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Salvage
Oct 24, 2006 11:33:38 GMT 12
Post by turboNZ on Oct 24, 2006 11:33:38 GMT 12
Greetings,
Just been watching the Discovery Channel a firm that does artwork using old aircraft and war surplus materials. This is of great interest to me as many of you know that my business does similar design work using alloy etc.
What my question is, is that they go around foraging in the old salvage yards. Is there anywhere in NZ that has those sort of Davis-Montan style places? I know after the war there was that place where all of the old aircraft were broken up (Ruakuia - spelling?).
Ta, TNz
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Salvage
Oct 24, 2006 14:15:39 GMT 12
Post by corsair67 on Oct 24, 2006 14:15:39 GMT 12
Chris, I think most of the war surplus stuff in NZ (and Australia) has either been melted down, destroyed by other means, or acquired by collectors by now.
I guess there are plenty of other aircraft around that have been damaged or written off in accidents that may be floating around, but I don't know how easy it would be to get your hands on those parts.
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Salvage
Oct 24, 2006 14:38:26 GMT 12
Post by turboNZ on Oct 24, 2006 14:38:26 GMT 12
Hmm,....that was the answer I thought I'd get, Craig.
Ah well, time to tell the Missus we're shifting to Arizona !!! ;D
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Salvage
Oct 24, 2006 15:39:54 GMT 12
Post by Bruce on Oct 24, 2006 15:39:54 GMT 12
Well, I am aware of several hangar loads of crashed / salvaged GA aircraft (Cessnas and the Like) but nothing like a surplus Corsair or anything really sought after - depends what sort of stuff you want....
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Salvage
Oct 24, 2006 20:39:06 GMT 12
Post by Peter Lewis on Oct 24, 2006 20:39:06 GMT 12
Here you go, Chris, Rukuhia . . . Mind, you're probably a little late in the day to grab the real bargains (like, 60 years!).
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Salvage
Oct 24, 2006 21:25:06 GMT 12
Post by turboNZ on Oct 24, 2006 21:25:06 GMT 12
aw...sheeez...thanks.... ;D
Hmm,...is that a fact, Bruce....hmmm..worth thinking about.
Cheers for the help, Guys.
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Salvage
Oct 24, 2006 22:00:16 GMT 12
Post by Bruce on Oct 24, 2006 22:00:16 GMT 12
Great picture - I havent seen that one before - as an illustration of how much Hamilton (Rukuhia) airport has changed, the current threshold for the main runway 18 would be about where the building is middle left with the runway passing through the other clump of buildings and the gap between the Venturas and P40s. My current workshop would be directly ahead in this picture - there is a little index crosshair just to the Right of the big Hangar (Now PAC) and behind that a small hill can be discerned (if you look hard) - my workshop would be just behind that hill (about 3 or 4 km from the airport). What it would be to find one of those P40s lying forgotten, perhaps down one of the banks between the airfield and river. 60 years too late......
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Salvage
Oct 25, 2006 19:54:06 GMT 12
Post by steve on Oct 25, 2006 19:54:06 GMT 12
Yes ideed one picture of the stored ww2 aircraft i have not seen....so let me get my bearings ...is that track heading towards the hangar to the right (looking north) of the current SH3? or is that the old hamilton Te Aramutu road? Does anyone know when the last of the wrecks on airfield were removed for melting down...i sort of remember seeing such parked wrecks in 1962 but cannot be sure i was very young?
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Salvage
Oct 25, 2006 20:35:58 GMT 12
Post by Bruce on Oct 25, 2006 20:35:58 GMT 12
The Hangar at the rear of the photo is the PAC hangar, the view is looking almost due east from about where the current NDB Beacon sits. The road crossing left to right across the top of the image is where Airport road currently runs. The site of the current terminal would be just out of frame to the right. The taxiway leading from the buildings in centre, towards the road then turning to run parallel with the road to the Hangar is still in regular use by PAC. The runways were laid out very differently prior to the 1960s reconstruction (For the NAC Friendships) and as far as I can tell had several grass runways radiating from the corner shown - I think the edge of one (Roughly aligning with todays 08-26) is visible to the right. I hope that hasnt made things more confusing! Most of the scrapping operations had moved off site by the time of the mid 60s reconstruction (the main smelter was situated near the current Airport Motor Lodge) but I have seen pictures from the mid 1970s showing P40s still on site.
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Salvage
Oct 25, 2006 21:32:19 GMT 12
Post by steve on Oct 25, 2006 21:32:19 GMT 12
thanks Bruce...now i have my bearings...a real hobby of mine is to go to the present location wich such an old pic and try to work out the exact position...In Warren Russells Corasir special book there is a picture of approx 100 corsairs...i wonder if the location was similar?
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Salvage
Oct 26, 2006 8:23:57 GMT 12
Post by turboNZ on Oct 26, 2006 8:23:57 GMT 12
It's all too sad to see pics like that
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Salvage
Oct 26, 2006 20:04:25 GMT 12
Post by Peter Lewis on Oct 26, 2006 20:04:25 GMT 12
What stuns me is how they managed to successfully run an airfield without 3 metre high security fences, pay-and -display car parks and the Aviation Security Service.
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Salvage
Oct 26, 2006 21:16:59 GMT 12
Post by Bruce on Oct 26, 2006 21:16:59 GMT 12
not to mention the the landing randsom ... oops Landing fees.
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