ullo fans!
Yes as the title suggests Don Simms (skyhawkdon), Ken Tod(obiwan27) and myself went to the Ashburton Aircraft Museum located at Ashburton Airfield.
However due to incorrect information on a website(Or possibly I may just may mind, mis read the information on it) there was a small problem when we arrived.
There was no one to be seen and all the doors were locked. Gee I thought, whats going on? Its 11am and they say they open at 10am? I then read the sign on the museum door: Sunday Hours 1pm-3pm.
Bugger. So using his RNZAF training Don came up with a solution. Find a cafe in Ashburton and have a coffee!
We retired to McCafe and because this was my doing I shouted Coffee and cakes all round. I then recalled that Gavin Conroy said he would possibly come down to join us. So a hurried text to tell him of the little oops to find that Gavin had too many Airshow things to work on and couldn't make it.
After coffee we took a drive out to the man made Lake Hood. Wow. This is a community springing up round a huge lake where you can fish and boat right off your back yard.
Still with time to kill we then visited a second hand book shop which Don's wife liked a lot (and Don rang and told her we were there due to a Baz cockup. Thanks Don!).
I of course looked for aircraft books. They had about 10! Including a couple of Biggles books.
Heres a few photos to be going on with.
In this one Don says: "Is your brother usually this thick?"
Ken : "This is nothing. Once in a Cherokee he talked into the back of the hand held microphone!!!"
Of course the ongoing project of the F27 Friendship stands as a backdrop.
I have a little project to attempt after Al's logo so got permission to access Harvard NZ1012's cockpit.
Here's her instrument panel.
And of course couldn't resist a poser shot.
This Harvard is a real time capsule of the 1960s, last used by the CFS at Wigram and put into storage in 1962 then sold to the Ashburton Museum in 1978.
After the thread about the fern leaf roundel here's the one on NZ1012.
And a few more shots of her.
Yes I know its out of focus.
But here is Don and Ken checking out the B20 Canberra Cockpit.
Don made a bee line for the cockpit and is seen here making whistling noises and takka takka takka sounds.
Here's Don telling Ken how to fly a Canberra from the back seat ;D
Realising there was a camera nearby best selling author Don Simms put on his best "I worked on Skyhawks" smile. (I'll get some grief for this!!)
A better shot of the Canberra.
This will make Zac's day. A Zlin topdresser! Think thats right. :-/ Fresh out of restoration.
And a Hughes 500 too. I should point out these are all in the new Super Hangar which usually houses DC-3 AMY but she is away earning a crust till after Easter.
Another aircraft I have been involved with back in my RNZAF Museum days is T11 Vampire NZ5707.
And a Beech Skipper recently donated to the museum. Flown from Wellington.
And to end tonights upload the nose of a certain Meteor!
[quote author=skyhawkdon board=Airshows thread=13128 post=118944 time=1301819939]Baz you would think you were running the engine of the Harvard in that shot of you in the cockpit - look at your hair! Looks like a lot of prop wash![/quote]
Cheeky buggers! And thats "hat" hair" Don!
Ok heres some more of the Meteor, the Ashburton lads have certainly done a fantastic repainting her in RAAF markings.
And the engine out of the aircraft to give you an idea what the early jets were like.
In the next hangar Don's trousers visibly tightened on seeing a Skyhawk!
Here Museum guide Noel is showing off the Skyhawk MODEL to Don and Ken. (Ha had you fooled didn't I!) ;D
But Don was very impressed with the Harrier. Of course he just had to notice that this strobe light on the top of the fuselage is the same as the Skyhawk one. ::)
And some more shots, even one of me again for my many fans.
And this very Harrier served in the Falklands AND has been flown by this guy:
Some hotshot RNZAF pilot, flies a Spitfire I believe and a Harvard. (Yes its Sean Perrett before someone posts! He didn't waste anytime revisiting the cockpit, taken not long after she arrived.)
And some more shots of the single seat Vampire.
Don pretending he can read. ;D
Piper Cherokee CUA and like you Mumbles an aircraft in a museum
I actually flew a couple of times.
Al wasn't the first to trailer mount a Bristol Hercules 734. Mind you I wouldn't like to be wizzing down the motorway on them little steel castors! Probably get more wobbles on than a sailor after a few rums, couple of vodkas, dozen whiskeys and a dozen Export Gold!
Not just a Bristol product now................
Some views of the rear of the engine bay.
I believe this is the fuel pump/fuel priming pump? Al?
Yes its a shame the Devon I was (almost) involved with is still outside. This one is a prime example of the breed and only has 17.5 hours on the airframe!!!!!
Love the engines of course so here's the port Gypsy Queen installed in NZ1829.
The silver object sandwiched between the green trunking on top of the engine is the oil cooler.
As Don mentioned we went to the smoko room with the lads form the museum and on the way back to continue aircraft gazing he pointed out this 2 Squadron sticker on a board full of all sorts of stickers. Don actually designed this for the squadron. Neat huh?
Some info about Ashburton as an RNZAF Base and a really cool diorama of what it looked like during the war. It was huge!
And a couple of photos of mishaps between Tiger Moths.
For machpants we found a Tornado
And probably the only Firefly Zac and I could afford (not the real one currently for sale in the US.)
And finally the Porterfield 35W in the RNZAF markings she wore (and the only aircraft to be impressed twice into the RNZAF during the war!
Well thats all the photos folks. Hope you enjoyed reading about our exploits as we did doing them! 8-)
My comments about Al refer to on Al Marshall who has nearly completed a trailer mounted Bristol Hercules 734 from a Bristol Freighter. He is VERY close to a first start as seen here: http://www.facebook.com/index.php?lh=36 ... XGgzaA9UFg
I will be joining him at the Classic Fighters Airshow at Omaka this Easter and I have been given the opportunity to run a V12 Allison (also trailer mounted) as I sponsored its owner to the show. Vroom vroom!
Also Sean Perrit mentioned above is ex RAF, showing us colonials how its done!
Cheers
Baz
