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Rumours!
May 21, 2020 10:09:00 GMT 12
via mobile
Post by baz62 on May 21, 2020 10:09:00 GMT 12
Yes that sounds right.
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Post by Luis 'ᚭᛋᛒᛁᛅᚱᚾ' Rozas on May 21, 2020 11:56:46 GMT 12
Anyone seen any Folland Gnats about the place? A mate sent me a screenshot from a US website which has Gnat T.1 XR987/N7CV as “cancelled, exported to New Zealand”...? . There may have been a plan for adventure flights. I know they had an Iskra at one stage too. Would that be N902BB? The Iskra I mean. |
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Post by l29 on May 21, 2020 12:21:30 GMT 12
The iskra that was with shortstop charters is still based in Melbourne with another owner and has been fitted with a RR Viper 202. The Gnat they had went to China.
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Post by planewriting on May 21, 2020 17:52:47 GMT 12
Referring to the list of rumours recorded earlier in this thread.
1.A neighbour was working for a trucking firm on hay work and reckons on a farm north of Waipara there was the body of a fairly large (Hudson/C 47 size) aircraft.
2.Some C-47s stored in North Canterbury somewhere. This came from an AHSNZ booklet years ago (maybe ties in with the above?)
I have just stumbled on a report in AHSNZ Journal June 1962 page 97 "In a Christchurch Scrap Yard" It was a report by G J Adams who with Ron Killick and Derek Woodhall visited a scrap metal yard at Bexley owned by Mr B F Cunningham on 27 January 1962. Only reference to a C-47 / DC-3 was a mainplane with ZK-AOI painted on. It was still in service with NAC so I suppose something must have happened for the mainplane to be scrapped. Other interesting things observed were parts of Globemaster 52-1017 "City of Christchurch" reported to have crashed at Cape Hallett Antarctica on 16 October 1958 following which it was stripped and brought back to Christchurch for use of spare parts. Needless to say there were truckloads of Harvards of which details appear in the report.
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Post by Deleted on May 21, 2020 17:59:41 GMT 12
How long ago are you referring to Zac? Sorry Dave, I should have said! The FAA cancelled the Gnat in August last year (screenshot from their site):  N7CV FAA screenshot by Zac Yates, on Flickr |
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Post by vultee43 on May 21, 2020 21:00:53 GMT 12
. There may have been a plan for adventure flights. I know they had an Iskra at one stage too. Would that be N902BB? The Iskra I mean. I know it is registered VH - ISK in Australia. Its serial is 1H0608. That's as much as I know. |
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Post by denysjones on May 22, 2020 9:20:57 GMT 12
Peter/Planewriting,
There may be some foundation in your point 1.
Way back in the 1970's I was trying to trace the F4U that was disposed of from Wigram to "Mr Shearer" and so commenced phoning the Shearer listings in the phone book gradually getting further afield from Christchurch. I eventually got to speak to one resident north of Kaiapoi who cheerfully informed me that "nope never had a Corsair....but I did have a Hudson but got rid of that years ago". As I was screwed down for Corsair at the time I didn't get details on the fate of the Hudson.
Cunningham's yard was a happy hunting ground for us in the early days of Ferrymead. They were frequent purchasers of material ex-NAC (and the RNZAF for that matter) but when I was going there in the mid-1970's it was mainly heavy hardware like engine and undercarriage stuff not wings etc.
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Post by shorty on May 22, 2020 9:50:51 GMT 12
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Post by davidd on May 22, 2020 12:21:24 GMT 12
Two other Tomtits are recorded as having been destroyed in the Rongotai (ex NZ Exhibition buildings) fire of September 1946, but no-one seems to know exactly which particular ones were involved. So rather sad that although NZ53/INST-13 was able to survive in the bracing climate of the central South Island for many years after that, it eventually just "faded away". Looks like some nice examples of NZ native trees standing in background, wondering what this little stranger is doing in their midst, so far from home.
David D
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Post by scrooge on May 22, 2020 17:05:54 GMT 12
Well, it's tied down and it looks like it's fully fenced so that looks to be a 'permanent' parking spot. It appears to be as described in the 3rd to last paragraph in the article.
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Post by Deleted on Jun 11, 2020 14:44:32 GMT 12
I figured these two tidbits were best posted in this thread rather than the DC-3 one as they strike me as rumours. As we passed through Mangaweka on our way to and from a wedding last week I posted a walkaround of ZK-APK, the DC-3 there, on a DC-3 fan group on Facebook. Can anyone answer the question posed below regarding possible preservation plans? (the cafe is definitely long-closed):  ZK-APK Facebook query by Zac Yates, on Flickr So this has popped up on Facebook, photos posted by Andy May in the Manawatu Aviation Enthusiasts and Plane Spotting group three hours ago:  ZK-APK Mangaweka 110620 Andy May 2 by Zac Yates, on Flickr  ZK-APK Mangaweka 110620 Andy May 1 by Zac Yates, on Flickr "Wife told me she j heard on the radio one morining it had been sold and the petrol station is starting up again when I asked for more details she didnt know ...not an aviation enthusiast clearly" - poster Andy on Facebook Anyone know anything? |
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Post by l29 on Jun 11, 2020 16:06:36 GMT 12
You will probably find it appear at a fairly active museum
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Rumours!
