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Post by Dave Homewood on Sept 29, 2021 20:21:24 GMT 12
SQUADRON BADGE A PENGUIN
N.Z.-DESIGNED EMBLEM GOES SOUTH
Aircrew of the United States Antarctic squadron are considering adopting an emblem designed by a Royal New Zealand Air Force warrant officer for their unit.
They were intrigued with the cartoons of the big Antarctic Emperor penguin which appeared as decorations for the Wigram sergeants’ mess ball this month, and asked the artist if he would paint them on the fuselages of their aircraft.
The designer, Warrant Officer C. Cholcroft. agreed, and when the aircraft took off for McMurdo Sound yesterday their new and unofficial emblem took off with them—emblazoned on the noses.
W.O. Cholcroft is a former commercial artist, and often designs the decorations for functions at the station in his spare time.
Also freshly painted on the four aircraft before their long flight south were their new names. The Neptunes were Amen, and Tondemini—the second can be roughly translated from the Japanese as “never happen.” The Skymasters were named for the children of friends of the crew: Rosemary and Carole Jeune.
PRESS, 21 DECEMBER 1955
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Post by davidd on Sept 30, 2021 8:45:03 GMT 12
Well I never, don't think I have ever heard the stories behind the aircraft names before (although the name C Cholcroft) is rather familiar to me.
David D
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Post by Dave Homewood on Sept 30, 2021 8:46:12 GMT 12
Yes it's a neat little bit of info to have the meaning behind the names.
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Post by McFly on Sept 30, 2021 17:56:03 GMT 12
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Post by Dave Homewood on Sept 30, 2021 19:06:45 GMT 12
Haha, neat!!
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Post by Dave Homewood on Sept 30, 2021 19:28:46 GMT 12
 PENGUIN EMBLEMS ON ANTARCTIC AIRCRAFT NOW OFFICIAL — Penguins painted on the side of a Globemaster troop-carrier of the United States Air Force 52nd. Squadron. They indicate the number of missions flown by the aircraft in the Antarctic. Authority has been given in Washington for the squadron’s penguin emblems to be retained. — United States Air Force photograph. PRESS, 8 MARCH 1957 |
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Post by Dave Homewood on Sept 30, 2021 19:38:18 GMT 12
 BACK HOME TO RETIRE.—Rear-Admiral George Dufek (left), leader of the United States Antarctic expedition, speaks with Rear-Admiral Murr Arnold, commander of the fleet arm at Alameda, California, after Admiral Dufek’s arrival at the naval air station, on March 16, on his way to Washington to retire from the Navy. On the aircraft is an emblem showing two penguins. Rear-Admiral David Tyree will take over the Antarctic command next month. PRESS, 24 MARCH 1959 |
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Post by Dave Homewood on Sept 30, 2021 20:46:51 GMT 12
I wonder if this is the decorations that started this all off.  MEMENTOS OF ANTARCTIC AIR SQUADRON’S STAY AT WIGRAM—Chief Petty Officer F. J. Ferrara, U.S.N., autographing cardboard penguins yesterday for Mrs N. Niven, wife of a R.N.Z.A.F. warrant officer at Wigram. PRESS, 19 DECEMBER 1955 |
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Post by davidd on Oct 12, 2021 12:52:54 GMT 12
Have now realized that the W/O C Cholcroft mentioned earlier on this thread was actually C A Choldcroft (still a W/O tho').
David D
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Post by emron on Feb 22, 2022 12:03:55 GMT 12
Maybe they were inspired by this earlier Flying Penguin aboard USCG Sikorsky HNS-1 "043":
Press, 14 March 1947
PENGUIN TRAVELS BY HELICOPTER
A penguin was landed on Newtown Park, Wellington, by an American helicopter shortly after 2 o’clock yesterday.
It had been brought from the United States Coastguard cutter North Wind. The curator of Wellington Zoo, Mr C. J. Cutler, carried it in his hand on the journey. It is a rock hopper penguin, one of two which the zoo is getting from Mr J. E. Perkins, biologist of the Byrd expedition, who is acting for Washington Zoo. The other penguin will be taken to the zoo to-day, and two black swans from Wellington Zoo will be taken to the ship to go to Washington in exchange. Another two penguins are going to Auckland. The zoo penguins were not from the Antarctic, said Mr Cutler. They had been captured not very far from New Zealand.
The pilot of the helicopter, Lieutenant D. Gershowitz, expected to have difficulty in getting away from the park because of the down draught coming into the valley, and the helicopter manoeuvred for a considerable time before it gained enough height to clear the surrounding hills and trees.. ---(P.A.)
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Post by davidd on Feb 22, 2022 13:40:57 GMT 12
Pilot's comments above tend to support the proposition that many of the earliest helicopters were typically somewhat underpowered! Also see the thread on New Zealanders flying helicopters with the Royal Navy, RAF or British Army in Malaya and Singapore in the 1950s/60s. However the article above also does mention fact that the location he was obliged to use in this instance definitely made his job that much more difficult.
