Post by vgp on Jul 21, 2008 13:36:51 GMT 12
this blog may be interest to someone (if this has been posted before I do apologies in advance):
Photos with article: Rukahia depot:
www.aerohub.co.nz/wp-content/uploads/2008/07/img.jpg
Corsair:
www.aerohub.co.nz/wp-content/uploads/2008/07/2344474557_4c26061728_o.jpg
Corsairs at Rukahia:
www.aerohub.co.nz/wp-content/uploads/2008/07/wral47.jpg
WAIKATO CHRONICLES
Posted by: admin in Waikato Chronicles
The disposal of the Royal New Zealand Air Force’s WWII Lend-Lease combat aircraft inventory.
During WWII, the RNZAF received, from the USA, considerable numbers of Curtiss P-40 Kittyhawk, Vought F4U-1 Corsair, Douglas SBD Dauntless, Grumman TBF Avenger, Consolidated PBY Catalina, Douglas C-47, Lockheed A-29 Hudson and Lockheed PV-1 Ventura and N.A T-6 Texan/Harvard. They were provided in order that the RNZAF could support the USAAF, US Navy and US Marine Corps in the South-West Pacific theatre of operations against the Japanese; primarily in the Solomon Islands, Bougainville and during the lengthy bombing campaign against the Japanese SW Pacific stronghold and HQ of Rabaul and other bases on the islands of New Britain, New Ireland and, to a lesser extent, the Admirality Islands (Manus) further west.
At the peak of its strength in late 1944, the RNZAF was operating 1,336 aircraft and had 42,000 personnel of which about 10,000 were aircrew; mainly pilots and navigators. The majority of these were serving in RAF Bomber, Fighter and Coastal Commands and tactical units in Europe, North Africa, Italy and the Far East; India/Burma. The RNZAF was comprised of 34 squadrons of which 25 were, in the main, overseas in the South and South-West Pacific region. When the bulk of the US forces moved west to take other islands and the Philippines and to undertake the long-range strategic bombing of the Japanese home islands, the NZ squadrons did not proceed with them and were mainly engaged in low level ground attack ‘mopping-up’ work with their Corsairs which had largely replaced the P-40s. After VJ day, most of the combat aircraft were of no further use except for some Corsairs which went up to Japan with the NZ Occupation contingent.
To put the above into perspective, at the outbreak of war in 1939 NZ (about the same land area as GB) had a tiny population of about 1.5 million (just a fraction of that of London and about the same as Melbourne) and, whilst we had the status of an independent Dominion, we were still, in many ways, a quasi-colony of Great Britain. Indeed, the RNZAF itself had only been legally formed a couple of years previously and was miniscule in manpower and flew a relative handful of already antiquated aircraft. A condition of the Lend-Lease deal was that the aircraft not pass into the hands of any party who might continue to use them and the USA certainly did not want them as they already had over 50,000 (my guess) other machines to dispose of world-wide.
The aircraft were offered by public tender and a “Waikato Times” item of May 29th, 1946, gives the total as 475 with a nominal value of 14,000,000 Pounds Sterling. One source says that the accepted tender amounts was 10,000 Pounds; about 30 pounds per machine. To the best of my knowledge, a Mr. Harold Larsen obtained the rights to dispose of some 80% of the combat types that had not been lost in operations or non-combat accidents; of which there had been many. Mr Jack Asplin is believed to have got most of the remaining aircraft with a few going to individuals. There was a Hudson parked in a paddock near Cambridge and a Cambridge car dealer had a Corsair on show in his yard. The aircraft were to be delivered to the RNZAF base of Rukuhia aerodrome, some seven miles south of the provincial town of Hamilton (Pop. 17,000); about 80 miles south of Auckland. The town and its 550 acre airfield were adjacent to the North Island main trunk railway line which was one reason why an important RNZAF stores and supply base had been established at Te Rapa, just a few miles north of the town. During the war, aero-engines were overhauled in the large Bledisloe Hall in the town centre and I have hazy memories of my Dad, Jimmy to his chums, in his Air Force uniform, taking me there as a four-year old.
