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Post by Dave Homewood on Aug 29, 2022 22:57:03 GMT 12
Want to buy a DC3?
Wellington reporter
“For sale, in good working order, only one owner, five aeroplanes plus 3000-odd spare parts; tenders invited, please apply Government Stores Board, Wellington; tenders close 1 p.m., September 4.
Five DC3 aircraft built in 1943 and flown by the Royal New Zealand Air Force have been put up for tender.
They are described by the secretary of the Government Stores Board (Mr R. Mortimore) as being in “pretty good condition,” but will no doubt require extensive modification if intended for civilian use. The five Douglas Dakota DC3s have a combined total of 138,304.3 hours. But one, which was the backup V.I.P. aircraft for the Government, has flown much fewer hours than the others.
Also listed are eight spare Pratt and Whitney R1830-92 twin row Wasp aero engines and three spare propellers.
The five DC3s are at Ohakea; about 2000 spare parts are held at Te Rapa, 550 at Wigram and 450 at Ohakea. Te Rapa holds the main R.N.Z.A.F. spares depot.
The tenders were announced on Monday, but already a flood of inquiries has resulted, says Mr Mortimore. The aeroplanes are still extremely popular for freight and feeder passenger services in many countries.
Mr K. H. McElroy, disposals officer with the Government Stores Board, said nobody really knew the value of the aeroplanes or the spares, but in two months market forces should be able to establish their value.
PRESS, 26 JULY 1978
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Post by Dave Homewood on Aug 30, 2022 17:07:14 GMT 12
Rhodesia sanction breaking denied
Reports that five DC3 aircraft in Christchurch would be flown to Rhodesia have been denied by a spokesman for the purchasing firm — he says they will go to West Africa.
Mr K. B. Neely, a director of Island Associates, Ltd. said last evening that the five former R.N.Z.A.F. DC3s would carry out contract work in West Africa and later in Greenland and Iceland. His statement came after a call for an investigation by the member of Parliament, for Papanui (Mr M. K. Moore) who said that he had been told of a possible sanctions-breaking supply of aircraft to Rhodesia.
Mr Moore received an anonymous telephone call on Thursday about the future of the DC3s. He said that it was his “duty to inform the Government so that it could make inquiries.”
Mr Neely said that if Mr Moore would like to meet him in a television studio and withdraw his allegations, he would be quite happy.
“I regard it as irresponsible to hide behind an anonymous telephone call. Mr Moore should stand up and, be counted,” said Mr Neely.
The DC3s were built 35 years ago and used by the R.N.Z.A.F. during World War II. After the war they were used by the National Airways Corporation before passing to the Government Stores Board, which put them up for tender. Their selling price has not been divulged but they are reported to have 20 years of flying left in them.
The DC3s are at Christchurch Airport, being prepared for the flight to London. The Government banned the export of 14 Airtrainer aircraft by the Hamilton firm of Aerospace Industries, Ltd. in May, 1976, after a similar inquiry. A Swiss firm had ordered the aircraft, but the inquiry showed that there had been no application for the import of the aircraft, nor had entry in the Swiss register of aircraft been sought.
PRESS, 13 JANUARY 1979
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Post by Dave Homewood on Aug 30, 2022 17:22:40 GMT 12
No apology for Mr Moore
PA Wellington
The Minister of Foreign Affairs (Mr Talboys) does not not intend to apologise to the Labour member of Parliament for Papanui, Mr M. K. Moore, who has campaigned to stop the sale of five former R.N.Z.A.F. aircraft because he asserts they are bound for Rhodesia. Mr Talboys has been critical of Mr Moore's assertions, but disclosed last week that he was making inquiries so that the Government could be satisfied the DC3 aircraft were not destined for Rhodesia.
This prompted a call from the Leader of the Opposition (Mr Rowling) for Mr Talboys to apologise to Mr Moore. Mr Tallboys said that the Government had started inquiries before the matter had been raised by Mr Moore. “I stand by my remarks and have no intention of apologising to Mr Moore,” said Mr Talboys.
Mr L. W. Brown, Q.C., of Auckland, the lawyer acting for the company which bought the aircraft, said that the DC3s would be used in Ghana for general cargo work.
He said that he had written to the Crown Law Office and hoped the delivery would be allowed to proceed.
