This aircraft was from of of a large production order of North American NA88 AT-6C-NT Texans for the US Military. The 'NT' in the designation tellingus that itt was built at Dallas, Texas.
It was allocated the c/n of 88-13189 and the given US serial of 41-33716 but was one of many siphoned off as part of the Lend Lease scheme and allocated to the Royal Air Force and given the RAF serial of EX743 and would have become a Harvard MkIIA.
However it was diverted to the RNZAF and shipped directly to New Zealand aboard the James Hogg to be assembled at Hobsonville and taken on charge by the RNZAF as NZ1044 on 26-06-1943.
In about mid-1955 it was converted to a Mk2A* (28 volts).
Above we see it at Taieri - date and photographer unknown.
Above and below.
Place, date and photographers unknown.
At the end of its military career in 1972 and it eventually ended up in storage at Woodbourne until sold off along with thirty one other Harvards on 01-05-1978.
It was sold to Engine Support Inc of Sebring Florida and after being stripped of its engine and other parts was sold on to John Regan and was placed at the Silverstream Railway and Vintage Transport Museum between Upper Hutt and Stokes Valley.
It was moved back to Blenheim by Mike Nicholls and stored for some time before going down to Christchurch to the Canterbury Flight of the NZ Confederate Air Force where some restoration was undertaken.
I believe that the NZ civil registration of ZK-REB was reserved for this aircraft.
But by 1994 it was up at North Shore before being sold overseas to Mike Spalding of North Queensland Warbirds at Mareeba, Queensland, so the ZK registration was never taken up (NTU).
In October of 1999 it became VH-XXH painted in a blue US Marines colour scheme and carried the '33176' and 'MARINES' markings. On 07-02-2000 it was re-listed to Cairns Airport Hangar Pty Ltd/North Queensland Warbirds and it first flew on 11-07-2001