But let’s now examine the old aerial photograph below and attached. Another old Hamiltonian, Mike Cuming, provided it and tells me that it was taken on November 29th., 1948, by a Taumarunui chap called Colin Seccombe. It is from a collection that belonged to the late Lewis Valiant who was a long-time flying instructor around the Waikato and King Country. The Larsen plant and the area pictured now lies partly beneath the present Hamilton Airport terminal building, Eagle Air’s offices, the motel and the car park. The photograph was taken looking west in the direction of RW 26. Running across from right to left in front of the aircraft ‘bone-yard’ is the old main mile-long runway 20/02. When the present sealed runway was constructed in the mid-sixties, it was re-aligned to magnetic North-South. Out of the picture to the right was another area along the airfield’s northern boundary and adjacent to the original wooden three-level war-time control tower where many P-40s and Corsairs were dumped. I have another old 1946 photograph (non “E”) of the entire field taken from higher altitude. From it, I count on the northern side about about 60 P-40s and 80 Corsairs.
Apart from the large areas of high-grade sheet aluminium alloy which was mainly melted down and used for making kitchenware, the aircraft provided many other useful items for peace-time use. The wheels and tyres were much sought after for farm trailers and were still in use decades later. There was a huge number of ‘AN’ hardware nuts and bolts made to US ‘Army/Navy’ specs/standards. These products were made from top-quality metal and were superior, with respect to tensile strength, to the non-aviation hardware found at the local store. In 1985 I happened to be in a Hamilton engineering workshop and was surprised to spot several old WWII ammo. boxes which contained large quantities of AN nuts/bolts, hydraulic fittings etc. This treasure-trove was clearly from the Rukahia ’boneyard’. There was miles of top grade braided steel cable. Just from a P-40’s aileron, elevator, rudder and trim tab control runs, I estimate some 420 feet! From a Ventura much more could be salvaged including all the finer cable running out to the various engine items; throttles, mixture controls, carb. heat etc.
The powerplants were another matter. A few V-12 Allisons were used in racing boats but the big direct-air cooled radials were really quite unsuitable for anything other than aeroplanes. However, they did have large capacity starter motors; ideal for some winch applications. Fuel and hydraulic pumps were also much used by farmers and contractors. The cockpits were a source of electrical switches, amp. and voltmeters, oil and fuel pressure gauges etc., but the bulk of the flight instruments were of interest only to collectors and aviation enthusiasts. The magnetic compasses naturally found their way into many boats. Items such as joysticks and throttle levers were sought after by ex-pilots and other collectors. There was miles of electrical wiring, thousands of fibre pulleys and fittings and all manner of items useful to a small country trying to get back on its feet after nine years of economic depression followed by six years of war and then post-war rationing and shortages.
Using my large ”Junior Boy’s Sherlock Holmes Detective Kit” magnifying glass, I examined the photograph and counted 158 Corsair, 72 Ventura (there are a few Hudsons amongst them) and 2 Avenger. The RNZAF received 424 Corsairs in total; 60 of which were the Goodyear-built FG-1D. One of these is still flying and is based at Masterton, NZ. (photo below). I experienced quite strong feelings of nostalgia as I pored over the image as, in my mind, I could almost see a young lad and his chums propping their bikes (mine had been overhauled, repainted and wheeled into our living room by my Dad for me to discover one Christmas morning. I do believe that I treasured that first bike as much as my first car; a 1931 Ford Model A)) against a fence and sort of sneaking in amongst the aircraft. I still have vivid memory flashes of scrambling up into the Venturas and exploring their interiors…turrets, bomb bays and the cockpits. I can recall the signs of crazing and yellowing of the perspex/plexiglass and actually smell the unique combination of odours that lingered in these machines that had been up in the very same equatorial areas that I was to work in later. We have been in the same skies and on the same airstrips.
