More from Alan Hayton in New Zealand.
Alan is very involved
with his local Museum
Tanaki Aviation, Transport and Technology Museum
Inc.
If you are ever in New
Zealand, sounds like a good place to visit! Address is :
cnr Kent Road & State Highway 3,
opp. Lake Mangamahoe. PO Box 4135, New Plymouth.
http://tatatm.tripod.com/museum
Alan sent the two images
along with the infromation
given below
As you see this is a fold up parachutist's motor bike which I hear is now very rare. I think it once belonged to Mr Miles King for I remember seeing him tootling around New Plymouth on such a vehicle.
Miles was an interesting person. He flew in the Pacific. He reckoned he put a Corsair through the sound barrier. He was perhaps our first mileage millionaire. A pioneer in aerial topdressing. One time CEO of Rex (Rex = King) Aviation with the franchise for Cessnas for Australasia and the Pacific. His father, Eliot King, was in the Royal Naval Air Service and got the Croix de Guerre and there is a connection with TE Lawrence, he of the Brough Superior.
In "The Sky My Cavas" Miles makes an untrue statement. Saying that his father was for a time personal pilot for Lawrence of Arabia. In our city museum we have Eliot's uniform, log book, flying maps and many photos. The real story is that he was "spottin" during the assault on El Wej and his observer was killed by rifle fire from the ground and the incident is described in "The Seven Pillars of Wisdom".
This is claimed to be the original mountain goat and was developed by Callender Motors a New Plymouth motor bike firm. I understand the idea was then pirated by the Japs.
The idea was for it to replace the horse and the tractor for getting the farmer over the hills and gorges of his farm. I believe it is giving way to four wheeled all terrain vehicles but a recent TV item suggested some are thinking of going back to the horse for the handling of dogs and sheep.
bravenet.com