Being posted back to 42 Squadron [Sqn] was like returning home, only now I was on the supervisor side of things, The C47s [DC3] Devons and Harvards were still the Sqns aircraft.
While I was away the Sqn had been moved from No 3 Hanger, a 1938/39 constructed concrete hanger to a 1939 Asbestos Corrugated Sheet hanger.
This was much smaller and to get all the aircraft undercover at the same time required an extremely good driver. As one of the Para dropping aircraft spent most of its time at Hobsonville it eased the pressure.
Of course, you could guarantee that the aircraft that was wanted for the task was always in the middle, so everything had to be moved before the wanted one was available.
The Aircrew had moved into the old fire section corner of the hanger, filling the hole that the fireman had left when they moved to a new building.
As a way to instruct the aircrew in the mysteries of the engine, I would invite a couple over when we were in the middle of a servicing, with all the engine cowls off and they could see something.
Once, a couple of days before we needed NZ 3551, the ex Queen’s Dakota, the most luxurious of the fleet, we were doing a servicing in the hanger.
I invited a couple of pilots over to show them what an engine looks like.
We started in the front.
This is the propeller, it’s job is to keep the pilot cool, if ever it stops, watch the pilot sweat. They were used to a propeller as it was part of their pre-flight walk around to count how many propellers there were there. Any number under two and they wouldn’t fly.
We moved onto the Propeller/Speed Control Unit, explained how it kept the propeller turning at the right angle and speed.
Moved onto the ignition harness, this carries the sparks from the Magnetos to the spark plugs, and see this crack here, it shouldn’t be here.
This meant an ignition harness change, and as it wormed its way past four cylinders they had to come off as well.
We started, I was given a ‘good ol’ Maori boy’, how he passed his way into the Air Force I don’t know. But he was a very good mechanic, with very nimble fingers.
Also a year four ‘certificate of engineering technology’ [CET]student, The Maori boy and I started to remove the cylinders, and I set the CET kid to remove the covers on the Magnetos.
About forty five minutes later the CRT kid said he had managed to remove the labels off the magnetos, what next?.
He spent the rest of the period we were working making coffee, by the time we finished he could produce a drinkable cup. He had had to dodge a few of his earlier attempts though.
Forty hours later the job was done. A quick ground run to test things, a refuel and it was away on it’s VIP run.
The Flight Sergeant [F/S] in charge of the hanger was courting a lady in Blenheim.
Most Fridays one of the C47s would be tasked with ‘circuits and landings’, one of the circuits was extended to Woodbourne, the C47 would taxi in, the back door would open while a figure emerged, the door was shut and the C47 would resume the Ohakea circuit.
On Monday the same thing would happen so he could get back to work.
Every morning, at 8 am he had a team briefing of what I was supposed to do today.
Unfortunately, I am sure he used Gin as a mouthwash in the morning, and he insisted that I drink a hardly pour able black coffee at the same time.
The Sqn had been tasked by the other services and the Police to continue the Friday / Monday top to the bottom shuttle.
Sometimes when the better laid out aircraft weren’t available the meant using two aircraft to do the task.
We were paraded at 7 pm one evening as Sir Arthur Espie Porritt Bt. GCMG. GCVO. CBE thought it would be a good time for him to say his thanks to the Sqn for their efforts in flying him where ever and whenever he wanted for his 2 years as Governor-General of New Zealand.
We weren’t that impressed, we should have knocked off at 4.45pm.
The two years on the Sqn this time was pretty uneventful and I was then posted to 75 Squadron flying Skyhawks