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The Ongoing Mystery Aircraft Thread Part Deux.

Sorry Lefty, I disagree. Yes there are many similarities, but: wing tip different, nose section/cockpit different, undercarriage different, most of all, lower wing is attatched to the fuselage of the Chinese one, but a big gap between fuselage and lower wing on the Farman. Not too sure about the final point, but I think there are three sets of struts on the Chinaman and four on the Farman.
 
PS, I'm glad Hoy won. I did think Hamilton would win, but it is Sport Personality of the year and Hoy is a far better personality and he didn't make as many mistakes as Hamilton did, nor did he cause me to have a near heart attack.
 
As for Moses' mystery, it looks like a cross between the Hughes B.1 racer and a single engined version of the Hughes XF.11.
I'll do a little ferreting before hitting the sheets for some:sleep::sleep:
 
So we've had a real Chinese Puzzle in the run-up to Christmas! I reckon it's their homebuild, possibly done by converting a 2-engine Caudron into a pusher? Presumably that would greatly reduce not just power, but also its ability to lift much cargo (crew/guns) off the ground. Caproni had a couple of WW1 bombers with similar configuration.

We wanted Becky Adlington to win. I sometimes work in Mansfield. Ms Adlington's 2 Olympic Golds (1st British swimmer to do that since 1904) were a great boost to the whole community (which also has the worst Football Club in Britain).

As for that twin-tailboom...thought it might be British (though it's not in the Secret Projects book).
 
It is also called the Vance Viking. Spot on SC. :icon29: Have at it-


"Not all designers were seeking the safe, fool-proof airplane. Charles F. Rocheville and Clare K. Vance sought exceptional range, endurance, and payload, and in so doing, followed in the footsteps of Burnelli. Rocheville was a designer, inventor, entrepreneur, and pilot. Among the many innovative aircraft designs he produced was his 1930 Emsco B-8 Flying Wing, designed while he was vice president of Emsco Aircraft Corporation. A twin-boom configuration was used to connect a single-fin empennage to a 60-foot wing, upon which perched a streamlined nacelle with tandem cockpits. Equipped with reverse tricycle landing gear, the aircraft employed an unusual "blown wing" system, in which air was inducted aft of the engine cowling, carried through the wing, and ejected out of slots set one-third of the way forward of the trailing edge.
11.jpg

Clare Vance's flying wing carried 1200 gallons of fuel in its thick centre section, sufficient for a non-stop range of 7500 miles. Vance designed and built the craft from models whittled out of wood while he flew the mail across the mountains.

Rocheville intended to improve the existing non-refuelled endurance record of 65 hours 20 minutes; he would follow this feat with an attempted non-stop flight from Japan to America, a distance of almost 5000 miles. Despite favourable flight tests, the project was terminated in 1930 for financial reasons before any record attempts could be accomplished.
Two years later, renowned air mail pilot Clare K. Vance unveiled his own version of a flying wing that bore a superficial resemblance to the Emsco aircraft. The Vance airplane was not as technologically advanced as the Emsco, but seemed well suited as a long-haul freight carrier. Vance claimed a top speed of 200 mph and fuel capacity for a 7500 mile range. After a successful series of test flights, Vance competed unsuccessfully in the 1932 Bendix Trophy race before his death in December 1932. The airplane was subsequently modified and was entered in, but did not complete, the 1933 and 1934 Bendix races."
 
The droopy bipe is a Liore-Olivier LeO 4.

Revisiting Sandar's China mystery, I thought it was a Farman of sorts as well. Check this page out though. I think Sandar was right although there is mention of a Caudron conversion? (bit unclear having translated the page). Ralf was on track with his idea that they reworked the Caudron methinks.

http://74.125.93.104/translate_c?hl=en&sl=zh-TW&u=http://cwlam2000hk.sinaman.com/cafx02.htm&prev=/search%3Fq%3Dearly%2Bchinese%2Baircraft%26hl%3Den%26sa%3DG&usg=ALkJrhjh5XctwIX3Qim3nGIsupHyjkDL3w
 
Correct with the LeO 4, Kevin. :guinness: This is moving along nicely. We'll be back up to the 1000-post thread before we know it !
 
A real oddity - a Waco ZVN-8 originally Thai-registered but impressed into RAF service.

Moses and I have discussed this one, and agreed we should press on - with something different -
 
With regard to my Chinese mystery, my dear old dad (who now has:engel016: wings), always said I was a contrary :censored:.
It is nice to know that a simple post, posted by a simple man, engendered so much debate.
 
That, dear boy, is one of the best features of this forum - the lively debate it engenders. There is not one of us who does not learn more from this than all our volumes of books. Between us all there is a great wealth of knowledge and what better than to share and discuss it ?

Anyway, one of those knowledgeable ones has swept aside my feeble attempt to stump you with the curiously-named Percival Merganser, so it is over to Ferry for a new one.:icon29:
 
I often wonder why people long back to those early days of aviation.. I mean, this pilot would probably be deaf and crispy on one side and frozen on the other side after a long flight..?
Who's the sadist that designed this, and what's the aircraft type?
 
I feel a bit guilty about getting this, but it's a Fokker F.III and that is Anthony Fokker himself. He wants to make sure the engine is working OK... Won't be cold anyway!

Having a look in the Ralf Archive & getting some more coffee now.
 
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