TRI-STATE WARBIRD MUSEUM P-40M update

[Lightning]

Howdy All

Tri-State Warbird Museum P-40M (NZ3119) update (pics)
Page 3 of March Newsletter

http://www.tri-statewarbirdmuseum.org/d ... 10_000.pdf

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Lightning

[oz rb fan]

nice choice of markings is it a former rnzaf plane ? looks great !!

[Django]

I like the markings too!

[Warbird Kid]

This museum sure has been flying under the radar. We haven't heard much about all the exciting projects that are there.

[valdez25]

Those pics don't do it justice. It's awesome. Just wait!!!!!(or stop by the museum)

[avenger2504]

nice choice of markings is it a former rnzaf plane ? looks great !!

Yes it was in RNZAF service as NZ3119. Nice to see one of our P40s put back in RNZAF markings. Two others are airworthy, one is in Chinese AVG markings and flies here and one flies in Australia in RAAF markings.

[IndyJen]

Not only did it see service with the RNZAF, it was the plane of the RNZAF's top-scoring ace, Geoff Fisken.

I had to go back to the Tri-State museum's website to remember his name, however, alas.

That website: www.tristatewarbirdmuseum.org/

Fellow Harpooner PJ and I flew out to Clermont County airport--home of Sporty's Pilot Shop in addition to the museum--east of Cincinnati about, what, almost a year ago, to visit the museum and see what it was about, and we were very impressed. Had a nice chat with the maintenance director there, too. They remembered us from the previous Indianapolis airshow, as their B-25 was on the ramp with our Harpoon, and so PJ and I got the full warbirder's tour of the back shops and parts areas, and were permitted to climb in the B-25 and check it out good.

In addition to the P-40, which will be a brilliantly clean and complete restoration when it's done, they also have a corsair fully torn down and in the process. It is a TV veteran, having been the plane with the smoke system for the Baa Baa Black Sheep show--whenever a corsair "bit the dust" on that show, it was this very airplane.

Tri-State has some very deep-pocketed backers, and so they have the means to do everything right, to the nth degree. Very, very impressive operation that they have there. If you are ever in the neighborhood, you could do much worse than to spend a few hours in there.

[Dan K]

Not only did it see service with the RNZAF, it was the plane of the RNZAF's top-scoring ace, Geoff Fisken.

This looks to be an outstanding restoration.

But could someone kindly help with the Geoff Fisken conection? Indy Jen's comment above suggests that P-40M NZ3119 was Fisken's mount. Yet every on-line source I could find indicates that it was NZ3072 that was assigned to Fisken and painted as "Wairarapa Wildcat".

Any takers?

[warbird1]

Does anyone have an update on the status of their 190? Is it an FW-190 or an Fw-190? How close is it to being done? What will it's power source be?

[IndyJen]

Indy Jen's comment above suggests that P-40M NZ3119 was Fisken's mount. Yet every on-line source I could find indicates that it was NZ3072 that was assigned to Fisken and painted as "Wairarapa Wildcat".

That's their claim, and they seem to have documentation galore. They apparently obtained the airframe from the RNZAF museum, who mostly restored the airframe.

It's possible that Fisken flew more than one airplane, I suppose it could be. What Tri-state lays out as provenance of the airplane seems convincing.

And in any case, it'll be a hell of a restoration, in Fisken's markings. Totally worth seeing. I can hardly wait until it's in the air.

[DaveM2]

Indy Jen's comment above suggests that P-40M NZ3119 was Fisken's mount. Yet every on-line source I could find indicates that it was NZ3072 that was assigned to Fisken and painted as "Wairarapa Wildcat".

That's their claim, and they seem to have documentation galore. They apparently obtained the airframe from the RNZAF museum, who mostly restored the airframe.

It's possible that Fisken flew more than one airplane, I suppose it could be. What Tri-state lays out as provenance of the airplane seems convincing.

And in any case, it'll be a heck of a restoration, in Fisken's markings. Totally worth seeing. I can hardly wait until it's in the air.

The aircraft was privately owned and had nothing to do with the RNZAF Museum, restoration was mostly carried out by Don & Mike Subritzky on Auckland's North Shore. As for the Fisken connection....not too sure about that I will have to consult my notes, wherever they are

[Dave Homewood]

Whilst Geoff Fisken was assigned NZ3072 as his personal aircraft he would certainly not have flown it exclusively. He would have flown a wide variety of aircraft in the squadron as and when they were available. He wouldn't have simply sat out a mission if his aircraft was in maintenance. Several other pilots also flew NZ3072, a couple claiming kills in it. And most of Geoff's kills were made in other aircraft, not NZ3072.

Apparently he had a second aircraft marked up as Wairarapa Wildcat too, thought to be NZ3075.

This aircraft, NZ3119, was, I believe, flown by No. 16 Squadron RNZAF in November and December 1943 from New Georgia. this info comes from the logbook of No. 16 Squadron pilot John Arkwright. Now, No. 14 Squadron, which Geoff was a member of, was also at New Georgia during that time as part of the RNZAF Fighter Wing alongside John's unit, so it's quite possible he flew NZ3119 during that time.

If you want to check for certain, Geoff's logbook is held by the museum at Masterton, NZ.

[IndyJen]

The museum's website entry for the plane doesn't go on at nearly the length the in-museum display does, and now it's been a year since I've seen the display, but here's what the abbreviated website description:

The Tri-State Warbird Museum 1943 Curtiss P-40M is an exciting project and a very historically significant aircraft This P-40 Kittyhawk saw service with the Royal New Zealand Air Force (RNZAF) as NZ3119 and was flown by Geoff Fisken, RNZAF's highest scoring pilot in WWII. Rescued from an aircraft scrap yard in the 1960's by New Zealand native John Chambers, NZ3119 was structurally rebuilt by Allied Fighter Rebuilds in Auckland, New Zealand and delivered to the Tri-State Warbird Museum in February 2008. The restoration team at the Tri-State Warbird Museum will complete the restoration of NZ3119 to flying condition.

Nothing about the RNZAF museum in there; that could be my memory playing tricks on me.

[Dave Homewood]

Nice to see one of our P40s put back in RNZAF markings. Two others are airworthy, one is in Chinese AVG markings and flies here and one flies in Australia in RAAF markings.

Two ex-RNZAF P-40's are airworthy in Australia, one with Allan Arthur in RAF markings and the other with the late Col Pay's collection in RAAF colours.

[avenger2504]

Nice to see one of our P40s put back in RNZAF markings. Two others are airworthy, one is in Chinese AVG markings and flies here and one flies in Australia in RAAF markings.

Two ex-RNZAF P-40's are airworthy in Australia, one with Allan Arthur in RAF markings and the other with the late Col Pay's collection in RAAF colours.

Oh yes thats right, I had a feeling there were three in total but couldn't remember the other one. Thanks Dave you mine of RNZAF info you!