The desert gives up one of the RAF's finest.. vandals have found it.
 

Fascinating thread been running over on Flypast originating from photos that have appeared on a Polish modelling site following the discovery of a downed RAF P-40 in remarkable condition, shades of Lady Be Good...

Photos here

WWW.KONRADUS.COM - LOTNICTWO - Znalezisko

And also films of the wreck..



I just hope it is rescued before being stripped.. It deserves a place in a museum.

Been runnin; here too: http://www.pprune.org/aviation-histo...ra-desert.html

Looks in remarkable condition given the time it has been out there. Lets hope it can be preserved for all to see without any treasure hunters getting their hands on it or is that too late?

Images at following link

https://picasaweb.google.com/1146825...eat=directlink

I really hope that the aircraft and the integrity of the site is preserved - there appears to be an absolute wealth of information about the aircraft, the pilot and its mission...and from teh photos, it shows how effective camoflague is after 70 years!

Where did you find that?

Fareastdriver,

The data plate appears to be missing from the P-40, but it is a possibility that it is serial ET574.

See following from page 14 onwards.

P-40 from Sahara - Page 14 - Key Publishing Ltd Aviation Forums

Thank you for that.

No problem, Fareastdriver.

Does it look possible that this P40 landed with its gear down?

tail wheel is down...

Interesting point, but I would suggest yes. At the start of the second video it appears that the tailwheel is down and the tailwheel bay doors are in the 'gear down' position (unlikely they would have ended up there if the doors were closed on impact?). There are known cases of aircraft landing successfully in the open desert with gear down, so perhaps this aircraft did so too.

Right up until it hit that batch of rocks at the end of its run... then the main gear broke backwards, landing it on its belly.

One of the suggestions are that the aircraft was being ferried with the wheels down. However, if the aircraft was force landing with either battle damage or otherwise unservicable would he not have put the gear down to absorb the first shock. The scenery, if, as it was sixty years ago, might have looked more inviting for wheels than the belly.

Except that the wheels are about 150m behind the aircraft at the beginning of the debris field....

P40 Kittyhawk found in the desert
 

Here is a good link to a Canadian Warbird site that flies a preserved P40 in the exact markings of the lost aircraft. They have enhanced one of the pictures toshow the markings HS-B and picture of a later HS-B in a 260 Sqn line up in1942. The RAF used Tomahawks, Warhawks and Kittyhawks all variations of the P40 (most US aircraft names were given bythe British)
Original Kittyhawk HS-B Discovered > Vintage Wings of Canada

The first video showed people trying very hard to open the canopy.

Surely, if the pilot survived, he wouldn't have returned to close the canopy. Pilot listed as missing which is strange, so his body not in the cockpit.

The sceptic in me is saying is this an elaborate hoax?

If you read the thread on Flypast you will find some interesting points, Pilots chute found opened by the nose of the aircraft , chute D ring on aft side of wing as if rigged up as sun shelter possibly, flares are outside the cockpit, the Radio is out of the aircraft and the cover has been bent back, the damaged battery is also outside the aircraft near the radio, so one surmises he may have been taking shelter whilst trying to get the radio working to send out an SOS.. also clock is missing, for navigation? you can see all of these on the high res picture link.

I wander as to the state of the ammunition that you see been carried off? What are the chances of that working correctly after a 70 year baking and cooling cycle?

Would it have been armed, for a gear down ferry flight?