Camel N6254

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17 years 1 month

Posts: 798

There is a report that Sopwith Camel N6254 (painted up as E1537) has been sold from the Aerospace Education Center in Little Rock Arkansas, and is destined to go to New Zealand.

Records indicate that N6254 is original, and spent time with the Tallman collection post WW2.

Does anyone know the full history of this aircraft, or can point me to where these details could be found?

Original post

Member for

17 years 1 month

Posts: 798

N6254 is the WW1 RFC serial number not a US civil registration so in answer to your question, No.

Member for

24 years 2 months

Posts: 3,208

N6254 is the WW1 RFC serial number not a US civil registration so in answer to your question, No.

If you follow Tony's link you will find that N6254 is indeed a US civil registration, for a Sopwith Camel registered to an owner in New Zealand! :)

Member for

17 years 1 month

Posts: 798

Ah yes, I got to:

ATTENTION!

This aircraft's registration status may not be suitable for operation.
Please contact the Aircraft Registration Branch at 1-866-762-9434 for additional information.

and did not see the "continue" link.

Sorry about that - my error.

The history from 1950 seems to be traceable, but obscure prior to that date.

Keep searching guys!

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24 years 2 months

Posts: 3,208

http://www.aerovintage.com/tman_photo3.htm

According to this link, "Tallman obtained the Camel from the remnants of the Jarrett War Museum collection in 1951"

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24 years 2 months

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I wonder who the new owner is let's look at the clues

1) it's a WW1 aircraft
2) it's off to New Zealand
3) it's linked to a company making films

Nope no idea

Member for

17 years 1 month

Posts: 798

I wonder who the new owner is let's look at the clues

1) it's a WW1 aircraft
2) it's off to New Zealand
3) it's linked to a company making films

Nope no idea

Yeah, right.
Cue Tui's ad

(For those NZers who are around here).

Member for

17 years 1 month

Posts: 798

Further information has now come to hand.

From Errol Martyn:

" . . . N6254 was a British Caudron-built [Camel] aircraft imported in
1920 by Clarence D. Chamberlin who used it for some years as as a
two-seater hack. It was purchased in 1931 by Col George Burling
Jarrett for $100 at Jersey City Airport for The Jarrett Museum of
World War One History, which was founded in 1929 at Steel
Pier, Atlantic City, New Jersey. Its true identity was lost soon
afterwards when a schoolboy stole the maker's plate, and it was variously
marked "B-7301" and "A-1171". The museum's exhibits,
including the Camel, were later moved to Jarrett's farm, near
Moorestown, New Jersey. N6254 was stored during WW2. It
went to Aberdeen, Maryland in 1948 and was loaned to the US Air
Force. In 1950 it was sold to Frank Tallman . . . "

Additional info from Brett:

"Jarrett purchased the Camel from Clarence Duncan Chamberlin, who was running a business called Chamberlin-Rowe Aircraft Corporation refurbing and selling WW1 aircraft to barnstormers. The Camel seems to have been Chamberlin's personal plane rather than just company stock, as it was used for his aerial photography work as well. This would have been around 1924-1927."

So that may be as far as we get.

I did suspect that perhaps this Camel was one of the US Army Air Service ones, but this would now appear not to be the case.

Member for

12 years 3 months

Posts: 776

I wonder who the new owner is let's look at the clues

1) it's a WW1 aircraft
2) it's off to New Zealand
3) it's linked to a company making films

Nope no idea

More to the point, the company only has a few owners (2? 3?).
There are other owners of WWI aircraft in NZ, although IIRC the other owners' ones are replicas.

Member for

12 years 3 months

Posts: 776

And confirmed, to TVAL as ZK-SDL