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Post by vs on Aug 19, 2008 20:02:18 GMT 12
If I remember correctly, New Zealand has 3 of these large bi planes? One real one brought from the fighter collection, the replica imported into the country 2001 and the fuse of another on display at Omaka?
Does the genuine example still fly? Where is this aircraft and the replica kept?
It is quite hard to keep track of all the world war 1 aircraft movements in New Zealand these days!
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Post by Brett on Aug 20, 2008 12:15:44 GMT 12
The replica and fuse are on display in the AHC, the genuine one flys from Masterton.
Airframes seem to move fairly frequently between AHC and Masterton, so this is subject to change.
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Post by Peter Lewis on Aug 21, 2008 9:27:13 GMT 12
The genuine one is ZK-BRI/2 ex G-ACAA mrked as D8084 'S'
From the Bristol history website:
"This aircraft is a composite rebuild, using one of the Weston-on-the-Green frames, and components from an original F2B, serial F4516. F4516 (c/n 7434) was a Mk. IV rebuild of an earlier Rolls-Royce Falcon powered F2B. Many Early F2B's were reconditioned in the mid-1920's to Mk. III and Mk. IV standard, which increased the all-up weight. It was placed on the civil register in October 1932 as G-ACAA.
The 'new' aircraft project was started by Skysport Engineering at Hatch for The Fighter Collection around 1991, and the registration G-ACAA was re-allocated in October 1991. A suitable Rolls Royce Falcon III engine was found in the National Technical Museum in Prague. The complete aircraft minus engine was moved to Duxford in 1993, and its first post-restoration flight was on 30th June 1998. In 2001 the Brisfit was grounded, due to a problem with a cyclinder in its Falcon engine. The aircraft remained grounded at Duxford, while the engine was under repair, but by late 2004 the engine had been re-fitted, and it flew again in mid-2006. The Fighter Collection made several changes to their fleet in 2006, including the sale of the Bristol Fighter. In August 2006 it went to Skysport Engineering at Hatch to be packed for delivery to Peter Jackson in New Zealand. In January 2007 the Fighter was registered to Omaka Collection Ltd. as ZK-BRI."
The flying replica is ZK-JNU, built by Ed Storo, Corova, TN in the early 1990s as N624 and carries the markings of J7624.
The fuselage frame is one of several found in a barn in the UK masquerading as part of a roof truss system. This frame was in the Omaka aviation museum as part of the workshop diorama when I was there earlier last year.
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Post by John L on Aug 21, 2008 14:15:54 GMT 12
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Post by Dave Homewood on Aug 21, 2008 21:36:04 GMT 12
Do any parts remain anywhere of the NZPAF examples? I can't recall if Wigram has any bits on display.
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