It is now nearly 60 years since I began to bike out there with my WWII surplus gasmask bag holding the sandwiches and an old army flask of cordial which my Mum insisted I take with me. Can you feel and smell the warm grass as we lads lay in the sunshine amongst the quiet graveyard studying our wartime aircraft ID booklets and chatting about the latest cut-away aircraft drawings from our favourite “Eagle” magazine. Does anyone still recall the futuristic space adventures of Dan Dare? Sometimes we would swap Biggles books and wonder at the exploits of he and his loyal flying chums, Bertie, Algie and Ginger. Can you hear the cheerful song of the skylark high overhead and see a hawk lazily circling within a thermal bubble, eyes scanning for field-mice? Sometimes a DC-3 or DH-89 “Dominie” would amble past to lightly touch down on the soft grass and the Waikato Aero Club instructor, Guy Robertson, would usually be training in the DH-82 Tiger Moths which puttered slowly around the circuit, the distinctive sound of the airflow whistling past their rigging wires reaching our ears. Guy fought the Japanese in many of the same P-40s which now lay on their bellies around the large grassed ‘field. He is still with us in the nearby Bay of Plenty region.
This early close contact with so many fine aircraft must surely have triggered my life-long interest in aviation and a latent ambition to become a pilot. Well that certainly happened, as well as other interesting aviation career lines. By age 15 I was already receiving dual instruction on the very same airfield and am typing this memoir just 14 km away. On a Sunday evening I sit with that same Instructor (now 91) enjoying a beer as we both look out across the aerodrome, each with our private memories and thoughts of all the people, places and aircraft we have known. Not such a bad way to spend some time in the twilight of our wonderful years on and over our home planet………….
****************************
The magnificent shot of the only RNZAF Corsair still flying in NZ was captured by Chris Nielsen, a keen photographer and a flying member of our Waikato Aero Club.
The bottom photograph has lost much sharpness over the years but is interesting in that I am sure it shows Corsairs parked near the original control tower prior to being moved to the Larsen facility. The tower was on the north side of the ‘drome. Take a look at what can only be the Signal Square. Note the Right Hand circuit Active arrow folded over on itself meaning a left circuit was in use. Whilst indistinct, I know those buildings in the centre background are the Club’s hangar with the clubhouse to its right (our left). There was another building to its left back then which I think was a sort of semi-circular roofed open hangar structure. I certainly recall the large slab of concrete there and, for many years a Corsair on it in pretty good condition. The original National Airways Corporation “Terminal” building (just a little house really) is to our right of the hangar. Should anyone be interested in why I believe the F4U-4 Corsair to have been, in most respects, a superior combat aircraft to the P-51D Mustang, you may wish to peruse my “Flight International” magazine blogsite at:
www.flightglobal.com/dakota67
No Comments »
Jul 11 2008
Photo Here:
www.aerohub.co.nz/wp-content/uploads/2008/07/85300019.jpg
A warning photograph for young and clean-living aviators.
Posted by: graeme in Waikato Chronicles
Now heed my words well you young aviators. For if ye not mark my words well, ye may end your career looking like this pathetic, dribbling, mumbling, shambling mere shell of a man….but one who once was bursting with vigour, joy and optimism as he embarked on a life of aviation which consisted primarily of propping up Aero Club bars throughout NZ, Wombat-Land and PNG whilst regaling whomsoever would deign to listen, with long and tortuous technical descriptions of aircraft nobody had ever heard of and never wished to…….so just watch your drink young chappies. For should ye not watch it, some other unscrupulous pilot will be sure to down it while ye be distracted. Let Eternal Vigilance forever be your credo!
Actually, ’tis me; Feen, doing what one does best. I am flight testing the new Waikato Aero Club bar. The club became in dire need of a new briefing room and a larger space in which to house our Synthetic Flight Trainer thingy. So after a certain amount of muttering and sotto voice grumbling, it was conceded that it would be sensible to use our old bar area for the trainer and convert half of the old long kitchen into a new bar and purchase new fridges, stove, hot water system and dishwasher etc. And despite our initial misgivings, it has actually turned out quite well. The socialising aspect of the club is considerably quieter than in days of yore…changing times in society……
And so it is indeed a very round globe. I think I had my first ale in the original clubhouse at age 18 in 1958 and here one is trialing the latest piece of leaning timber a full half century on. What a journey it has been……
mikefeeney@actrix.co.nz
No Comments »
Jun11 2008
Photo Spitfire replic here:
www.aerohub.co.nz/wp-content/uploads/2008/06/016.jpg
Waikato Chronicles - June 6th 2008.
Posted by: admin in Waikato Chronicles
Being the reflections, musings and memories of an aeronautical gentleman now retired in his birthplace; Hamilton, New Zealand.
(Note: For those of you who use Google Earth, you might like to zoom in to
Hamilton, NZ. If you shift to the central city area and study the eastern side
of the river, you might just sight a Spitfire down amongst the trees.)
******************************************************
This item is dedicated to four chaps I am proud to have counted as friends over several decades. They have all gone now, but I think of them with fond memories as my wife and I regularly stroll amongst the old oaks and chestnut trees that grace Hamilton’s Memorial Park on the eastern side of the Waikato River that ambles its way through my birthplace and the setting of my childhood and teenage years.
Alan Lisette, Ron Woolford, John Houlton and Frank Transom were all Kiwis who flew Supermarine Spitfires in combat during World War II. So, naturally, as we stroll past the full-scale mounted replica of a Mk.XIV Spitfire near the Cenotaph, my mind recalls each of these gentlemen…their voices and sayings and their laughter.
(John Lanham has just corrected my sloppy homework…the aircraft is actually a copy of a Mk.XVI which used the R.R Packard Merlin 266. Original TE288 is in RNZAF museum).
Alan flew in the Italian campaign, was shot down but survived to return to Hamilton where he became our local grocer and a friend and neighbour. He was a fine cricketer with Northern Districts, the much respected C.O. of our Air Training Corps No.7 Squadron and moved on to become the Burser of St. Paul’s school.
Ron trained at RAF Halton before the war and then re-mustered to aircrew to fly as a fighter pilot in Europe. He became an aerial topdressing pilot in the early 1950s and flew for James Aviation based in Hamilton until he retired. (Our late friend Ossie James pushed hard to get this replica constructed and mounted). Back in his DHC-2 Beaver years I loved going out to work with Ron and his loader driver, Ron Henneker, (whom I see weekly and who will turn 80 this August) and having a pole of that lovely aircraft to and from the airstrips.
John Houlton and Frank Transom served with 485 Squadron and were great mates. They flew mainly Mk. IX Spits which Frank reckoned was the nicest to handle. They were together all day overhead the D-Day landings where John shot down two Ju-88s. After the war Frank returned to farming near Taihape where I knew him well for many years. (We had our favourite leaner in the Gretna pub and would bore everyone senseless with our aviation chatter.)
John went aerial topdressing with Fred Sawyer’s Thames Aerial Topdressing company and flew Fletcher FU-24s for many years. I particularly admired his determined efforts, as Secretary of the Agricultural Pilot’s Association, to make much-needed improvements to the working conditions of we pilots. The accident rate back then was simply appalling. I have copies of much of John’s dealings with the Operators and the Civil Aviation officials. I may some day write an account of his work which will totally vindicate his excellent and untiring efforts on our behalf. In the 1980s, John also founded the NZ Fighter Pilot’s Association.
These four fine chaps had no idea that they were “Special” and just got on with life as best the could. But I know how respected they were….I could write much more about each of them but shall keep these Chronicles shorter than much of my other writings….more “digestable” to most of the busy recipients.
Janet and I love our river and our dear old town and I appreciate it much more now than perhaps I did during my many years overseas. As I look at the photograph below I see we young ATC chaps proudly parading in full uniform, buttons and shoes highly polished, at the ANZAC services that are held there to this day. And I see Alan leading us…the kindly man who used to sit and have a cup of tea and a couple of Mother’s peanut brownies with us in our 82 Fairfield Road kitchen whilst he patiently answered the endless questions about flying that I used to fire at him. I clearly recall, at age eleven, asking him what was the wingspan or the wing-loading of the Spitfire? He sort of chuckled and replied:
“Good grief young Mike; I only flew them…I can’t remember all that technical stuff!” …
*****************************
One of a series from:
Mike Feeney
www.aerohub.co.nz/?p=68
Photos with article: Rukahia depot:
www.aerohub.co.nz/wp-content/uploads/2008/07/img.jpg
Corsair:
www.aerohub.co.nz/wp-content/uploads/2008/07/2344474557_4c26061728_o.jpg
Corsairs at Rukahia:
www.aerohub.co.nz/wp-content/uploads/2008/07/wral47.jpg
WAIKATO CHRONICLES
Posted by: admin in Waikato Chronicles
The disposal of the Royal New Zealand Air Force’s WWII Lend-Lease combat aircraft inventory.
