| Post-war miscellany
ASR
In response to a query from RNZAF Fiji late in 1947, Air Department ascertained that Air Sea Rescue aircraft should carry distinctive ICAO (International Civil Aviation Organisation) markings. The markings comprised the application of “Orange Yellow” to the aircraft plus a “large yellow cross”. The reference was ICAO Doc. 2480, and this contained a drawing of the cross but no dimensions. The disc on which the cross was superimposed was specified as black. Air Department decided that rather than wait for ICAO to be more specific the RNZAF Air Sea Rescue Hudsons – which carried airborne lifeboats – would have their RNZAF roundels in all positions replaced by discs of equivalent diameter. Accordingly an instruction was issued to Wigram, Ohakea, Hobsonville and Fiji on 10 November 1947 for the change to be carried out “as soon as convenient and not later than the next minor inspection”. The instruction, and later Air Department Order, included an undimensioned sketch based on the ICAO drawing, and this gave a cross whose width (thickness) was abour 22 % of the roundel diameter. This is borne out by photographs of NZ2016 and NZ 2085, but the inevitable exception appears on NZ2063 in which the cross is much thinner, about 15%. The RNZAF instructions in all cases specified black for the disc. No information has been found to indicate when the ASR roundel became obsolete.
The three photos show: a close up of the ASR roundel on NZ2085. Roundel diameter appeared to be 36 inches with the cross bars eight inches thick.
NZ 2016 which doesn't have the "yellow orange" panels applied.
NZ2063 which has the tine crosses mentioned in the text and also has the cowls in the "yellow orange" the same as the fuselage panel. |