That fugly twin...
I think progress is - perhaps - being made.
Watch this space...

The Alcotan prototype.


https://cimg1.ibsrv.net/gimg/pprune....4d5d89c981.jpg

With grateful thanks to the Fédération RSA (French homebuilt governng body) and OSAC (ex GSAC, airworthiness division of the DGAC) the mystery ship (did I spell that right?) is the Firebird Twin No.1 built by M. Dominique LOUP.
It crashed during trials and the project was presumably abandoned.

Incredible service from those two agencies, replies within the day from the Fédération and witin the hour from the GSAC. Imagine service like that from the CAA...

Irritatngly I am suddenly unable to edit any posts due to an error message.

Messieurs, mesdames, je vous présente M Dominique Loup...
https://www.air-contact.com/images/numeros/158.pdf

and scroll down to page 10 for an article on the man himself.

A youtube video apparently at firebird twin 2ème essai en vol but I haven't managed to access it

Well done that man!! :D

And another success - Paul Nalson has been kind enough to respond to my query; he couldn't quite recall what it was, he remembered it as an all-metal VW powered motor glider he'd retrieved from Shobdon which he thinks had been gale damaged. Ahhhhhhhh! Loud bell rings, lights flash, there's life in the dusty attics after all: ICA-Brasov IS-28M2... specifically G-TODD. Pics here include the aeroplane in question and also you can see several that show the wing roots which is where they were folded... My memory is that BAe imported several as part of the ROMBAC 1-11 deal? Thank you Paul.

excellent work guys!!

Doh! You think I would've recognized it, having flown one once!

Back in the 70s, a gliding club I belonged to was thinking of buying one. The dealer arranged for two of us to fly with the owner of one, out of Palo Alto airport south of San Francisco. After the owner nearly groundlooped it on takeoff, we decided it wouldn't be suitable for a trainer. ;)

The tail unit might have given the game away but I don't think it was visible, probably a victim of the gales - certainly I didn't take any other pics. The undercarriage looks to be very narrow track, heading into Spit/109 territory...!

I recall there were several ICA Brasov gliders at the first Farnborough I attended in 1978 including an IS-28M.

Noyade is correct - the Alcotan - another serviceable Spanish design built in numbers but relatively few completed as the US wouldn't provid e engines - re jigged into a nose wheel design later

https://cimg1.ibsrv.net/gimg/pprune....34edbb0c71.jpg
https://cimg3.ibsrv.net/gimg/pprune....94c735e6d4.jpg

Thanks A56.
Well done Mel and Treaders for their detective work above. :ok:

Sorry, but all I have is a schematic to offer...


https://cimg9.ibsrv.net/gimg/pprune....84401c82f2.jpg

Looks German to me?

Not German.


https://cimg0.ibsrv.net/gimg/pprune....3d68f831b9.jpg

Russian? Italian engines? Schukowski KOMTA Triplane?

https://cimg0.ibsrv.net/gimg/pprune....6a448238b7.jpg

Well found Zaxis. :ok:
Over to you.

This is as far as this one ever got...

https://cimg0.ibsrv.net/gimg/pprune....2a263ec651.jpg

https://cimg5.ibsrv.net/gimg/pprune....5caee79893.jpg

Perhaps I should have used this pic to make it a bit harder?

https://cimg6.ibsrv.net/gimg/pprune....b037ce262b.jpg
Odd looking machine, pretty advanced for 1917. A bit Rutan/Bede 'ish?

https://cimg3.ibsrv.net/gimg/pprune....5183249610.jpg

You are back in control Noyade

Cheers.
Open House.

https://cimg3.ibsrv.net/gimg/pprune....cd8702b9f.jpeg
I have this to offer: