come out of the woodwork as it were) but that's a matter for us to sort out internally.
