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Post by nuuumannn on May 15, 2022 21:34:17 GMT 12
Hi Guys, does anyone have images and information on the museum at Chewing Gum Field? I know that some of the collection went to Wangaratta as part of Airworld, something to do with Wings of Yesterday? Anyone out there who can clarify the connections? And pictures if anyone has them. I reckon Ando will have something...
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Post by nuuumannn on May 19, 2022 15:20:44 GMT 12
So, looks like I'm going it alone with this one. The key to Chewing Gum Field, Wings of Yesterday and Airworld at Wangaratta was of course Malcolm Long, whom, those of you who follow the Aussie warbird scene will be familiar with. Long started the museum at Chewing Gum Field (why was it called that?) at Tallebudgera on the Gold Coast some time in the early 1970s, 1972 or 1974 seems to be appropriate based on dates gathered from aircraft movements to the site. He had a few airframes of interest on site, including a Canberra, C-47, Bristol Freighter, Beech 18, Ventura and other stuff and at some time he named the museum Wings of Yesterday. These titles were added to the Beech 18, VH-FID, which was kept in airworthy condition. In the late 1980s the museum was wound down and aircraft went on an exodus from the site, some of which went to Wangaratta, including the Beech and C-47.
The Canberra went to Temora for a few years then went to RAAF Williamtown. The Bristol Freighter is now on display outside at the RAAF Museum, Point Cook and the rest of the stuff from Chewing Gum Field moved about all over the place. I remember visiting the site once in the early 90s sometime and all the outside aircraft had been relocated, but I remember seeing the Canberra and Spitfire replica inside the shed. I was told not to take any photos while I was there...
The Spitfire ended up at Classic Flyers, Tauranga and originally wore markings of Wg Cdr Clive Caldwell, as CRC. I have a photo of it in Caldwell's markings before it was repainted in the RAF Desert Air Force scheme it wears today.
The reason I'm pursuing this is because I've been going through old photos I took back then and came across a few from my visit to Wangaratta back then. I'm in the process of editing the photos and identifying the aircraft and their subsequent fates.
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Post by Dave Homewood on May 19, 2022 17:36:23 GMT 12
There are not many Venturas around. Could that be the one at that is now with the RAAF Museum?
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Post by nuuumannn on May 19, 2022 18:15:32 GMT 12
There are not many Venturas around. Could that be the one at that is now with the RAAF Museum? It's now at the Queensland Air Museum. I don't think it was complete when it was at Chewing Gum Field, I've only seen photos of it in a dismantled state. |
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Post by nuuumannn on May 19, 2022 18:27:12 GMT 12
Interestingly, if you count all the Howard post-war conversions, Venturas and PV-1s are more common than Hudsons. The SAAF Museum has quite a few Ventura airframes. It seems that we in the Southern Hemisphere have the monopoly on Hudsons. There's two in Canada, one at Gander, New Foundland and another in store somewhere, and an ex-Aussie one at the RAF Museum, and I think one each in the USA and one in Spain.
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Post by Dave Homewood on May 19, 2022 18:32:14 GMT 12
The SAAF Museum scrapped most if not all the Venturas they had. 😡
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Post by nuuumannn on May 19, 2022 18:43:43 GMT 12
The SAAF Museum scrapped most if not all the Venturas they had. 😡 They had four or five fuselages sitting around at Swartkop at one stage, but they have one tarted up on display at Ysterplat, so they haven't gotten rid of all of them. |
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Post by Dave Homewood on May 19, 2022 18:49:14 GMT 12
The fuselages sitting outside at Swartkop were apparently scrapped. Such a shame.
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Post by madmax on May 20, 2022 9:09:37 GMT 12
Waco UOC ZK-AEL/ZK-ALA was at one time in the Chewing Gum Field museum but of course is now back home in NZ
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Post by denysjones on May 20, 2022 15:18:08 GMT 12
nuunmannn, The world Hudson complete aircraft inventory is one in the UK (Hendon), two in Canada (Gander and Rockliffe), three in Aussie (Point Cook, Canberra, Temora) and four in NZ (MoTaT, Wigram, Ferrymead, Omaka) = 10. That's where complete is defined as nose to tail wing tip to wing tip. The Rockliffe one was formerly with Atlantic Canada Air Museum, stored as you say, but the reassessed it and their capabilities vs other projects and so moved it on. I've never seen a photo of the Spanish one but have read descriptions that it was trawled up by a fishing boat so I doubt it is more than a bit of an a/c. When I was in touch with ACAM, many years ago, I was sent these images of two wreck sites they were trying to get hold of. The problem was that they were in indigenous people reserve lands and so access was near impossible to obtain, despite someone having daylighted one wreck. These two combined would go close to another a/c. Sorry they are so poor quality but they arrived as inkjet printed paper and haven't stood the test of time.   Dave H, You mean these SAAF ones? That's a major blunder scrapping them.  |
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Post by Dave Homewood on May 20, 2022 16:41:57 GMT 12
Yes, apparently so. It was all over the net a few years back when they scrapped them. Really disappointing.
