What type is the landing plane?
The other aircraft are of course Sopwith Snipes in post WW1 schemes. If ,and it's a long shot, the 7 on the hangar roof is part of the Squadron number then it would be for 70 or 71 Squadron indicating the base to be either Bickendorff or possibly more likely, Spitalgate.
That aeroplane in flight just doesn't look right to me.
That aeroplane in flight just doesn't look right to me.
Last edited by Haraka; 26th May 2018 at 15:56.
Join Date: Dec 2001
Location: Nottingham UK
Age: 85
Posts: 5,575
Likes: 0
Received 0 Likes
on
0 Posts
I would agree with Jenkins.. Is the registration on the aircraft E1723 which could be from a batch of 300 Avro 504J/K (E1901 to E1900)? There certainly is some distortion in the photograph as the tail looks bent upwards. Also the guys in the photograph look American ie jodhpurs and pointed dough-boy hats.
Join Date: Dec 2001
Location: Nottingham UK
Age: 85
Posts: 5,575
Likes: 0
Received 0 Likes
on
0 Posts
Hello Dook.. Yes, the 504K did have a central skid, that is another thing that threw me. The other thing that is odd is that the fin and rudder look larger than normal on a 504. This one is certainly a mystery..
I don't think it is a 504.Several reasons, but one structural one is the distance between the fore and aft wing struts being a significantly greater percentage of the gap than a 504.In fact the rearmost strut doesn't leave much space for an aileron if it were an Avro. The balanced rudder is enormous although possibly touched up. Although there were several variations evident in 504 u/c design, it seems to me to be too squat, especially for a 504 in flight.
Although not a decider, the open spoked wheels(i.e. uncovered) are an oddity for a British Service 504 ( But a type from from another nation e.g.the U.S.A.?).
I would like to know if the O.P. would let us have the source for this image.
Although not a decider, the open spoked wheels(i.e. uncovered) are an oddity for a British Service 504 ( But a type from from another nation e.g.the U.S.A.?).
I would like to know if the O.P. would let us have the source for this image.
Last edited by Haraka; 26th May 2018 at 16:24.
Gnome de PPRuNe
Join Date: Jan 2002
Location: Too close to Croydon for comfort
Age: 60
Posts: 12,636
Received 300 Likes
on
168 Posts
The undercarriage looks similar to some models of the Curtiss Jenny...
Join Date: Oct 2017
Location: UK
Posts: 5
Likes: 0
Received 0 Likes
on
0 Posts
The whole aeroplane looks like a collection of parts from several.
I've taken it into Photoshop (with which I've done a lot of professional work) and I can't detect any signs of doctoring.
I'll shoot for American.
I've taken it into Photoshop (with which I've done a lot of professional work) and I can't detect any signs of doctoring.
I'll shoot for American.
Join Date: Sep 2007
Location: Hertfordshire U.K.
Age: 64
Posts: 269
Likes: 0
Received 0 Likes
on
0 Posts
Is there any chance it could be a Curtiss JN-2? Some pictures show them with the 'Avro' style ruďer although the one in the picture looks out of proportion as previously mentioned.
John
John
This certainly is a mystery. The scale of the fuselage is too small compared to the pilot, to be a 504 and as others have pointed out, there are many features that are inconsistent with a Avro. On the other hand, it appears to have a rotary engine with bulged cowlings like a 504J.
The shades of the roundel indicate French.
The shades of the roundel indicate French.
I went along the distorted 1 1/2 Strutter route a bit as well megan including looking at the centre section strutting which looked at first glance as it could fit. I think in fact it is part of the tree behind and that the struts are raked, which also mitigates against a 504. The big "no no'" in that regard is of course the peculiar wing struttery on this beast ( Curtiss?)
The uniforms and the hangar (no idea of type but a wooden Kahn makes sense as indicated by DaveReid UK) made me wonder if in fact, these could,conceivably, have been Canadian Snipes, which lingered on a bit post WW1. However I can't find any evidence of them in post WW1 markings -which isn't to say that they never wore them.
That "7" on the roof looks a bit of a fancy serif font for the U.K. and possibly also therefore American or Canadian.
Also, that undercarriage is very reminiscent of a Jenny(thanks Treadigraph !) as is the wing gap/stagger and strut proportions
Some modified early pre JN-3/4 Curtiss type comes as a possibility, bearing in mind Curtiss JN types were built in Canada during WW1 , including those with modified vertical tail surfaces, as pointed out by drawbarz.
Perhaps some form of local Canadian "bitsa" using a rotary?
The uniforms and the hangar (no idea of type but a wooden Kahn makes sense as indicated by DaveReid UK) made me wonder if in fact, these could,conceivably, have been Canadian Snipes, which lingered on a bit post WW1. However I can't find any evidence of them in post WW1 markings -which isn't to say that they never wore them.
That "7" on the roof looks a bit of a fancy serif font for the U.K. and possibly also therefore American or Canadian.
Also, that undercarriage is very reminiscent of a Jenny(thanks Treadigraph !) as is the wing gap/stagger and strut proportions
Some modified early pre JN-3/4 Curtiss type comes as a possibility, bearing in mind Curtiss JN types were built in Canada during WW1 , including those with modified vertical tail surfaces, as pointed out by drawbarz.
Perhaps some form of local Canadian "bitsa" using a rotary?
Last edited by Haraka; 27th May 2018 at 08:45.
There are plenty of films from the 20s and 30s about the First World War, so a bitsa for a crash scene, possibly hanging from a crane, is where my money would be. The question is which film? Given the Snipes are in post-WW1 colour schemes, I'm inclined to think UK-made...
Here's a Wiki list to use as a starting point: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Catego...aviation_films
Here's a Wiki list to use as a starting point: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Catego...aviation_films
Join Date: Jul 2009
Location: NI
Posts: 1,033
Likes: 0
Received 0 Likes
on
0 Posts
It was a JN-4 modified to act as a 504 for filming, courtesy of Howard Hughes' money:
Hell's Angels - The Internet Movie Plane Database
The pair of Snipes rang a small memory-bell somewhere in the back of my brain.
Hell's Angels - The Internet Movie Plane Database
The pair of Snipes rang a small memory-bell somewhere in the back of my brain.
Gnome de PPRuNe
Join Date: Jan 2002
Location: Too close to Croydon for comfort
Age: 60
Posts: 12,636
Received 300 Likes
on
168 Posts
(Doffs cap and curtsies) Excellent, well done Mr Bunto!