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Post by Dave Homewood on Feb 22, 2022 14:54:47 GMT 12
Maybe they were inspired by this earlier Flying Penguin aboard USCG Sikorsky HNS-1 "043": Press, 14 March 1947 PENGUIN TRAVELS BY HELICOPTER A penguin was landed on Newtown Park, Wellington, by an American helicopter shortly after 2 o’clock yesterday. It had been brought from the United States Coastguard cutter North Wind. The curator of Wellington Zoo, Mr C. J. Cutler, carried it in his hand on the journey. It is a rock hopper penguin, one of two which the zoo is getting from Mr J. E. Perkins, biologist of the Byrd expedition, who is acting for Washington Zoo. The other penguin will be taken to the zoo to-day, and two black swans from Wellington Zoo will be taken to the ship to go to Washington in exchange. Another two penguins are going to Auckland. The zoo penguins were not from the Antarctic, said Mr Cutler. They had been captured not very far from New Zealand. The pilot of the helicopter, Lieutenant D. Gershowitz, expected to have difficulty in getting away from the park because of the down draught coming into the valley, and the helicopter manoeuvred for a considerable time before it gained enough height to clear the surrounding hills and trees.. ---(P.A.) Just a guess here but could that have been the first ever helicopter flight in New Zealand? I actually had no idea one had flown here as far back as 1947. |
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Post by Antonio on Feb 22, 2022 15:07:17 GMT 12
This one? BuNo 39043 was ex-USAAF 43-46544. Transferred to US Coast Guard as 043  A US Coast Guard HNS-1 Sikorsky R-4 043 departs for a survey of the South Pole waters during a US Navy Antarctic Expedition in 1944. The R-4 is departing the icebreaker Northwind. In the distance are other ships of Task Force 68. (Photo: Courtesy of the Franklin D. Roosevelt Presidential Library) From the: The Rotary Nostalgia Thread |
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Post by Dave Homewood on Feb 22, 2022 15:51:37 GMT 12
Bugger flying in that over the Southern Ocean!
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Post by emron on Feb 22, 2022 17:38:09 GMT 12
Maybe they were inspired by this earlier Flying Penguin aboard USCG Sikorsky HNS-1 "043": Press, 14 March 1947 PENGUIN TRAVELS BY HELICOPTER A penguin was landed on Newtown Park, Wellington, by an American helicopter shortly after 2 o’clock yesterday. It had been brought from the United States Coastguard cutter North Wind. The curator of Wellington Zoo, Mr C. J. Cutler, carried it in his hand on the journey. It is a rock hopper penguin, one of two which the zoo is getting from Mr J. E. Perkins, biologist of the Byrd expedition, who is acting for Washington Zoo. The other penguin will be taken to the zoo to-day, and two black swans from Wellington Zoo will be taken to the ship to go to Washington in exchange. Another two penguins are going to Auckland. The zoo penguins were not from the Antarctic, said Mr Cutler. They had been captured not very far from New Zealand. The pilot of the helicopter, Lieutenant D. Gershowitz, expected to have difficulty in getting away from the park because of the down draught coming into the valley, and the helicopter manoeuvred for a considerable time before it gained enough height to clear the surrounding hills and trees.. ---(P.A.) Just a guess here but could that have been the first ever helicopter flight in New Zealand? I actually had no idea one had flown here as far back as 1947. During Northwind’s earlier visit to Dunedin, 75 years ago tomorrow, was this helicopter’s first flight in N.Z. - 23 February 1947. --0-- Bay of Plenty Times, 19 March 1947. FIRST HELICOPTER FLIGHT The helicopter which flew over Wellington recently was not the first to operate in the Dominion, states a Dunedin correspondent. On February 23, a machine from the American icebreaker Northwind circled over Port Chalmers. Honours for the first city to see a helicopter therefore go to Dunedin and not to Wellington. --0-- Otago Daily Times, 24 February 1947 HELICOPTER AN ATTRACTION A particular attraction was the icebreaker’s helicopter --- a type of aircraft not seen over Dunedin until yesterday. The only comparable aircraft which has been seen over Dunedin was an autogyro, which toured New Zealand a decade or more ago. The helicopter was in the air most of the afternoon, hovering over the harbour, or dropping it’s inflated pontoons neatly on to the tiny landing deck aft on the Northwind, or onto the water alongside. The Grumman amphibian which the ship also carried was not used at all. |
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Post by Dave Homewood on Feb 22, 2022 17:47:48 GMT 12
Superb! Thanks for that.
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Post by Mustang51 on Feb 22, 2022 18:33:08 GMT 12
Guessing a "Duck" as the amphip.......
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Post by emron on Feb 22, 2022 19:42:12 GMT 12
Grumman J2F-6 Duck, Bu.No. 33685 I think.
There was also a Sikorsky HO3S-1 aboard the Navy icebreaker Burton Island that overflew Wellington with the HNS-1.
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Post by komata on Feb 23, 2022 8:55:19 GMT 12
A question concerning McFlys coloured image of VXE-6's 'Puckered Penguins' insignia: Was this the same unit that was at one time known as the 'Pixilated Penguins' and had as it's logo TWO cartoon 'sloshed' Emperor Penguins holding wine glasses?
If in fact it was (The similarities are too close) and FWIW, I have been told that unit members had problems with understanding that 'Pixilated' was just a 'fancy' (polite / 'English' / 'New Zealand') way of saying that one was drunk, and that as a result when the time came to design the insignia for formal acceptance, 'Puckered' was adopted instead as the word made more sense to them.
Thanks.
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Post by Dave Homewood on Mar 23, 2022 23:50:19 GMT 12
Something related to the aircraft artworks.... from the PRESS, 5 NOVEMBER 1968:
General News
Right Hat
Commander E. W. van Reeth, commander of the United States Navy VX6 Squadron, now has an obligation to wear the right hat when he pilots either of the squadron’s Super Constellations. He has been given baseball caps by each of the "Connie” crews to wear when he goes flying with them. The caps bear the Phoenix and Pegasus emblems of the two aircraft, which transport passengers and cargo between McMurdo Station and Christchurch.
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