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Post by nuuumannn on May 22, 2022 9:30:18 GMT 12
The fuselages sitting outside at Swartkop were apparently scrapped. Such a shame. That is a bummer. The museum at Swartkop does have one on display though, so the museum holds at least two complete airframes. |
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Post by nuuumannn on May 22, 2022 9:35:10 GMT 12
nuunmannn, The world Hudson complete aircraft inventory is one in the UK (Hendon), two in Canada (Gander and Rockliffe), three in Aussie (Point Cook, Canberra, Temora) and four in NZ (MoTaT, Wigram, Ferrymead, Omaka) = 10. That's where complete is defined as nose to tail wing tip to wing tip. The Rockliffe one was formerly with Atlantic Canada Air Museum, stored as you say, but the reassessed it and their capabilities vs other projects and so moved it on. I've never seen a photo of the Spanish one but have read descriptions that it was trawled up by a fishing boat so I doubt it is more than a bit of an a/c. When I was in touch with ACAM, many years ago, I was sent these images of two wreck sites they were trying to get hold of. The problem was that they were in indigenous people reverse lands and so access was near impossible to obtain, despite someone having daylighted one wreck. These two combined would go close to another a/c. Sorry they are so poor quality but they arrived as inkjet printed paper and haven't stood the test of time. Dave H, You mean these SAAF ones? That's a major blunder scrapping them. Yup, good info Denys, the Hudson is a lot rarer than the Ventura/PV-1. About the Spanish Hudson, I've never seen pics but I'm led to believe it is substantial, but having been ditched it won't be in good nick. Sad about the SAAFM Venturas, I didn't realise they got rid of them so brazenly. As mentioned, the museum has two on display at two different sites. In that picture I spy bits of Vampire and a Beech 18 at the end of the line up. |
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Post by nuuumannn on May 22, 2022 9:41:01 GMT 12
Waco UOC ZK-AEL/ZK-ALA was at one time in the Chewing Gum Field museum but of course is now back home in NZ Good info, thanks for that. There were a lot of significant airframes that passed through Chewing Gum Field and Wangaratta, scattered about the place, so I'm learning. I have a photo I took of former RNZAF Dominie NZ524 as VH-BGP at Wangaratta, although I don't know if it was at Chewing Gum Field or not. It would be interesting to get a list of what was at Tallebudgera through the years. Quite a few things, so it seems. |
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Post by ZacYates on May 22, 2022 13:28:22 GMT 12
There were a lot of significant airframes that passed through Chewing Gum Field and Wangaratta, scattered about the place, so I'm learning. I believe the P-40N Little Jeanne, now flying in France, was on display at Chewing Gum for a while. |
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Post by nuuumannn on May 23, 2022 18:41:10 GMT 12
A couple of pictures of aircraft that were at Chewing Gum Field, although these photos were taken at Airworld, Wangaratta in the very early 90s. Beech D18S VH-FID and Lockheed Hudson IVa A16-105.  VH-FID  A16-105 This is the AWM Hudson that is on display at Canberra Airport. |
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Post by ron on Aug 23, 2022 17:45:33 GMT 12
I understand that Chewing Gum Field was so named because chewing gum was often used for field repairs in the day. The Ventura was a fuselage only having had the "Farm Shed Mod" postwar. The aircraft is now at the Queensland Air Museum: www.qam.com.au/qam-content/aircraft/ventura/A59-96.htm |
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Post by planecrazy on Aug 25, 2022 10:11:52 GMT 12
Visited her in early July this year, looking great!   |
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Post by camtech on Aug 25, 2022 15:34:36 GMT 12
Good to see her indoors. Shows the amount of work that has been put into her.
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Post by nuuumannn on Nov 21, 2022 14:07:48 GMT 12
Great photos of the Ventura, Planecrazy. Am intrigued by the Boulton Paul D turret frame in the foreground. This was the Avro Lincoln's tail turret armed with two .50 cal MGs.
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