BUSY WHARF SCENE

Auckland Star, Volume LXIX, Issue 177, 29 July 1938, Page 8

BUSY WHARF SCENE

UNPACKING BOMBERS.

NEW AIR FORCE MACHINES. TOWED TO HOBSONVIUJB. There was a scene a feverish activity at the Prince's Wharf thi* morning as a large detachment of Royal New Zealand Air Force trainees unpacked the two twin-engined Airspeed Oxford J bombers, which arrived from England j last week. The two huge cases had been removed from the wharf on to barges, and it was necessary to have the work completed to enable the Awatca to berth at 1 p.m. However, despite working at full pressure, through heavy rain showers, the Awatea was nosing her way up the channel half an hour before the work was completed, and the barges had to Ikj towed to the Central YVharf, where the work was finished this afternoon. The Air Force men made an early start, attacking the huge cases with crowbars and sledge hammers. Care had to lie taken not to damage the fabric of the 'planes, and when the job was completed there was not a scratch on the shining silver surfaces, with their distinctive red, white and blue markings. After the woodwork had been removed the fuselage was raised by crane and the landing wheel* dropped, to enable the machines to be wheeled ashore at Hobsonville. The machines were in a practically complete state, the wings having been unshipped and packed alongside the fuselages. The twin motors were intact, but the tail wings, turrets and nose pieces were packed separately. Mr. \V. F. Locke, aeronautical engineer to Airspeed Ltd., who will supervise the assembling of the machines, was at the wharf. He stated that the machines should be in the air within ten days.

Owing to the difficulty of securing supplies, the 'planes will be temporarily equipped with wooden propellers, but it is expected that the steel "props" will arrive shortly. The Oxfords are stated to be a popular training machine, and are capable of carrying eight persons.