Motat swapped the P47D to the RNZAF Museum in about 1993 in return for the RNZAF Museum’s excellent restoration of the Motat Mosquito. Motat still have not been able to reassemble the Mossie due to lack of space, but this should be rectified soon when their new hangar extension is sorted out. The Mossie was restored almost singlehandedly by on of the Museum volunteers, and it was beautifully done. I used to see him beavering away on it often while the rest of the team worked on the Hudson. Such dedication.

I’d seen it before in Auckland, but I took the opportunity to view the P47 when it arrived at Wigram. It was not in great shape at all and all those years outdoors had taken its toll. A lot of it appeared to be just plywood and fibreglass replacing what should have been there. For years a steel bar had been holding the wheels from collapsing, and the inside was completely devoid of anything (as in the deal when recovered the interior was restored and returned to PNG). I have a photo or two somewhere.

Thinking about it now, I am unsure if it was the P40 the RNZAF swapped it for. I think it was actually swapped for the once-flyable but slightly dinged Sopwith Pup replica. Either way, the RNZAF museum got a good deal out of getting shot of the P47; Motat got an awesome deal getting a superb Mossie in place of their mouldering gate guard; and the guy in Aussie is to restore the P47 to flying, so everyone won. I’d be surprised if there will be much original material in the restored P47 though, it will be a massive rebuild to get it flying.

Realistically, since the RNZAF never flew P47’s it was a little odd in both collections here, and it is great that it has gone to a good home were it will fly again.

Programmes like ‘Spitfire Ace’, ‘Bomber Crew’ and ‘Reach For The Sky’ (the Canadian one like Bomber Crew) must surely do wonders for not just the aircraft used themsleves in monetary terms, but much more for the whole concept of remembrance and preservation of history.

Television is the greatest mass media we have, millions upon millions of people from all walks of life will watch these shows (even if they were not that interested and it seemed the best thing on that evening) as opposed to a much smaller audience had it merely been released on home video or in book form.

Many, many thousands of those viewers will undoubtedly be profoundly effected by the shows. This has to happen because the veteran’s stories evoke such emotions is is difficult not to be affected.

Many young boys and girls may be getting their first inkling of what the aerial war was about from these TV shows, and hopefully they will then go to their library and seek more info, or ask their grandads, parents, etc.

I would wager a huge number of teenaged boys will aspire to being like the young pilots and crews selected for these shows, and may choose to take up flying lessons, etc. Many others will go out and buy aviation related books, magazines and videos due to the interest found in the shows.

It all leads to the spreading of information that inspires people to read, think, ask, research, write, do more. I think we can all relate to our interest in aviation history having started somewhere, an inspiration. I believe such shows will be a huge inspiration to novices.

And I dear say many members of Joe Public will now attend more airshows on the basis that ‘Sally B from the telly is going to be there’ etc.

Such shows, if done well, can do no harm at all. The slight errors that may be made such as denegrating the Halifax and Stirling may be perpetrated, but they are by no means new errors anyway. Many books and previous documentaries have made the same mistakes. These errors will not even be noticed by the majority of viewers, only those in the know see glearing mistakes after all. And those who do further their research afterwards will soon find the real facts, hopefully.

If the majority of the content however is spot on correct, then these types of shows are without doubt some of the best educational tools available to historic aviation today, and their effect will carry on for years after the last episode is aired, as they will change many people.

Agreed.

Is this facility the same one I saw in a photo about 12 years ago in an Aussie mag (Flightpath?) which had a swag of Beaufort and Beaufighters crammed into one shed? All is states of disrepair but with lots of hope for the future I might add. Or is this from another source?

There used to by a Beaufort in NZ which was recovered from New Guinea by Armstrong and Darby on the Tallichet raid. I believe that eventually went to Aussie.

Looks like a first class restoration. It will be great to see this project progressing, keep us informed please John.

There have been many milestones coming from your side of the ditch this week, and you haven’t even mentioined the cricket yet! (Thankfully).

So, how long is the gestimate before they manage to get it airworthy? I’d guess at least two years?

Thanks for that history Melv, very interesting. Strangely all this tim I had for some reason assumed it was a British aircraft. I think because most of the aeroclub aircraft impressed into the RNZAF were British types. I guess the photo with an RAF style roundel and finflash also clouded my mind. No matter.

I can scan the photo if you’re interested.

Are there many others flying today? Or even many extant? I’ll bet yours would be very welcome at Oshkosh.

Is this the one John?

http://www.rcwarbirds.com/inaction.html

I linked to this on another of Daz’s threads called “Show Us Your Models”.

It’s a stunning replica, just gorgeous. In fact, I wan’t one.

It looks wonderful Melvyn, congratulations. The spats give it so nuch character.

For the benefit of those who sadly know very little about Rearwins, can you give a little biog please? When and where was it built originally? Has it an interesting history? Do you have a ‘before’ photo from four years ago to compare with?

Did it have any wartime service by any chance? The reason I ask is because the RNZAF used four Rearwin variants in No. 42 (Communications) Squadron, which was a squadron of various impressed aircraft. My source doesn’t reveal what variant types were used but the photo of one of them looks very much like your lovely Cloudster but with camo and roundels.

Aero51,

A little off topic here and maybe of no interest to you, but a very good friend of our family, Pat Monk, was an aircraft designer. He was from Reading and he told me he began his apprenticeship during the war at a very young age, about 15 I think, with Miles. He said on his first day, the first time he was allowed to look at a plane up close, it was a Gladiator that had flown into whichever airfield he was on. He said he stepped up to look in the cockpit, and his foot went straight through the wing! 😮 Not a good start on your first day.

He thought that he’d be in big trouble but when the engineers looked at it he said they found a structural problem that had caused it, he was in the right. And he said they had to do a check on all the Gladiators in service for this structural flaw. So his ‘mistake’ wasn’t so bad as he’d thought. He had used the walkway by the way, not the fabric.

I also recall him saying they used to get rostered onto Fire Watching duty on the roof of the factory, which he hated because occassional Heinkels, etc., would try to bomb the place. I assume this was also in Reading.

Pat later went onto work on many Miles designs including the M.52, and later designed for Slingsby gliders, Wren Skyships, Boeing, Concorde and New Zealand Aerospce Industries (now PAC) in NZ. He lives in retirement in the Isle of Man these days.