avwalk

TBF WALKAROUND

The first aircraft in this walkaround series is one of the few still remaining of those used by the RNZAF. It was photographed while on display with the NZ Wing of the Confederate Air Force at Dairy Flat Airfield on Auckland's North Shore. It is now at MOTAT, and is undergoing a full rebuild to display standard.

NZ2527 while on display in Queen Elizabeth Square, Auckland. It was the centrepiece of a recruitment campaign by the NZ Wing of the Confederate Air Force. (Via Dave Stewart)

It had been roughly repainted in an approximate operational scheme. Traces of the target tug Yellow and Black stripes are still visible under the paint on the undersides of the wing and fuselage.
Although painted up as NZ2527, a TBF-1C, it has all the characteristics of being a TBF-1 i.e. The cowl gun position, no wing guns, and the rudimentary controls in the rear cockpit.
For many years I suspected that NZ2527 was not its true identity, but recent correspondance with Shane Seymour of the Gisborne Aviation Preservation Society (GAPS) has provided evidence that many components from NZ2505 were swapped between these two aircraft before they reached their present 'owners'!
Many of the cowl components have come from NZ2505 including the cowl gun trough panels, and NZ2505 has gained the nose cowl filter 'bump' from NZ2527.
I understand that there are no plans to exchange these components back to their correct airframes!

tbfwaa.jpg	tbfwab.jpg	tbfwac.jpg	tbfwad.jpg	tbfwae.jpg
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tbfwak.jpg	tbfwal.jpg	tbfwam.jpg	tbfwan.jpg	tbfwao.jpg
tbfwap.jpg	tbfwaq.jpg	tbfwar.jpg	tbfwas.jpg	tbfwat.jpg

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All the above Photographs by Alan Morris.

The second set are some taken of NZ2504 with the RNZAF Historic Flight based at Wigram in Christchurch. It has been restored and painted as NZ2521, one of the aircraft lost over Rabaul, and is now on display in the RNZAF Museum.

NZ2504 repainted as NZ2521, RNZAF Museum, Wigram, Christchurch. 5th February, 1999. (RNZAF Museum via Matthew O'Sullivan)

NZ2504 repainted as NZ2521, RNZAF Museum, Wigram, Christchurch. 5th February, 1999.
(RNZAF Museum via Matthew O'Sullivan)

NZ2504 after refurbishment and repaint as NZ2521, RNZAF Museum, Wigram. Note colours of fuselage roundel - RAF Roundel Blue outer with RNZAF Blue centre. (Via Dave Stewart)