Alpine Fighter Collection - where are they now?

[Dave Homewood]

Most of the Alpine Fighter Collection has been sold on sadly. I'm just wondering where everything ended up. These are the ones I know about:

The ones still at Wanaka with the collection:
Hurricane P3351
Chipmunk ZK-MUH
Tiger Moth ZK-BRB
Polikarpov I-16 ZK-
Polikarpov I-153 ZK-
Hiller UH-12E ZK-HBL
SE-5a Replica

And these are no longer with the collection:
- Cessna T210N ZK-ETI (now with Transavia, Auckland)
- Corsair ZK-FUI (now in a museum in Beunos Aires (?)
- Spitfire XVIe TB863 - now at Temora
- Spitfire XIV NH799 - now at Ardmore under restoration for USA
- DH83 Fox Moth - a musuem in Canada
- Grumman Avenger - to Australia with Randall Macfarlane, was for sale recently
- Hughes 500 ZK-HOT - went to Alpine Helicopters (Toby Wallis)
- Nakajima Hayabusa - to Paul Allen, USA (?)
- Pitts Special ZK-PTO (crashed)

But where are these aircraft now?
- Kittyhawk ZK-PXL - I know it's in the USA, but where?
- Spitfire V AR614
- Avro 504K (a flying replica built by ADJ Engineering fo the collection)
- Harvard IV Zero replica (went to Aussie but where is it now?)
- Messerschmitt Me109E W.Nr 1342
- Messerschmitt Me190F
- All the Polikarpovs, I know some are in the USA and some in Spain, but which?
- at least five Westland Scouts
- Yak 3M ZK-YAK
- Yak 50 - ZK-YAC
- P-51D 'Miss Torque' - where in the USA did it go?
- The DC-3 bought from Fieldair in about 1993 if the rumours were right
- The Antonov AN-2 biplane brought to NZ by AFC in mid-1990's
- The other two or three Hurricanes that the collection owned in partnership with Hawker Restorations
- The Wildcat the collection bought and then quickly sold again
- two or more Buchons reported at times as bought and sold again

And does the collection still have any shares in:
Cessna Dragonfly ZK-JTL
Harvard ZK-ENE
The Polikarpov I-15 based at Duxford

They have of course also owned the Stukas, Focke Wulfs and Me110's that were brought to NZ. Has anything else been missed from this list? I assume perhaps they may have had shares in other aircraft syndicates over the years too.

What an amazing collection, wasn't it?

[skyhawkdon]

When you say The Alpine Fighter Collection I take it you really mean The Alpine Deer Group as owner? I'm not sure the Alpine Fighter Collection ever actually owned any of the aircraft. I think they were all owned by the Alpine Deer Group and just loaned to the AFC? The AFC might just be a trading name/registered trade mark. Is it even a registered company? I think the ADG and AFC are one and the same for all intents and purposes.

I think there are still 2 Polikarpov I-16s at Wanaka isn't there?
There is an old AN-2 at the Wanaka Transport Museum - I wonder if that is the ex ADG/AFC one?
Any substance to the rumour about Paul Holmes now owning a share of the Hurricane? (he was in the VIP area at WOW 08 and sat alongside Tim during the Hurricane display - its on the WOW DVD).

Yes it was a great collection in its heyday.

[Dave Homewood]

You might be right about the ownership, I'm not sure. Most of this info came from a list in the back of Gerard S. Morris and Warren P. Russell's 1998 book Wanaka Warbirds. It states the aircraft were owned by the AFC.

One of the I-16's at Wanaka is owned now by a local pilot and not the collection.

[corsair67]

I can help you with one - the Zero replica:

"VH ZRO

Power Driven Aeroplane with tailwheel-retractable landing gear
Single Piston engine

Manufacturer: CANADIAN CAR & FOUNDARY
Model: HARVARD MK-IV
Serial number: CCF-4-153
Aircraft first registered in Australia: 17 August 2001

Full Registration
Registration holder as of 24 June 2006

MULLER, Jeffrey

PO BOX 3228
DURAL NSW 2158
AUSTRALIA"

[philip]

ZK-HOT crashed and was written off a few months back

[Dave Homewood]

Blimey, that's sad to hear. ZK-HOT was my favourite Hughes 500, I have great memories of Sir Tim flying it here and there on my Wanaka visits.

