The Ongoing Mystery Aircraft Thread Part Deux.

**Hurricane91** · December 3rd, 2012, 01:48

Hi Lefty, that was one of Alfred Verville's very advanced (but ill-fated) Verville-Sperry R-3 racers.

**lefty** · December 3rd, 2012, 02:52

Spot-on, John.

**Hurricane91** · December 3rd, 2012, 10:18

More grain. Very digestible (or maybe distilled)...

Attachment 76553

**lefty** · December 3rd, 2012, 12:44

Poeschel P-300 Equator.

**Hurricane91** · December 3rd, 2012, 15:26

You've got it Lefty!:ernae: The Equator must be close around here somewhere as it was 73*f today.

**DHC2Pilot** · December 3rd, 2012, 21:29

On the Poeschel.....is the mystery pic a prototype ??? - the pics I've seen of the P-300 have the engine mounted as a pusher above the cabin as well as having a low wing configuration (see below). Makes me wonder if that's the right designation.

**lefty** · December 4th, 2012, 00:05

Funny you should say that, John. When I first saw your post, I thought 'German' - they are fond of unconventional machines - and grabbed a Jane's (1981-2) at random. There, on the first page I opened, was the Equator ! It was the one with pylon-mounted engine, but the description referred to Herr Pöschel's earlier design, which flew in 1970, and was the tail-mounted version.
I am sure Wout will be able to provide chapter and verse on this interesting craft.

In the meantime, here is a one-off, but not a home-build, and one which has a couple of distinguishing features......

**wout** · December 4th, 2012, 03:19

Hi Mike :salute:
Your one-off is the LFU-205 composite single from Germany (an early plastic aircraft!). LFU -Leichtflugzeug-Technik-Union GmbH, was a consortium of MBB, RFB and Putzer, each company building part(s) of the aircraft with MBB doing the final assembly. The German government also put money in. The aircraft first flew in 1968 and was used to gain experience with the novel construction materials and for test/R&D work. D-ELFU is still around to-day with the DLR (German Aerospace Center). It has a 200hp Lycoming IO-360-A1C engine.

Will post some details on the Poeschel/Equator P-300, P-300RG, P-400, P-420 later.

**Hurricane91** · December 4th, 2012, 04:54

Originally Posted by DHC2Pilot

On the Poeschel.....is the mystery pic a prototype ??? - the pics I've seen of the P-300 have the engine mounted as a pusher above the cabin as well as having a low wing configuration (see below). Makes me wonder if that's the right designation.

Yes, the photo I posted was of the prototype P-300 A1, D-EULM. It was puplished in Air Progress magazine around the time of the first test flights.

**wout** · December 4th, 2012, 05:50

AFAIK the Equator series covered 3 flying aircraft.
P-300 A1 Equator, D-EULM was the first aircraft. High wing, fixed trigear, engine burried in mid-fuselage and tractor prop in vertical tail. Built by Poeschl Aircraft GmbH
P-420 Turbo Equator D-EMGF. The second aircraft. High wing, retractable trigear, turbine engine with tractor prop in vertical tail. Built by Equator Aircraft fuer Flugzeugbau (Equator Aircraft Company). Sometimes also noted as P-400 and designation P-420 also used for a planned push/pull twin wioth engins on fuselage.
P-300RG Equator D-EALM. Third/final aircraft. Built by new Equator Aircraft Company. New mid-wing configuration, engine with pusher prop on fuselage. Retractable trigear and only Equator to do water trials.

Please see http://www.equatorair.de/hist.htm for a start and if you have not been unfriended, Google will give a handful hand.

**lefty** · December 4th, 2012, 08:52

Walter is, of course, correct with the LFU -205. Apart from the novel construction, it was also not the first German aircraft to have forward -swept wings !

Interesting stuff on the Equator - I had no idea it had also been a floater...

