The desert gives up one of the RAF's finest
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One would have thought in a war zone one would want the best chance you could to defend yourself, gear down or not.
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Update
P-40 from Sahara - Page 21 - Key Publishing Ltd Aviation Forums
Looks like it may be coming home, hope they locate the missing pilot ( if he is ) and allow a family some closure.
Bruce,
The P40 was on a rocky escarpment. No sand dunes anywhere and literally in the middle of nowhere as you would expect.
Have also been given the OK to confirm that the Royal Air Force Museum are actively pursuing this P40 (which is probably not surprising for most of us) with the intention to recover and conserve. This is being discussed and dealt with at the highest levels.
Paul, have also been told it left LG09 and probably in the morning to take two damaged P40's to 53RFU and return with two replacements.
As for it being recovered, it was still there yesterday :-)
regards
Mark
The P40 was on a rocky escarpment. No sand dunes anywhere and literally in the middle of nowhere as you would expect.
Have also been given the OK to confirm that the Royal Air Force Museum are actively pursuing this P40 (which is probably not surprising for most of us) with the intention to recover and conserve. This is being discussed and dealt with at the highest levels.
Paul, have also been told it left LG09 and probably in the morning to take two damaged P40's to 53RFU and return with two replacements.
As for it being recovered, it was still there yesterday :-)
regards
Mark
Bruce
It is a two pronged approach.
The RAFM are very interested in the P40 due to its obvious historic significance to the RAF.
Due to its location, the MOD are looking at the information available as there is a high probability that there that there is a missing Commonwealth pilot, WHOEVER he is. (Just due to its very remote location).
The ID is critical and should be confirmed this week. Would love it to be sooner but will have to wait.
Mark
It is a two pronged approach.
The RAFM are very interested in the P40 due to its obvious historic significance to the RAF.
Due to its location, the MOD are looking at the information available as there is a high probability that there that there is a missing Commonwealth pilot, WHOEVER he is. (Just due to its very remote location).
The ID is critical and should be confirmed this week. Would love it to be sooner but will have to wait.
Mark
Looks like it may be coming home, hope they locate the missing pilot ( if he is ) and allow a family some closure.
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Latest view, the vandals have found her 
70 years it has sat there undisturbed....
YouTube - Broadcast Yourself.
70 years it has sat there undisturbed....
YouTube - Broadcast Yourself.
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You tube link doesn't seem to work for me.
What have the bxxxxxd's done to her ?
You have to wonder about the mentality of some people that
they can't leave something like this alone and in one piece.
What have the bxxxxxd's done to her ?
You have to wonder about the mentality of some people that
they can't leave something like this alone and in one piece.
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Try
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Yup, was in the Telegraph too, the hope is that the publicity pushes it, and also that the pilot is located and given a final resting place. So sad to see it getting vandalised, it is at its most precarious point in its 70 year life.
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P40 in the desert.
Yep what a bunch of dick's to smash it up like that, I saw some early photos of her & she looked great, and now it had been wrecked. Even an arsehole should have thought---[ wait a min this thing could be special,] but no what do they do, throw something through the cockpit canopy & tear open every hatch they can find. once the strong desert winds get into her now she will be torn apart!!. It happens all to often all over the world. by the time it gets to being rescued it will be totaly ******. A huge shame to the Aero world.
Also it was clear to me it was the real deal right from the start & should have been to anyone who knows anything about anything!
Also it was clear to me it was the real deal right from the start & should have been to anyone who knows anything about anything!
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Getting worse, latest news..
From
P-40 from Sahara - Page 33 - Key Publishing Ltd Aviation Forums
Thieves are already at work
With sadness and anger we get the news from our friends living in the oasis of Baharya, that in the only weekend 18/19 May 2012, arrived at the oasis three cars (not SUVs) with four persons each and that they have asked around to be taken to the P40.
Moreover they have paid an amount equal to three times the cost of a standard 4x4 excursions in the desert.
It seems that these "looters" have already taken steps to remove pieces and parts of the wreck.