During WWII, the RNZAF received, from the USA, considerable numbers of Curtiss P-40 Kittyhawk, Vought F4U-1 Corsair, Douglas SBD Dauntless, Grumman TBF Avenger, Consolidated PBY Catalina, Douglas C-47, Lockheed A-29 Hudson and Lockheed PV-1 Ventura and N.A T-6 Texan/Harvard. They were provided in order that the RNZAF could support the USAAF, US Navy and US Marine Corps in the South-West Pacific theatre of operations against the Japanese; primarily in the Solomon Islands, Bougainville and during the lengthy bombing campaign against the Japanese SW Pacific stronghold and HQ of Rabaul and other bases on the islands of New Britain, New Ireland and, to a lesser extent, the Admirality Islands (Manus) further west.
At the peak of its strength in late 1944, the RNZAF was operating 1,336 aircraft and had 42,000 personnel of which about 10,000 were aircrew; mainly pilots and navigators. The majority of these were serving in RAF Bomber, Fighter and Coastal Commands and tactical units in Europe, North Africa, Italy and the Far East; India/Burma. The RNZAF was comprised of 34 squadrons of which 25 were, in the main, overseas in the South and South-West Pacific region. When the bulk of the US forces moved west to take other islands and the Philippines and to undertake the long-range strategic bombing of the Japanese home islands, the NZ squadrons did not proceed with them and were mainly engaged in low level ground attack ‘mopping-up’ work with their Corsairs which had largely replaced the P-40s. After VJ day, most of the combat aircraft were of no further use except for some Corsairs which went up to Japan with the NZ Occupation contingent.
To put the above into perspective, at the outbreak of war in 1939 NZ (about the same land area as GB) had a tiny population of about 1.5 million (just a fraction of that of London and about the same as Melbourne) and, whilst we had the status of an independent Dominion, we were still, in many ways, a quasi-colony of Great Britain. Indeed, the RNZAF itself had only been legally formed a couple of years previously and was miniscule in manpower and flew a relative handful of already antiquated aircraft. A condition of the Lend-Lease deal was that the aircraft not pass into the hands of any party who might continue to use them and the USA certainly did not want them as they already had over 50,000 (my guess) other machines to dispose of world-wide.
The aircraft were offered by public tender and a “Waikato Times” item of May 29th, 1946, gives the total as 475 with a nominal value of 14,000,000 Pounds Sterling. One source says that the accepted tender amounts was 10,000 Pounds; about 30 pounds per machine. To the best of my knowledge, a Mr. Harold Larsen obtained the rights to dispose of some 80% of the combat types that had not been lost in operations or non-combat accidents; of which there had been many. Mr Jack Asplin is believed to have got most of the remaining aircraft with a few going to individuals. There was a Hudson parked in a paddock near Cambridge and a Cambridge car dealer had a Corsair on show in his yard. The aircraft were to be delivered to the RNZAF base of Rukuhia aerodrome, some seven miles south of the provincial town of Hamilton (Pop. 17,000); about 80 miles south of Auckland. The town and its 550 acre airfield were adjacent to the North Island main trunk railway line which was one reason why an important RNZAF stores and supply base had been established at Te Rapa, just a few miles north of the town. During the war, aero-engines were overhauled in the large Bledisloe Hall in the town centre and I have hazy memories of my Dad, Jimmy to his chums, in his Air Force uniform, taking me there as a four-year old.
