Standard 10 and the Harvard

Some more winter sketching in the Taranaki Aviation Technology & Transport Museum. There's so much stuff in here. Most things are grouped into sections but there's always the odd specimen randomly inserted. A toy-sized 1950's car is snuggled under the wing of a Harvard (T-6 Texan) fighter plane. I drew the plane a few years ago and I think it was damaged on a landing. That's why it lives in here with the cute cars and why its current propeller is too small. (It looks tons better than with no propeller though!)

Boats Bananas Missions & Planes

 Beautiful crisp winters day after a wild week.  Enjoyable sketching near the port.

Pukekura Park banana palms

Brian outside the library

 San Capistrano Mission - southern California

Griffith Observatory - near Hollywood sign

Zapote mortuary urn 600 - 900 AD - at the wonderful Palm Springs Art Museum

Gull winged Corsair - my dad worked on armaments for these in the Solomons in WWII (drawn at the Palm Springs Aviation Museum - ideal spot as so dry - nothing deteriorates)

P-40 Warhawk fighter - used in Bougainville where my dad was in the air force in WWII

Ponsonby, Auckland and airports

We've had a couple of trips to Auckland lately. There wasn't really much time for sketching other than at the airport. One morning though, I decided to get up just before dawn to get another drawing in. The previous evening, I noticed this one building had a nice glow from the signs, lights and interior lighting that disappeared during the day.

Stratford Air Show

Spitfire

I was at the Stratford Aero Club's Open Day in central Taranaki on the weekend. Just after we got there, a Spitfire arrived from just off the horizon. The pilot did some close fly-bys and tilted the wings for the cameras. I've heard fighter planes before and this one didn't have a usual deep rumble that a grunty aircraft engine would make. It sounded like there was still a lot of power there but not as loud as I expected. I've read about the Spitfires and they were quite renowned for their performance in the skies. It seemed very classy (and stealthy?) to be 'that kind of fighter plane' and yet have this nice purring engine. These are great planes!

After it landed, and parked on the airfield I started to sketch. I overheard someone say to another enthusiast that this particular Spitfire was a seven-eighth size replica with a V8 engine. 

Oh. 

I just kept drawing...

World Sketch Day - Stratford Air Show

The classic Spitfire and its close US cousin the Mustang at the air show . Well done to the Stratford Aero Club for a most enjoyable day.  MLB

Stratford Air Show

Catalina

Catalina reconstruction reportage team

Taranaki Flying Boat

We were invited to draw a Catalina flying boat in one of the hangars at the New Plymouth airport. It was a pretty crazy old plane. It had quite a few things that looked weird but then became normal when you remembered that this is also a boat! Those little T-shaped bits near the nose where you would throw a rope around... Boat! Landing Gear folds up on the side... Boat! Door opens on the top of the plane and then you climb down into it... Boat! 

The inside was really cool too. When you climbed in, you found yourself in between 2 sets of 2 facing seats. Across a mini hallway in the middle of the plane was another cabin with 4 facing seats. In this hallway you could either climb a few stairs and be in the cockpit or go into another room where the landing gear indentations were. You could climb up to the wing area and there was a window up there. Lots of hydraulic pipes here too. Past that was two more cabins of 4 seats. After that was one last room near the tail. It had 2 sideways bench seats that allowed you to look out these bubble shaped canopies. We all agreed that this must be the first-class lounge.

The older guy sweeping in my sketch joked that when he was an apprentice, he started out by sweeping, and look where he is now! 

Below: A progress pic from about half-way done... The large wingspan wouldn't fit entirely in the hangar.

Catalina

This 1944 Canadian Vickers built Canso CV375 Catalina is being lovingly restored at New Plymouth. It is due to fly shortly to be at Warbirds at Wanaka.
It served in the Royal Canadian Airforce for anti submarine duties but spent its last years (1988 - 1993) in Africa flying the Nile between Egypt and Zimbabwe with African Safari Tours (16 passengers + four crew) and was bought from the French owner. In 1955 it was in Costa Rica then back to Canada for stevadoring and with Austin Airways of Ontario
Two 1200hp engines power the beast, and it lands in the water at 140kph - all 12 tonnes of it.  It's 32m wing span looks huge. My dad was in the RNZAF in the Pacific Islands including Bouganville during WWII as a fitter armourer, and flew in Catalinas. He flew home lying by his kit bag in the nose of a Catalina as it was crowded. He described they overnighted in New Caledonia and when they attempted to take off the next morning the waves were too big so thank goodness the pilot eventually gave up, the single skin under the hull where he was lying seemed pretty thin.
56 Catalinas operated in the RNZAF, used for shipping escort, anti submarine, air sea rescue (downed pilots) and transport roles.
It has been repainted in RNZAF wartime plumage.

Catalina

 

Catalina - drawn by Patricia

Rescue Helicopter

Jets - some photos...

Jets

Last weekend, we were lucky enough to be invited to sketch inside the hangar of some local aviators. There were three Yaks, 2 de Havilland Vampires and this L-39 Albatross which is a Czechoslovakian jet fight trainer.

Originally, I though we were going to draw just the Yaks which are Russian propellor planes. When I found out that there were jets there too, I had an ear to ear grin and could have happily sat in there all day and sketched. It was just us and the planes with permission to walk around the building and look inside the cockpits. When we left were were offered the chance to come back again. I wonder how long we will be able to resist?

Vampire jet , New Plymouth

sketches visit to New Plymouth airport

 

 

Russian YAK ......as well

 



 

Aircraft heaven

A wonderful spot on a grey afternoon.  A hanger full of Yaks, Vampires and an Albatross at the New Plymouth Airport.

 

Vampire Cockpit

Czech Albatros L39