Gulf Aeronautics Pictures

[Bruce]

I have just found a box of photos I took whilst working for Gulf Aeronautics at Ardmore 1990 - 1993. I have scanned a few that may be of interest:


This is the first aircraft I ever worked on, Aero commander 500C ZK-DCF. This aircraft was a real hangar queen and spent most of the time getting something fixed!

Harvard NZ1099 was restored by Gulf before I started, but it lived in the hangar, and we looked after it. It was owned by Jim pavitt and Charles Darby, but has subsequently been sold (overseas?)

Cessna 180 ZK-BFT was a composite rebuild for Jim Pavitt. It utilised most airframe sections of an early 182, but the data plate etc of ZK-BFT/CZW which crashed in southland in the 1960s.


Hangar cat "Mog" was a famous Ardmore identity, seen here snoozing in front of Glenn Thompsons Skybolt

Robert McNair's McNair Mynah 2 got me thinking about designing and building my own aircraft, it just took several more years before I was in a position to do it!


We helped the Croyden aircraft co pack Fox Moth ZK-AEK for her "first" post -restoration journey overseas. It was quite a drama to get it packed on the "flatpack" and to the wharves in time, all the while dealing with export approval etc.
Gulf also imported and resored the second ZK-VNM, a Venom FB4, for Grant Biel.

The aircraft is moved from the "back" Rural Aviation hangar, along the road to the Southwestern apron in preparation of the first post restoration flight. Grant Biel is driving the tractor whilst his son Quilton guides the wing tip.

Outside the Rural hangar waiting to be refuelled

First post -restoration takeoff

a month or two later the Venom appeared at the 1993 Hamilton Airshow, still unpainted. Here Grant takes off for its display. After the show the aircraft received its "Patroille Swiss" Paint scheme.

I have some more photos of the '93 show, I may scan them later.

[Dave Homewood]

Great photos Bruce!

I like the Venom shots. I've never seen one unpainted before and I'm amazed how much is metal. I thought there'd be loads of wood (or is it wood painted to look like metal?)

Did that Venom arrive in NZ painted black, with a skull and crossbones on it? One appeared in NZ Wings but the caption said it was a Mk V. I've read here on the forum that Sir Ken Hayr imported one too, and I wonder if the black one was his?

NZ1099 went to Australia, didn't it? I loved that aircraft, with its rear cockpit guns.

Mog the cat looks very relaxed and satisfied with all he surveyed. We really should have a hangar cat thread someday, eh.

[Bruce]

Yes the Venom did arrive from the US painted black, and although airworthy, there were a number of deficiencie in the US "rebuild", which appeared largely cosmetic. There was also a large amount of hardware that had been changed to US sizes without approval, so that had to come out. The wooden section on the Venom is the front of the fuselage pod from the nose compartment to the engine firewall. This is fabric covered and doped silver grey to prevent UV damage, hence it is not as noticeable in these pictures. There are also a lot of metal hatches etc which make the wooden area appear much smaller from outside, such as the cannon doors, nosewheel hatches and the wing root extensions. interesting metal components that the fabric does cover are some substantial armour plates just below and forward of the windsreen structure.
VNM is a mark IV, possibly Wings had a typo. I'm not sure whether Sir Ken Hayr was involved with this one, as far as I could tell it was mainly Grant's initiative. Being ex Swiss, there were also a lot of Swiss mods as well (the nose being the most obvious!) The manuals and logbooks received with aircraft were in a mix of languages - English, french and German - so there were always a couple of dictionaries in use as well!
There are plenty of stories about Mog and his adventures as well, may tell them later...

[flyjoe180]

NZ1099 was exported to Oz