We have been told that these "looters" had with them, the geographic coordinates of P40 bought from...... "someone".
We are convinced that Mr. ………. (self declared the discoverer of the wreck of the P40 who irresponsibly prematurely published the news of the find,
who has sold photos, movies and aircraft position, to the press agency is the one of the responsibles for the carnage that will be made of the wreck of the P40.
With sadness and anger we get the news from our friends living in the oasis of Baharya, that in the only weekend 18/19 May 2012, arrived at the oasis three cars (not SUVs) with four persons each and that they have asked around to be taken to the P40.
Moreover they have paid an amount equal to three times the cost of a standard 4x4 excursions in the desert.
It seems that these "looters" have already taken steps to remove pieces and parts of the wreck.
We have been told that these "looters" had with them, the geographic coordinates of P40 bought from...... "someone".
We are convinced that Mr. ………. (self declared the discoverer of the wreck of the P40 who irresponsibly prematurely published the news of the find,
who has sold photos, movies and aircraft position, to the press agency is the one of the responsibles for the carnage that will be made of the wreck of the P40.
P-40 from Sahara - Page 33 - Key Publishing Ltd Aviation Forums
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Its a crying shame! Right from the begining you can see they had no intention of trying to keep it as it were discovered. In the very first moments of its discovery one of the idiot's throw a piece of the engine through the side of the cockpit. Makes you mad for sure. but what can we do? I have the coordinates !
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Relatively intact Curtiss P-40 Kittyhawk found in Sahara
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KITTYHAWK FOUND IN EGYPTIAN DESERT
WWII fighter plane hailed the 'aviation equivalent of Tutankhamun's Tomb' found preserved in the Sahara - Telegraph#
Hi,
The plane was apparently found in the southern part of Egypt,close to Sudan border. Is there anyone (maybe ex-RAF 260th sqdr)who has info on the exact planned route of the plane ,from which airbase to which airbase and timings of the flight?
Any update on the recovery of the plane?
Thks
Grtz
Hi,
The plane was apparently found in the southern part of Egypt,close to Sudan border. Is there anyone (maybe ex-RAF 260th sqdr)who has info on the exact planned route of the plane ,from which airbase to which airbase and timings of the flight?
Any update on the recovery of the plane?
Thks
Grtz
This aircraft has already been the subject of 4 other threads here on PPRuNe:
http://www.pprune.org/aviation-histo...ra-desert.html
http://www.pprune.org/military-aircr...fs-finest.html
http://www.pprune.org/aviation-histo...nd-desert.html
http://www.pprune.org/jet-blast/485110-sands-time.html
Talk about pointless duplication.
http://www.pprune.org/aviation-histo...ra-desert.html
http://www.pprune.org/military-aircr...fs-finest.html
http://www.pprune.org/aviation-histo...nd-desert.html
http://www.pprune.org/jet-blast/485110-sands-time.html
Talk about pointless duplication.
Last edited by MrBernoulli; 16th Jun 2012 at 09:46.
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The damage has apparently stopped and the RAF museum is working on bringing it home, see
P-40 from Sahara - Page 36 - Key Publishing Ltd Aviation Forums
P-40 from Sahara - Page 36 - Key Publishing Ltd Aviation Forums
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It's been recovered dismantled by the RAFM and is sitting in a container at a Egyptian museum, however it has gone a bit quiet because of soe embarrassment I believe... You can see it being disMantled here
As for the pilot, well the UK appears to have no stomach to see him buried if the remains are identified, haven't even bothered to visit them and that sickens me, seems he gave is life for this country and the country cannot do the right thing by him......
Qattara - Documenti e Testimonianze - Home Page
Search for his remains
http://www.qattara.it/Kittyhawk_files/caption%201.pdf
As for the pilot, well the UK appears to have no stomach to see him buried if the remains are identified, haven't even bothered to visit them and that sickens me, seems he gave is life for this country and the country cannot do the right thing by him......
Qattara - Documenti e Testimonianze - Home Page
Search for his remains
http://www.qattara.it/Kittyhawk_files/caption%201.pdf