John Hill's Ashburton Aviation Museum DC3

[OneHungLow]

https://www.ops-normal.org/viewtopic.ph ... 13#p377213

As mentioned by John Hill in the link above. Some good photo's on the Facebook page Mr Hill mentioned in the link above...

https://www.facebook.com/Ashburtonaviationmuseum/photos

[John Hill]

Thank you Mr Low, the DC3 in the picture with the old military vehicles is 'ours' whereas the one with the spiffing chap is another NZ DC3 which nowadays flies occasional tourist flights out of Ardmore (near Orkland). The last time that one came to the South Island, aka 'The Mainland' she coughed up a cylinder head and it was a real logistical challenge to get her repaired and home again, I do not expect we will have another 'two DC3' event anytime soon, if ever.

I think ours may be the better example and we used to fly it but there were just not enough eager passengers to cover costs so she is now retired and rests warm and dry in the hangar being only dragged out for occasional public events and of course when the space is being hired out, weddings, funerals, corporate parties and just occasionally combine harvester training courses.

[Karearea]

Good idea to have a thread for this interesting aviation museum

John Hill - will there be anything particular happening there over Labour Weekend this year? (October 21-23)

[John Hill]

We will be open of course but I don't think there is anything special that weekend.

[Karearea]

^ ok, tks.

[John Hill]

Try this link

(Open the first file and there will be a scroll widget near the top right of the screen.)

https://1drv.ms/f/s!ArKD4sEFwF_8hIsvfbO ... Q?e=c9CMMU

Fifty or so pics from the museum 2016 or so.

We have a few more exhibits, ATR72 simulator, Aeradio shack, Cessna twin (ex Flying Doctors), Blunty, L 111 crew capsule, one or two more ag aircraft including an Ag Wagon and a Fletcher, plus a Blanik, a crop spraying drone, a Crisley Super Ace, a few more engines and a host of large scale models etc, etc.

Another Link Trainer has been received and we are working on a fully working modern version of the Link.

I think our hangar is 40x48 metres and we are planning on building another of similar size and we have enough stuff to fill it already!

John

[PHXPhlyer]

Great collection!

PP

[Hydromet]

John, do you have a Corsair there?
When I was in NZ on a working holiday mid-'60s, my boss was HNR (Neville) Jackson, who flew Corsairs in the Pacific Islands in WW II. He was about to return for his 3rd tour when the war ended. He was a really nice bloke, and took me for an aerial tour of Auckland and down to Hamilton.

[John Hill]

No, no Corsair in our collection and very few in NZ. Although the RNZAF flew them in the Pacific war I think most, if not all, were scrapped when returned to NZ.

[G-CPTN]

On one visit to Duxford I was treated to a practice display by a Corsair. I lay on my back on the grass whilst the pilot carried out his full display directly above me, taxying very closely to me at the beginning and end of the event - sheer magic!
What a great machine! Such power!

[John Hill]

One of my friends, now departed, told me how his Corsair had a propeller hitch when his flight was departing for the end of war ferry flight from a Pacific island to NZ. The prop was fixed and he was sent off without the navigation assistance from the aircraft (Hudson?) that shepherded the others safely home.

He managed the flight alone over several legs and pestered by oil leaks that left him landing in NZ with a side view only. He finally got to Hamilton and was directed to park among the lines of other aircraft which he realized were waiting for the scrapper.

He had some very colourful language to describe those who had decided that for the sake of a pile of scrap metal he was to make the hazardous flight.