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Post by planewriting on Nov 28, 2020 12:37:40 GMT 12
So, with the Grumman Avenger NZ2539 now complete and active what is the Engineering team turning its attention to now? Quietly resting in various locations in Tauranga and Gisborne has been a collection of fuselage frames, which compose a B-17E film set fuselage. A film has been produced in Auckland regarding the loss of the B-17, which crashed shortly after take-off from Whenuapai on 9 June 1942 with the loss of all on board. Classic Flyers has been very fortunate to have been offered the fuselage which will now become a permanent exhibit honouring the crew. When reassembly is complete, the exhibit will be mounted in the main hangar on the wall adjacent to the Catalina fuselage. They will share the same steps so that visitors can walk (clamber?) through both fuselages. The B-17 will be painted in the colours and markings of Texas Thunder. Classic Flyers is inviting people to provide known history of this aircraft which arrived on a very secretive visit but departed reputedly waking most of Auckland when it exploded. I have already given Classic Flyers the entries of that event covered in various editions of the Aviation Historical Society journals. A photograph showing three of the fuselage sections:
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Post by McFly on Nov 28, 2020 16:44:33 GMT 12
So, with the Grumman Avenger NZ2539 now complete and active what is the Engineering team turning its attention to now? Quietly resting in various locations in Tauranga and Gisborne has been a collection of fuselage frames, which compose a B-17E film set fuselage. A film has been produced in Auckland regarding the loss of the B-17, which crashed shortly after take-off from Whenuapai on 9 June 1942 with the loss of all on board. Classic Flyers has been very fortunate to have been offered the fuselage which will now become a permanent exhibit honouring the crew. When reassembly is complete, the exhibit will be mounted in the main hangar on the wall adjacent to the Catalina fuselage. They will share the same steps so that visitors can walk (clamber?) through both fuselages. The B-17 will be painted in the colours and markings of Texas Thunder. Classic Flyers is inviting people to provide known history of this aircraft which arrived on a very secretive visit but departed reputedly waking most of Auckland when it exploded. I have already given Classic Flyers the entries of that event covered in various editions of the Aviation Historical Society journals. A photograph showing three of the fuselage sections should be posted to this thread soon. Watch this space! This one - rnzaf.proboards.com/thread/28881/boeing-fuselage-full-classic-flyers There is no peace for the restoration team at Classic Flyers and our next project is to finish off and mount a full size B-17 fuselage. The inside of the whole fuse is virtually complete but the outside needs to be completed. There are three sections to it but the nose forward of the windshield has never been built so that will be a talking point for the team. The intention is to mount it up on a steel support structure on the East wall of the main hangar so that it is accessible from the stairs to the Catalina. It will be available for the general public to walk through and get a feel for just what it was like for aircrew flying these bombers. Below are some of the photos we took when the 3 sectionms arrivewd at Classic Flyers last year. Plenty more to come in the following months. P1480398 by Mike Feisst, on Flickr P1480385 by Mike Feisst, on Flickr P1480388 by Mike Feisst, on Flickr P1480402 by Mike Feisst, on Flickr P1480415 by Mike Feisst, on Flickr P1480414 by Mike Feisst, on Flickr
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Post by aeromedia on Nov 29, 2020 12:24:12 GMT 12
Jayzuz . . . You guys never cease to amaze me.
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Post by pjw4118 on Nov 30, 2020 13:27:26 GMT 12
Now its on WONZ , I can say something , the B17 project has been kept under wraps as the movie hasnt been released yet. I can say little but its not about the Whenuapai B17. Myself and two other Lancaster guides from the NZBCA took a series of actors from this movie into the Lanc at MoTAT for experience and some technical details. Many photos were taken and action shots supplied but all remain under embargo until the movie is released. The mockup ( slightly over size ) was built and asembled in a warehouse on the North Shore where the filming was done. Other sites included up north and Muriwai Beach . A perfect Sperry ball turret replica was also made. When filming finished the whole set was offered to us rather than scrapping it. As It didnt fit into MOTAT ideas and B17s are not really a RAF BC item I rang Andrew, explained a few details , then asked do you want it ? . An immediate one word answer, and in typical of Classic Flyers style they had it in Tauranga the following week. With a bit of aluminium cladding it will look the real deal inside and out and make a great walk through display . Photos will follow when I have been given the word.