**wout** · December 4th, 2012, 10:08

Thanks Mike :salute:
Photo may not be genuine, but the aircraft did fly.
The car could give a clue to the country of birth of this dive-bomber.

***Moses03*** · December 4th, 2012, 11:06

Looks like the Loire-Nieuport LN.42.

**wout** · December 4th, 2012, 12:25

Hi Kevin :salute:
It is the L.N.42

Thanks to all the nationalizations in the aircraft industry in France, it could also be called the Sud Ouest (SNCASO) L.N-42.

**lefty** · December 4th, 2012, 13:14

Here's a grainy pic - do I read that it didn't actually fly ?

***Moses03*** · December 4th, 2012, 14:42

"The prototype LN 42 was undergoing taxiing trials at Issy-les-Moulineaux in June 1940. After one or two short hops, it was taken to a farm at Flayosc [Provence] and hidden. Recovered after the liberation, the prototype flew from Toussus-le-Noble on 24 Aug 1945. After trials, it was fitted with a reversible-pitch [Swiss] Escher-Wyss propeller* and trials resumed (28 Oct 1946). With no interest from the Aéronavale, LN 42 trials ended in 1947."

From here:
http://www.secretprojects.co.uk/foru...?topic=10770.0

Onward and upward. This one ended in tragedy after being built for a record flight. With Wout hiding in the weeds, it won't stay on the shelf very long...

**wout** · December 5th, 2012, 01:26

Hi Kevin :salute:
The Free Enterprise (nicknamed Big Bird) was built by Quickie Aircraft Corporation (Tom Jewett and Gene Sheenan) for an attempt to make the first non-stop and unrefueled flight around the world. The aircraft was lost in a fatal accident, killing Tom Jewett, on 2 July 1982.

***Moses03*** · December 5th, 2012, 04:18

Walter spot on as usual.

Fire away-

**wout** · December 5th, 2012, 06:40

Thanks Kevin :salute:

I have no better pic of this twin. I hope the correct reply will be accompanied by some info on this one-of-a-kind

**Baragouin** · December 5th, 2012, 08:35

Originally Posted by wout

Thanks Kevin :salute:

I have no better pic of this twin. I hope the correct reply will be accompanied by some info on this one-of-a-kind

This is a mexican girl.
Siperstein y Maldonado TT5. I only know that it was flown in 1946 and was hoping that you might supply some additional information.....
Baragouin

**wout** · December 5th, 2012, 10:53

Hi Baragouin :salute:
Excellent and you are completely correct that the girl is from Mexico.
I have seen it mentioned as T-5, TT-5 and even TTS-5. I first saw it in a small UK booklet in the 1950s.
What I gathered sofar:
Resembling scaled-down Beech 18/C-45 with an all-wood construction and two 200hp Ranger LK-440-6 engines.
max. speed 144mph, cruise 130mph, ceiling 18,000ft, range 620 miles
Designers Siperstein, Galindo and Maldonado and built by "National Aircraft Factory"
All pictures I have seen (all bad quality!) show the aircraft in Mexican AF colours.

Your turn, Sir!

**Baragouin** · December 6th, 2012, 04:45

Originally Posted by wout

Hi Baragouin :salute:
Excellent and you are completely correct that the girl is from Mexico.
I have seen it mentioned as T-5, TT-5 and even TTS-5. I first saw it in a small UK booklet in the 1950s.
What I gathered sofar:
Resembling scaled-down Beech 18/C-45 with an all-wood construction and two 200hp Ranger LK-440-6 engines.
max. speed 144mph, cruise 130mph, ceiling 18,000ft, range 620 miles
Designers Siperstein, Galindo and Maldonado and built by "National Aircraft Factory"
All pictures I have seen (all bad quality!) show the aircraft in Mexican AF colours.

Your turn, Sir!

Hi Wout!
Thanks for the info I didn't expect less from your encyclopedic knowledge....
Here's a nice, easy relaxing fighter of WWI....
Cheers
Baragouin