The Ongoing Mystery Aircraft Thread Part Deux.

[lefty]

Yes Robert - quick off the mark on a Sunday morning !

Perhaps you could confirm - in some sources this is referred to as the Otto B, but there is another 'B' model which is quite different ?

Anyway over to you - is it as windy over there as it is here ?

 

[fabulousfour]

Quite windy here, Mike, that's what threw me out of my bed.
I can't sleep very well when it is windy and the whole home is rattling. However, last Sunday was much worse when we had wind speeds slightly above 100 km/h. But even that was nothing compared to the storm we had 2 years ago.

Regarding the Otto biplane there may have been two B-types, my sources are a bit unclear.
The first one is the pusher biplane from your mystery which is mostly referred to as the Otto Pusher Biplane from 1913, but at least two of my sources give the designation Otto B.
My understanding is that the designation "B" is an internal designation of the Otto company.

And then there is an Otto B from 1914 which is a two-seater in "normal" tractor configuration. Here the B is the military designation for an unarmed two-seater.
These military designations were introduced around 1914.

Looking for a new mystery now.

 

[fabulousfour]

Here is a biplane slightly more modern.

 

[cthornburg]

More on the Otto.

On the pusher the "Triple" rudder 1913 model and the "Single" rudder 1914 model.
On the tractor Otto B.I there was the "Three" bay strut with 100hp Rapp engine
and the "Two" bay strut aircraft circa 1914.

Chris

 

[fabulousfour]

First flight of the mystery was shortly after WW1.

A (probably one-off) civil conversion of a type mostly used by the military.

 

[lefty]

Surprised it is still here, Robert, the Ansaldo A300T. Found it in the Putnam 'European Transport Aircraft since 1910'.

 

[fabulousfour]

It is the Ansaldo A.300T, Mike.

I have the photo from an issue of "Aviation Classics", where the history of Alenia Aermacchi is celebrated. Very interesting!

Over to Scotland, please.

 

[pomme homme]

The first A.300. It's amazing to see how it's developed over a century!

 

[lefty]

This little machine is a newcomer here (hopefully) -

 

[wout]

Hi Mike
The 1948-built unique PM-280 Tartuca (I-GARA) by Emilio (Ermenegildo) Preti and built by CVV (Centro Studi di Volo a Vele del Politecnico di Milano)
I understand she is still active. Has a retractable u/c!

 

[lefty]

..and flaps ! Over to you, Walter.

 

[wout]

Thank you Mike
What makes this one different from all the others.

 

[cthornburg]

aero commander 690 with astazou turbo prop engines. later converted to turbofan engines.

Chris

 

[pomme homme]

..... standing outside the old GA terminal at Gatwick. Is it F-W/BSTM? That picture takes me back over half a century!

 

[wout]

Correct Chris
Photo credit Tim Martin. On the FAA Register she was N6300 mentioned as a Model 680T, s/n 1540-6 with the remark "exported to England"
I am not strong at registers, but I guess she may have become F-W/BSTM.

Go ahead Chris!

 

[cthornburg]

as far as I know only one coverted with aztazou engines. I remember seeing pics of it in the 60s.



This next one is a mystery. So I will give all I have maybe someone can find more.

A441 was, however, used by John V W Reynolds of the National Naval Volunteers - he crashed and was killed. Maybe this was the aircraft shown in the photo.

This was taken from magazine dated 1915/16

Can't find anything under Aeromarine that comes close.

Chris

 

[Moses03]

Chris,

There was no designation for the 1915 trainer as far as I can tell.

Is this another photo of it?

 

[cthornburg]

It looks like another pix of it.

Aeromarine also built the DH-4B which this airplane had some similarities the gear, horizontal tail. I would have thought that building the DH-4B would have been later than 1915.

Over to you.

Thanks

Chris

 

[Moses03]

Thanks. Here is an early oddball. (Actually just slightly older that Chris' mystery).

The designer was quite proud of the extra bit on top, saying it made the flying boat very stable.

 

[pomme homme]

On the FAA Register she was N6300 mentioned as a Model 680T, s/n 1540-6 with the remark "exported to England"
I am not strong at registers, but I guess she may have become F-W/BSTM.

Having found the original photograph (taken at Gatwick on 18 June 1968), she was N6300 at the time. F.G.Miles converted her to Astazou power at Ford, Sussex. In 1969 she was UK registered as G-AWXK before being sold to Turboméca, in 1970, which replaced her Astazoux with Mk. I Astafans in 1971. Later these engines were replaced with Mk. II Astafans. Initially French registered as F-WSTM, in 1972 she became F-BSTM. Her registration was cancelled in 1991. She was given to the Mas Palégry museum but not transferred there. Instead she remained at Perpignan in the care of EAS Europe Airlines. When it went into liquidation, unknown to the museum F-BSTM was scrapped on site in 1996. Turboméca also converted a Commander 690 to Astafan IV power. She was F-BXAS.