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

By: Bob - 11th May 2012 at 18:44 Permalink - Edited 1st January 1970 at 01:00

On BBC London now - Oh that's good to hear - it's been "recovered"*.........

Wonder if she meant to say "discovered"...

*Reporter Alice Bhandhukravi's opening piece

By: Dr. John Smith - 11th May 2012 at 19:03 Permalink - Edited 1st January 1970 at 01:00

Have you read some of the comments at http://news.uk.msn.com//blog/trending-blogpost.aspx?post=244be508-cb33-4644-ae1a-0f7279ce067d&_nwpt=1 ?

"Amazing find,It reminds me of the film Close Encounters when the aircraft were found in the desert and the airmen were taken by the aliens"

"This obviously a plane hijacked by aliens who have now returned it to earth.The pilot is alive and now lives on a far away planet.must stop have to take my pills."

That will probably be the follow up story in The Sun: "World War II RAF Pilot Abducted by Aliens"

By: TonyT - 11th May 2012 at 19:07 Permalink - Edited 1st January 1970 at 01:00

Itv here didn't mention any recovery.

By: TonyT - 11th May 2012 at 19:10 Permalink - Edited 1st January 1970 at 01:00

Very good that some of the comments are thanking him for his service, shows some people today still recognise what this guy did for us.....

By: Shay - 11th May 2012 at 19:36 Permalink - Edited 1st January 1970 at 01:00

The story has hit CNN now.

http://security.blogs.cnn.com/2012/05/11/british-plane-in-egypt//

Shay
____________
Semper Fortis

By: teejaymac - 11th May 2012 at 19:48 Permalink - Edited 1st January 1970 at 01:00

Very good that some of the comments are thanking him for his service, shows some people today still recognise what this guy did for us.....

Terry

By: Dobbins - 11th May 2012 at 19:56 Permalink - Edited 1st January 1970 at 01:00

Well some brave and unfortunate pilot was definitely involved, though Copping's name appears to have now been cemented into the story...

By: Dr. John Smith - 11th May 2012 at 19:59 Permalink - Edited 1st January 1970 at 01:00

P-40 from Sahara

Itv here didn't mention any recovery.

It was the last "and finally..." item on the ITN 6:30 news (at least here in the ITV London area). Reporting by Neena Nanau, featuring an interview with Peter Dye of the RAFM, largely in front of the P-40 at the RAF Museum in Hendon, along with the pictures already posted here, and the youtube footage out there on the web.

(Just been watching it - albeit one hour later on the ITV+1 channel...)

ETA: The item was also repeated at the end of News At Ten (10:00-10:30 today)

It should be on the ITN website for a limited time at http://www.itv.com/news/

If you mean "recovery" and not "DIScovery", then you're correct. There was a line in the report about "the race is on to recover the plane..."which implies that it is still where it was found at the present time.

At least, now the "word is out" about the P-40, it may well make people aware that it would be more valuable as a complete airframe, and hopefully deter the locals from tearing it apart as a source of "free" scrap metal.

I'm sure that I am not the only one who will only breathe a sigh of relief when I see this P-40 hoisted on a crane in a container at Alexandria, bound for the UK...

By: shepsair - 11th May 2012 at 20:09 Permalink - Edited 1st January 1970 at 01:00

P40

.....and right from the initial story where it was called a 'Kittyhawk P40' instead of P40 Kittyhawk, the mistake is copied by all it seems.

Will have to start talking about Spitfire Supermarines and Hurricane Hawkers.

That offer of a 2 minute check days before the news was released now gets more and more grinding!

Good news it is out though but still needs to be recovered.

Also Jakub was not the lone ranger, he was part of a team which has also been forgotten! (Sometimes I wish it was a single person that discovered it). News people seem to have forgotten that much to his annoyance.

regards

Mark

By: silver fox - 11th May 2012 at 20:12 Permalink - Edited 1st January 1970 at 01:00

Typical the TV News channels getting all excited, after the papers have already printed the story, some pics and write up Daily Mirror today.

Seem to be identifying the pilot as Flight Sergeant Dennis Copping who was actually transferring aircraft to another base for repairs, allegedly.

By: Dr. John Smith - 11th May 2012 at 20:26 Permalink - Edited 1st January 1970 at 01:00

The Daily Mirror is running the story at http://www.mirror.co.uk/news/world-news/lost-world-war-ii-plane-827855

As to whether (or not) Dennis Copping was the pilot, you have to allow for the media's preferred angle of "Hero Pilot survives crash only to walk to his death in the lonely desert"

The papers would prefer to put a name to the pilot, even if there is only circumstantial (and not 100% proof) of evidence to identify him.

Same with the discovery: the media is longing for an "Indiana Jones and the lost Warbird" angle, hence preferring to name an individual as discovering the airframe, when it was a team effort.

By: David Harvey - 11th May 2012 at 20:28 Permalink - Edited 1st January 1970 at 01:00

The BBC have mentioned this today: http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-18038650

By: jeepman - 11th May 2012 at 20:58 Permalink - Edited 1st January 1970 at 01:00

Just heard it on the BBC Radio 2 news as well when I was working in the garage.

By: Steve Newman - 11th May 2012 at 21:44 Permalink - Edited 1st January 1970 at 01:00

Its 'twist or stick' time now, the publicity will either assist in its recovery and search for pilot or its complete destruction and leave pilots fate unknown.

Just wish I could do something more than be a keyboard warrior and cross fingers.

Night all

Steve

By: Propstrike - 11th May 2012 at 22:41 Permalink - Edited 1st January 1970 at 01:00

11 second report on BBC news.

'' the pilot attempted to walk to safety. The nearest town was 200 miles away'' ( big beaming grin ) No need to mention the implications of that.

Don't want to spoil the mood for the relentless BBC Olympics Boreathon :mad:

By: Discendo Duces - 11th May 2012 at 22:56 Permalink - Edited 1st January 1970 at 01:00

I saw that too.

I've gone off that presenter...

DD

By: T-21 - 12th May 2012 at 01:55 Permalink - Edited 1st January 1970 at 01:00

It is remarkably preserved . Items like the rubber hoses,tyres and electrical parts will be of interest to the aviation industry in how they have survived the heat of the desert since 1942. The cockpit photo in the Daily Telegraph yesterday was amazing .

By: Michammer - 12th May 2012 at 02:58 Permalink - Edited 1st January 1970 at 01:00

The story also made it onto the NBC Nightly News here in the States.

General story line: A Kittyhawk P40 built by Curtiss Aircraft flown by the RAF in WWII, likely from a British airbase in North Egypt. Found by an expedition team. No sign of a pilot remains.

NBC Nightly News

By: slicer - 12th May 2012 at 08:58 Permalink - Edited 1st January 1970 at 01:00

Story was on BBC World Service News at 00.30 12/5...going viral!

By: Beaufighter VI - 12th May 2012 at 09:12 Permalink - Edited 1st January 1970 at 01:00

If the Air Attache is going to the aircraft I hope that he is briefed on the elementary aspects of identifying the aircraft. Anybody with P-40 experience could easily open the cockpit without damage, yes after all these years, and get the number from the longeron. Jettison mechanism was changed over the years but the hood winding mechanism is easily dealt with. Distortion to fuselage appears further aft.

The tail strut should be the next port of call, this will give additional information as to contract and hopefully a/c serial. Whilst I have seen US serials on struts I do not recall a serial on the a/c recovered from Russia. Identity was based on the longeron serial.
Other areas to look at, guns and ammo boxes often have painted serials, main gear has been mentioned but is not accessible at this time.
It is possible but not likely that individual data plate could give a lead.