But let’s now examine the old aerial photograph below and attached. Another old Hamiltonian, Mike Cuming, provided it and tells me that it was taken on November 29th., 1948, by a Taumarunui chap called Colin Seccombe. It is from a collection that belonged to the late Lewis Valiant who was a long-time flying instructor around the Waikato and King Country. The Larsen plant and the area pictured now lies partly beneath the present Hamilton Airport terminal building, Eagle Air’s offices, the motel and the car park. The photograph was taken looking west in the direction of RW 26. Running across from right to left in front of the aircraft ‘bone-yard’ is the old main mile-long runway 20/02. When the present sealed runway was constructed in the mid-sixties, it was re-aligned to magnetic North-South. Out of the picture to the right was another area along the airfield’s northern boundary and adjacent to the original wooden three-level war-time control tower where many P-40s and Corsairs were dumped. I have another old 1946 photograph (non “E”) of the entire field taken from higher altitude. From it, I count on the northern side about about 60 P-40s and 80 Corsairs.
Apart from the large areas of high-grade sheet aluminium alloy which was mainly melted down and used for making kitchenware, the aircraft provided many other useful items for peace-time use. The wheels and tyres were much sought after for farm trailers and were still in use decades later. There was a huge number of ‘AN’ hardware nuts and bolts made to US ‘Army/Navy’ specs/standards. These products were made from top-quality metal and were superior, with respect to tensile strength, to the non-aviation hardware found at the local store. In 1985 I happened to be in a Hamilton engineering workshop and was surprised to spot several old WWII ammo. boxes which contained large quantities of AN nuts/bolts, hydraulic fittings etc. This treasure-trove was clearly from the Rukahia ’boneyard’. There was miles of top grade braided steel cable. Just from a P-40’s aileron, elevator, rudder and trim tab control runs, I estimate some 420 feet! From a Ventura much more could be salvaged including all the finer cable running out to the various engine items; throttles, mixture controls, carb. heat etc.
The powerplants were another matter. A few V-12 Allisons were used in racing boats but the big direct-air cooled radials were really quite unsuitable for anything other than aeroplanes. However, they did have large capacity starter motors; ideal for some winch applications. Fuel and hydraulic pumps were also much used by farmers and contractors. The cockpits were a source of electrical switches, amp. and voltmeters, oil and fuel pressure gauges etc., but the bulk of the flight instruments were of interest only to collectors and aviation enthusiasts. The magnetic compasses naturally found their way into many boats. Items such as joysticks and throttle levers were sought after by ex-pilots and other collectors. There was miles of electrical wiring, thousands of fibre pulleys and fittings and all manner of items useful to a small country trying to get back on its feet after nine years of economic depression followed by six years of war and then post-war rationing and shortages.
Using my large ”Junior Boy’s Sherlock Holmes Detective Kit” magnifying glass, I examined the photograph and counted 158 Corsair, 72 Ventura (there are a few Hudsons amongst them) and 2 Avenger. The RNZAF received 424 Corsairs in total; 60 of which were the Goodyear-built FG-1D. One of these is still flying and is based at Masterton, NZ. (photo below). I experienced quite strong feelings of nostalgia as I pored over the image as, in my mind, I could almost see a young lad and his chums propping their bikes (mine had been overhauled, repainted and wheeled into our living room by my Dad for me to discover one Christmas morning. I do believe that I treasured that first bike as much as my first car; a 1931 Ford Model A)) against a fence and sort of sneaking in amongst the aircraft. I still have vivid memory flashes of scrambling up into the Venturas and exploring their interiors…turrets, bomb bays and the cockpits. I can recall the signs of crazing and yellowing of the perspex/plexiglass and actually smell the unique combination of odours that lingered in these machines that had been up in the very same equatorial areas that I was to work in later. We have been in the same skies and on the same airstrips.
