Ki61 restoration pics

[setter]

More Wangaratta pics – Tony

I have just posted on my Webshots account 55 more pics of the Ki61 Tony aircraft being restored at Murray Griffith’s Wangaratta Precision facility. One machine will be going back to PNG for static display, One will fly for Jerry Yagen in the US another will fly as Murray’s own aircraft whilst the last of the 3 airworthy machines is for an undisclosed owner. The intention is to power the aircraft with DB 601 power plant from a source as yet unidentified as the original was an adapted version of this engine. Tony Andrews took these photos on his recent trip down under and kindly agreed to have me host them here – thanks Tony.

The first machine in the jigs is the PNG static restoration which is largely intact and will supply data to allow the next 3 more “challenged” airframes to be restored as accurately as possible. It can be seen in the photos that work on this machine is already well advanced.

The link is http://community.webshots.com/user/setter125
And look for the item titled “Ki61 Tony restoration photos “

Be patient I am about half way through the upload but is should finish in about an hour - you can view about half of the now

Kindest regards
John Parker

[airnutz]

John, I am "pretty sure" Santa Claus lives near the South pole...
Thank-you...really exciting images!!!!

[setter]

Hi DBF/airnutz


No worries mate - pleased to bring a little joy to you.

You have a great Christmas and an even better new year - a Ki61 is closer every day !

Thanks for your great posts and friendship this year

Kindest festive regards to you and your family

John

[airnutz]

John,
Thank-you for your kind words and wishes!...."and double on ya'!!! "

When I was a youngster in the 60's, I had a pen-pal in Kenya(to this day
I remember his name...Daniel Newby). It would take months for letters to exchange sometimes. He would tell me tales of the wildebeasts in the
veldt,etc..and I would regale him with the horses and rivers of Texas, etc.
Now, 35 yrs later...I look forward to "logging-on" DAILY to see what is
happening a half a world away with truly fascinating folks and their joys!!!
I count you amongst that "lot"! Amazing, what a wonderful world!

John, all of the best to you and yours! Maybe someday we'll share a "tipple", if not I'll cast a toast yer way here and there!
Merry Christmas!

[setter]

Hi

Thanks ... I'm touched

Regards
John

[airnutz]

Now John, don't get "sappy" on me, let's save it for when we see a
formation of Tony's, Claude's, Oscar's and Zekes...being "tally-hoed"
by Buffaloes, Boomerangs, Vanguards, Spittys etc.....et al..!!!

[setter]

Hi

Fair enough too!

Don't forget the Hudson We have the worlds last flying Hudson and it's fully tooled up - guns turrets - the whole deal - never forget the Hudson.

Regards
john

[bdk]

Looks like you have some P-39 and P-40 shots in there as well.

[setter]

bdk

Whoops I just can't get good help these days. I will be posting seperate pages on the P39 and the P40s later in the meantime you just get a bonus !!

Regards
John P

[turbo_NZ]

Hi John,

Thanks for the great pics.
Question for you.

Just looking through your fascinating Webshots photo collection,..do you have any Vietnam service pics of when you flew the T-28's, Caribous etc ?

Cheers
Chris

TNZ

[setter]

Hi turbo_NZ

Yes I'm working through them - particularly of the Caribou and Hueys etc

I hope to put them up soon.


Regards
John P

[turbo_NZ]

That's great, John.

Can't wait.

Cheers
Chris

[airmanual]

Regarding what airframes may still be around at present, i remember a Tony front fuselage section was put for sale on Ebay Australia around 2 years ago. Starting price was 5.000 AUD and did not attract any bid. I'm sure from the photos seen at that time it was not R. Greinert 292.

Anybody down under has any idea which aircraft it may be and if it's one of the 4 to be "restored" ? Don't remember the seller's name but i think it's the one who, from time to time, is still selling ex PNG aircraft stuff like a recent A6M belly tank.

Also, i'm copying below an answer received by R. Greinert on a query i had made on the Board 2 years ago about surviving Tony's. Interesting.

Laurent

Posted by Rob Greinert on 7:42:48 6/19/2003 from 211.28.96.9:
In reply to: Recovered Ki-61 "Tony" posted by Laurent on 6:19:08 6/19/2003 from 80.200.127.252:

This is a usefull discussion and thanks for raising it.

Firstly the Tony fuselage that I have currently here in Sydney, with the bit missing just behind the cockpit,is 292 ex Alexishafen airfield, Madang. Rcovered in 1984 and shipped to Moresby for the PNG Museum.

I can say this with authority because myself and a couple of other people put it on the truck in 84 and sent it to the Madang docks.

Unfortunately the airframe suffered badly in the Moresby environs and it was very much a case of save it now or loose it forever and two years ago a restoration arrangement was made with the PNG National Museum. Hence the machines appearance in Sydney.

We are still in the hunter/gathering stage at the moment and await the collection of a number of Kawasaki V12s and a wing.

The PNGs Museums really good Tony "640" is the ex Nuku machine as shown in Darbys book on page 3. What happened over the years is too long to go into but the situation is now stabilised.

As for other places like Borpop, you will still find Tony remains but the airframes are badly deteriorated due to the lack of protective surface finishes.

THe Borpop machine was never recovered. Dismantled and taken to the beach just before Independence was granted to PNG. For reasons far to complicated to explain here, the export was blocked by Sir Julius Chan, the incoming minister responsible for these things at the time. The white fella didnt come back and today the Borpop aircraft lies rotted on the beach.

When I was doing the Beaufort parts recovery at Tadji in Nov 2000 for the AWM we were taken by a villager to a Tony lying on its back. It was that fragile we were afraid to pick it up, the thing was that badly corroded. Had we put it on a truck and sent it down the coast some 250 miles and 38 river crossings, I doubt there would have been anything left.

For those that know me, leaving this behind was a really hard thing to do.

Trust this has been of some interest.

ROB