The Ongoing Mystery Aircraft Thread Part Deux.

[wout]

Here is another high wing job, but now with skis instead of water shoes.
Sorry for the terrible quality of the picture, but it is the only one I ever saw.

 

[marijn]

Looks like a Fairchild 24W to me

 

[wout]

Sorrt Marijn, not Fairchild and not US.
She is European and the enigne was a Warner Super Scarab.

 

[giruXX]

The Norge A of 1938 (registered LN-FAM), perhaps ??

Here is a photo of LN-FAM with skis: http://digitaltmuseum.no/021015695837?query=LN-FAM&pos=1

There is some agreement with wout’s rare picture but there are also differences. I can’t get any closer now.

 

[wout]

hi giruXX
What you need now is only maximum support from your grey matter, the cleverness of Holmes, some deduction/reduction to establish a connection between an earlier post and your Norge A .......and you will have the answer.
If it helps, she first flew 1945 and was lost in an accident in 1953 and was used for a brief period by the airline that helped built her.
I will post a picture later with all registration letters clearly visible.

 

[Baragouin]

hi giruXX
What you need now is only maximum support from your grey matter, the cleverness of Holmes, some deduction/reduction to establish a connection between an earlier post and your Norge A .......and you will have the answer.
If it helps, she first flew 1945 and was lost in an accident in 1953 and was used for a brief period by the airline that helped built her.
I will post a picture later with all registration letters clearly visible.

Well let me cut another poor figure (as I'm getting used to them..) Your mysterious item looks awfully similar to a Honningstad C-5 (with skis rather than floats...)
Cheers BG

 

[wout]

hi BG
Donot worry about cutting a poor figure. Au contraire. Your way of thinking is brilliant.
Same country, same designer, same airline, but two years earlier, less powerful engine than the C.5 and, of course, a different registration.

 

[giruXX]

what about Hønningstad Norge B ?

 

[wout]

hi giruXX
Bingo. Here is a picture (the same) without my artistic contributions. Since you guessed right, we all expect that you now open your files and post at least a better picture.
Seriously. This is the only pic I ever saw of LN-HAE. Surfing internet showed no results.
The text below is from by own database.
3-seat sport/utility
one 120hp Warner Super Scarab radial engine
max. speed 124 mph, cruise 112 mph, ceiling 14,000ft, range 465 miles
wingspan 32.25ft; length 21.25ft
DETAILS: The Norge B was developed from the pre-war Norge Model A and like the latter a design of Mr. Birger Honningstad. The aircraft was built by Mr. Aksel Kristiansen with assistance of the Widerøe Flyveselskap og Polarfly Company and was first flown late-1946, after construction had started during the German occupation of Norway. The single Norge B built was lost in an accident in 1953. The aircraft was powered by one 120hp Warner Super Scarab engine and could be operated on skis. For a brief period, the aircraft was leased to the Widerøe airline
Production: 1

Seems a company named Norsk Flyindustri may have been the builder (donow know whether that was a real company or a cover for the designer, buuiklder and Wideroe.

 

[giruXX]

Walter, I never thought that I would come that far in a completely blind guess (i.e., without a pic). Luckily, there was no Norge Z!

In turn I ask you for help with this one (as before, I cannot check if this has already been shown as I don’t have its name yet)

 

[giruXX]

No takers?

(I think I found it, but I would like to have an independent confirmation/view)

 

[Moses03]

Have never seen it before and don't have any ideas what it could be at the moment. Not too much to go on other than a 3-cylinder radial and I struts.

(The fellow looked Italian and the aircraft has a European feel to it).

Another clue might be that most of those "mystery" photos generally are aircraft from the USA which would shoot my Euro theory all to hell.

That is all I have without further prompting.

 

[giruXX]

Thank you Moses03. I shall declare OPEN HOUSE now!

The picture is from the EAA Vintage Airplane Magazine.

 

[giruXX]

Browsing Aerofiles for “midget” biplanes I found:

Van Cleave
William Van Cleave, Love Field, Dallas TX.
1928 = 1pOB; 35hp Lawrance; span: 21'0" v: 85/65/30-35. Midget biplane.

The engine in the pic indeed ressembles a Lawrance L-3. Therefore, I would go for the Van Cleave 1928 Biplane. However, if the photo were taken as late as 1942 it could well be something else.

open house please

 

[wout]

Not a homebuilt and limited production.

 

[Moses03]

GX- While your theory is a good one, I have a feeling that the stubby biplane might be something else. I have to wonder how it would have flown out to the west coast to end up in Belmont, CA.

I did some digging to find out that Mr. Van Cleave (Actually spelled as Vancleave), had a manufacturing business on or near Love Field in Dallas and was credited with flying an "ultralight" over Dallas circa 1928.

http://www.genealogy.com/forum/surnames/topics/vancleave/539/

Now using the word ultralight from the 2004 post above can be taken loosely of course. All that said, I am going to look through some period Dallas newspapers to see if I can unearth a photo.

The Abilene Reporter also documented his flight from November 1928:
https://www.newspapers.com/newspage/31096598/

 

[Moses03]

Okay, I just found a snippet from a Vol 5 1928 Aeronautical Industry periodical that has the Vancleave machine outfitted with a 35 hp 2-cylinder engine and weighing in at 435 lbs.

If we are to trust this source then all bets are off I would think. Truly an ultralight after all!

 

[giruXX]

Not a homebuilt and limited production.

An Aeromot AMT-600 Guri, perhaps?

 

[wout]

Hi guriXX
Very correct, Sir.

 

[giruXX]

If we are to trust this source then all bets are off I would think. Truly an ultralight after all!

Thank you Moses03,

it seems that Pete Bowers' mystery plane remains a mystery.


What about this, then?