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Post by Dave Homewood on Dec 1, 2006 13:20:48 GMT 12
I knew of Te Rapa being Hamiton's first aerodrome inthe 1920's and into the 1930's. But the Mach 1977 edition of NZ Wings states that only then was the licence for the aerodrome cancelled, due to "obstructions adjacent to the flightpaths and very long grass on the aerodrome surface."
I had no idea it was an aerodrome for so long. So, did the RNZAF use the strip at all in WWII? I mean their main stores depot was just a few blocks away, it's plausible they may have sent in some Lodestars or C-47's to pick up urgently required equipment, isn't it?
Anyone have any idea?
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Post by steve on Dec 1, 2006 14:58:20 GMT 12
Choppers used to land there all the time with a helipad there up to its closure. You raise a possibility that is plausible...Question.....the avenger parked there on static display up to the 80s...was it trucked in or did it in fact land there on a landing strip sometime in the 50s?
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Post by Peter Lewis on Dec 1, 2006 15:34:41 GMT 12
I knew of Te Rapa being Hamiton's first aerodrome inthe 1920's and into the 1930's. I'm surprised to hear that Te Rapa was ever an airfield site (rather than being a helipad). Some years ago, Peter Layne and I collected his father and went to Te Rapa. His father learnt to fly in the early 1930s at Bryants paddock as the early Hamilton field was then known. This was down Bryants Road, which is the other side of SH1 from the Te Rapa stores depot. The site was still an open field at that time, about 20 years ago, but may well be built on by now. Bryants paddock was the early haunt of Stan Blackmore, and the location of the fatal Blackburn Bluebird crash in 1933. I understand that the plus factor for the Te Rapa stores depot location was that it fronted on to the road and backed on to the railway line. I won't bore you about who Bryant was, but there is a story . . . |
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Post by Dave Homewood on Dec 1, 2006 15:45:33 GMT 12
Bryant's Field is definately the airfield I'm talking about, not the RNZAF Station which was till 1942 just farms.
But the Auckland Aero Club moved it's Hamilton base from Te Rapa to Steele's Farm at Rukuhia in 1930 as it was more suitable for flying from. I assumed that Te Rapa would have fizzled out after that. Apparently not.
Stan Blackmore used to fly into Cambridge for the A&P show and other occasions to take rides. One of my Cambridge airmen said he went up with him in the de Soutter.
I'm sure the former Te Rapa strip (Bryant's farm) is probably built on, that part of the city seems to strectch out with industrial wasteland almost to Hopu Hopu nowadys, and creeps further north every day. Thank god it's not coming south so fast.
Please do 'bore' us with more details of Bryant, history is always worth telling. Is he the man of Mad Mac's Bryant Airways and Bryant Home fame?
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Post by planewriting on Jun 25, 2019 11:06:15 GMT 12
Just been looking in father's (Brian Layne) first logbook. His first (and all subsequent aero club flights other than cross countrys) flight from Rukuhia was on 7 July 1935.Until then, all his flying was from Te Rapa (Bryants) as described above by Peter Lewis.
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Post by Dave Homewood on Jul 19, 2021 22:49:00 GMT 12
So it seems Te Rapa Aerodrome on Bryant's Road, Hamilton, was actually used by the RNZAF during WWII. This advert is from the WAIKATO TIMES, dated 19th of July 1943. I wonder if other RNZAF types flew in and out of there, since the RNZAF Station Te Rapa was so close by it may have been handy for communications flight?  |
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Post by davidd on Jul 20, 2021 13:22:26 GMT 12
Good find Dave, have not seen any such advertisement published before this, although I knew that these activities went on for over 2 and a half years, all around New Zealand, sometimes using paddocks if no actual official airfield existed in the vicinity.
David D
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Post by Dave Homewood on Jul 20, 2021 18:05:05 GMT 12
After McFly reminded me about this old, old thread, I have merged the new thread I started last night into it.
