We have a winner.
.JPG)
Well folks - What we have is indeed very much like the Squiddeley Diddeley Andover/748.
But as you can now see - It is not.
The answer to the first question is "Mount" Victoria in Wellington.
.JPG)
What we have is the Grumman G159 Gulfstream 1 VH-CRA (c/n 171) with its Rolls Royce Dart 529's. It first flew on 10-06-1966 and was delivered to Conzinc RioTinto which was an Australian division of BHP (Broken Hill Propriety). It went back to the States (about mid 70's I think) and became N171LS with Lear Siegler. In 1979 it became N1PC and then N728GM in May of 1980. In 1990 it went down to Venezuela and became YV-621CP followed by YV-628C. Death by decay followed.
.JPG)
As for a civil registration - It is actually VH-CRA but I would have paid on either VH-CRA or VH-FLO. (or maybe VH-ASJ if I was pushed). Both VH-CRA and VH-FLO were reasonably regular visitors in connection with the Bluff aluminium smelter and the Manapouri power project. VH-FLO I believe still exists in some shape or form at Auckland International having been there since about 1995 - Has been used by crash fire for training exercises.
Pics taken about late 1966, from memory, on a nice Wellington southerly day.
Pics taken about late 1966, from memory, on a nice Wellington southerly day.
The remains of VH-FLO are easy enough to spot on about a mile final for 23 at Auckland, well off to the left on the peninsula to the E/SE(?) end of the runway.
ReplyDeleteI well remember the Rolls Royce Dart noise of VH-FLO when I was an air traffic controller at Invercargill Airport. There were many trips to/from Melbourne and Hobart and back in those days VH-FLO was deemed to be more comfortable because "you could sit" in a comfortable seat rather than sit on the floor of the small pocket rocket jets of the time.
ReplyDeleteHere is the history of that aircraft. I believe it still exist sitting in Maracaibo Venezuela.
ReplyDeletehttp://g159hrm.com/construction-numbers/cn-171.html
Scott Morris
g159HRM.com