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Post by Dave Homewood on Aug 3, 2021 0:13:01 GMT 12
This is some great footage and nice low mountain flying in a Dakota of the RNZAF
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Post by Mustang51 on Aug 3, 2021 4:35:19 GMT 12
Dakotas?
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Post by Dave Homewood on Aug 3, 2021 8:31:40 GMT 12
Yes, why?
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Post by Mustang51 on Aug 3, 2021 13:38:16 GMT 12
Look at the take-off shot as the aircraft lifts off adjacent to the camera position.....different aircraft.
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Post by Dave Homewood on Aug 3, 2021 13:41:17 GMT 12
Oh I see what you mean, yes they have used shots of two different Dakotas. Only one seems to be doing that amazing low-level flying though.
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Post by Mustang51 on Aug 4, 2021 10:21:31 GMT 12
Correct....interesting paint scheme on the "take-off" Dak
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Post by Dave Homewood on Aug 4, 2021 12:24:10 GMT 12
It almost looks like a late-war scheme. I wonder if they spliced in a stock take-off shot.
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Post by skyhawkdon on Aug 4, 2021 12:51:40 GMT 12
Is that Popeye Lucas in the LH seat?
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Post by Dave Homewood on Aug 4, 2021 12:59:49 GMT 12
I don't think so Don. Popeye left the Air Force in 1946, and he was flying Austers and Proctors at Queenstown by 1949.
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Post by baz62 on Aug 5, 2021 13:33:46 GMT 12
It almost looks like a late-war scheme. I wonder if they spliced in a stock take-off shot. Yes I think you're right there's no way the aircraft taking off is the one in the close up shots. I cant make out the serial number (watched on my phone). Can it be seen? |
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Post by Dave Homewood on Aug 5, 2021 13:37:20 GMT 12
No it is too blurry.
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Post by shorty on Aug 5, 2021 15:20:31 GMT 12
The one taking off has the door opened back against the fuselage whereas the dropping one has the door removed
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Post by Barnsey on Aug 12, 2021 8:33:50 GMT 12
Did an overnight up to Mueller Hut last month, and there's a good info board in the hut on the various alpine huts in the Mt Cook area over the years including the air drops. Sounds like a later air drop wasn't so successful due to high winds and the load spreading itself across the mountain.
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Post by davidd on Aug 27, 2021 12:12:26 GMT 12
Almost certainly the same mission as portrayed in this film is mentioned in the Wigram history, dated 26th February 1949. "A Dakota of 41 Squadron from Whenuapai dropped sectioned huts in the Mount Cook area - flying conditions were bad."
The squadron was involved in other, similar missions through into the early 1950s. On 22nd September 1951 (about 2 and a half weeks after my birth!) "ski hut material was dropped as scheduled by a 41 Squadron C-47 aircraft. Six loads were dropped (now paraphrased), from heights between 5,600 and 6,100 feet. Crew comprised F/L J A Brookes, of Auckland (later killed in crash of Bristol Freighter, 27th May 1953, Wither hills), navigator F/O F J McDavitt, of Waitara, Master Signaler R Pomeroy of Auckland, and Sgt Dunthorne of Wellington. I have names of other "skippers" from these times but newspaper accounts may be useful in identifying the actual crew members on these flights, as the RNZAF unit history for 41 Squadrons during this period have many large gaps in the record. The other RNZAF C-47 unit, No. 40 Squadron, did not exist after November 1947, having been absorbed into NAC.
Another, earlier incident recalled in the previous announcement was that "in 1949, a 41 Sqdn C-47 dropped about 3,500 pounds of supplies in the Ruahines for the Rangiwaihia Ski Club." No doubt all of these incidents were recorded at the time in the national and even minor newspapers. I have many notebooks with such incidents recorded from this time, as well as some indexes of newspapers over these periods, although "Papers Past" does not have much on line after about 1949/50.
David D
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Post by Dave Homewood on Aug 27, 2021 15:34:19 GMT 12
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Post by Dave Homewood on Sept 22, 2021 13:04:33 GMT 12
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Post by Dave Homewood on Oct 5, 2021 15:10:24 GMT 12
Mark McGuire sent me this message this afternoon: Hi Dave I was in Archives NZ today and had a look at this file Archway :: Item Full Description (archives.govt.nz) which includes some further information on the dropping of the building supplies. Kind regards Mark McGuire |
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