Thanks grounded. I had heard that about different ammo at the end of the belt for that purpose but I didn’t know the name of it.
Thanks Peter – you’re a life saver once again!
Cheers
Dave
Wow, is the aircraft that the parts your museum has from No. 487 (NZ) Squadron then? Or were their other Ventura squadrons on the raid too? (I have just bought “Ventura Couragious” about Trent, it’s in the post).
I read in Alan Mitchell’s excellent 1944 book “New Zealanders in the Air War” about the first raid that 487 (NZ) Sqn went on. They travelled at low level all the way after taking off, no higher than 50 feet at any time. After crossing into the continent they flew right over a Luftwaffe station and their CO’s aircraft was shot down there by ground fire, killing all aboard from memory in a fireball. It was said they were so low, when one pilot spotted a German soldier on a bicycle on the road they were following, he lowered the undercarriage and knocked him off with it. (obviously an exaggeration that must have evolved in the mess ‘line shooting’ but very funny). Sad to think their CO was killed on the squadron’s first raid but they went on to become a fine unit.
here’s the next installment
On some winter nights up to 60% of 8 group’s bomber Mosquito’s would do 2 trips
Wow, I never knew that.
Did they swap crews between trips? Or was it the same crew doing both trips on the same night? You’d get through a tour pretty quick if that was the case.
I also understand that Oscar Duck’s former Zero replica, formerly Tim Wallis’s and formerly formerly OFMC’s was also a star in the film, was it not?
Chris, take a look in Bob Spurdle’s book ‘The Blue Arena’. I think there’s a piccie of one blasting off in there. The book is in pretty much every Kiwi library. He was a Battle of Britain pilot, then Battle of Atlantic pilot, then Pacific squadron commander and ace. An amazing career. And a jolly nice chap he was too. He once dived so hard he made the wings snap off his Spitfire!
I just found these in the library – skiplane Austers of Mount Cook Airlines. I hoe these are of interest – I thought the modellers might see a bit of detail in some. 🙂
The four smaller scans you have to click on are from Harry Wigley’s book ‘Skiplane Adventure’
And these two photos are from a book called something like ‘100 Years of New Zealand Aviation’ by Paul Harrison and someone else.

Not a problem Ant. My pleasure.
Peter, I love the Auster on rollerblades!!
Sorry that these are quite large but i have scaned all the relevant pictures from Warren Russell’s book of Ski and Float equipped Austers. The book is “N.Z.P.A.F. * R.N.Z.A.F. AIRCRAFT COLOUR SCHEMES * MARKINGS * PHOTORAPHS * HISTORY Volume 1” by Warren P. Russell. Published by the author, 1982. ISBN 0 473 00119 5
Text and drawings by the author.
I hope these images help. [edit – I have just reduced the scans and made them fit onto the FlyPast photo posting system so I can reduce space in my Photobucket account. However if you’d like copies of the larger scans of tyhe drawings I have them on disc so PM me]
If our people aren’t treated according to the law when captured, it’s high time we stop treating theirs that way.
Er, an eye for an eye? Do you ever stop to think maybe they think the same way, and perhaps they didn’t start it? How about sorting out the problems you already have rather than causing more and perpetuating things?
We recognize them. And personally, I think we should be free to do whatever we want to in this case.
Yes, all right, go ahead. Do as you bleeding well like, we’ll all turn our backs and pretend the attrocities and war crimes and torture and illegal detentions are not happening…whistle whistle, shuffle of feet. la la la, I see nothing…
Oh, by the way, and don’t be surprised when more and more of your troops show up on the telly being tortured and brutalised. I mean, an eye for an eye, isn’t it? And will the rest of the world care when it happens to you? I doubt it, as most of us recognise hypocrisy.
You want to know what it comes down to? We’re bigger than you. That really is somewhere close to the heart of it, I bet.
Ooh, I’m scared now. Oooh..
PS – who cares!!
How about putting your brawn into something worthwhile instead of aggression? Too hard?
Become a citizen and you can have that experience.
I happen to be a citizen thank you. Of New Zealand. And I have that right already along with many others. I would not change that for anything.
Dear viewers,
By the way.
Please believe me – I feel I must say this. I am not anti-American. Though I have little desire to visit your country and not a lot of respect for your current leaders and their barbaric policies, I do not hate America. I know and like many Americans. I have a respect for America as a nation. I have some great mates who are Yanks. And I know your country has done some great things for the world as a nation.