Jun 11, 2020 18:44:59 GMT 12
via mobile
Post by vultee43 on Jun 11, 2020 18:44:59 GMT 12
Saw APK on the U.S. Planesavers You Tube Channel. Nothing was mentioned about restoration or change.
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Post by Deleted on Oct 20, 2020 12:04:18 GMT 12
Anyone seen any Folland Gnats about the place? A mate sent me a screenshot from a US website which has Gnat T.1 XR987/N7CV as “cancelled, exported to New Zealand”...? She’s due to arrive at Tauranga on November 22, and owner Matt Wilcock said on Facebook she will hopefully be flying Q1 2020. It’s probably smart to start a dedicated thread but, in the meantime, Matt has set up a Facebook group called Gnat In New Zealand (link) where developments can be followed. He said his parents gave him a book for his 7th birthday with Gnats (including XR987!) on the cover and throughout and that it was the birth of a lifelong dream to own and fly a Gnat of his own. Bravo Matt! |
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Post by baronbeeza on Oct 20, 2020 15:54:28 GMT 12
There was a Gnat in the RAF hangar we worked in at Cranwell. It was a Red Arrow machine and associated with Ray Hannah. I am unsure whether it was because he would have flown it or if he was the owner, prospective purchaser.
Curtiss or Harvard 1041 may remember it and have details.
The hangar had a number of Hunters, a Lightning and the Gnat. There may have been more or less by the time the other guys were there. We are talking mid-80's.
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Post by shorty on Oct 20, 2020 16:28:33 GMT 12
In the late 90's there was some plan (can't remember which magazine it was in) to bring a lake recovery Wellington to New Zealand. Clearly it never happened and I don't ever recall a wellington being recovered anywhere in that time period, is there a back story to this or was it just wishful thinking? Nigel Wilcox was selling raffle tickets to raise money for it's recovery, don't know on whose behalf. May have been in an Irish Loch? |
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Post by shorty on Oct 20, 2020 16:30:55 GMT 12
Peter/Planewriting, There may be some foundation in your point 1. Way back in the 1970's I was trying to trace the F4U that was disposed of from Wigram to "Mr Shearer" and so commenced phoning the Shearer listings in the phone book gradually getting further afield from Christchurch. I eventually got to speak to one resident north of Kaiapoi who cheerfully informed me that "nope never had a Corsair....but I did have a Hudson but got rid of that years ago". As I was screwed down for Corsair at the time I didn't get details on the fate of the Hudson. Cunningham's yard was a happy hunting ground for us in the early days of Ferrymead. They were frequent purchasers of material ex-NAC (and the RNZAF for that matter) but when I was going there in the mid-1970's it was mainly heavy hardware like engine and undercarriage stuff not wings etc. Shearer was an Ashburton scrap dealer |
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Post by shorty on Oct 20, 2020 16:33:06 GMT 12
Referring to the list of rumours recorded earlier in this thread. 1.A neighbour was working for a trucking firm on hay work and reckons on a farm north of Waipara there was the body of a fairly large (Hudson/C 47 size) aircraft. 2.Some C-47s stored in North Canterbury somewhere. This came from an AHSNZ booklet years ago (maybe ties in with the above?) I have just stumbled on a report in AHSNZ Journal June 1962 page 97 "In a Christchurch Scrap Yard" It was a report by G J Adams who with Ron Killick and Derek Woodhall visited a scrap metal yard at Bexley owned by Mr B F Cunningham on 27 January 1962. Only reference to a C-47 / DC-3 was a mainplane with ZK-AOI painted on. It was still in service with NAC so I suppose something must have happened for the mainplane to be scrapped. Other interesting things observed were parts of Globemaster 52-1017 "City of Christchurch" reported to have crashed at Cape Hallett Antarctica on 16 October 1958 following which it was stripped and brought back to Christchurch for use of spare parts. Needless to say there were truckloads of Harvards of which details appear in the report. Items 1 and 2 are also items 1 and 2 on my original post on this thread! |
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Post by denysjones on Oct 23, 2020 19:48:07 GMT 12
Damn Shorty you're only 40+ years too late regarding Shearer as I gave up after searching northwards from CHC (dunno why I went that direction probably some tale that the F4U went northwards!).
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Post by shorty on Oct 24, 2020 4:37:46 GMT 12
Seen a photo of that Corsair, may have been in a "Wings", seem to recall it was all silver.I'll try and find it (the photo that is!}
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