Hlep with aircraft identification please

[John Farley]

Hi

A friend of mine has come across a snap of his late father flying an Iranian Airlines aircraft between the wars. Please can anybody help by identiifying the type?

Regards

John

http://www.thunder-and-lightnings.co.uk/pprune/iranian.jpg

[treadigraph]

Blimey John, that's a tricky one!

Looks similarish to the Jupiter powered Hawker Hart, so possibly a family member - me Hawker book's at work, so more tomorrow, unless the cogniscenti beat me to it!

Bonne nuit!

[Airbedane]

Hello John,

I would put my money on a Jupiter powered Audax - there were several in that part of the world at that time.

A

[Man-on-the-fence]

After a happy Google and a search through my books I too will go with Audax however I can only find references to it serving in the Iraqi Air Force nothing about Iran. Also I'm not up with insignia, anyone know what the badge on the side of the fuselage is?

[treadigraph]

Good morning!

Yep, it's an Audax - according to Francis Mason's "Hawker" book, Audax's were supplied to Persia in two batches, Series 1 with P&W Hornet engines, Series 2 with Bristol Pegasus IIs. The Hornet version had a three blade prop so this is a Peagasus machine.

Hawker certainly fitted a bewildering variety of engines to their aircraft at that time!

Cheers

Treadders


MOTF

I looked at that emblem and decided it was a religious thing, chap sitting on a cushion, etc - now realise that it's actually a crown, presumably a symbol of the Persian Shah?

[John Farley]

Thank you very much everyone. What a rapid response.

It looks to me as if Treadders has come up trumps so I will leave it a day or three to see if anybody disagrees and let my mate know.

Thanks again

John

[atb1943]

A. J. Jackson has a Persian Audax in his library...

http://www.ajjcollection.co.uk/h1.htm

What state is K5600 in (G-BVVI) supposedly at Aero Vintage..?

[Aerohack]

A Persian Pegasus Audax, no question, and possibly out of a Kingston-upon-Thames factory not unknown to you, John, though some of the Persian aircraft were built at Brooklands. Treadders makes an interesting observation. From memory, that legend on the fuselage side looks very similar if not identical to the crest carried by the Shah of Persia's Fokker Friendship and JetStar, so possibly this Audax was a Royal Flight aircraft for his father the Reza Shah?

[FE Hoppy]

Anyone know what this is?
http://www.flightcrewinfo.com/mystery1.jpeg

[Aerohack]

It's the 1930 Laird LC-DC Speedwing Jnr. When this photo was taken it was powered by a 120 hp Ranger inline, subsequently re-engined with a 165 hp Chevrolair D-6, and later still when acquired by airshow pilot Harold Johnson with a Warner Scarab radial and renamed 'Johnson Rocket'. Designer E M 'Matty' Laird (that's him in the cockpit) went on to create the Solution and Super Solution Thompson/Bendix racers.

[FE Hoppy]

Thank you Aerohack. I know where to come with my recce questions from now on.

[Aerohack]

FE Hoppy: The product of a mis-spent youth and subsequent adult lifetime engaged in reading, researching, writing and editing aviation publications. Result: brain cells filled with all this (generally) useless rubbish.

[Centaurus]

That biplane could also be a Mercury-engined Hawker Hind. According to a photo in the Encyclopedia of World Aircraft, page 506. (and it looks like an identical aircraft) The blurb therein states: "Like the Hart, the Hind attracted considerable export interest, and was built for Afghanistan, Latvia, Persia (Iran), Portugal, Switzerland and Yugoslavia.

[Aerohack]

Definitely an Audax. The shape of the rear cockpit cut-out, and the arrangment of the metal access panels, was quite different on the Hind. And the Persian Hinds' Mercury VIII engines had much broader-chord cowlings and three-blade metal propellers.