I came across this post years ago and recently ran into it again by accident. I was curious if anything has surfaced yet from this collection?
I would love to know the P-51's serial #?
Posted 2/2009
Below is from:
http://www.treasurenet.com/forums/my-da ... -barn.html"Not exactly a barn find.
These aircraft and many more are owned by a very private and reclusive guy and are stored in a barn not far from where i live.
I have visited on several occasions. The barn is stacked full and it is very hard to take photos as you have to
climb over stuff to get a shot. The Mosquito is the star of the barn and is totally complete, with a Rolls Royce
Merlin in each wing. It is pushed hard against the door, which he will not open so the only shot is from behind.
Son of Kiwijohn is flight checking before his next mission. Thats the front of a P-51 Mustang complete less propeller. There are a couple of P40 Kittyhawks, a Hudson bomber and several engines including this radial."
-Mosquito
-P-51
-P-40's
-Hudson
"Thank you all for your comments. I'm glad there are others that think these old birds are kinda special.
He bought them after the war from the NZ Air Force, because he liked them and wanted to save them
from being scrapped, as many were. They were stored for many years outside until he built the shed
about 30 years ago.
What's he going to do with them?....Like many collectors of stuff, he just likes having them preserved.
He does not seek publicity nor does he like their presence advertised too much. However he will not
turn anyone away who comes to look providing you are genuinely interested. He may not let you
in the shed though! Their existence is known among warbird collectors around the world and I believe
he has refused some serious offers for them. He lives a very simple and solitary life and money means
little compared to ownership of the things that he loves.
Sadly the Mosquito, while it looks airworthy, would not fly again without some serious structual work.
They are mostly wood and the fuselage is a laminate of balsa and ply. The glue used in the 40's has
degraded and lost strength. In fact while in service in North Africa during WW2, they had problems
with the glue. Wood was chosen not only for it's lightness, but for it's ease of supply when metal was
scarce, and the fact that they could be built by carpenters and cabinetmakers. A NZ company has made
the jigs for a new fuselage and I believe the first one has gone to Canada where a Mosquito is being restored.
Maybe there is hope for this old girl yet. "
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