Very sad sight Propstrike. Is that the crash that occurred on a golf course?

I have little knowledge of the flying Blenheim/s. Was this same one rebuilt to fly in the black scheme, or was it a different Blenheim that was flying more recently and crashed last year?

The Blenheim Mk IV is a lovely plane, I wish more will get flying. Is the one that recently crashed going to be rebuilt?

Dave

Well that didn’t seem to work. I will try once again. I think the original attempt was too large a file. If this doesn’t work I might need to be told what to do, this is my first time attaching a photo

Dave

Whitley Project said:
Interesting to hear about the Vilderbeest – does anyone out there have any pics of the wreck or its restoration?

There is a picture of the Vildebeest on the RNZAF Museum website on the restorations page. Go here:
http://www.airforcemuseum.co.nz/main/Restorations/ and then click on the photo top right (Below Sir Tim’s Spitfire) and you’ll get an idea of what it is like. They have an original airframe that was aquired from MoTaT (who had gotten it from a crash site somewhere). It is in a poor crumpled state but they are able to use pieces from it as patterns to recreate a new airframe. It is basically all pipes plumbed together at this stage. They have a restored engine and many other original parts for the project too.

Incidentally a Vincent is also being restored up in Auckland, I think at Dairy Flat, and apparently the two teams are working togther on the aircraft in some areas of reconstruction.

It will be great to see a completed Vilde or Vincent, such a huge and magnificent aircraft, and New Zealand’s front line of defence till the arrival of the Hudsons in 1941.

The major problem is that they have no drawings. Like the Stirling project, they have to rely on photos and restoring or copying the parts they have. It is a huge task and will take several years to complete, as the RNZAF Museum has a small and underfunded team of full time and volunteer staff, but you can be certain they’ll do a first class job. They always do. If anyone out there can help them with drawings or Vildebeest parts, I’m sure they’d love to hear from you.

Dave

It is always sad to see museums with neglected and rotting aircraft. But in many cases those museums are all that stood between the aircraft surviving and being melted down – albeit not in a great state. I feel that with growing interest in aviation heritage it can really be only a matter of time before most derelict aircraft will capture someone’s imagination and they’ll be funded and restored.

Here in New Zealand, Auckland’s MoTaT museum went for about two decades having nothing but abuse and criticism hurled at it (most justified) for letting their aircraft (including a Lancaster, Sunderland, Solent and much more) rot away.

The 1990’s saw some great people get motivated and funding finally went the way of some of these historic aircraft, and now the Lancaster is pristine and indoors, (restored by the NZ Bomber Command Association and the RNZAF I believe) – their Solent is also indoors and just as pristine, restored by ex-TEAL staff who flew and maintained it – their Mosquito has been restored by the RNZAF in a swap deal wher ethe RNZAF got their Vildebeest bits, and now they are being restored to become the world’s only complete Vildebeest. (Although i hear MoTaT still haven’t bothered to re-assemble the Mossie after all the RNZAF Museum’s hard work!!), etc.

And the Corsair and Kittyhawk that individuals or groups saved on behalf of the museum from the melting pot at Rukuhia are now flying with the OFMC, the P47 they had is being rebuilt to fly in Aussie and the Hurricane replica from the Battleof Britain movie they let get vandalised is now restored and resident at Omaka. The RNZAF Museum also sourced their Antrctic Auster from MoTat who’d been given it as a wreck. So these derelict collections can eventuate to some good things eventually.

I just wish they would restore the Sunderland and house it indoors, and finish the Hudson off which was nearly completely restored in the 1970’s till the team leader died and everything halted. They really need more space, more motivated people and more money- the problem with most aviation museums.

There is hope I guess
Dave

Here in New Zealand there are two under restoration, one for staic display and one reportedly to fly:

One is at the RNZAF Museum in Christchurch, which is not an ex-RNZAF example but is instead a Canadian-sourced one, which is on long term loan from a Canadian Museum to the RNZAF. In fact only the wings and a few components are here so far, the fuselage is still in Canada awaiting transportation to NZ. This Canadian sourced plane began as an Oxford, became a Consul and is now being restored to static as an Oxford again.

Also being used in this restoration is many parts from various real RNZAF examples, especially NZ1289 which i think was recovered as a wreck from memory.

A more genuine RNZAF example is NZ1332, which was located in 1994 by Don Subritzky, a well-known Kiwi warbirds restorer, who found literally it in a barn (a dream come true!). Before that point it was thought the 299 RNZAF examples were basically extinct, but it seems that in 1947 a Mr Les Bergenson bought NZ1332, and he disassembled it and stored it away. Amazing but true – no-one knew about it. Only a few bits were missing, and the Subritkys are piecing it back together to fly apparently. It still has the original paint scheme and all.

There are a few pictures here http://www.warbirdsovernewzealand.com/Subritzky/Subritzky.htm as well as some of their other aircraft under restoration. It looks great.

There are other bits and pieces around, such as recovered parts of the wrecked NZ277 at a museum in Taranaki, NZ.

Imagine what else may still be stored away in barns and sheds hidden from the public. A few weeks ago I visited the famous John Smith collection where one individual has a Hudson, two P40’s, a P51D, a Mosquito, a Tiger Moth, about three Vampires and two Harvards all tucked away in one dusty, dark shed. All are disassembled to a certain extent except the Mossie which is pristine inside. An amazing collection. He’s well known in NZ aviation circles, but there may be some people who are not, like Mr Bergenson.

Cheers
Dave