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Post by Dave Homewood on Jul 3, 2017 23:50:34 GMT 12
Something you don't see much coverage of is the various station Communications Flights early in WWII, before they were combined to form No. 42 (Transport) Squadron. Here are two photos from the EVENING POST, dated 2 August 1940, showing a DH89 and Miles Hawks or Magisters by the look of it.
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Post by davidd on Jul 4, 2017 21:15:13 GMT 12
Dave H, More likely they are Miles Whitney Straights, the Communications Flight had three of them on strength right through the war. The Communications Flight at Rongotai was known as such from about October 1939 right through till December 1943 when it was renamed 42 Squadron. From about mid-1942 there were established two additional Flights at Wigram and Mangere, known as Southern and Northern Group Headquarters Communications Flights, each with a small complement of light aircraft, although later they also received one or two Dominies. In February 1944, these two Flight were merged with the Anti-Aircraft Co-op Flights (No. 3 and No. 1 respectively) also stationed at these airfields, and No. 2 A/A Co-op Flight at Rongotai was taken over by No. 42 Squadron. The A/A Co-op Flights had originally been equipped with Vincents or Vildebeests as well as a few Tiger Moths, but they later acquired Harvards. Another communications Flight, equipped originally with a couple of DH 89 Rapides, a 4-engined DH 86 Express and a Gipsy Moth, was set up at Nandi (Fiji) in June 1942, for trips to other fields on the island. A DH 84 Dragon was also on strength for a while. This Flight was moved to Nausori by the end of 1942, and by late 1943 the DH 86 (now damaged) was shipped back to NZ, having already been replaced by a Dominie. Two TBF Avengers were also attached to the Flight from About December 1944 till the end of 1945, for drogue towing and weather flights. These two aircraft were later shipped back to NZ - nobody seemed very keen to fly them back at the time! David D
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Post by Dave Homewood on Jul 4, 2017 22:47:13 GMT 12
Thanks David. Great info.
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A4k
Flight Lieutenant
Posts: 85
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Post by A4k on May 15, 2022 10:19:52 GMT 12
Does anyone know what the internal cabin layout of the Communication Flight DH.89s based in Fiji were? Ie. passenger seating, or radio equipment, etc?
I'm making a model of DH.89B Dominie NZ523 at the moment, from the Tasman Models kit in 1:72 scale.
Cheers!
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Post by davidd on May 20, 2022 13:09:13 GMT 12
I would imagine that there were two possible configurations for the Rapides and Dominies in Fiji, the "normal" passenger arrangements (as pre-war civil), with about 6 standard pax seats (all Dominies, plus surviving Rapides after removal of military equipment), and the "operational" version (Rapides only) with bomb racks and sight, and I think total of three crew (Pilot, observer, W/Opr), only relevant till about mid to late 1942. I think all these aircraft were usually equipped with some type of "wireless apparatus" for normal communications purposes, and especially when operating over the sea! British or Australian equipment in early days, sometimes American postwar (perhaps I will have to check up on this, these latter would have normally been pilot operated).
David D
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A4k
Flight Lieutenant
Posts: 85
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Post by A4k on May 23, 2022 10:29:26 GMT 12
Thankyou very much David!
So I can use the standard seating for NZ523 then - that's perfect!
If anyone has any photos or diagrams of the Rapide Reconnassance Bomber layout however, I would love to see them, as I will be modelling DH.89A NZ555 shortly too.
Cheers again!
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