Flt Sgt Copping's P-40 From The Egyptian Desert

Read the forum code of contact

Member for

13 years 7 months

Posts: 83

What a great shame, the story of the pilot, the loss and the airframe all being lost to us... Think I'd rather it did go on Ebay, least it would have a chance to pass on its story/secrets to someone interested, rather than suffer the death of a thousand screwdrivers...

Steve

Member for

12 years 1 month

Posts: 442

At this rate the RAFM won't want it anyway. A great opportunity lost.

Member for

15 years 3 months

Posts: 31

Paul,
The knob which has been unscrewed is fron the hydraulic hand pump lever.
The plaque which has been removed is the canopy operation detail placard these were either alloy or a plastic type placard. The gear which is now sitting on the cockpit floor looks like the lower gear out of the reduction gear housing. It does become rather painful to sit here and watch a gradual decline in what was initially such an amazing find.
Cheers,
Ash.

Member for

12 years 5 months

Posts: 797

Numpty.

Vandalised & ripped apart by the locals = the same treatment it would recieve returning it to airworthy condition.

That has to be about the most prattish comment I've seen on here, which is saying something...

Member for

19 years

Posts: 550

As for SAS and Chinook -they have been rather busy further east to have time to bother with an old wreck out in the desert!

Oh well, their weapons won't need zero'ing!

The FHC FW190 was in worse condition than this P40, the cockpit was gutted IIRC

Member for

15 years 8 months

Posts: 159

Zooming pictures 47 and 48 of https://picasaweb.google.com/114682566226043469349/Zdj_samolot?authuser=0&authkey=Gv1sRgCKjxkt6rkNTFKg&feat=directlink#
I can make out some numbers on the engine block/cylinder heads. I'm guessing that these are just part numbers but just in case they could be significant here they are:-
'40635' on the right
'34354 followed by what looks like 'pp and an A or 4 in a circle, on the left.
'41602' on the left.
Also the letters 'AUST' printed in black on the inside of the engine cowling on the right - could be part of the word 'EXHAUST' ?
Sorry if these are just 'red herrings' but I haven't seen anyone referring to these details?

Member for

12 years 1 month

Posts: 442

Am I correct in seeing that the dataplate with the serial no. has been removed? Well atleast someone in the world knows the true identity of the aircraft. Even if they don't know they know it. :mad: Utterly asinine.

Shay
____________
Semper Fortis

Could/would the pilot perhaps have removed it? I can't imagine these locals knowing its significance, or indeed where to find it.

Member for

18 years 5 months

Posts: 2,318

Could/would the pilot perhaps have removed it? I can't imagine these locals knowing its significance, or indeed where to find it.

Was the dataplate removed or passed onto the people featured in the following image? Were they UK representatives from the Embassy?

https://lh4.googleusercontent.com/-SEWJjeH4L1w/T5Z4mZ8AmKI/AAAAAAAAAJU/T4oOkjZWdgE/s720/DSC01767.JPG

Member for

17 years 5 months

Posts: 8,980

gear in cockpit is probably where some muppet hurled it throughh the screens

Member for

13 years 4 months

Posts: 485

I believe they're members of the Polish & Egyptian team who first stumbled across it.

Member for

24 years 2 months

Posts: 8,464

The FHC FW190 was in worse condition than this P40, the cockpit was gutted IIRC

No, the FW190 was absolutely complete when it was found. The cockpit was gutted in a similar way to this P40.

I know that 190 rather intimately!

