Yes mark, I think that was the title now come to think of it. Cheers. Sadly IMDb surprisingly has next to nothing on the series
http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0088630/

Must be the same one as the only character is ‘Airfield Vendor’

Any idea if it was released on video?

When did the replica Southern Cross first get flying? I remember it’s visit here in 1988, superb. 🙂 🙂

Yes, that’s the one. From vague memory it was a really good dramatisation too. Was a real or replica Stinson used? Or a model?

And with a star like Jack Thompson you can’t go wrong. He was superb in the NZ film ‘Bad Blood’ where he also played a farmer taking to the bush, this time in murderous circumstances as he played NZ’s first mass murderer, Stan Graham. He was superb in the role, and should be made an honorary Kiwi for that performance where he played a real life murderer with great skill and subtlety to the point you feel empathy with him.

Daz, I think Tom Cruise has beaten you to it there… 😉

If a Malta story was done, there are plenty of flying Ju52’s around too which operated a lot in that region.

Were there any aviation heroes on either side during the 1941 Greece and Crete campaign where the Brits and Anzacs got severely kicked?

Have there been any or many films in the non-English speaking sphere covering famous wartime aviators? Maybe Japanese films or German, or Spanish or Italian, etc? Or Russian?

Is the ‘west’ the only ones who celebrate their aviators? Afetr seeing Dark Blue World I have to think there must be more so-called foreign films out there about wartime pilots.

GDL – do you mean the Japanese lost the war, or they lost Pearl Harbor? I think the latter was an overwhelming victory for them, which is probably why the Japanese filmmakers were so keen to co-operate on Tora, Tora, Tora.

Maybe someone could do a film about the Swordfish squadron that sank all those Italian ships, in the good old Dambusters ‘against all odds’ fashion. We could call it ‘Boatbusters’.

I have discovered a semi-professional book in the university library published by the Aviation Historical Society of New Zealand that lists every aircraft registration in this country up till the date of publication, which was about 1972.

The first registrations all began with G-NZ**, and there were just 32 of these.

In 1929 they changed to the current ZK-*** registration system, and at the same time they also allocated for ZL-*** for overflow (which has not yet been needed but we cannot be too far away I suppose) and they also allocated this strange one – ZM-***

ZM-*** was allocated just for Flying Fleas. It says that the type were not issued Certificates of Airworthiness, but could be registered in this special category so that they could fly within a 3 mile radius of an aerodrome, as they were classed as experimental aircraft. Three were registered in this way, each with a different engine type.

So that is the NZ story then I guess.

Thanks Moggy for the extra details, no need to apologise mate. I agree, he does sound like a great subject for a film. I wonder if you could also work a certain WAAF in suspenders into the script… 😉

Thanks Daz for the info on Von Werra. I know somone who appeared in that film actually.

So was there a Me109 in it? I can’t remember it too well myself. Was it flying? Must be worth seeing just to see the Hurricane. 🙂

Dan, I’d love to see a proper film on the airwar in the Pacific made, with P39’s, P38’s, P40’s, Zeros, etc. Of course if I made it, It’d have to have Hudsons in it too. They rule. 😎

Thanks Cestrian,

Wow that aircraft looked lovely out in the sun!

The picture of it prior to restoration looks rather horrific, the team did a fantastic job. How on earth did such an important aircraft get into such a state?

I agree, particularly having seen your photos, that the Gull would be nice to see still flying, but because it is such an important piece of New Zealand’s history I’m glad it is not being put at risk and is being well cared for today in a place that appreciates it. I think it is important as Richard Pearse’s aircraft at Motat and the RNZAF’s Avro 626 in our aviation heritage, and on a par with the Spirit of St Louis, Wright Flyer or Southern Cross as museum pieces.

Thinking about it, it is funny how most of the great record-breaking planes have survived when other types have not. Is this just fluke or was there actually some awareness of the need to preserve way back in the 1920’s and 1930’s as well?

Thanks for the lovely photos.
Dave