Things I do hate though, no matter what country or social group it happens in, include hypocrisy;unfair, domineering policy in government, business or any other regime where most people suffer; any idiot leader who causes more trouble than they are worth after being voted in to do good; several forms of political correctness; people who think they are better, bigger, harder than everyone else without giving any credit to others; people who do not listen to others and take advice, who do not discuss and mediate, who steer blindly on when the rest of the world is heeding caution; people who perpetuate problems, making them worse for themselves and others simply because they are pig-headed, stubborn fools.
Those are a few things I am anti towards. Many countries, peoples and individuals fall into these categories sometimes. Even I can do sometimes. Right now in my view some American government policy may fall into several of those categories, and so do certain American individuals. But I am not anti-American. I do not and cannot hate a nation as a whole, that is absurd.
I hope you can understand this and my temper when addressing some of the juvenile, single minded, politically motivated or aggressive comments on this forum.
If our people aren’t treated according to the law when captured, it’s high time we stop treating theirs that way.
Er, an eye for an eye? Do you ever stop to think maybe they think the same way, and perhaps they didn’t start it? How about sorting out the problems you already have rather than causing more and perpetuating things?
We recognize them. And personally, I think we should be free to do whatever we want to in this case.
Yes, all right, go ahead. Do as you bleeding well like, we’ll all turn our backs and pretend the attrocities and war crimes and torture and illegal detentions are not happening…whistle whistle, shuffle of feet. la la la, I see nothing…
Oh, by the way, and don’t be surprised when more and more of your troops show up on the telly being tortured and brutalised. I mean, an eye for an eye, isn’t it? And will the rest of the world care when it happens to you? I doubt it, as most of us recognise hypocrisy.
You want to know what it comes down to? We’re bigger than you. That really is somewhere close to the heart of it, I bet.
Ooh, I’m scared now. Oooh..
PS – who cares!!
How about putting your brawn into something worthwhile instead of aggression? Too hard?
Become a citizen and you can have that experience.
I happen to be a citizen thank you. Of New Zealand. And I have that right already along with many others. I would not change that for anything.
Dear viewers,
By the way.
Please believe me – I feel I must say this. I am not anti-American. Though I have little desire to visit your country and not a lot of respect for your current leaders and their barbaric policies, I do not hate America. I know and like many Americans. I have a respect for America as a nation. I have some great mates who are Yanks. And I know your country has done some great things for the world as a nation.
Things I do hate though, no matter what country or social group it happens in, include hypocrisy;unfair, domineering policy in government, business or any other regime where most people suffer; any idiot leader who causes more trouble than they are worth after being voted in to do good; several forms of political correctness; people who think they are better, bigger, harder than everyone else without giving any credit to others; people who do not listen to others and take advice, who do not discuss and mediate, who steer blindly on when the rest of the world is heeding caution; people who perpetuate problems, making them worse for themselves and others simply because they are pig-headed, stubborn fools.
Those are a few things I am anti towards. Many countries, peoples and individuals fall into these categories sometimes. Even I can do sometimes. Right now in my view some American government policy may fall into several of those categories, and so do certain American individuals. But I am not anti-American. I do not and cannot hate a nation as a whole, that is absurd.
I hope you can understand this and my temper when addressing some of the juvenile, single minded, politically motivated or aggressive comments on this forum.
Yes, I heard this news some time back. Great to hear it’ll be sticking around in NZ for a lot longer, and also very appropriate to hear this former No. 14 Sqn machine has returned to Hood Aerodrome, (former RNZAF Masterton) where it and the squadron was once based.
I also think I read somewhere that the OS&RC had bought the Subritzky P40M. Is this right? It is under restoration north of Auckland.
Were Whirlwinds also used at OTU’s? The model of P6874 on this page has a white nose and stripy wings. Is that OTU markings? Like the stripy and white/yellow nosed OTU Spitfires?
http://www.finescale.com/fsm/community/forum/topic.asp?page=1&TOPIC_ID=34491
If the Whirlwind went into service in late 1940, did it get operational in time for the tail end of the Battle of Britain? Or did it just miss this?
So, as there were so few numbers made, I’m sure it won’t be too hard to work out how good it was as a fighter statistically. How many were shot down in combat, as opposed to how many enemy aircraft did the Whirlwind shoot down? Does anyone have the figures?
I think it is a gorgeous aircraft. I wish a flying replica would be constructed but I guess with such rare engines this will never happen, unless the Merlin version Jerry mentioned is recreated.
Look at the coloured air to air Whirlwind ‘photo’ on this site, gorgeous. I almost thought it was a flying replica for a second…