For a comedy, I have to say that there was a good amount of excellent action and also some tense moments – like the mine field, and the big battle at the end.

Having originally thought that it was ‘trying’ to be an action drama, I misconstrued it as rubbish. But on second thoughts, learning from what you chaps have said here, yes it is a good fantastical comedy. I guess you can discount all the innacuracies and slot it in with the likes of ‘1941’, or MASH or Catch 22, etc.

They certainly seem to have destroyed a fair chunk of Yugoslavia. The village they used for the battle was brilliant and must have taken quite a beating.

I also wonder, were those Tiger replicas used in other films? Where are they now I wonder. I thought that Saving Private Ryan was the first film to take the initiative and create realistic panzers instead of painting crosses on M48’s. They looked great in this film.

I see your point there John, but I guess that this all stems from the fact that the restoration team was and is based around a regular RNZAF unit. They are not like many museums where its well meaning enthusiasts doing their bit, they are professionals. It is admitadly a smaller unit theses days, but they are not all volunteers. The team leaders are RNZAF professionals who do that job as they would in any other RNZAF section, if you see what I mean. They get posted to it and eventually might get posted away again. The volunteers are almost all ex-RNZAF professionals to a man too, handpicked for their professionalism and skills too.

So I guess that is why the strict policy developed from the beginning. And of course a lot of restoration intially was carried out by regular units too, like the P51D at Woodbourne’s No. 1 RD, and the Cat in Auckland, etc. To them it was just another job and standards have to be maintained.

I think the only displayed aircraft at Wigram that would probably be no-where near flyable would be the gate guard Harvard Mk II. When we repainted her, she didn’t look too happy on the inside, poor old girl.

John, the RNZAF Museum’s standard policy in restoration is restore to airworthy condition. They don’t restore to static, despite all their aircraft remaining static in their care. The reason I was given is if they ever need to pass on an aircraft for any reason it will be worth much more on the market and so is really seen as an investment.

Imagine how great it would be if they occasionally rolled out the Hudson or Anson or Avro 626 for a flying day. Oh well. At least some lucky folks (not me) did get to see the Avro flying in the 1980’s when they took it on a nationwide tour. It was grounded by 1991 when I arrived there sadly.

Nice pictures of the Ardmore airshow..any more of the devon behind the Blunty in the last picture

OFMC fan

Sorry, no. I think then (Feb 2004) there were still 4 Devons left at the former 4TTS. In my day (1989) there were six or eight. There were hundreds of trainees then unlike today of course.

I am unsure what became of the others, maybe in another hangar? In 1989 they were mostly in different schemes too, a couple in the latter grey/red scheme of their final service. A couple in varying earlier colours that I no longer recall.

There was one in the lighter blue and white like one of the Warbirds Devons, and maybe one ion grey too like the other Warbirds Devon from vague memory.

This photo here was taken in 1989 by me and shows a darker blue and white scheme. I have no idea if it is the scheme in the photo behind the green/grey Strikemaster.

There were a few INST airframe Devons at Wigram when I was there too, 4 I think, in the grey/red colors – not including the RNZAF museum’s example. So the RNZAF had retained a heap of these things. It wasn’t till Feb 2004 I took the opportunity to climb in one and I was amazed at how tiny and compact they are inside. I’d hate to have gone on a long flight in one.

John, I am sure you are right that it was owned by TAA for their fire training. The wings probably did come with it then, and my guess is they were/are stored at RNZAF Weedons, which is the Museum’s storage base.

I have just looked up the Catalina. It was acquired from Motat by the RNZAF Museum in 1984. A photo in the March 1988 issue of RNZAF Museum News shows it had loads of holes in the fuselage when they got it, and a second photo shows it as is now basicaly. It says the team leader in the restoration at RNZAF Auckland (Hobsonville) was Warrant Officer ‘Smokey’ Dawson.

“Aircraft of the Royal New Zealand Air Force” by David Duxbury, Ross Macpherson and Ross Ewing lists the Cat as a “PBY-5A, c/n CV592, ex-44-34081, VH-HDH, VH-SBV (recovered from Papua New Guinea and restored to display in RNZAF scheme by RNZAF Whenuapai.”

They were a little premature in their 1987 book stating “restored” as such, but from that I deduce it spent time at both Whenuapai and Hobsonville, and I guess it may have just been stored for transit to Wigram at Hobby.

Yes both the Avenger and Zero replica were bought by Randall McFarlane (Oscar Duck) and they fly on happily in Australia

That Cat can also be seen here in Wigram’s No. 7 Hangar behind Sir Tim Wallis’s Zero Replica that was parked there for a visit.