Dave HomewoodWow, 24? That’s more than I thought.
I once read there were only 11 left, but I knew that was a little low.
This site lists 22 survivors, some of which are not complete of course. Do you know where the other two are Willy?
http://www.lancastermuseum.ca/lancs.html
I personally have seen the ones at Motat, Hendon, Duxford, and Lambeth so I feel blessed to see that many.
Dave HomewoodIt’s available on VHS from Amazon.com, but presumably in American format (or is everyone using the same video format these days? I know NZ does :confused: )
Most countries use VHS, which is just the tape size – but it is the speed that makes the difference – Pal is broadcast at (or plays at) 24 frames per second and NTSC being 30 frames per second.
Despite more frames, NTSC is actually an inferior system. It was introduced as the US standard in 1950 and they have never updated it. Canada, and I think Japan, also use NTSC, I don’t know if anyone else still does.
Pal was developed in Germany and adopted in many countries by the 1970’s. Today it is widely used in places like Britain, Ireland, Australia, New Zealand and some of Europe plus some of the ‘colonial’ countries in Africa and Asia I believe.
I have heard there is a third system developed by the French, I’ve forgotten its name, but it’s quite different again. I guess only they use it but I am not sure if anyone still does. Can anyone enlighten me on this?
For at least three years here in NZ almost all new VCR’s coming on the market are able to play both Pal and NTSC speeds in both SP and LP, so they are pretty versatile. Mine is dual capable. Yey.
Dave HomewoodHi Britavenger,
This sounds like a mission and a half. Lancasters are pretty thin on the ground I guess, and since all the ones I know of are cared for by museums and groups, it might be difficult to get one off them to put radials on and get flying.
There seem to be a number of Bristol Hercules engines still around. I just don’t know if you’ll find an airframe to stick them on.
But all the same, I wish you the best of luck with your project. I’d love to see it happen.
PS – here are some bits
http://users.pandora.be/airwareurope/en/bergingen/lancaster_schendelbeke.htm
Dave HomewoodGreat stuff, thanks Garry.
Dave HomewoodThere is a book on RCAF Medicine Hat too called ‘Prairie Wings’
Dave HomewoodDave HomewoodDave HomewoodThanks Dave for the comments re. Ohakea. My observations were from the outside as I arrived after it had closed for the day – seemed very dreary and only a tiny building with these couple of aircraft outside. I just wrote it off mentally. And I fully agree that if traveling past by car by all means stop. But if I were coming for the other side of the world, I wouldn’t deliberately try to go there.
No worries. I recommend a look if you’re in the area, but yep, I wouldn’t go out of my way. Anyone on a driving tour of NZ who is going down/up on SH1 it is worth an hour or so stop.
Those Avengers you 3x Daves and Hairy are talking about. Is there still one, at whatever that army or airforce place is, near Ngaruawahia on Highway 1? Used to always be something I looked out for as kid. But I haven’t travelled H1 for years and years, always do the faster H27 route north/south.
Ah, some mixed memories there Mr Gnome. The Army base above Ngaruawhahia was Hopuhopu, which was closed int he early 1990’s and given to Tainui Maori Tribe. It is now some sort of college that no-one goes to or something but is largely just like it was in its Army days, just not as tidy.
The Avenger was NZ2504, the gate guardian at RNZAF Base Te Rapa, in North Hamilton. It was removed and replaced by a Vampire in the 1980’s. The Avenger is now in pristine condition in the RNZAF Museum in the colours of a 31 Sqn machine that was lost in action. (The navigator of that Avenger was Malcolm Harsant of Cambridge who was killed on his first mission byt the way 🙁 ).
Te Rapa on the other hanbd was also closed and given to Tainui, who absolutely squandered the excellent facilities they were given. It was a stores base and so had many large storage hangars, warehouses and specialist buildings. The flattened the lot! Everything but the base housing was demolished, and the land become a mass of long grass and blackberries. After years of this terrible use of a fine place, they are now building Warehouse buildings on it!!!!! Sadly it is becoming another “all the junk you can buy in one spot” industrial-commercial estate with crappy shops like The Warehouse, Briscoes, Postie Fashion ans several other scourges of the landscape. And they have the audacity to call this new industrial-commercial estate The Base. It makes my blood boil!
BTW – We usually take SH1b which is much faster too, especially since it originates here in Cambridge and you miss Hamilton out. It comes out at the mountain cemetery at Taupiri.
