Pioneer Avspecs warbird update

Down in New Zealand, Pioneer Aero and Avspecs have moved Pioneer from a factory in East Tamaki and Avspecs from Rotorua Airport. They have jointly purchased one of the World War Two hangars at Ardmore Airport, south of Auckland, and this has now been completely refurbished. Both companies have now moved in and are not only doing joint-venture work but also have individual contracts on the go.

First project in the shop was a P-40E for Dick Thurman. No, this was not his K model (see Air Classics V36/N9 "Ghosts Over Wanaka") which they finished last year, but another aircraft that Dick has been involved with for some time. The aircraft, N940AK, had been badly damaged in a belly landing on 5 November 1995 in New York and to date the company has received the wings for the plane. Since they started work on the P-40E, Dick has resold the plane to Tony Banta (who purchased the Museum of Flying's F8F-1 Bearcat) and Tony has decided to have the company complete the entire aircraft.

Both wings require complete structural rebuilds and, as an indication of the extent of the rebuild, they have had to start with brand-new leading edge skins on both wings and work back from there. The left wing is now finished as are the flaps and ailerons while the wing tips are nearing completion. Work has started on the right-hand wing and this has been stripped. Component rebuilding has also begun. The fuselage and the remaining components have been shipped from the United States. It is interesting to note that the fuselage received remarkably little damage. Mike Nixon will be delivering the rebuilt Allison in six months and, together with a fresh propeller, the plane will be flying in March 2002 in time for the huge Wanaka Warbird show.

Second job in the shop is Ray Hanna's ultra-rare Lavochkin La 9. This aircraft is a restorer's dream. The plane is in remarkable condition with just a small amount of corrosion and this is being rectified and the areas that have been opened up to get rid of the corrosion are now being reskinned. The interior is finished and painted and most of the internal components and some of the external fairings have been rebuilt and are ready to go back in. Colin Denholm at Rotorua has begun rebuilding the systems components with the flap ram being the first finished and the gear retract rams currently underway. New cockpit glass, both plexiglass and bulletproof front and rear screens, are being made. The biggest dilemma is how good a finish will be added to the aircraft since a lot of the Russian components that are not structural, such as fairings and internal paneling, are what can only be described as "agricultural" in their finish. So the question is, are they completed to their original and rough specifications to be representative of a Russian fighter of the era or should they be "westernized" for airshow display? Somewhere in between may well be the answer. Subject to engine and propeller being available on time, there is a very real possibility that his aircraft will be flying in the first part of 2001.

The intent is to paint the aircraft in a schememit would have worn when flying with the Peoples' Republic of China Air Force during the Korean War. However, nothing definitive on how these aircraft were painted has been yet found (readers with information should contact the Editor).