67 new Spitfires anyone?

[Swoop]

That would be great

Righto...
Had a good long chat with a bloke who can take me to the exact location of the crash! Off the end of the main runway towards Kumeu. Went up with a massive explosion and the remains were very small after the fire. A fully fuelled plane kind of burns a lot.
Various rumours about the "cargo" on board (japanese P.o.W's, US vice-president, etc, etc) and LOTS of secrecy afterwards.

Remember that the area was sparsely populated in those times, so not many around to witness the happenings, even then.

I do now have a couple of extra contacts...

[pzkpfw]

A fully fuelled plane kind of burns a lot.

Go find a B29 in the ice. Fix it to flying condition, then start it up...

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1tJb-bmgBC0

So sad.

[GSF]

Go find a B29 in the ice. Fix it to flying condition, then start it up...

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1tJb-bmgBC0

So sad.

I read the book those guys wrote, broke my heart. Poor ole Kee Bird

On a related note, there's an old chap out in Drury restoring a Mosquito.

http://www.mosquitorestoration.com/

I rang him up one day and he's happy for people to come around and have a look, I'm going to head out there one day. My dad lived in a small coastal town in Holland in the 1970s and his landlady was an old woman whose husband was executed by the Germans for using a radio to listen to BBC Free Europe broadcasts. They had a radio they used in conjunction with local resistance to inform Bomber Command of the locations of AA guns in the area, and BC would send the Mossies in at night to hit the local U-Boat pen. Formations of Mossies would come blasting across the English Channel skimming the wavetops, then barrel down the local canal before skipping bombs into the pen. Apparently the only warning you'd have would be the roar of a Mossie pilot going vertical on full throttle after releasing bombs, then the sound of bombs smashing into the concrete pen. Those guys had balls of steel.

[nudemetalz]

Go find a B29 in the ice. Fix it to flying condition, then start it up...

So sad.

They even had a little trouble with a too soft a runway when landing the Caribou at the Kee Bird site.

[Timber020]

Go find a B29 in the ice. Fix it to flying condition, then start it up...

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1tJb-bmgBC0

So sad.

A really moving documentry. Tough guys, sacrificed so much, Pulled off the impossible.....and then....

[Woodman]

Theres a Mosquito somewhere near Motueka that was brought as war surplus and slowly put together. Pretty sure it has never ever flown. cool planes.

[Pussy]

Theres a Mosquito somewhere near Motueka that was brought as war surplus and slowly put together. Pretty sure it has never ever flown. cool planes.

It was flown out from England. Has a grand total of about 86 hours in its logbooks. Have visited and sat in this aircraft many times. It's complete apart from the armament. The mainspar had to be cut to transport it. The wood is in reasonable nick, but the glue is knackered. They weren't meant to last!

[nudemetalz]

It was flown out from England. Has a grand total of about 86 hours in its logbooks. Have visited and sat in this aircraft many times. It's complete apart from the armament. The mainspar had to be cut to transport it. The wood is in reasonable nick, but the glue is knackered. They weren't meant to last!

I heard a story once that WW2 surplus RR Merlins from Mossies and Mustangs (prob Spits too) here in NZ were sold to farmers for not a lot of coin.

They used to mount a number of them in the fields and start them every morning (props and all).
These were used to dry out the dew on crops !!!!!!!

...and errr how much are Merlins worth now..... ???

[jim.cox]

The mainspar had to be cut to transport it.

That seems to have been pretty common - the one at Ferrymead is likewise - pretty much guarantees it wont fly again - sniff

[carburator]

I read the book those guys wrote, broke my heart. Poor ole Kee Bird

On a related note, there's an old chap out in Drury restoring a Mosquito.

http://www.mosquitorestoration.com/

I rang him up one day and he's happy for people to come around and have a look, I'm going to head out there one day. My dad lived in a small coastal town in Holland in the 1970s and his landlady was an old woman whose husband was executed by the Germans for using a radio to listen to BBC Free Europe broadcasts. They had a radio they used in conjunction with local resistance to inform Bomber Command of the locations of AA guns in the area, and BC would send the Mossies in at night to hit the local U-Boat pen. Formations of Mossies would come blasting across the English Channel skimming the wavetops, then barrel down the local canal before skipping bombs into the pen. Apparently the only warning you'd have would be the roar of a Mossie pilot going vertical on full throttle after releasing bombs, then the sound of bombs smashing into the concrete pen. Those guys had balls of steel.

He's been at it a long time, Pioneer are doing the tanks for Avspecs one, then if steve is not over them
he probably will do the tanks for the dury plane. not a easy tanks to make..

as some said earlier the data plate is the value, take white one sitting in a container at ardmore
its the heratige that makes her valueble, the p40E avspec finished last year ( reproduction ) is stunning
but does'nt have all the extra rib and spars to mount the real guns , ok so what some might argue

I can honestly say a p40 with six 50cals even with BFA adapters firing blanks is puts a horn on a jellyfish...
[URL="http://www.facebook.com/#!/pages/Pioneer-Aero-Ltd/145146258840757"[/URL]

[5150]

Cool documentary. And a sad fact at the end.


http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ptijNcDanVw


My great great uncle use to be none other then Stanislaw Skalski. He made General and was one of the highest scorring Polish fighter pilots in the Polish Air Force during WW2. He was fighting in Battle of Britan, then fought in Turkey and Italy. Have a read about Skalski Circus on Wiki. The guy got equivelant of 2 Purple Hearts and numerous other medals for bravery. He died in 2004.

[Swoop]

pretty much guarantees it wont fly again - sniff

Not really. New components are manufactured all the time and the development of that technique/process aids in the restoration of others.

as some said earlier the data plate is the value..

I know a chap who has a mossie data plate sitting in his desk drawer. Quite proud of it he is!

Stanislaw Skalski. He made General and was one of the highest scorring Polish fighter pilots in the Polish Air Force during WW2.

The Polish pilots are an interesting breed. Brave as all buggery and certainly a group you would want fighting on your side in WWII.

[Woodman]

Cool documentary. And a sad fact at the end.


http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ptijNcDanVw


My great great uncle use to be none other then Stanislaw Skalski. He made General and was one of the highest scorring Polish fighter pilots in the Polish Air Force during WW2. He was fighting in Battle of Britan, then fought in Turkey and Italy. Have a read about Skalski Circus on Wiki. The guy got equivelant of 2 Purple Hearts and numerous other medals for bravery. He died in 2004.

very good, thanks for that. Not a great way to treat your heroes aye?

[5150]

Not really. New components are manufactured all the time and the development of that technique/process aids in the restoration of others.

I know a chap who has a mossie data plate sitting in his desk drawer. Quite proud of it he is!

The Polish pilots are an interesting breed. Brave as all buggery and certainly a group you would want fighting on your side in WWII.

Yes. They fought with their hearts and they hated Germans like nothing else. It is true, that the reason they were shooting down so many German planes was because Brits aimed for the planes, while Poles were aiming for the pilots inside them

[5150]

very good, thanks for that. Not a great way to treat your heroes aye?

Brits didn't want them afterwards, while Poland locked them up for "espionage", even tho they were still fighting the Germans.