MOTAT Flying Boats

We visited the Museum of Transport and Technology in Auckland today and among some great exhibits is something unique in the form of a Short Sunderland and a Short Solent Flying Boat. The Solent is one of only two survivors and the other, in America, is actually a converted Seaford. Seeing the two together in close proximity was quite something.

MOTAT - WWII content

MOTAT is a sprawling site dedicated to transport and technology. The transport element has a separate Avaiation Hall with a number of WWII era aircraft along with several other airframes and exhibitions. I'll start withh WWI.

In transit!

 Hopped on a 787 earlier, passed Concorde G-BOAB on departing Heathrow, took a couple of pictures from the aircraft window and are now at Hong Kong waiting for this Air New Zealand flight to Auckland 

Dart repaint

 It's nearly 6 years since I was at the Museum of Berkshire Aviation and in the interim it's largest exhibit, the Handley Page Dart Herald has started to look the the worse for wear so it's good to see that it has recently had a full repaint.

Looking good

The Wanaka air show is not far away now and the line up is looking good. Current attendees can be found here 

 I'm looking forward to this one especially with the Mosquito hopefully able to display. Fingers crossed for the weather.

If all goes to plan there should be a couple of museum visits before the air show starting with the MOTAT aviation Hall in Auckland. Updates will be on here.

Mosquito update

Sounding good😀

Dewotine D520

This is a 1/72 scale kit of the WWII French fighter. Since it arrived in just a clear bag - yes ebay again - with no instructions or box I have no idea of the manufacturer but judging by the flash and simplicity of construction my best guess is an old Frog kit.

Great news

Avspecs of New Zealand, who are responsible for the Mosquito aircraft currently airworthy in the world have announced that their current project, which us destined for America, will soon be flying and will be appearing at rhe Warbirds over Wanaka airshow at Easter. I already have show tickets😀

Morane Saulnier MS505

The MS 505 Criquet was a post war French version of rhe Fiesler Storch with a radial engine. I saw this one many years ago at the East Fortune Museum of Flight but in November last year it was moved to Duxford and placed on the UK register so I assume there is a possibility that it could fly. I glimpsed it through the window of The Forge last weekend.

Bucker Jungmann

At warmer times of the year you can often see something of interest in the air at Duxford doing an air test or practising a routine but on an overcast day in February I wasn't expecting anything. However this Bucker Jungmann was parked on the field and I noticed that a few pre-flight checks were being carried out and, sure enough, it took to the skies and did a short display routine which was an off season bonus. A second bonus was the aircraft being returned to the hangar which was the reason why the door was open giving a better view of the Tempest in my previous post.

Duxford 10.2.24

As mentioned below we popped up to Duxford yesterday for the Aerial Spies exhibition but also had a look around the other hangars for a catch up since the Battle of Britain airshow last September. Of note was a new hot air heating system in the hangars which will apparently save IWM £41k a year in heating costs and the hangars were noticeably warmer than previous winter visits. Outside a new kids adventure playground is under construction.

Of course the main purpose of the visit was to check on airframes. The Stephenson hangar was very gloomy but the silver MkXIV Spit was having some minor work. Nothing had changed in the main hangar and a glance in The Forge showed the Firefly project wings under tarps so lets hope that means work on them is done rather than suspended. A Morane Storch was also there which my mate Gaz advised had come from East Fortune.

The TFC fleet was undergoing some winter maintenance as was Sally B and Miss Pick Up and the Walrus was in the hangar again but no obvious work had been done on it. I also got to see the Hawker Tempest for the first time and was lucky that the hangar door was opened later in the after noon for a better , albet slightly cluttered, view.

Elsewhere there was a gap where the recently departed Typhoon used to sit but the exhibits still need re-positioning as the Sea King is blocking the Buccaneer and the MkI Firefly is hemmed in.

Work continues on the Shackleton in the Conservation hangar and it was interesting to see the work on the He162 which has revealed RAF roundels.

Anyway, some pictures from the visit.