It's still on the register, I wonder if a rebuild is imminent?

[philip]

I'm not up on Hughes 500/369 details etc but the ZK-HOT on the CAA site is a new registration in October

from NZ CAA:

08/2760
05-Jul-2008
07-Jul-2008 HOT Hughes 369D 59786 Alpine Helicopters Ltd

Location - Bells Creek

ZK-HOT was hit by wind gust at 4000FT, made rapid rate of descent and hit the
ground. The helicopter was destroyed and occupants were uninjured.

TAIC Investigating - No

[corsair67]

Toby obviously wasn't towing any wakeboarders at the time! ;D

[Dave Homewood]

Oh, ok. I don't know one from the other when it comes to helicopter marks.

What a shame about the original HOT. Thanks for the info.

[kiwithrottlejockey]

I understand ZK-AWP (C-47B/DC-3C) ex-RNZAF, NZNAC, Fieldair, Fieldair Freight (Speedlink) and Classic Air was purchased and briefly owned by Tim Wallis before being onsold to NZ Aerial Mapping (and repainted into early-1960s NAC livery), then to Pionair, and now currently in Tonga?

[Dave Homewood]

Thanks, that's the one.

[BenG]

Corsair ZK-FUI (now in a museum in Beunos Aires)
The Corsair is now part of he Museu Asas De Um Sonho in Brazil - it's no painted in US Navy markings. FMI:
www.museutam.com.br/smt/jsp/default.jhtml?adPagina=445&adArtigo=6869

Nakajima Hayabusa - to Paul Allen, USA (?)
Yes, sold to Paul Allen and The Flying Heritage Collection, now on display at Paine Field. Static exhibait

Kittyhawk ZK-PXL - I know it's in the USA, but where?
Sold to Dick Thurman then Tom Blair - now based at Kissimmee, Florida and painted in AVG colors.

Messerschmitt Me109E W.Nr 1342
Also sold to Paul Allen and The Flying Heritage Collection, now on display at Paine Field. Flyable.

All the Polikarpovs, I know some are in the USA and some in Spain, but which?

Yak 3M ZK-YAK
Sold to Australia and flying as VH-YZK with Flying Fighters PTY Ltd.

P-51D 'Miss Torque' - where in the USA did it go?
USA & Jack Croul of Allied Fighters - now based at Chino.

The other two or three Hurricanes at the collection owned in partnership with Hawker Restorations.
AE977, BW853, and BW881.

AE977: now flying in USA with Tom Friedkin. Registered as N33TF
BW853: recently sold in the UK for £8,000. Was G-BRKE at one time.
BW881: Paul Allen and The Flying Heritage Collection, now on display at Paine Field - flyable. Known as N54FH.
One more Hurricane whereabout unknown: its serial is BH229.

Two or more Buchons reported at times as bought and sold again
One of them is Tom Blair’s Buchon now flying from Duxford, United Kingdom.
Currently registered as G-BWUE.

All the Polikarpovs, I know some are in the USA and some in Spain, but which?

Jerry Yagen’s / Fighter Factory
I-153 s/n° 6316 now N153RP
I-16 s/n° 2421028 now 1639P

Paul Allen / The Flying Heritage Collection
I-16 s/n° 2421014 now N7459 - Paine Field, USA

Commemorative Air Force
I-16 s/n°2421645 now registered as N30425

Fundacion Infantes de Orleans
I-153 s/n°7027 now based at Sabadell, Spain. Still registered as ZK-JKM.

As for the german stuff (Bf 110’s and Ju 87’s), they can be found at the DTM of Berlin, Germany. One of the 110 is now restored and on display.

Ben

[Peter Lewis]

There have been three ZK-HOT.

ZK-HOT/1 Hughes 369D 500D c/n 67-0138D
First registered in 1979, went to Alpine Fighter Collection, Wanaka in 2000.
Sold to South-West Helicopters Ltd., Te Anau
A couple more owners, then re-registered as ZK-IDD in 2006.
Still current as ZK-IDD with C R Deaker, Te Anau

ZK-HOT/2 Hughes 369E c/n 0528E
With Alpine Helicopters Ltd., Wanaka 2006 - 2007
Re-registered ZK-INM with Alpine, current

ZK-HOT/3 Hughes 369D 500D c/n 89-0580D
ex ZK-HNR, became ZK-HOT/3 with Alpine 22/11/2007
Hit by wind gust at 4000FT, made rapid rate of descent and hit the
ground Bells Creek 5Jul08

So the one that was with AFC is still with us.

