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Post by martymonsta on Sept 22, 2020 17:31:14 GMT 12
Just to confuse things i recall a bare metal/primer dragonfly at an early-ish wanaka show, was this the Ardmore machine?
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Post by l29 on Sept 22, 2020 19:26:23 GMT 12
There were 3 A-37s here, JTL is still at Tauranga, throw 50k at it and it will fly again. Its also the one mentioned above in primer at wanaka.
The other was sent to the states around the year 2000. One may still remain as noted at ardmore at 2009 for a UK owner
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Post by planecrazy on Sept 22, 2020 19:35:18 GMT 12
Just to confuse things i recall a bare metal/primer dragonfly at an early-ish wanaka show, was this the Ardmore machine? I have a book the best of Warbirds Over Wanaka 1988 to 2000, Dragonfly registered JTL in bare metal with yellow primer sections featured in 1994. In 1996 she featured again, the text states flown by Brian Rhodes. |
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Post by Dave Homewood on Sept 22, 2020 20:11:45 GMT 12
The others were sent to the states around the year 2000. I am certain it was a lot less than 20 years ago that I saw that bare metal A-37. More like ten years ago or so. I never even started going to Ardmore regularly till well after I started this forum in 2005, so it was well after that. I may have a photo somewhere. |
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Post by Deleted on Sept 22, 2020 20:15:03 GMT 12
I have messaged Gerrard Morris to see if he can shed light on it, Zac. Thanks Dave, that would be a big help. And please pass on my regards: as a kid I had that book out of the library all the time! |
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Post by Dave Homewood on Sept 22, 2020 20:16:49 GMT 12
He said he did not know, Zac. He was told it was a private partnership. So that is probably all we'll know.
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Post by Deleted on Sept 23, 2020 20:44:49 GMT 12
Thanks Dave and Gerard.
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Post by Deleted on Sept 26, 2020 20:30:11 GMT 12
True - it's a James Slade/Peter Jackson deal. So, which replica Avro was the AFC machine? The replica Avro 504k remains my biggest question about the AFC/etc fleet. One forum poster elsewhere suggested the airframe went to an Australian museum, yet others are adamant it was G-ECKE/D8781 which went on to become the familiar ZK-EHB. |
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Post by Dave Homewood on Oct 12, 2022 11:01:38 GMT 12
The General Motors FM-2P Wildcat that was once owned by the Alpine Fighter Collection, briefly, flew for the first time last night at Duxford post-restoration at ARCo. John Romain is seen here flying it, in a photo taken by Chris Murkin.  |
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Post by skyhawkdon on Oct 12, 2022 12:02:38 GMT 12
I see the ex AFC Hurricane is now owned and based back in the UK.
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Post by Dave Homewood on Oct 12, 2022 12:13:54 GMT 12
Yes it moved to the UK a few months back I believe.
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Post by Dave Homewood on May 4, 2023 0:13:38 GMT 12
Here is an interesting article from The Press dated the 16th of July 1985:  Fighter of yesteryearAn old German fighter aircraft, a Messerschmitt Me109, has been bought by Alpine Helicopters, Ltd, and will be displayed at Wanaka and at the Royal New Zealand Air Force Museum at Wigram. Alpine Helicopters has formed a new division, Alpine Classic Aircraft Restorations, which will collect aircraft and return them to original flying order. Special emphasis will be placed on the peak of the piston-engine fighter era of the early 1940 s and specialising in the in-line piston engined aircraft, including the North American P-51 Mustang, Curtiss Kittyhawk P-40, Spitfire, Hurricane, Messerschmitt Me109, and the Russian Yak. Last year the company bought a North American P51-D Mustang, which was flown at the Wigram Wings and Wheels Day in January. Alpine Helicopters intends to align itself with the R.N.Z.A.F. Museum at Wigram and will, at times, have some of its aircraft on display there. Its new division is headed by Ray Mulqueen of Taupo, who completed the Mustang purchase for the company. The Messerschmitt aircraft bought by the company was made in Germany in 1944, and was one of 200 railed to Spain to be assembled by Hispano Aviacoa as a Bf109 G-2. The Allied bombing of the Daimler-Benz factory left the airframes without engines, but after the war the Spanish fitted their Hispano Suiza V12 engines for the Spanish Air Force. This attempt proved unsuccessful, and the aircraft were finally fitted with the latest Rolls-Royce Merlin 500/45 V12 engine. Many of these aircraft were flown until the late 1960s and were finally sold by the Spanish Air Force. One of several sold to a British buyer, the Me109 now acquired by Alpine, was seen in the classic Battle of Britain film. After the film it was sold to the United States. Restoration there won it an award as top aircraft at a big airshow. It then returned to the United Kingdom in 1979 and was displayed. After a minor landing incident it was sold to the Whitehall war theatre for static displays and was recently bought at the theatre’s closing auction by a British collector, who has contracted to sell it to Alpine Classic Aircraft Restorations. That company plans to convert the aircraft back to its Daimler-Benz engine, with about 60 per cent of the components available, including the cannon and machine-guns. The aircraft is expected to arrive in New Zealand in December. The restoration is expected to take about two years. During this time the aircraft will be on display at Wigram in the desert colour markings of Hauptmann Hans Joachim Marseille, the leading Luftwaffe pilot on the Western Front who was officially credited with 158 allied aircraft destroyed. The first public display is expected to be at Wings and Wheels in February next year. |
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Post by Deleted on Jan 11, 2024 9:24:23 GMT 12
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Post by planecrazy on Jan 19, 2024 10:44:56 GMT 12
Couple of old clips from the 1990's Yak3 at Port Macquarie and Harvey Bay,
think she is now in South Africa?
The Avenger of course now back in NZ and the Zero replica, have no idea?
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Post by Deleted on Jan 20, 2024 18:46:14 GMT 12
Both the Yak-3 and Zero replica are now in the USA.
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