Dave HomewoodThat’s interesting Melvyn. I wonder if, since our civil and military laws in NZ are almost identical to Britain’s and are based on such, the same rules apply in NZ.
Dave HomewoodSteve,
This is edited because I found the article I wanted to repeat here, from the January 2004 issue of ‘Cambridge Heritage’ magazine, written by historian Eris Parker: She’s a mate and won’t mind me spreading the word here by using her article.
“Headstone Cleaning
Perhaps over the holidays you made a trip to the cemetery and thought, “Gosh our headstones need a clean.”
Please – I would like to reiterate(see newsletter Novemebr 2002) that the only safe way to clean a headstone is with water. Saturate the headstone (do not water blast) and gently remove lichen with a soft iceblock stick or soft cloth. I’M SERIOUS.
Many of our headstones are older than we are – because they haven’t been vandalised. Sure a wire brush and water blaster will get your headstone clean quickly. It will remove the outer surface of the stone and expose the softer interior tolet in germs and then, it will have to be replaced in your lifetime. (Many people have stopped water blasting their paths etc because they can see the sand and cement being washed away.)
A pressure of 40 psi is recommended – which is a halnd held hose without the nozzle attachment.
See http://www.savinggraves.org/education/bookshelf/pressure.html “
I hope this is of some use and interest mate. Good luck and well done on what you are doing.
Dave HomewoodCheers Anna, Steve and Phil.
Sad to hear the tour party has left our shores already but I’m sure they will already be having a great time in Australia. Come on John, you’re home now, where’s some nice piccies?
I personally think the Frightener is a very ugly plane ideed, and that one at Ardmore is by far the ugliest, but they are also full of character and history. The one on the RNZedAF Museum has at least one bullet hole in the cockpit area from her Vietnam days. I’d love to see someone get the Ardmore one flying again. It would be a mammoth task though, literally.
Dave HomewoodWell, most of the JU88’s. He111’s, Bf109’s and FW190’s in the world were once owned by Hitler, but that wouldn’t worry me, I’d still love to see them flying!
I don’t think it matters a jot where the money came from so long as it was legal and no-one suffered or died in the process. Lets ace it, who suffers from Playboy? If you don’t like it, don’t buy it. Simple.
I’m sure many of those grave (?) young men would have enjoyed the freedom that Heffner’s empire sprang from.
Dave HomewoodOscar, I believe the reason is because Wigram receives little enough funding and donations as it is, and did not want to have half of it syphoned off by another museum that had not been sanctioned to receive such. Fair enough I say. As I say, Ohakea is and always has been just a base museum.
Dave T, yes the Avenger is owned by and stored at Motat. Foir some years it stood ouside at Dairy Flat but it is now apparently in a back shed at Motat being restored ready to include in the displays of their upcoming hangar expansion – that’s what I was told last May by a curator there.
Dave HomewoodThe big difference is Ohakea is a base museum, Wigram is a national museum. For a while Ohakea tried to get a bit above its station I believe, promoting itself as THE RNZAF Museum, which it is not. Wigram soon clamped down on that.
Dave HomewoodOK – I’m clearly missing something, having recently stopped at the museum at Ohakea. What’s the big deal about it? Couple of forlorn looking jets parked on the apron and – anything else?
Well, apart from being the only aviation museum of any note in the south of the North Island, I suggested this one because Whitley_Project’s mate is looking for wrecks. The museum does (or at least did when I lived there in 1993) have a lot of aviation archeology – things like engines dug from crash sites, etc. And a very knowledgable staff. They also have fairly good displays that tell the history of Ohakea, one of the country’s most important training and operational bases both in WWII and post war. I haven’t been there in a long time though, so things may have changed. I’d especially like to know what became of their C47 which was in VIP colours and sat out near the road. Also if the traveller is going south by car, why not stop? It is one SH1 and is before you have to veer off to Masterton from the main road. 🙂
Where is Wigram relative to CHC airport?
About ten minutes down the road, heading south. Not a lot in a taxi, cheaper by bus. Well worth the effort. Also if you’re passing through and have time, definately see the Antarctic Centre at Harewood (Chch airport). Superb attraction.
Note if intent is to wander around high-ground in June/July – that’s winter which means cold-and-wet or cold-and-snow depending on how far south. And of course, Wanaka is a popular winter sport destination – if this erstwhile fellow likes snow skiing or boarding … say no more
Very good point, and as there is nothing in the way of aircraft to see anyway, you might as well go skiing, or sit in a nice warm Wanaka bar! 🙂
Sign In
