Mark

This is a great venture and you can rely on me for $500.00 I would happily pay that to see her here – Money well spent .

Best wishes and good luck

John P

PS all you others come on we can do this – match my $500 – AUD only about $400 Yank $ Not even a gas tank full for a yank or a POM !!

Richard

I am sure Mark will give a much better account than I – he is a famous curator in his own right – however this aircraft is a famous machine in Australia and is called “Frigate Bird 11” It was involved in pioneering work to explore and establish airline routes etc

Funnily enough the Daughter of the pilot is involved in a retracing of it’s historic flights and here is a post she put up on another site

“My name is Gai Taylor and I am seeking help from you. I am involved in research work for a planned round the world flight (King Air) by a group of Australian aviators retracing the trans oceanic air routes pioneered by Australian aviators last century. The first leg of this flight will follow the route flown in 1951, from Australia to Chile , the first crossing of the South Pacific, undertaken by Captain PG Taylor and crew in the Catalina flying boat, VH-ASA, Frigate Bird II. As part of this trip, there are plans for the making of a documentary. This will particularly focus on visiting places they landed, speaking with people who remember the flight, people who may have been involved with it in any way (flying boat base, boat crews, hotel staff, locals, officials etc), the location of any physical evidence of the visit or anything else connected with the flight. It could also include items, media releases, film, or anyother contact with that flight. I am seeking any information you might have, particularly possible contacts of people who were at the NZ Air Force Base at that time, family or friends, photographs, film footage, records, anything. Also if you can put me onto the relevant people who may be able to help me. I realise it is 54 years since it occurred but we are hopeful there may be people still with us who we can speak with about the flight. They also carried airmail which was handed over at each stopover point which people may still have. I would really appreciate any assistance that you could give me with regard to this.

Frigate Bird II landed in Laucala Bay, Fiji on March 15th, 1951 and stayed overnight. The crew were welcomed very warmly by the people of Fiji, the CO of the NZ Flying Boat Base, Wing Commander Webb and the NZRA personnel at the site. Work was carried out by the personnel on the Base, with the flying boat being brought up onto the launch ramp. I am unclear as to what they did and where they stayed overnight. I am at the beginning of the search to try to give us some idea of what is out there that can be used in the documentary. I would also like to know if you are aware of any memorials, plaques or obvious physical reminders of this event that you may know of at the NZ Base? The other stop overs were Noumea, Samoa, Aitutaki, Papeete, Mangareva and Rapa Nui (Easter Island) and Chile. If anyone has any information about these as well it would be great.

I would appreciate you mailing this on to anyone or organization which might be able to help us. Thank you very much for this.

I have a particular interest in this research as PG Taylor was my father. He had a lifelong love for the South Pacific region and the people who live there.
I look forward to hearing from you,
Thank you
Gai”

As far as I am aware – away from my books – it is an Ex RAAF flying boat not an amphib.

Kindest regards
John P

Huh/

What topic?

Regards
John P

Moggy

No Mate you did the right thing here – Dan is a great guy – nobody deserves this but he Really doesn’t – one of lifes kindest gentlist people – I am so deeply troubled and upset by this. I have emailed him but what can be said ?

Thanks Moggy and all the best to Dan – There is NOTHING that can adequately be said at a time like this
John P

Hi

When I was a lot younger – I used to show dogs and at one Sydney Royal show I was showing my dogs and Mel, who was not then famous, was showing cattle and had young children who played with my daughter. The upshot was to fill in time we chatted about aircraft and he was very interested – I can tell you the story was no hoax , he always wanted to make that movie about the Dam Busters and from an Australian Pilots perspective as there were a few there. Not trying to name drop here – it was just something that happened – no great fan of Mr Gibson or Mr Crowe for that matter.

Has anybody seen the movie Mr Crowe made about the Empire training scheme in Canada – great footage of some rare types flying – lousy acting

Regards
John P

James

The whole sordid mess is going to be on 4 corners – ABC monday night at 8.30

John

Hi

Peter L

This is where I commit Forum suicide and suggest that perhaps it doesn’t matter if the Spits/Hurricanes are sans Cannons or not – the average punter wouldn’t notice. In some versions of the modern Italian job one of the coopers has an air scoop bonnet and in the next scene it doesn’t – did you notice – I didn’t till my Cooper mad wife told me !! If only 1% of the audience knows anything about aircraft then why does it matter a toss if the aircraft has cannons or not. I would be far more worried about where they would get the opposition this time – Norwegian lakes perhaps ? And it would be nice if the story was even vaguely truthful

Just my thoughts

Regards
John P