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Post by Peter Lewis on Jul 22, 2021 23:14:12 GMT 12
Doesn't appear to be listed in the 1947 'Whites Air Directory' or 1938 'Air Pilot'.
in Air Pilot, 'Waikato (Rukuhia)' is listed, also an emergency field at Ngaruawahia 'adjacent to the Main Trunk Railway and 2 miles NNE fron Ngaruawahia and 2 miles SSW from Taupiri township', military camp adjoining.
However an additional note says 'Strictly for emergency use only. This landing-ground is not licensed for use as an aerodrome'.
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Post by Dave Homewood on Jul 22, 2021 23:20:28 GMT 12
I wonder if that is where the Corsair made an emergency landing during the war. That as at Taupiri, and it had to get trucked back to Rukuhia.
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Post by Peter Lewis on Aug 5, 2021 16:37:21 GMT 12
Please do 'bore' us with more details of Bryant, history is always worth telling. Is he the man of Mad Mac's Bryant Airways and Bryant Home fame? From an article by Jim Sullivan in the Autumn 1977 AHSNZ Journal: "Bryant House, a 75 acre estate on the northern slopes of Karioi Mountain, south of Raglan Harbour, was for many years before World War II a convalescent home for children, endowed by Daniel Bryant, a wealthy Waikato farmer. In 1929 Bryant and his Trustees decided to establish what was possibly the first business aviation concern in this country - a nationwide stock and station agency using aircraft. The venture was not, therefore, an airline in the strictest sense, although some charter and air taxi operations were included in the prospectus. Early in 1930 a contract was let for the construction of an airfield at Te Rapa. Major G A C (Gerry) Cowper was hired as Chief Pilot and two aircraft were purchased - a DG60 Gipsy Moth and a Desoutter Coupe. The Gipsy Moth was to be used solely by Bryant House stock and station agents and buyers, while the Desoutter would be made available for taxi and charter purposes, the proceeds - if any - going to the upkeep and development of the Raglan estate." As it turned out, the Moth G-EBZY ex-Fiji crashed at Te Awamutu on 21May1930 and this was the end of the Bryant House aviation operation. Cowper departed with the Desoutter ZK-ABX and the Moth was later rebuilt at Hobsonville as ZK-ABV for the Manawatu Aero Club. |
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Post by errolmartyn on Aug 5, 2021 17:02:19 GMT 12
Further to Jim Sulivan's article about Bryant Airways, here is a copy of my 'Toll of the Air' entry that appeared in the Aviation Historical Society Journal a few years ago:
WEDNESDAY 21 MAY 1930
Bryant House Airways Ltd, Te Rapa, de Havilland
DH.60G Moth G-EBZY
Piloted by Captain Alfred Saunders, the two-seater biplane was one of two Moths conducting local passenger flights at Te Awamutu during the day. At 4.25 pm, at an altitude of about 1000 feet, it entered a spin and finally crashed in the car park area of the local racecourse, about 100 feet from the racecourse entrance and near the Te Awamutu Aero Club landing ground, missing 10,000 volt high tension transmission lines by about 20 feet.
The occupants were extricated from the wreckage, Saunders unconscious and passenger Minchin in a semi-conscious state. They were admitted to a nearby private hospital but did not survive their injuries. Minchin died that evening at 7.15 and Saunders, who regained semi-consciousness but could only state – “I cannot remember anything about it [and] I have been flying since 1916 and never had any trouble” – died at 10.00 next morning. Their joint funeral service was held at Te Awamutu’s church of St John’s on the afternoon of the 23rd.
Saunders had intended, it was said, to perform some ‘stunts’ during the flight. According to evidence given at the inquest by ‘A’ Licence pilot Ernest Luks, the Moth rose to about 1000 ft. The pilot then appeared to throttle the engine right back, and, pulling the nose of his machine well up, he did a left-hand stalling turn which developed into a left-hand spin. This continued until the machine crashed to the ground.
Although not present at the accident, Gerry Cowper was also called on to give evidence and was of the opinion that Saunders may not have allowed for the increased rate of descent when spinning with a passenger on board (Minchin weighed about 15 stone).
The opening of the Bryant House Aerodrome at Te Rapa and an air pageant which had been arranged for the next week was cancelled following the tragedy.
