Well done James – no telltale in the title properties!!!

Regards
John P

Oh Alright Mk12 ………

So some of the buried aircraft stories are true but most are just a tease – the Gorrie B25 is still being looked into as to what may or may not be salvagable. There is quite a good B25 still out in the middle of the Tanami Desert like the one recovered and in Darwin but it will take quite an effort to recover. The aircraft dump at Williamtown also has quite a collection in it but the water table seems to have taken it’s toll from what I dug up – it would still be worth a dig though ( some barracudas and Corsairs there I think).

I think the best prospect is still the dump sites off Sydney where a lot of stuff was pushed off carriers. I saw an Avenger wing and a Corsair prop that were trawled up and given to HARS many years ago and they were fantastic – they were so deep that there was little oxygen to corrode them.

At the time I consulted the metalurgist at Newcastle BHP steelworks and he stated that the corrosion tapers off markedly past 400 Ft – The aircraft are in 400 METERS + so I would definately think it’s worth a look.

Kindest regards
John P

Hi

Getting back to important matters like what would you import and why

I think there are real advantages to be had in running “tours” of aircraft with a common theme from other countries through a season such as happened in the Warbirds over Wanaka 2004 with the Bretling Fighters. This is a common theme at this airshow and they always have something special imported for the occasion.

As JDK says the sooner we start digging up the side of Duxfords strip so we can create a proper pond for the seaplanes the sooner we will be able to mount a huge display there with all our good Aussie warbirds.

Once this happens I am sure the Yanks will get jelous and send over a couple of squadrons themselves

We could bring as I said earlier Several Boomerangs, Vengance, Kingfisher, Black Cat, Beaufort, Hudson, Wirraway’s Etc etc

I know the recent Leg ends was all the better with Polikarpov and P39(although the P39 is to remain) and cross fertilisation can only grow our interest/sport/industry. There are lots of example of touring aircraft brightening up an airshow season so why shouldn’t we all get behind an organised effort to create more of it on a regular basis.

I know that sponsorship and logistics will be an issue but surely this can be overcome if enough interest can be generated.

James sits astride his JCB at Duxford as we speak!!!! and I have already started building crates. We just need a couple of suitcases of cash and we are away.

Kindest regards
John Parker

Hi this might help a little with the Col Pay crash confusion.

About the time in question Col Pay’s son was flying his P40 and had an engine problem, The son managed to crash land the P40 and although it was badly damaged it was repaired and flew again, then being sold to the US where it now flies . I think there was a lot of conjecture at the time overseas that the SPITFIRE had been the machine that crashed as a couple of mainstream press reports here got it wrong at the time and said it was a Spitfire.

There were only two Spitfires ever flown in Australia since the war being Col Pays and the Treloar example mentioned above – NO OTHERS

Regards
John P

Dave

With all due respect keep your thieving Kiwi hands off “our” Hudson please !!! or I shall have to severly beat you with a sock filled with cooked Brussell sprouts- You might like to talk to whoever is responsible for not keeping the perfectly airworthy Loadstar “we” sent you a few years back and which I saw languishing in a Museum at Wanaka in April.

There are a lot of versions about what occurred with the Spitfire/P51/Me109G as to who was right and who was wrong
Suffice to say that it was considered by the government of the day that they were being exported illegally and took action which resulted in the P51 and Me109 being seized and put in storage whilst the long winded court case took place with the result that the aircraft were forfit and the Me109 went to the AWM whilst the P51 went to the RAAF Museum. The Spitfire was exported and now as Mark12 says is flying in the UK and great it looks too.

If you want my opinion I think it is good that the Me109 stayed here as it is the only example of the type here ( although there is one from Russia being restored at present). I think the law is the law and it will always be a matter of speculation if the correct decision was made but that was the result of the legal process – there is little to be gained from another argument – it is long over now.

PS why not get one of your NZ Hudsons flying – I am available weekends, I have a screwdriver and it shouldn’t take us long – oh by the way I will need my weekly airfare covered Air NZ should be up for the sponsorship.

Kindest regards
John P
(See you soon)

Hi all

Re the P47

This and others are progressing in NSW but I suggest you contact Robert Greinert who is doing the restoration to get an update – he posts on this site occasionally.

Regards
John parker