PRESS, 15 FEBRUARY 1979
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Post by Dave Homewood on Aug 30, 2022 17:29:01 GMT 12
No ban on DC3s
PA Wellington
The Government will allow five former R.N.Z.A.F. DC3 aircraft to be exported. The Minister of Foreign Affairs (Mr Talboys) said yesterday that the Government had not disputed the purchasers’ title to the aircraft, nor their general freedom to deal with them as they wished.
The purchaser is a firm named Island Associates.
“New Zealand is bound by decisions of the United Nations to prevent the export of goods to Rhodesia,’’ Mr Talboys said. “It is an offence under New Zealand law to export aircraft or any other goods there.
“When, subsequent to the purchase, doubts arose about the final destination of these aircraft, the Government was obliged to make inquiries to satisfy itself that their export would not constitute a breach of New Zealand law.”
Mr Talboys said that the Government had received conflicting information about the destination of the aircraft.
London, Nairobi, and Accra had each been named by those connected with the export of the aircraft as the destination.
“Inconsistencies were also found in the information obtained from those connected with Island Associates about how registration would be handled, the airline which would use them, and the purpose for which they would be used,” Mr Talboys said.
“In addition, for reasons which have been referred to by the media recently, the Government had reason to make additional inquiries about the standing of the purchaser. “Accordingly, the Crown Law Office earlier this month directed specific questions to the purchaser” he said.
Additional inquiries had been made in the light of the reply received. These had disclosed that arrangements for the registration of the aircraft had been initiated in Ghana, Mr Talboys said.
The Government was satisfied about the intended destination of the aircraft, and the purchaser had been advised that the aircraft could leave New Zealand, Mr Talboys said.
PRESS, 24 FEBRUARY 1979
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Post by delticman on Aug 30, 2022 20:21:26 GMT 12
No ban on DC3s
PA Wellington The Government will allow five former R.N.Z.A.F. DC3 aircraft to be exported. The Minister of Foreign Affairs (Mr Talboys) said yesterday that the Government had not disputed the purchasers’ title to the aircraft, nor their general freedom to deal with them as they wished. The purchaser is a firm named Island Associates. “New Zealand is bound by decisions of the United Nations to prevent the export of goods to Rhodesia,’’ Mr Talboys said. “It is an offence under New Zealand law to export aircraft or any other goods there. “When, subsequent to the purchase, doubts arose about the final destination of these aircraft, the Government was obliged to make inquiries to satisfy itself that their export would not constitute a breach of New Zealand law.” Mr Talboys said that the Government had received conflicting information about the destination of the aircraft. London, Nairobi, and Accra had each been named by those connected with the export of the aircraft as the destination. “Inconsistencies were also found in the information obtained from those connected with Island Associates about how registration would be handled, the airline which would use them, and the purpose for which they would be used,” Mr Talboys said. “In addition, for reasons which have been referred to by the media recently, the Government had reason to make additional inquiries about the standing of the purchaser. “Accordingly, the Crown Law Office earlier this month directed specific questions to the purchaser” he said. Additional inquiries had been made in the light of the reply received. These had disclosed that arrangements for the registration of the aircraft had been initiated in Ghana, Mr Talboys said. The Government was satisfied about the intended destination of the aircraft, and the purchaser had been advised that the aircraft could leave New Zealand, Mr Talboys said. PRESS, 24 FEBRUARY 1979 For those who dont know, they ended up with the South African Air Force. |
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Post by Dave Homewood on Aug 30, 2022 20:25:46 GMT 12
I did know that but I do not know how they went from the private company Island Associates to the SAAF. Can anyone please enlighten me? And do any of those five still exist/fly?
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Post by delticman on Aug 30, 2022 22:43:44 GMT 12
I did know that but I do not know how they went from the private company Island Associates to the SAAF. Can anyone please enlighten me? And do any of those five still exist/fly? They are all on ADF Serials. |
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Post by Dave Homewood on Aug 30, 2022 22:50:37 GMT 12
All that page says is they went:
To Island Associates, Moroni, Comoros Republic
Ferried ex Auckland to Singapore
To South African Air Force
That does not say how aircraft owned by a private company that all went to Singapore ended up owned by the SAAF. Did they actually go to Africa and get confiscated before reaching Rhodesia? Were they simply purchased?
