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Post by davidd on Feb 1, 2022 13:33:44 GMT 12
I would say 1944 is right, probably during first half; definitely not 1945, by which time all those old Vincents and Vildes had been thrown out with the rubbish, and replaced by Avengers. Photos of Harvards and Vildes/Vincents with ZX codes are extremely rare, and ditto for such aircraft with OD (4 OTU) or FE (2 OTU) codes. Some of the RNZAF's Vincent/Vildes had very small roundels in their later years, this would seem to be one of them.
Harvard and Vincent/Vilde in the above view seem to be finished in overall matt yellow, ditto for the engine cowls of the two Oxfords (they are not Ansons!) Oxfords were only used by 1 OTU up till about May/June 1944, when they were withdrawn from the unit and sent elsewhere. Other aircraft in background are Hudsons and PV-1s of course, probably on charge to 3 Squadron if my observations are all correct. Type of aircraft on taxiway in background? I think a sharper print is required.
David D
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Post by Deleted on Feb 1, 2022 14:54:51 GMT 12
"Avro 504 at Wigram 1930's" 11-1074. Walsh Memorial Library  I may be mistaken but I believe 203 is/was with Blue Swallow LLC in the USA and under restoration to fly. |
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Post by Antonio on Feb 1, 2022 16:18:38 GMT 12
Not a rogue, perfectly legitimate  It is the target tug for No. 1 (Bomber) Operational Training Unit, as is the Harvard and the Oxfords and Venturas also belong to that OTU. 1945 is probably right. Maybe 1944. Yellow overall finish for the Vickers & Harvard? |
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Post by Dave Homewood on Feb 1, 2022 16:22:43 GMT 12
Yes that is my understanding. Both were matt yellow.
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Post by Peter Lewis on Feb 1, 2022 16:53:20 GMT 12
I may be mistaken but I believe 203 is/was with Blue Swallow LLC in the USA and under restoration to fly. Avro 203 became ZK-ACT in 1931, and ended up with R D Downey of Penrose in 1936. Cancelled in 1937, it was reported as being burnt. Would be interesting to see how much survived to re-appear in the USA all these years later. |
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Post by madmac on Feb 1, 2022 20:45:20 GMT 12
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Post by madmac on Feb 1, 2022 21:02:17 GMT 12
A selection of photos of the Walsh Brothers DH 6. There some really nice photos given the aircraft survived 8 months. A good piece on its operation is here www.gisborneherald.co.nz/local-news/20200624/magnificent-men-in-their-flying-machines/"New Zealand Flying School DH6 on low approach at Hutt Park, Wellington." Whites Aviation Collection Motat  "Captain Richard Russell, standing infront of a De Havilland DH6." Whites Aviation Collection Motat  The Palmerston North City Library has really good notes on some of its photos. " First aeroplane to land in Palmerston North
The aircraft was a 90 h.p. de Havilland DH6 owned by the Walsh Brothers of the New Zealand Flying School of Auckland, and piloted 23 year old Captain Richard Russell (at right with back to the camera). The aircraft landed at "Gillespie's Paddock", on the corner of Gillespie's Line and Boundary Road (now Tremaine Avenue). Captain Russell, a World War One veteran, was touring the North Island promoting air travel and taking passengers for rides. He met his death later that year, in an air accident while flying with two Passengers. the boy seen between the wings on the left was Peter Manderson ('Kairanga Pete'), 11 years of age." 
"Captain Russell and H E Hibbard with Walsh Brothers DH6 aeoplane, Dannevirke
Captain Russell, DFC & Croix de Guerre, (right) was the pilot of the Walsh Brothers DH6 which travelled around New Zealand promoting air travel and taking people for 'joy rides'. H E Hibbard (left), of Dannevirke, was the first person to have a "joy-ride" in the plane during its stay at Dannevirke. His daugher, Violet Hibbard, was the passenger in the flight from Dannevirke to Palmerston North on 31 July, 1920. The Walsh Brothers aeroplane was the first plane to land in Palmerston North." Palmerston North City Library
Wreckage of Captain Russell's "Avro", F9745, aeroplane, New Plymouth
Captain Richard Russell, DFC & Croix de Guerre, was the first aviator to arrive in Palmerston North, landing a de Havilland aircraft in August 1920 while on tour promoting air travel and taking passengers for 'joy rides'. A later tour ended with the death of Captain Russell and his two passengers at New Plymouth, when the plane crash landed. Palmerston North City Library
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Post by Deleted on Feb 2, 2022 8:46:06 GMT 12
I may be mistaken but I believe 203 is/was with Blue Swallow LLC in the USA and under restoration to fly. Avro 203 became ZK-ACT in 1931, and ended up with R D Downey of Penrose in 1936. Cancelled in 1937, it was reported as being burnt. Would be interesting to see how much survived to re-appear in the USA all these years later. My apologies I was thinking of A.201: Now a type I didn't know, had ever operated here the Boeing 40H-4 All photos E. A. Phillips Collection, Hocken Collection These are fantastic, ADX is another of those aircraft I'd love to build a model of one day. Thanks Duncan! A selection of photos of the Walsh Brothers DH 6. There some really nice photos given the aircraft survived 8 months. Likewise the DH.6, another I'd like to add to my 1/72 collection! Captain Richard Russell, DFC & Croix de Guerre, was the first aviator to arrive in Palmerston North, landing a de Havilland aircraft in August 1920 while on tour promoting air travel and taking passengers for 'joy rides'. A later tour ended with the death of Captain Russell and his two passengers at New Plymouth, when the plane crash landed. Russell and F9475 were the first pilot and powered aircraft ever to land at Wanganui, on 19/10/1920. They left for Hastings later the same day. this one is for Zac Untitled. From the series: Night trails, 1957, Waimamaku, by Eric Lee-Johnson. Purchased 1997 with New Zealand Lottery Grants Board funds. © Te Papa. CC BY-NC-ND 4.0. Te Papa (O.006098/02)  I sent a link to delticman who simply said "Someone with too much time on their hands."  Russell Brodie at Rangitata has always expressed a desire to build one of these, I do hope he does. That would be fantastic, and what a perfect place to fly such a machine from. |
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Post by aeromuzz on Feb 2, 2022 14:25:46 GMT 12
My apologies I was thinking of A.201: I remember reading a few months back that there were moves to try to bring "A201" back to NZ to be based at Omaka. I wonder what, if anything, has happened with that.... |
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Post by madmac on Feb 2, 2022 14:29:20 GMT 12
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Post by Deleted on Feb 2, 2022 14:52:24 GMT 12
My apologies I was thinking of A.201: I remember reading a few months back that there were moves to try to bring "A201" back to NZ to be based at Omaka. I wonder what, if anything, has happened with that.... That would be wonderful! |
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Post by davidd on Feb 2, 2022 16:09:33 GMT 12
Great piccies of the CAT C-46s - they were real monsters when compared to the dainty DC-3. Seems that these aircraft are reflecting changes in the status of Taiwan at this time with both "B" and "XT" nationality prefixes in evidence. Can anybody enlighten the rest of us?
