Ex-RNZAF Goodyear FG-1D Corsair NZ5648

[Kiwithrottlejockey]

This warbird returned to the air last weekend after several years of being impounded following the fallout between The Vintage Aviator Ltd and Gene DeMarco.

Now with a new Kiwi owner, it was flown with the undercarriage locked down from Hood Aerodrome to JEM Aviation at Omaka Aerodrome on Sunday for some much-needed maintenance after being idle for a few years.

It had been test-flown the day before to ensure there were no major issues preventing the ferry flight, which was authorised by the NZ CAA.

Hopefully, it will be back at Hood Aerodrome in time for the Wings Over Wairarapa airshow later in November. Note that this Corsair was previously owned by Ray Hanna.

https://www.aviationfilm.com/articles/corsairjones/index.shtml

[India Four Two]

That's good news. In 2011, at Classic Flyers, Number 8 was the first Corsair I had ever seen. I got to help push it out of the hangar. It's a BIG aircraft!


https://cimg7.ibsrv.net/gimg/pprune.org-vbulletin/472x295/f4u_corsair_taruanga_airshow_2014_472x295_bb54960f8257d74375 5832bfb64918be98ae8384.jpg

[Kiwithrottlejockey]

The new owner has committed to repainting it in RNZAF colours, although initially it will simply have RNZAF insignia put on it.

He is planning to do some research into wartime RNZAF Corsair colour schemes and at some point in the future, as funds allow, the repaint will occur.

[tcamiga]

I had heard - but not sure if accurate - that Snow Gatehouse flew the Corsair at the end of WW2 and that some wag had put a couple of bits of 4 x 4 wood on the rudder pedals to help Snow reach them :)

As an aside - I vividly remember Snow Gatehouse having a conversation with one of his pilots on an old ZC1 radio in his ops room at Omaka. As the temperature of the conversation rose, Snow jumped up on a chair to get closer to the radio as he was talking! Quite a character!

[treadigraph]

Hadn't appreciated Gene De Marco had been involved with this Corsair.

Believe it was at Biggin with Doug Arnold before Ray Hanna acquired it. I recall three or even four in the hangar there at one point!

[Kiwithrottlejockey]

Hadn't appreciated Gene De Marco had been involved with this Corsair.

Ray Hanna sold the Corsair and a P-40 Kittyhawk to a bloke from Wellington NZ who based both aeroplanes at Hood Aerodrome, Masterton, setting up a company called the Old Stick & Rudder Company.

Gene DeMarco purchased the Old Stick & Rudder Company and the large hanger and apartment which was owned by that company was then used to store TVAL WWI aeroplanes as well.

With the big falling out between Gene DeMarco and Peter Jackson and the court case and jailing of Gene after he ripped off Peter Jackson, both the Corsair and the Kittyhawk were seized, but Jackson relinquished ownership of the Kittyhawk to another bloke who had also been ripped off by Gene. Peter Jackson recently put the Corsair up for sale after it had been impounded for about six years and it was recently purchased by a Kiwi and after a short test flight last Saturday, was flown across Cook Strait to JEM Aviation at Omaka Aerodrome for some serious maintenance work, with authorisation from NZ's CAA. After finishing his prison sentence, Gene DeMarco was declared bankrupt and has also been the subject of several civil lawsuits, but I believe he recently fled NZ for the USA and probably won't return to NZ. It's a very long and very convoluted story.

As a matter of interest, the large hanger is still being used by TVAL, but I don't know who actually owns it now. Presumably Peter Jackson has gained ownership of it, or his company The Vintage Aviator Ltd.