It is now nearly 60 years since I began to bike out there with my WWII surplus gasmask bag holding the sandwiches and an old army flask of cordial which my Mum insisted I take with me. Can you feel and smell the warm grass as we lads lay in the sunshine amongst the quiet graveyard studying our wartime aircraft ID booklets and chatting about the latest cut-away aircraft drawings from our favourite “Eagle” magazine. Does anyone still recall the futuristic space adventures of Dan Dare? Sometimes we would swap Biggles books and wonder at the exploits of he and his loyal flying chums, Bertie, Algie and Ginger. Can you hear the cheerful song of the skylark high overhead and see a hawk lazily circling within a thermal bubble, eyes scanning for field-mice? Sometimes a DC-3 or DH-89 “Dominie” would amble past to lightly touch down on the soft grass and the Waikato Aero Club instructor, Guy Robertson, would usually be training in the DH-82 Tiger Moths which puttered slowly around the circuit, the distinctive sound of the airflow whistling past their rigging wires reaching our ears. Guy fought the Japanese in many of the same P-40s which now lay on their bellies around the large grassed ‘field. He is still with us in the nearby Bay of Plenty region.
This early close contact with so many fine aircraft must surely have triggered my life-long interest in aviation and a latent ambition to become a pilot. Well that certainly happened, as well as other interesting aviation career lines. By age 15 I was already receiving dual instruction on the very same airfield and am typing this memoir just 14 km away. On a Sunday evening I sit with that same Instructor (now 91) enjoying a beer as we both look out across the aerodrome, each with our private memories and thoughts of all the people, places and aircraft we have known. Not such a bad way to spend some time in the twilight of our wonderful years on and over our home planet………….
****************************
The magnificent shot of the only RNZAF Corsair still flying in NZ was captured by Chris Nielsen, a keen photographer and a flying member of our Waikato Aero Club.
The bottom photograph has lost much sharpness over the years but is interesting in that I am sure it shows Corsairs parked near the original control tower prior to being moved to the Larsen facility. The tower was on the north side of the ‘drome. Take a look at what can only be the Signal Square. Note the Right Hand circuit Active arrow folded over on itself meaning a left circuit was in use. Whilst indistinct, I know those buildings in the centre background are the Club’s hangar with the clubhouse to its right (our left). There was another building to its left back then which I think was a sort of semi-circular roofed open hangar structure. I certainly recall the large slab of concrete there and, for many years a Corsair on it in pretty good condition. The original National Airways Corporation “Terminal” building (just a little house really) is to our right of the hangar. Should anyone be interested in why I believe the F4U-4 Corsair to have been, in most respects, a superior combat aircraft to the P-51D Mustang, you may wish to peruse my “Flight International” magazine blogsite at:
www.flightglobal.com/dakota67
No Comments »
Jul 11 2008
Photo Here:
www.aerohub.co.nz/wp-content/uploads/2008/07/85300019.jpg
A warning photograph for young and clean-living aviators.
Posted by: graeme in Waikato Chronicles
Now heed my words well you young aviators. For if ye not mark my words well, ye may end your career looking like this pathetic, dribbling, mumbling, shambling mere shell of a man….but one who once was bursting with vigour, joy and optimism as he embarked on a life of aviation which consisted primarily of propping up Aero Club bars throughout NZ, Wombat-Land and PNG whilst regaling whomsoever would deign to listen, with long and tortuous technical descriptions of aircraft nobody had ever heard of and never wished to…….so just watch your drink young chappies. For should ye not watch it, some other unscrupulous pilot will be sure to down it while ye be distracted. Let Eternal Vigilance forever be your credo!
Actually, ’tis me; Feen, doing what one does best. I am flight testing the new Waikato Aero Club bar. The club became in dire need of a new briefing room and a larger space in which to house our Synthetic Flight Trainer thingy. So after a certain amount of muttering and sotto voice grumbling, it was conceded that it would be sensible to use our old bar area for the trainer and convert half of the old long kitchen into a new bar and purchase new fridges, stove, hot water system and dishwasher etc. And despite our initial misgivings, it has actually turned out quite well. The socialising aspect of the club is considerably quieter than in days of yore…changing times in society……
And so it is indeed a very round globe. I think I had my first ale in the original clubhouse at age 18 in 1958 and here one is trialing the latest piece of leaning timber a full half century on. What a journey it has been……
mikefeeney@actrix.co.nz
No Comments »
Jun11 2008
Photo Spitfire replic here:
www.aerohub.co.nz/wp-content/uploads/2008/06/016.jpg
Waikato Chronicles - June 6th 2008.
