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

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Member for

14 years 7 months

Posts: 138

Really ? You don't think it will be people who take 'unique' RAF P-40 parts to sell on EBAy then? Do you really think history buffs are going to pay three times the going rate for a trip out in the desert?

If they bid, they contribute [to the status quo].

It's like with blood diamonds, you don't need to be one with a whip in Congo...

:)

Member for

24 years 2 months

Posts: 10,168

Ok... Curtis 1035 is that the Airframe ID no?

Member for

14 years 5 months

Posts: 282

P40

Peter,

Yep, it is the Curtiss construction number which ties in with the US serial number which ties in with the RAF serial.

All three of the above have now been known by the RAFM/AHB etc for over a week now. The 1035 was the last bit of evidence we required.

regards

Mark

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24 years 2 months

Posts: 10,168

That is great news Mark! Bit confusing piece of video but is she in better hands now?

Member for

18 years 6 months

Posts: 554

Drawing No. 87-21-705 is for the fuselage assembly P-40E-1, frame 1 to 16 therefore fuselage Serial No. is 1035.
Unfortunately the copy I have of this drawing has been shot as seven different items covering the length of the fuselage and is none to clear.

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14 years 5 months

Posts: 282

P40

Peter,

Still can't say. :( :o

Will ask RAFM tomorrow to ask what the current state of play is and what I can say.

regards

Mark

Member for

19 years 10 months

Posts: 917

Peter,

Yep, it is the Curtiss construction number which ties in with the US serial number which ties in with the RAF serial.

All three of the above have now been known by the RAFM/AHB etc for over a week now. The 1035 was the last bit of evidence we required.

regards

Mark

Hi
Is this a shortened number, as all the info I have seen gives a 5 digit construction number for curtiss a/c.
cheers
Jerry

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19 years 9 months

Posts: 447

This time it is me who asks for stills from the video - it is blocked over here due to alleged copyright reservations (regarding music) ... :eek:

Member for

11 years 10 months

Posts: 52

i'm very sad to see how is p40 !!!!
i send two pages of parts catalog of p 40 where you find part 87 21 705

Attachments

Member for

18 years 1 month

Posts: 2,123

Brewerjerry:

Is this a shortened number, as all the info I have seen gives a 5 digit construction number for curtiss a/c.

Extrapolating on Joe Baugher's page (http://www.joebaugher.com/usaf_serials/1941_5.html) ET574 (41-35928) would indeed be CW 1035, and the construction number 19761.
The last identity he actually quotes is 41-35925 (CW 1032, c/n 19758, ET571).

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24 years 2 months

Posts: 8,464

The irony is that if they hadnt broken the plexi, we wouldnt have the ID right now.....

Bruce

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14 years 5 months

Posts: 282

P40

Bruce

With help from Buz, we knew the location of all of the component tags knowing the main plate was probably missing. The fuselage tag in the scolloped area behind the perspex was the main area we were looking at but there was a number of others which could have been looked at once either someone from the survey team or British Embassy got to site.

Starboard side scolloped perspex was already broken when the team arrived and the tag could be seen.

Now that 1035 has been reported and with the link, it is safe to report that the P40E Kittyhawk in the desert is now confirmed as Curtiss P40E-1-CU Curtiss number 1035, construction number 19761, US serial 41-35928 and British serial ET574.

The Copping family were made aware of the confirmation early last week.

regards

Mark

Member for

14 years 5 months

Posts: 31

Bruce

With help from Buz, we knew the location of all of the component tags knowing the main plate was probably missing. The fuselage tag in the scolloped area behind the perspex was the main area we were looking at but there was a number of others which could have been looked at once either someone from the survey team or British Embassy got to site.

Starboard side scolloped perspex was already broken when the team arrived and the tag could be seen.

Now that 1035 has been reported and with the link, it is safe to report that the P40E Kittyhawk in the desert is now confirmed as Curtiss P40E-1-CU Curtiss number 1035, construction number 19761, US serial 41-35928 and British serial ET574.

The Copping family were made aware of the confirmation early last week.

regards

Mark

Ok now the cats out the bag so to speak, let me point out some minor points.

1035 - This number is not a shorten C/N, it is actually a Factory tracking number called a ship number. These don't always run in Sequence so can stuff you up if you think they do (leads to many a case of aircraft being mis-ID'd), but if you have the records to refer to, are a great way to identify an aircraft when all other information is missing, however (and a big one), is that these numbers are reused, its one of the reasons you have to know the model of P-40 you are looking at (as far as I can tell there is at least 4 aircraft marked as 1035).

Buz

Member for

11 years 11 months

Posts: 10

So my guess was correct after all
But credit must go to Buz who identified the Pilot of ET574 as Denis Copping a good few years ago in a document He produced.
I had looked up the Air Britain Book of Serials and cross checked other info . The fate of ET574 intrigued me , which is why I suggested it some time ago on Hyperscale , as a possibility .I got Flt Sgt Coppings name from Buz's document , which put a bit more meat on the bones of the A/B listing

At last the Copping family know what happened to their relative

Cheers
Terry McGrady

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24 years 2 months

Posts: 10,168

for some reason the large set of pics posted wont open.. anyways what I was getting at was way back when the pics were posted, there was a shot of the rear fuselage and I am 99.9% certain you could see a 57 in the serial number..

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14 years 5 months

Posts: 282

P40

Terry,

Not really. The family now know where his plane ended up but they always knew it was somewhere in the Egyptian Desert. This is now a start point though whether his remains are ever found is another matter. Only if found would there be closure.

Thankfully, your guess was correct. Glad in a way as the press have reported it as Copping's P40 for three weeks now before it was confirmed. So glad for the family.

Peter,

Jakub has adjusted his photos splitting his and a friends. I think there is revised link somewhere.

Mark

Member for

24 years 2 months

Posts: 10,168

Thanks Mark

Member for

11 years 11 months

Posts: 10

[QUOTE=shepsair;1894020]Terry,

Not really. The family now know where his plane ended up but they always knew it was somewhere in the Egyptian Desert. This is now a start point though whether his remains are ever found is another matter. Only if found would there be closure.

Thankfully, your guess was correct. Glad in a way as the press have reported it as Copping's P40 for three weeks now before it was confirmed. So glad for the family.

To be Honest Mark . I was surprised that my original comments were quoted on different Websites .
I did get a bit peeved when my suggestion triggered of such a reaction on the boards and the media as I thought it was only that -a suggestion

Cheers
Terry