Surviving RNZAF P-40s

[ZacYates]

Hi all,
For the longest time (til Allan Arthur's machine flew) I led myself to believe there were six or so former RNZAF P-40s in existence, however I did some reading today and arrived at eleven! Does anyone have any advance, or extra info, on the following?:

P-40E:
NZ3009 at Masterton (flying)
NZ3039 at MOTAT (static display)
NZ3043 with John Smith (stored)
NZ3094 with the Pay family in Australia (flying but under overhaul)

P-40K:
NZ3056 with ? Last heard of for sale in the USA (project/parts)

P-40M:
NZ3071 with Warbird Aviation Services in Melbourne (restoration to fly)
NZ3119 with Tri-State in the USA (flying)

P-40N:
NZ3125 with Allan Arthur in Australia (flying)
NZ3202 with Neil Bird in Florida (parts only?)
NZ3220 with John Smith (stored)
NZ3264 with Warbird Aviation Services in Melbourne (restoration to fly)

[Dave Homewood]

It all depends on whether you are counting complete, genuine WWII aeroplanes, or new-build structures with genuine data plates added. Most of those are the latter. And there are plenty ore data plates too.

[ZacYates]

I'm happy to count dataplates too. Are you aware of any others which can be added publicly?

If it's just original structure then I'd say it's four at most?

[keroburner]

Nice list.
I keep P-40N NZ3134 on my list but any one know how much of it, if anything is left today? Pacific Wrecks website have a tiny bit on it.
Would have been nice to have that back in NZ.

[ZacYates]

Thanks heaps KB, that's a new one on me!

[ZacYates]

Has anyone ever heard of P-40E NZ3019 being restored at North Shore? The NZDF Serials site has the briefest mention of it: www.adf-serials.com.au/nz-serials/nzkittyhawk.htm Maybe the source confused it with NZ3119.

Any ideas what happened to P-40E NZ3271, which the same site says was "Transferred to the Education Department on 23 April 1948 and shifted to Christchurch Boys High School"? I've emailed the school in the hope they have some record of what happened to it.

[ZacYates]

Two new ones thanks to the latest issue of Classic Wings, exciting to see:

P-40N-1 NZ3143 being restored to fly by Chris Evans in the Hawke's Bay
P-40N-15 NZ3235 with Mike Nicholls at Omaka.

[pjw4118]

Interesting list , I have a memory that the MOTAT example is not an RNZAF machine but a US one brought back from the Solomons and part of the complex swap over with 3009. I will have to check the data plate.

[Dave Homewood]

I think the data plate is genuine RNZAF though Peter, if nothing else.

[Richard Wesley]

Sept 24, 2017 11:46:50 GMT 12 pjw4118 said:

Interesting list , I have a memory that the MOTAT example is not an RNZAF machine but a US one brought back from the Solomons and part of the complex swap over with 3009. I will have to check the data plate.

It certainly would be great to know what is on the data plate as my understanding matches yours.

[ZacYates]

I knew NZ3039 was a composite but I didn't realise it was essentially a US airframe.

[keroburner]

P-40M NZ3067 Data plate lives in the USA.