Any P-40 experts care to comment on this image?

[JohnTerrell]

I believe those particular part numbers wouldn't be any different from one example to another, as I think they simply relate to specific, common parts, rather than the specific airframe. And the reason for the crisp demarcation lines is because rubber mats were used during the war to apply the camouflage.

I love the machine gun access panel, with the red dope and fabric still in-place around the ejector chute holes. I'd imagine they kept them sealed on the ground until the time of a mission, when they would have had to cut them open again.

I'm hoping it's a good sign, that so many of the photos seem to indicate a general interest in the preserved state of the aircraft.

Last edited by JohnTerrell on Tue Apr 24, 2012 3:10 pm, edited 1 time in total.

[51fixer]

Engines don't just fall out of the bottom like that... Espcailly on soft sand... There may be a chance he had a piston blow out the block or explode on the inside??

That would have been a wild ride.
If he put the gear down to land out there he might have been in a situation of having to descend extremely fast. Probably not a normal situation of any kind he was dealing with. Unless he was a total rookie at desert flying and lading on sand and rocks. If he had the gear down he was willing to trade off the extra damage that would result along with the possibility of going over on its back.
The gear down landing would have pitched the nose down and that, with the rocks, is what caused the extreme damage up front. What is left of the front portion of the spinner seems to show that it tried to go up on it's nose, breaking off the nosecase and tearing away the radiators and then chewing the bottom of the engine on the rocks.
I've seen pistons and rods tear apart engines but not tear off the bottom of the engine.
My vote is the rocks did it after the nose was torn apart.
The bent upper portion of the pilots seat could be from a shoulder harness strap as the pilot was thrown forward during rapid de-acceleration. A reminder of how violent this landing was.

[Mike]

An interesting post over on Key:

Hi all;

This very interesting bit of info was posted over on Hyperscale;

"On 28/6/42 ET574 Piloted by F/Sgt DCH Copping 785025 left 260 for a ferry flight to an RSU . The A/C flew with u/c locked down due to damage . An incorrect course was set and the A/C was thought to have crashed in the Desert due to fuel exhaustion.
F/Sgt Copping is listed as missing on that date
Now I'm not saying this is the A/C , just that it MIGHT be, in view of :-
a) there being no apparent signs of Battle damage
b) the fact that the U/C was wiped off in the crash"

http://forum.keypublishing.com/showthre ... ost1882406

[JohnTerrell]

Thank you for that Mike. That would actually seem to explain several things as is being seen in these recent photos. Very interesting!

[linx310]

If that was his plane then maybe the British government could help by sending some teams out to look for the pilots remains for a proper burial.

[Shay]

If that was his plane then maybe the British government could help by sending some teams out to look for the pilots remains for a proper burial.

By the looks of some of the personnel in this recent batch of media, perhaps they have already.

Question: Anyone have an idea how easy or hard it would be to remove the dataplate from the opposite side of the cockpit, reaching thru one broken canopy window pane on a canopy that won't open?

Shay
_____________
Semper Fortis

[lmritger]

An interesting post over on Key:

Hi all;

This very interesting bit of info was posted over on Hyperscale;

"On 28/6/42 ET574 Piloted by F/Sgt DCH Copping 785025 left 260 for a ferry flight to an RSU . The A/C flew with u/c locked down due to damage . An incorrect course was set and the A/C was thought to have crashed in the Desert due to fuel exhaustion.
F/Sgt Copping is listed as missing on that date
Now I'm not saying this is the A/C , just that it MIGHT be, in view of :-
a) there being no apparent signs of Battle damage
b) the fact that the U/C was wiped off in the crash"

http://forum.keypublishing.com/showthre ... ost1882406

Shame a forum full of such sticklers about "rules" didn't see fit to publish the name of the contributor... Terry McGrady, who's forgotten more about P-40s (particularly RAF examples) than most people will ever know.

Credit where due, chaps...

Lynn

[Ken]

Maybe the data plate is missing ... or maybe it's just bleached a light color like some of the other panels.

That is, of course, if this thing even exists.

[Wildchild]

An interesting post over on Key:

Hi all;

This very interesting bit of info was posted over on Hyperscale;

"On 28/6/42 ET574 Piloted by F/Sgt DCH Copping 785025 left 260 for a ferry flight to an RSU . The A/C flew with u/c locked down due to damage . An incorrect course was set and the A/C was thought to have crashed in the Desert due to fuel exhaustion.
F/Sgt Copping is listed as missing on that date
Now I'm not saying this is the A/C , just that it MIGHT be, in view of :-
a) there being no apparent signs of Battle damage
b) the fact that the U/C was wiped off in the crash"

http://forum.keypublishing.com/showthre ... ost1882406

Then that means... Pilot perrished when trying to leave desert...

[PinecastleAAF]

That is, of course, if this thing even exists.

Have we have enough of the eye rolling by now? After all based on the original pics and the fact that the poster of the thread was asking for opinions on whether or not it was real seems pretty innocent to me.

I feel confident if the original pics had been of the quality of the current set we would not have all this nonsense of bashing posters who just offered an opinion. It's no wonder this site has such a bad rep.

[51fixer]

I don't know if it was liberated or wasn't there for the flight but the voltage regulator is missing, the pad it mounts to is in place. Lower left hand position of the electrical box.
Also you can see the control cable was strained, possibly during the impact and the damage done to the fus as strands of the cable have broken.
Also the hand crank extension is in place on top of the electrical box.
https://picasaweb.google.com/1146825662 ... 8909482418
This photo shows holes corroding through the panel in front of the windshield.
https://picasaweb.google.com/1146825662 ... 9234481122
Damage to the seat back from the pilot's upper body being restrained by the shoulder harness. The wrinkle about 6" down in the middle and the crease along the top from the R/H strap.
https://picasaweb.google.com/1146825662 ... 3344374466
In the P-40 is the data plate on the R or L side of the fus? How far back?
Just wondering as NAA products in WWII seem to be R/H side about even with where your elbow sits.

[Mark_Pilkington]

Looks like the Code might be "HS-B"

Better not tell Vintage Wings then....

Its ok, if there was a clash of duplicate P-40 identities being claimed then I'm sure someone could quickly scratch the name of a pilot's wife on the cockpit side under the canopy rail and suggest they had found its true identity to be a pacific war veteran?

Perhaps uncover some remanents of nose art on the side of cowl, say "Come in Suckers" etc and adopt the identity of a RAAF P40N like A29-414, if you painted it up in those colours you could pass it off as the real one!

Smiles

Mark Pilkington

[JohnTerrell]

In the P-40 is the data plate on the R or L side of the fus? How far back?
Just wondering as NAA products in WWII seem to be R/H side about even with where your elbow sits.

Rich, that is the case with P-40's as well - right-hand side, upper longeron. Some quickly found photos for back-up:

http://www.fairchild24.com/p40%20cockpit.jpg
http://www.pioneeraero.co.nz/P-40K-Thur ... t2%202.jpg

The placard that appears to be missing in front of the engine controls is I believe one that was related to landing gear operation or limits/restrictions.

[Mike]

I seem to remember that the early P-40s had a dataplate on the scalloped area behind the rear cockpit window.

[Wildchild]

There wouldn't be a slight possibility that the data plates were removed years ago to make an entirely new P-40 would there...?