Posted by: admin in Waikato Chronicles
Being the reflections, musings and memories of an aeronautical gentleman now retired in his birthplace; Hamilton, New Zealand.
(Note: For those of you who use Google Earth, you might like to zoom in to
Hamilton, NZ. If you shift to the central city area and study the eastern side
of the river, you might just sight a Spitfire down amongst the trees.)
******************************************************
This item is dedicated to four chaps I am proud to have counted as friends over several decades. They have all gone now, but I think of them with fond memories as my wife and I regularly stroll amongst the old oaks and chestnut trees that grace Hamilton’s Memorial Park on the eastern side of the Waikato River that ambles its way through my birthplace and the setting of my childhood and teenage years.
Alan Lisette, Ron Woolford, John Houlton and Frank Transom were all Kiwis who flew Supermarine Spitfires in combat during World War II. So, naturally, as we stroll past the full-scale mounted replica of a Mk.XIV Spitfire near the Cenotaph, my mind recalls each of these gentlemen…their voices and sayings and their laughter.
(John Lanham has just corrected my sloppy homework…the aircraft is actually a copy of a Mk.XVI which used the R.R Packard Merlin 266. Original TE288 is in RNZAF museum).
Alan flew in the Italian campaign, was shot down but survived to return to Hamilton where he became our local grocer and a friend and neighbour. He was a fine cricketer with Northern Districts, the much respected C.O. of our Air Training Corps No.7 Squadron and moved on to become the Burser of St. Paul’s school.
Ron trained at RAF Halton before the war and then re-mustered to aircrew to fly as a fighter pilot in Europe. He became an aerial topdressing pilot in the early 1950s and flew for James Aviation based in Hamilton until he retired. (Our late friend Ossie James pushed hard to get this replica constructed and mounted). Back in his DHC-2 Beaver years I loved going out to work with Ron and his loader driver, Ron Henneker, (whom I see weekly and who will turn 80 this August) and having a pole of that lovely aircraft to and from the airstrips.
John Houlton and Frank Transom served with 485 Squadron and were great mates. They flew mainly Mk. IX Spits which Frank reckoned was the nicest to handle. They were together all day overhead the D-Day landings where John shot down two Ju-88s. After the war Frank returned to farming near Taihape where I knew him well for many years. (We had our favourite leaner in the Gretna pub and would bore everyone senseless with our aviation chatter.)
John went aerial topdressing with Fred Sawyer’s Thames Aerial Topdressing company and flew Fletcher FU-24s for many years. I particularly admired his determined efforts, as Secretary of the Agricultural Pilot’s Association, to make much-needed improvements to the working conditions of we pilots. The accident rate back then was simply appalling. I have copies of much of John’s dealings with the Operators and the Civil Aviation officials. I may some day write an account of his work which will totally vindicate his excellent and untiring efforts on our behalf. In the 1980s, John also founded the NZ Fighter Pilot’s Association.
These four fine chaps had no idea that they were “Special” and just got on with life as best the could. But I know how respected they were….I could write much more about each of them but shall keep these Chronicles shorter than much of my other writings….more “digestable” to most of the busy recipients.
Janet and I love our river and our dear old town and I appreciate it much more now than perhaps I did during my many years overseas. As I look at the photograph below I see we young ATC chaps proudly parading in full uniform, buttons and shoes highly polished, at the ANZAC services that are held there to this day. And I see Alan leading us…the kindly man who used to sit and have a cup of tea and a couple of Mother’s peanut brownies with us in our 82 Fairfield Road kitchen whilst he patiently answered the endless questions about flying that I used to fire at him. I clearly recall, at age eleven, asking him what was the wingspan or the wing-loading of the Spitfire? He sort of chuckled and replied:
“Good grief young Mike; I only flew them…I can’t remember all that technical stuff!” …
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One of a series from:
Mike Feeney
www.aerohub.co.nz/?p=68