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Post by delticman on Aug 30, 2022 23:00:33 GMT 12
All that page says is they went: To Island Associates, Moroni, Comoros Republic Ferried ex Auckland to Singapore To South African Air Force That does not say how aircraft owned by a private company that all went to Singapore ended up owned by the SAAF. Did they actually go to Africa and get confiscated before reaching Rhodesia? Were they simply purchased? I'll get back to you in the morning. |
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Post by Dave Homewood on Aug 30, 2022 23:15:33 GMT 12
The plot thickens... South Africa is mentioned.
Minister questioned on DC3s’ mystery buyer
PA Wellington
The national anti-apartheid council has called on the Minister of Foreign Affairs (Mr Talboys) to publish in full the Government’s findings on the sale of R.N.Z.A.F. DC3s to the British-based firm. "Island Associates.”
“Whichever way you look at it, an injustice has been done which can only be cleared by this procedure,” said the council’s secretary-organiser (Mr D. Rockell). “If the firm is innocent of attempting to supply aircraft to Rhodesia or South Africa, as it now would appear to be, an enormous number of doubts have been raised which can only be alleviated by such publication. By the same token, these doubts have not been answered adequately, and my council is sending a full coverage of events to the United Nations sanctions committee.”
In a telegram to the Minister, the council has requested answers to the following 11 questions about the purchase:
If Ghana is the final destination, and the planes were sold on an “oil-work” understanding, what is the understanding now?
What is the nature of oil work in Ghana?
Why have Ghana, Guyana, Europe, Iceland and Greenland been cited as possible destinations at different times?
Why did investigations begin after the contract was signed, and not before making the sale?
Iceland and Greenland have been cited as a future destination: what is the nature of the work of such planes in these countries?
Where is the company “Island Associates” registered and/or what are its bona fides?
Has “Island Associates” another office other than that of Norma Skemp Personnel Services — an employment agency?
What is the name of “Island Associates” mother company if it has one?
Has “West African Air Cargo” been confirmed as I the buyer?
Has the Ghanaian High Commission in London now acknowledged the deal (having previously never heard of West African Air Cargo)?
Is the Ghanaian Department of Civil Aviation in London now acquainted with “Island Associates”?
Has “Island Associates” an air-operator license?
The council said it was to be hoped that a publication of detail would answer the questions it posed.
PRESS, 6 MARCH 1979
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Post by Dave Homewood on Aug 30, 2022 23:20:23 GMT 12
DC3 sale might fall through
NZPA London
Mr Brian Neely, an aircraft broker, will return to London from Europe next week to resume negotiations for the sale of the DC3 aircraft he is now allowed to buy from New Zealand.
“We do not know whether' the delay caused by the New Zealand Government will have resulted in the contract being cancelled,” Mr Neely’s secretary said this week.
Mr Neely, of Island Associates, will resume the negotiations when he returns from a ski-ing holiday in Europe.
The five former R.N.Z.A.F.' DC3s were bound for West African Air Cargo in Accra, Ghana, and not for Rhodesia, as had been suspected. The Minister of Foreign Affairs (Mr Talboys), gave the go-ahead for the sale last week after the Government had inquired about the destination of the aircraft.
Mr Talboys said he was satisfied that registration of the aircraft had been initiated in Ghana. Mr Neely’s secretary said that West African Air Cargo had wanted immediate delivery of the aircraft and that in the nearly two months' since the Government first blocked the sale, “they could have changed their mind.”
Mr Neely had been considering sueing the Government for loss of business and, according to his secretary, he left for his ski-ing holiday three weeks ago to get away from what she called “the horrible mess.”
Mr Neely is expected to return to New Zealand to complete the purchase.
PRESS, 6 MARCH 1979
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Post by Dave Homewood on Aug 30, 2022 23:25:47 GMT 12
Broker fears DC3 deal may be off
NZPA London
An aircraft broker, Mr Brian Neely, plans to fly from London to west Africa soon in an attempt to salvage a contract which he suspects the New Zealand Government may have ruined.
Mr Neely will meet officials of Ghana’s West African Air Cargo, the company which wanted the five former R.N.Z.A.F. DC3s he bought from the New Zealand Government before Christmas. But Mr Neely fears that delays caused by the Government’s investigation of the sale may have caused the company to look elsewhere.