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Post by oj on Feb 2, 2022 21:28:46 GMT 12
Untitled. From the series: Night trails, 1957, Waimamaku, by Eric Lee-Johnson. Purchased 1997 with New Zealand Lottery Grants Board funds. © Te Papa. CC BY-NC-ND 4.0. Te Papa (O.006098/02)
If you research all the Eric Lee-Johnson photo archives you will see another normal photo of that Fletcher and reference to the rego and pilot.
Eric and family lived up Mill Creek Road, halfway between Omapere and Opononi in the Hokianga. One of his children, son Peter, was/is the same age as me.
I lived at Opononi but went to Omapere primary school. Peter did correspondence school at home. I used to walk the two miles from Omapere school to our home in Opononi every school day. Sometimes I would go via the Lee-Johnson house at Mill Creek, and play with Peter. He had a neat Hornby train set so that was great. This would be 1952-53.
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Post by shorty on Feb 2, 2022 21:34:09 GMT 12
I was led to believe that Civil Air Transport was a CIA airline much the same as Air America was.
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Post by Antonio on Feb 2, 2022 23:22:03 GMT 12
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Post by tbf2504 on Feb 3, 2022 8:32:00 GMT 12
The CAT C46s were here for trails on the cross Cook-Strait service the NZR was trying to establish. As it turned out the C46s were not all that suitable for carrying cars (see the example above)
and other freight for quick turn around service. As we all know in the end the mighty Bristol Freighter won the day
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Post by davidd on Feb 3, 2022 9:03:14 GMT 12
From what I have heard, the CAT C-46s were brought in to "fill a gap" for NZ Railways until the Bristols on order for SAFE finally arrived. My informant told me that the crews (all American) and their ground-borne "boss" (a young New Zealand lady who has been written up on a thread on this site) were the hardest flying and working types he had ever seen, reckons they worked twice as hard as the New Zealanders of the day, and were a wonder to behold in action. In other words they would be a hard act to follow. I don't think there was any question of "trials" on the route, they were just in New Zealand to work. Thinking about it, I am fairly certain my informant was Noel Brown, a well-known NZ aircraft engineer (attained a fairly high position in Air NZ at Christchurch), and later a volunteer at the RNZAF Museum, deceased for at least ten years, or maybe closer to twenty (they do fly by!) He told me that it was perfectly possible to assemble an Auster "from the box" in about a day or two, single handed, with no assistance required for installing the mainplanes, etc, just using light ropes and pulleys. He did this many times on behalf of the importer for a fixed fee.
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Post by Dave Homewood on Feb 3, 2022 9:20:37 GMT 12
If they were that hard working then the NZ Railways Union would have seen to it that they were not around for too long.  |
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Post by madmac on Feb 3, 2022 11:12:55 GMT 12
More NZR pics coming including the Bristol freighters but I fell over these in the meantime of the Canterbury Aviation Company DH9s. "Shows de Havilland DH-9 aircraft with slogan 'Creamota' painted on the underwing. This aircraft made the first direct flight between Invercargill and Auckland in 1921. Photograph may have been taken in Auckland at the end of the flight." 1/4-127579-F Alexander Turnbull Library  1/4-127578-F Alexander Turnbull Library  1/4-127577-F Alexander Turnbull Library  1/4-127580-F Alexander Turnbull Library  " Canterbury Aviation Company's De Havilland DH9 aircraft, 18 November 1921, about to leave for Wellington. Shows the three passengers: the Mayor of Nelson Mr W Locke, J Ruff, and Mr H J Harris. The pilot is Herbert Nelson Hawker. Photograph taken by F N Jones. " 1/2-070840-G Alexander Turnbull Library  "Herbert Nelson Hawker standing beside the De Havilland DH9 that he piloted from Blenheim to Nelson, with its two passengers J W Perano and H McArtney. This was the second passenger flight and the second aircraft to reach Nelson. Photographed on 13th November 1921 by Frederick Nelson Jones in Nelson. " 1/2-028554-G Alexander Turnbull Library  |
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Post by tbf2504 on Feb 3, 2022 12:58:03 GMT 12
David, I stand corrected! Re-read some of my research material and you are indeed correct in that the C46s were a "stop gap" measure
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It is the target tug for No. 1 (Bomber) Operational Training Unit, as is the Harvard and the Oxfords and Venturas also belong to that OTU. 1945 is probably right. Maybe 1944.