Bruce

Member for

24 years 2 months

Posts: 2,598

Zooming pictures 47 and 48 of https://picasaweb.google.com/114682566226043469349/Zdj_samolot?authuser=0&authkey=Gv1sRgCKjxkt6rkNTFKg&feat=directlink#
I can make out some numbers on the engine block/cylinder heads. I'm guessing that these are just part numbers but just in case they could be significant here they are:-
'40635' on the right
'34354 followed by what looks like 'pp and an A or 4 in a circle, on the left.
'41602' on the left.
Also the letters 'AUST' printed in black on the inside of the engine cowling on the right - could be part of the word 'EXHAUST' ?
Sorry if these are just 'red herrings' but I haven't seen anyone referring to these details?

skeeler
I can see where you are coming from, have you got a cleaner processed image of these numbers?
Thanks
Paul

Member for

24 years 2 months

Posts: 3,566

24 pages and I've gone from an initial feeling of sceptism (very good model maker) to a peak of delight (actual video footage) that something real had been found, and am now cast into a pit of despair and anger that this is just being ripped apart by either people who don't know better or it is being destroyed in some symbolic anti-western, anti-infidel demonstration. If it really was on "military lands" as some have suggested then their security sucks...

:mad:

Member for

17 years 5 months

Posts: 24

How come there hasn't been any media attention? (none that I'm aware of) There are tons of new media outlets, online and not, regergitating the same soggy Burmese Spitfire stories over and over again. But not one mention of this facinating story. Not a single peep in the news.

EXTRA EXTRA, READ ALL ABOUT IT!!! "Lost Fighter Found in Desert After 70 Years" "Evidence of Lost Pilot's Bleak Last Moments Found" "Royal Air Force Pilot's Fight to Stay Alive in the Eygptian Desert" "Ignorant Locals Stealing and Destroying WW2 Time Capsule Fighter"

I'd sure tune-in. Maybe what this Kittyhawk needs is more mainstream attention besides Wing-nuts and Modelers websites.

Shay
____________
Semper Fortis

Member for

15 years 8 months

Posts: 159

skeeler
I can see where you are coming from, have you got a cleaner processed image of these numbers?
Thanks
Paul

Paulmcmillan,
I tried enhancing the pictures in various ways with iPhoto, but found that the zoom feature in picasaweb where the pictures are displayed was better. I'll continue to play around with the images iof somebody can confirm whether it's worth doing. There's not a lot of point unless the numbers could be either an engine serial or a copy of the airframe number, but the latter seems somewhat doubtful as engines get changed.I also looked at the cockpit shots on pictures 45 and 46 and there is an intriguing rectangle beneath the 'coolant warning' symbol to the right of the instrument panel. Is this where the ID Plate would have been located. It looks as if there is either a plate beneath obscured by muck or a plate has been removed and ingrained dust leaving a vague impression of figures remains? I'll continue playing around with the images to see if I can get any further info.

Member for

12 years 1 month

Posts: 442

Because, as Gordon Beckles once wrote, 'There is glamour about the word "Spitfire"'. The general public wouldn't know a P-40 from a B-52.

Member for

20 years

Posts: 3,902

The internet works both ways, and it is likely that the 'finders' know about the great interest in their discovery, and with satellite connections may well be reading threads such as this one.

It has seeped into the public consciousness that ' Warbirds = big bucks ' so they are unlikely to damage/destroy their asset. Also, as the ones who found it ( if they are ) they will probably feel a sense of ownership/protection , and given its ultra remote and hostile environment, it is not available for every passing idiot to tear a lump out of it.

If they are discrete as to its whereabouts , and sensible, the outlook should be encouraging.

It hurts to be so wrong :(

Member for

15 years 2 months

Posts: 544

I'm disappointed to see that my worries about the future of this aircraft were sadly well founded

Member for

11 years 11 months

Posts: 2

P-40

Some new information on the aircraft:
Photography is Slawomir Lubomski of Gefizyka Toruń

Sam Curtis is a plane codenamed Kittyhawk III side-HSB
belonged to 260 Squadron,

And here are photos taken by James Perk of Geofizyka Toruń: https://picasaweb.google.com/114682566226043469349/Airplane?authuser=0&authkey=Gv1sRgCKr-tIXt1ubCmAE&feat=directlink

AWOT