NZDF-SERIALS
Australian & New Zealand Military Aircraft Serials & History

RNZAF Waco QDC,UIC & UOC
NZ570, NZ574, & NZ575

     
 

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Serial c/n Type Aircraft history
NZ570 3580 QDC Arrived in Wellington on 11 April 1932 and shipped to Wigram for assembly.
First flight in New Zealand was from Wigram on 18 April 1932.
Delivered to the Wellington Aero Club the following day.
Entered the New Zealand Civil Aircraft Register as ZK-ACV.
Sold to Otago Aero Club in November 1933 and delivered to Taieri on the 11th of that month.
To Queenstown and Mount Cook Airways in June 1938.
Impressed into RNZAF on 19 April 1940 as NZ570 with the Communications Flight at Rongotai.
Converted to INST31 with TTS at Rongotai during September 1940.
Broken up at Rongotai during 1941 with most of the parts being dumped into the sea.

Waco QDC 
NZ570
RNZAF Photo

NZ574 3820 UIC Arrived in Wellington from the USA on 02 December 1933,
Assembled at Rongotai and test flown by George Bolt on the 06th of that month.
Entered the New Zealand Civil Aircraft Register as ZK-ADE.
With Wellington Aero Club as a replacement for ZK-ACV.
Used by the club for joyriding, charter and ambulance work.
Impressed into RNZAF at Unit 18 Rongotai for a cost of 1250 pounds on 15 September 1939 as NZ574.
W
ith the Communications Flight at Rongotai.
Sold to Tauranga Aero Club from No.42 Squadron on 11 September 1946 having flown a total of 1969 hours.
E
ntered the New Zealand Civil Aircraft Register as ZK-ALG on 14 December 1946.
After flying 950 hours with the club it was sold to Northland Districts Aero Club on 14 December 1955. Crashed into Whangarei Harbour on 29 September 1957 after engine failure on take off killing one of the passengers.
The aircraft was a complete write off and after the remains were removed from the harbour they were burnt on 05 November 1957, only the motor being salvaged.
The aircraft had flown a total of 2993 hours at the time of it's demise.
NZ575 4336 UOC Shipped from New York on "City of Canberra" on 15 April 1936.
Assembled at Rongotai during May of that year.
Delivered to the Marlborough Aero Club on 10 May 1936.
Entered the New Zealand Civil Aircraft Register as ZK-AEL.
Impressed into RNZAF with Unit 18 Rongotai for a cost of 1675 pounds on 05 September 1939 as NZ575 in 1939. Allocated to the Communications Flight based at Rongotai.
Declared surplus to RNZAF requirements on 05 February 1946 and passed to the WARB on that date.
It had flown 990 hours with the RNZAF.
Sold to Marlborough Aero Club from Woodbourne on 10 September 1946 for 750 pounds.
Entered the New Zealand Civil Aircraft Register as ZK-ALA.
Damaged in landing accident on 26 January 1947.
Sold to Blackmores Air Services in damaged condition on 02 September 1947.
Repaired and used on tourist flights at Rotorua.
To James Aviation on 01 September 1951 when Blackmore's company was taken over.
Badly damaged in early 1958 when it overturned while landing at Rotorua.
Sold to G. Gilltrap Ltd in mid 1958, for restoration and display in a transport museum housed in one of the hangars at Rotorua Airport where it was noted in January 1959.
The museum collection including the Waco was exported to Coolangatta, Queensland in September 1959. Replaced in the Brisbane museum by Moth Minor VH-ACR in late 1966.
Believed to now be in storage in Camden, NSW.

Waco UOC 
NZ575
RNZAF Photo

 
 

Author: Ivan Prince (Updated by Brendan Cowan)

Sources: AHSNZ publications 1958-1990. NZ Wings September 1974-1982. "Taking Off" by R. Waugh. NZ Flying Magazine October 1947. "Flying the Thermal Skies" by D. Stafford. RNZAF records.

Emails: John Andrade, Martin Edwards, Brendan Cowan,

Updated 03 December 2013

     
     

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