Description
F4U-1D NZ5485 ‘Kohimarama IX’ August 1945.
Named ‘Kohimarama IX’ after a suburb of Auckland, beneath the name is a green maori tiki. This aircraft was operated by No.23 Squadron “The Ghosts”. Residents near their Ardmore training base said they could not actually see the pilots in their big Corsairs – they appeared to be flown by ghosts.
F4U-1D NZ5566, Fighter Leaders School
NZ5566, Ardmore, 13 April 1945. It’s national insignia has been re-applied in New Zealand, with the roundel diameters reduced from the original US Navy size.
FG-1D Corsair NZ5617 “Verna”
NZ5617 with No.14 Squadron, RNZAF, Japan, 1946. NZ5617 is in the US Navy all-over Glossy Sea Blue scheme with 48 inch roundels on the wings and 36 inch on the fuselage.