|
|
Post by The Red Baron on Mar 14, 2017 17:21:29 GMT 12
The hills behind your airport are quite large and look like they are part of a range.The camp appears to extend right back to the foot of the hills. Its quite a big tower so it must have been on a major airport,I cant think of any airfeilds in NZ right next to a range of hills. Theres no code under the wing of the Oxford either.  |
|
|
|
Post by Bruce on Mar 14, 2017 17:56:50 GMT 12
The Rukuhia wartime tower was a tiny thing looking like a glorified phone box. there's photos around the forum somewhere of it (with aircraft dump pics from memory...)
|
|
|
|
Post by TS on Mar 14, 2017 18:27:13 GMT 12
Just been talking to my Dad about said Tower. It was definitely over on the other side as per the pics I sent Dave. My Dad was in the RNZN. I know nothing to do with aircraft, BUT he was out there on many occasions in the early fifties. If you think about it the Hunua Ranges would have been a lot clearer to see back then than they are now. NO trees even close to the tower back then. All we need is a clear wider picture of the old tower to confirm it or not.  |
|
|
|
Post by johnnyfalcon on Mar 14, 2017 18:56:21 GMT 12
It's curious that there is a truck/crane in the subject pic near the tower and likewise in the pic of the Whenuapai tower over-flown by the Fireflies
|
|
|
|
Post by Dave Homewood on Mar 14, 2017 19:13:44 GMT 12
Thanks to Peter Layne who had info from Bryan Cox, we can now confirm that the Ardmore tower did shift from the area where Ardmore Flying School is now to its present position; but I can also confirm the tower in question is not Ardmore. That tower was a single story building with a double storey tower bit on it. Totally different design.
So it is not:
Rongotai (seen a photo of it, totally different)
Ardmore (seen a photo of it, totally different)
Paraparaumu (seen a photo of it, totally different)
Rukuhia (See Bruce's comment)
Taieri (seen a photo of it, totally different)
Harewood (that was art deco)
|
|
|
|
Post by Peter Lewis on Mar 14, 2017 21:25:04 GMT 12
It's curious that there is a truck/crane in the subject pic near the tower and likewise in the pic of the Whenuapai tower over-flown by the Fireflies I seem to remember that having a mobile crane/rescue truck stationed at the start of the active runway was standard practice in NZ when Corsairs were landing. It was there to unoverturn (new word!) those that were unfortunate enough to go inverted on landing. |
|
|
|
Post by Dave Homewood on Mar 15, 2017 0:10:24 GMT 12
Which was very common, apparently.
|
|
pvsjetstar
Flight Lieutenant
email: rassie6@optusnet.com.au
Posts: 97
|
Post by pvsjetstar on Mar 15, 2017 2:24:48 GMT 12
Daves photo has the door showing on the bottom right hand corner where the glassed in viewing "room"" is directly above that end of the building.
The other photo is taken at Whenuapai is shot from opposite end of the control tower where there is a window instead.
I still think Daves photo is Whenuapai
|
|
|
|
Post by scrooge on Mar 15, 2017 8:44:27 GMT 12
Here is the Whenuapai tower again on 13 Sep 1947 with Fairey Firefly fighter bombers from the carrier HMS Theseus passing overhead (Whites Aviation Collection, NZ National Library)  It's very similar but in the original shot I am not sure of the other buildings and the hill match. And I note in this photo there's no door on the corner of the building where there is in the original photo, there's a window instead. Vs.  The reason there's no door is because you're looking at it from the opposite corner. (i.e. this is a shot from the rear, the first is a shot from the front). For what it's worth, I think it's the same design but not Whenuapai (and with some differences- though the box on top of the booth and large aerial beside the building could be to do with more modern radio equipment in use in 1947 but not installed or in use at the time the first shot was taken). Doubling up comment with the previous post noted, but with piccy's for comparison. |
|
|
|
Post by Dave Homewood on Mar 15, 2017 8:57:32 GMT 12
Correct.
So, if this is Whenuapai why does the tower and all the little buildings around it not show up on wartime aerial photos?
It's on the grass so clearly outside of the concrete apron. It is there in the photo with all the C-47's so must be post-1943. Bit it does not show up in aerial shots from 1942 or before, which clearly show the concrete control tower building in them. So was this built after the concrete tower? And if so, why? And when was it removed? This is baffling.
|
|
ryan54
Leading Aircraftman
Posts: 2 
|
Post by ryan54 on Mar 15, 2017 9:29:44 GMT 12
From what I know about the photo it was taken somewhere in NZ in 1945 (possibly at a site that currently has a new control tower on it?). The Whenuapai 1947 picture looks close, however I'm not sure the windows on the bottom match up, but the shape of the building and the hills etc all do.
Although in saying that it could've changed over the 2 years. Tough to tell really. Definitely does appear to be a similar design but not 100% sure if it's Whenuapai or not
|
|
|
|
Post by davidd on Mar 15, 2017 12:16:22 GMT 12
One very minor point not mentioned as yet is that the Oxford in the photo has an additional aerial on the nose, not a standard piece of equipment on Oxfords, and something I have always associated with the Instrument Flying School (IFS) as well as the BAT Flight. The latter was based at Wigram 1943/44, and the former (IFS) was located at Whenuapai 1945/46. Normally these specially modified aircraft had diagonal stripes of black and yellow (at Wigram) or red and yellow (at Whenuapai) although many of the later aircraft seemed to have been left in their original factory finish (yellow and camouflage). This tends to support contention that the mystery photo was taken at Whenuapai, although by no means conclusive.
David D
|
|