The Government ordered a halt to the transaction while it investigated the basis of a claim by the Labour member of Parliament for Papanui (Mr M. K. Moore) that the Dakotas ■were bound illegally for Rhodesia. The Minister of Foreign Affairs (Mr Talboys) eventually announced that the Government was satisfied the aircraft were bound for Ghana and export certificates were approved. But the Government’s approval did not solve Mr Neely’s problems. Apart from owning five Dakotas which he now may not be able to sell he may not be able to fly them out of New Zealand.
“There is a shortage of fuel throughout Africa and the Middle East and now in New Zealand,” said Mr Neely. “There was no shortage at the time I originally intended to take the aircraft out of New Zealand.” He confirmed that he had issued a writ against the Government for loss of business but would not say what he was claiming other than to say it was a six-figure sum.
The purchase price of the aircraft has never been disclosed.
Mr Neely bitterly attacked Mr Moore, the Government, and New Zealand newspapers for “creating a mystery where there was none.” He said the aircraft were destined for oil exploration support work in Ghana and there had never been any doubt about that.
“The government spoke of inconsistencies but there were none as far as I was concerned. Red herrings were drawn by people speculating about where the aircraft may have been going.
“If there was concern, why did they not investigate before the sale and not afterwards? I was in the position of having to prove the DC3s were not going to Rhodesia: how do you prove a negative?
“The more I said, the more journalists made a mystery out of it by slanting their stories or leaving out key phrases and sentences. We have not varied our position from the word go.”
Mr Neely, whose Island Associates Company acts as a team of international aviation consultants, asked why his company and the Ghana company should suffer because “of an anonymous telephone call Mike Moore said he received.”
PRESS, 10 MARCH 1979
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Post by Dave Homewood on Sept 2, 2022 1:38:23 GMT 12
DC3 dealer back to do battle
The five DC3 aircraft which have been sitting at Christchurch Airport for the last six months are about to become the subject of a writ for compensation of more than $1M against the Government.
Mr K. B. Neely, the British aircraft broker who bought the DC3s last November, arrived back in New Zealand yesterday, challenging the Government to be “responsible” and make good the financial loss which he says has resulted from the inquiry into the the possibility of the aircraft being used in Rhodesia.
Mr Neely said that his company, Island Associates, had had a “really raw deal” from the Government, which could damage New Zealand’s trading image in Africa.
The five former R.N.Z.A.F. DC3s, sold by the Government Stores Board, were stopped from leaving Christchurch, in January, four days before the planned departure for Ghana. A Government inquiry has since confirmed that they were to be leased for a cargo service along the West African coast, as Mr Neely had originally guaranteed. The aircraft were cleared to leave New Zealand in February, but this had been impossible because of a shortage of fuel which developed about that time at stopping-off points along the way to Africa, Mr Neely said.
The closing of an oil refinery at Abadan meant that there were still no supplies of Avgas, the special aviation fuel needed for the DC3s, and there was no indication of when this would improve, he said.
As well, Mr Neely said, Island Associates had lost on the work which the aircraft were to do in Africa. Another company also using DC3s, had moved in on the “market.”
“What will happen to the aircraft now is the big question,” Mr Neely said. “They are still ready to go, but have nowhere to go.”
Solicitors in Auckland, acting for the company, would spend several days putting “all the facts together.” before a writ was filed, Mr Neely said. He had collected evidence overseas, including a statement by Shell International, to verify a shortage of Avgas. Mr Neely said that the claim would certainly exceed $1M. It would include insurances, maintenance costs at Christchurch, and a claim for the amount which the aircraft could have earned in Africa. Mr Neely put the earning value about $5000 a day. There is also the matter of parking fees, owed to the Christchurch City Council, reported to be $50 a day for the five aircraft.
“The writ will be issued, and we will see how responsible your Government is,” Mr Neely said. He was critical of the timing, and length, of the inquiry which was made into the eventual destination of the DC3s. “The whole thing was blown up as a mystery, where there was no mystery,” he said. He said he did not know why the investigation had started, although he had some “shrewd ideas” that it had involved an anonymous telephone call to a member of Parliament.
