AlpineHelicopters' C-47's

[Dave Homewood]

During the 1970's the Alpine Helicopters group, headed by Tim Wallis, apparently operated two ex-RNZAF C-47's.

One ended up as the Yankee Zephyr for the film, and was destroyed. The other was apparently last seen in Kenya in 1995.

Does anyone know whether they carried a specific livery or colour scheme whilst with Alpine? If so, has anyone got any photos of them in Alpine service?

You can see more about them here on Ivan's site
www.adf-serials.com/nz-serials/nz3501.shtml

They were NZ3518 and NZ3552.

Incidentally the Alpine Fighter Colection also owned NZ3543 for a short while. Did they ever paint it into warbird colours? Did they operate it at air displays at all? They only had it a very short time so probably not.

Something else regarding the Race for the Yankee Zephyr and Alpine, someone tole me years ago that Tim Wallis also owned or part owned the famous Helicopter Line - those red/blue/white tourist Jet Rangers that flky in the mountains and which featured in the film. Is this true or just scuttlebuck? Did he have interests in that operation? If so, does he still I wonder. Just curiosity, that's all.

[Bruce]

I have seen a picture of one of them quite some time ago in Wings magazine. The scheme was the old Mount cook airlines light blue stripe (which would make it ZK- BEU) with a Stags head on the tail. The cabin titles were "Luggate game Packers". I wonder what colours ZK-BBJ wore during its time as that was ex NAC. (This went to Fieldair and became the last Ag Dak and one of the DC3s used by Fieldair Freight in the late 1980s).
I dont believe Tim Wallis was a shareholder in The Helicopter line, as that was a merger of Wishart Helicopters, Whirlwide and a couple of other operators, all of them Alpine Helicopters' Arch rivals. At the time the deer shooting business was taking no prisoners and was referred to as the "Deer Wars". During this time, Tim Wallis tried a number of innovative ideas, introducing the Net gun to NZ, and at one time basing two Hughes 500s on a converted trawler in fijordland to service the less accesible "back side" of the ranges. Moving carcasses and later live deer by DC3 was also part of the plan.
The Yankee Zephyr film was pretty typical of NZ Movies at the time, not great but good fun anyway (remember "Battletruck" from the same era?). Its a pity though that the DC3 couldnt be put in a museum somewhere (Queenstown motor museum?) even as a Diorama with all the Hollywood weathering effects. Still, there were plenty of surplus DC3s in the early 80s.

ZK-AWP (NZ3543) stayed in its classic Air colours (white and Burgundy) during its time at Wanaka. It only lost that scheme when it went to the NZ aerial Mapping historic flight (briefly) and was reapinted in NAC Skyliner colours.

[Bruce]

Check the pictures on the adf serials page:
www.adf-serials.com/nz-serials/gallery/Dakota/IP_NZ3552asBBJ

answers my question about BBJ

[Dave Homewood]

Cheers Bruce. Interesting photo. I never thought to check Ivan's gallery. We haven't seen much of Ivan here lately.