G-EBZY had originally been sold to Fiji but after an accident there it was shipped to New Zealand for repair and afterwards, in March 1930, sold to Bryant House Airways. The Moth had not been re-registered in New Zealand at the time of the accident but it was later rebuilt, its engine being replaced with that from Puss Moth ABR, and in 1933 registered as ZK-ABV. After passing through several different owners and at least one more crash and rebuild it was finally written off in another fatal accident, on 3 December 1937.
† Captain Alfred William SAUNDERS, aged 42
(Te Awamutu public cemetery)
Saunders had apparently been called in from Auckland to take the place of Cowper, who was to have piloted the Moth. Irish-born Saunders served at Gallipoli with the Royal Field Artillery and later on the Western Front with the RFC and RAF, where be became a fighter ace, and later in Russia and on the North-West Frontier. He then migrated to Australia and carried on flying there as a civilian pilot, including with West Australian Airways in Western Australia with Charles Kingsford Smith. He then migrated to New Zealand, arriving on 15 May 1929. In March 1931 Kingsford Smith, having only recently been informed of Saunders death, sent payment to the Te Awamutu Aero Club for a wreath to be laid on Saunders grave.
† Alfred Trench MINCHIN, aged 21
(Te Awamutu public cemetery)
Minchin of Broadwood, Hokianga was a carpenter who had been living at Hamilton but recently moved to Te Awamutu to assist his second cousin in building houses there. He had been learning to fly as the first pupil of the Te Awamutu Aero Club (a branch of the Auckland Aero Club) and apparently was soon to make his first solo flight. A prominent player with the Rovers Football Club, reportedly on completion of his pilot training he intended to proceed to the United States to take up flying there professionally.
Errol
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Post by oj on Aug 5, 2021 20:31:48 GMT 12
It is all fascinating but I am troubled by not being able to find any photos of said Te Rapa airfield.
A very careful search of Retrolens was unfruitful. Not the slightest trace of a landing strip or any buildings other than for farm use.
My search involved a wide radius from Te-Rapa and the Bryant suburbs.
Anybody got any good oil on this?
I know it existed somewhere as many older relatives and grandparents had loosely described it as being next to a row of old horse stables (not at the racecourse) that were more-or-less opposite the later RNZAF Station Te Rapa. Thet is, across the main north road of the day.
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Post by AussieBob on Aug 5, 2021 23:22:27 GMT 12
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Post by Dave Homewood on Aug 5, 2021 23:52:28 GMT 12
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Post by shorty on Aug 6, 2021 6:16:13 GMT 12
I lived in 12 Pacific Cres, on the corner of the right-of-way. What I can't see in the photo is the fire reservoir. The TBF is just visible on the corner of the grass square behind No 4 site and opposite the barracks
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Post by Dave Homewood on Aug 6, 2021 8:03:38 GMT 12
One building I recall seeing vividly when I was visiting RNZAF Base Te Rapa in 1988 for my pre-recruitment medical was a tall building in the centre of the base that had a sign on it saying 'Elephant House'. I never found out what was kept in that building, and I don't see it in the photo above.
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Post by oj on Aug 6, 2021 20:08:33 GMT 12
Thanks Dave, for those five newspaper references.
The third one, showing the parachutist exiting ZK-ABZ has some clues and some worries about the 1930's version of photo-shopping.
Firstly, the aerial view is looking southeast. The Y intersection is of Te Rapa road and Pukete road and over the years of development the geometry has remained the same.
The very large buildings in the background need explaining. All of that is OK.
The worry is my second point.
That looks to be far too low an altitude for a parachutist to be jumping from.
Back in the pre-war photography days, professional photographers used to "photo shop" images quite a lot.
I knew one in Thames, a Mr Wood who produced many composite images about events in Thames.
Have another close look at that image.
What do you think?
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Post by oj on Aug 6, 2021 20:10:21 GMT 12
With regard to the "Elephant tower" at Te Rapa base: I was never based there but might it have been the parachute-packers inspection and drying tower?
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Post by Dave Homewood on Aug 7, 2021 0:15:59 GMT 12
I don't think there ever was parachute packers based there, were there Shorty? I cannot see the point of storing and packing chutes on a non-flying base.
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