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Post by Dave Homewood on Nov 30, 2020 14:38:52 GMT 12
I can take this a step back further. I was approached by the set designer who'd been contracted to make the B-17, and it was me that put him onto you Peter as I hoped the NZBCA Archive might have some interior photos of the Flying Fortress. And I believe he contacted me after reading WONZ, so full circle.
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Post by pjw4118 on Nov 30, 2020 15:35:25 GMT 12
Quite right Dave , a very neat exercise , good for all. You should have got a role , just image US fatigues , a fat cigar and a jeep as crew boss and a tidy packet of US $$. When the film people give the Ok there are some neat photos to post.
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Post by Dave Homewood on Nov 30, 2020 15:57:46 GMT 12
Haha, yeah right. Not for me thanks.
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Post by planewriting on Nov 30, 2020 17:14:41 GMT 12
Yep, pjw4118 is quite correct about the film theme. Somewhere along the way a confusion arose finishing with my making incorrect reference to the Whenuapai B-17 accident. Apologies folk. None-the-less this an exciting project all the same and I'm sure the finished project when all painted up and open to the public it will attract considerable attention.
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Post by pjw4118 on Dec 1, 2020 16:13:49 GMT 12
How about ...unique. I am sure the movie company will give you some clips to show so the shop better stock up on a few B17 models
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Post by planewriting on Dec 1, 2020 20:30:02 GMT 12
How about ...unique. I am sure the movie company will give you some clips to show so the shop better stock up on a few B17 models Thanks - will run this past Andrew G. I think a few B17 models in stock would be a good idea.
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Post by kiwi285 on Dec 11, 2020 15:02:49 GMT 12
The team is making progress with the B-17 fuse. Each section has its own dimensions and we are striking some problems getting each section to smoothly join the adjoining section. The two main fuse sections weigh at least 1.5 tonnes each and are about 5 metres in length so maneuvering them into position can be a time consuming and hefty job. We have started cladding the front main section and this afternoon we turned it around the docked it with the rear fuse section. We are not going to use the rearmost section as it will be too long for the space we have available. The marrying of these two sections will keep the team occupied for some time to come as we have to make them easy to assemble and maneuver into position once they are placed onto their steel support structure. 111220 (4) by Mike Feisst, on Flickr 111220 (5) by Mike Feisst, on Flickr 111220 (6) by Mike Feisst, on Flickr 111220 (7) by Mike Feisst, on Flickr 111220 (2) by Mike Feisst, on Flickr
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Post by aeromedia on Dec 14, 2020 16:44:08 GMT 12
I love this. So out-of-the-blue. Of course Andrew G said “Yes” straight off the bat. Great stuff Classic Flyers.
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Post by ZacYates on Dec 14, 2020 23:00:33 GMT 12
I saw this on YouTube yesterday and I figured it was the film the Classic Flyers set was built for:
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Post by ErrolC on Dec 15, 2020 6:13:35 GMT 12
That will be great with a few beers!
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Post by Peter Lewis on Dec 15, 2020 7:01:36 GMT 12
SuperGirl stuff.
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Post by Dave Homewood on Dec 15, 2020 12:10:21 GMT 12
What the frick did I just watch?
I don't think that is the same film, Peter Wheeler will be able to confirm though.
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Post by baronbeeza on Dec 15, 2020 13:51:40 GMT 12
The real deal Dave. There are a few clips getting about. www.imdb.com/title/tt9691136/?ref_=ttmi_ttBig budget movie, could even afford to hire the Luxury Loos. No expense spared here...
They may have gone a little cheap with some of the camera gear though...
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Post by saratoga on Dec 15, 2020 19:28:16 GMT 12
That's the roomiest ball turret i've ever seen!
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Post by ZacYates on Dec 17, 2020 3:29:03 GMT 12
I don't think that is the same film, Peter Wheeler will be able to confirm though. Given the involvement of the NZ Film Commission I felt pretty comfortable with my guess!
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Post by kiwi285 on Dec 17, 2020 6:28:53 GMT 12
As most of the film was shot inside the fuse that was all they were interested in but we now have to marry up the external surface and that is taking some head scratching. Moving a couple of tonnes around all the time can take some effort and cussing. The team will be looking forward to a break to recharge the batteries. The rear two sections are not too bad but the cockpit section will add another layer of frustration when we start trying to match that up. We have time on our side.
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