With the Polikarpovs:
ZK-JIN I-16 '9' still here
ZK-JIO I-16 '34' still here
ZK-JIP I-16 '45' S.Abd USA as N30425 2002 (American Airpower Heritage Flying Museum, Midland, TX)
ZK-JIQ I-16 '4' S.Abd USA as N7459 1998 (Flying Heritage, Seattle, WA)
ZK-JIR I-16 '28' S.Abd USA as N1639P 2003 (Training Services, Virginia Beach, VA)
ZK-JJB I-15 '10' still here
ZK-JJC I-16 '39' S.Abd Spain as EC-JRK 2005 (Fundacion Infante De Orleans, Cuatro Vientos as CM-249)
ZK-JKM I-153 '75' still here
ZK-JKN I-153 '16' S.Abd USA as N153RP 2002 (Training Services Inc., Virginia Beach, VA)

[Dave Homewood]

Ah, so the original HOT is still alive and well. Thank goodness.

[nzav8a]

Nov 4, 2008 21:43:34 GMT 12 Peter Lewis said:

There have been three ZK-HOT.

ZK-HOT/1 Hughes 369D 500D c/n 67-0138D
First registered in 1979, went to Alpine Fighter Collection, Wanaka in 2000.
Sold to South-West Helicopters Ltd., Te Anau
A couple more owners, then re-registered as ZK-IDD in 2006.
Still current as ZK-IDD with C R Deaker, Te Anau

ZK-HOT/2 Hughes 369E c/n 0528E
With Alpine Helicopters Ltd., Wanaka 2006 - 2007
Re-registered ZK-INM with Alpine, current

ZK-HOT/3 Hughes 369D 500D c/n 89-0580D
ex ZK-HNR, became ZK-HOT/3 with Alpine 22/11/2007
Hit by wind gust at 4000FT, made rapid rate of descent and hit the
ground Bells Creek 5Jul08

So the one that was with AFC is still with us.

Actually now 4 HOT's, Toby just got another to replace the last

[Deleted]

VH-YZK, the former ZK-YAK, may still be possessed by the Federal Government after Steve Hart's assets - including Baghdad Fury the former ZK-SFR - were seized a couple of years back.

Just judging by a picture I saw in Classic Wings/Downunder a few years back, the Avro was the same aircraft which ended up in a Wairarapa tree the other day. Even if it's not the same one, the former AFC machine was also built by Tony Ditheridge's AJD(?) Engineering.

Also, Tim's old Mk.Vc Spitfire AR614 now flies with Paul Allen's Flying Heritage Collection.

Vintage Wings Of Canada now own and fly the Fox Moth .

I'd not heard about the AFC's involvement in an AN-2, but the machine now at Wanaka was flown over by Neville Cameron. I think .

I'm pretty sure the FIO has an I-16 too - Jurgis Kairys was the test pilot over there.

Interesting to hear about an I-16 being locally owned ......I was greatly disappointed Chaika "75" disappeared offshore though. She was always my favourite.

[Dave Homewood]

Yes, on another forum I have discovered the crashed Avro is the one that the AFC formerly owned.

I might be wrong about the AN-2 but I know when it arrived in NZ I saw it at a Matamata airshow and people were saying then that Sir Tim had brought it in, and some were saying he intended to use the engine in a polikarpov but I never knew if that was true. The way airshow gossip goes it may have been all wrong. It was very ugly but rather interesting to see.

The I-16 locally owned at Wanaka was at least locally owned during the 2006 Warbirds Over Wanaka because the commentators were saying a local had recently bought it. I don't know who he was, they did say but I didn't recognise the name. Not one of the famous local aviators there.

[yak11fan]

If the Avro 504 that crashed was G-ECKE in the UK then it wasn't an AFC aircraft.

[fb6]

In 1993 I was signwriting with a Palmerston North company and one of the jobs we did was out at Feildair painting big black ''UN's'' under the wings of one, maybe two DC-3's....I understood they were off overseas on UN duties....any relation to the ex-Alpine aircraft??

[Bruce]

Those two machines were ex- fieldair Freight machines that eventually went to cambodia. ZK-BBJ was one, Cant remember the other one....