“I do not blame the public servants; we got caught up in some political crossfire,” he said. The Minister of Foreign Affairs (Mr Talboys) has said that the inquiry started last December as a matter of normal policy. Mr Neely said that he did not disagree with New Zealand’s right to protect itself against Rhodesian sanction-breaking. He questioned why the inquiry had not been made before the sale was completed, and why the company was not informed of it beforehand.
“We acted completely in good faith,” he said. Everything had been done properly as far as the company was concerned, and it did not owe anyone in New Zealand anything, Mr Neely said. He ruled out the possibility of 'Island Associates’ now reselling the DC3 because it could not use them. The price paid for them was a “confidential matter,” he said. He also criticised a lack of communication with the company over the whole issue.
Mr Neely said that he had heard of developments through the news media, and not directly from the Government. This criticism extended to the Christchurch City Council, which, he said, had not bothered to reply to a letter in February, inquiring about parking fees at the airport. Mr Neely suggested that the delay to the aircraft had been bad public relations for New Zealand in African countries where it had no diplomatic representation. Because the company had not been able to fulfil its contracts in West Africa, “a lot of people have been let down.” He could be seen as a form of “trade ambassador,” for New Zealand, Mr Neely said, yet his attitude to those he talked to now was “Don’t trade with New Zealand.”
PRESS, 11 MAY 1979
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Post by Dave Homewood on Sept 6, 2022 0:41:39 GMT 12
Veteran airborne once again
Old Dakotas never die. That was proved in the sky over Christchurch on Saturday, when ZK-ERI went through its paces. It was not fast but it was sturdy and dependable. The aircraft is the “flagship” of the five Dakotas, now a familiar sight at Christchurch Airport. On Saturday it was the first time any had been flown for seven months.
After an hour’s flying over the city and plains, Mr N. Brown, co-pilot and maintenance engineer, was able to report, “not a single defect.”
The fleet has been carefully maintained and “run up” on the ground since January, when its departure from Christchurch was delayed amid controversy that the planes were bound for Rhodesia. The future of the five Dakotas (DC3 is the civil designation) remains uncertain, although potentially they still have long working lives.
The owner, Island Associates, international aircraft brokers, says shortages of Avgas since a Government inquiry cleared the company of possible sanction-breaking have prevented a delivery flight to Ghana. Court action is pending on a compensation claim against the Government.
According to Mr Brown, months parked out of doors have caused no deterioration in the aircraft. From now, flights will be made weekly, to check engines, landing gear, and instruments.
A retired N.A.C. captain, Mr L. Page, piloted Saturday’s flight.
Dakotas, especially those in tip-top condition, are valuable aircraft. Careful past ownership by the R.N.Z.A.F. and N.A.C. has left this collection well preserved. ZK-ERI is the pride of the fleet. Unlike the other four, it was not handed on to N.A.C. and in 1952 was fitted out as one of the Air Force’s two V.I.P. Dakotas. This aircraft retains the comfortable interior trappings and in terms of flying hours (13,712) is comparatively young.
It is, however, a veteran of two wars. It flew in the Pacific in 1945, and in Malaya, with No. 41 Squadron, in 1949-50. Although the last Dakotas were built in 1946, they are making something of a comeback throughout the world. Their reputation for hard work, durability, and comparatively low cost remains unsurpassed for certain types of flying.
An estimated 400 are still in service with air forces and small airlines, many having been resurrected from the scrap yard. The ability to carry big loads from small air strips has made the Dakota valuable on second-line freight routes. The mini-airline at Christchurch Airport, according to its owner, was bound for short-hop freight work along the West African coast.
Now that these plans have stalled, the five Dakotas could be expected to fetch a top price if resold on the world market.
The purchase price paid to the Government Stores Board has not been disclosed, but it is thought to be higher than the $18,000 paid for an aircraft sold by N.A.C. five years ago. According to Mr Brown, an equivalent Dakota would today be valued at $60,000 on the world market.
PRESS, 13 AUGUST 1979
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Post by davidd on Sept 7, 2022 11:44:16 GMT 12
Mentioned in the above article is Noel Brown, who had a very long career as an aircraft engineer (DH's, TEAL, NAC, Air NZ, also assembled imported Austers by himself in late 1940s/early 50s, try that sometime!), and his last gasp was as a volunteer at the RNZAF Museum until his death in perhaps the early 2000s. A very fine and knowledgeable chap indeed.
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