The Ongoing Mystery Aircraft Thread Part Deux.

[DHC2Pilot]

If it has been posted I don't remember it. Looks like someone slapped a pair of wings on the conning tower of a sub. I'd be willing to bet a drunk Frenchman thought this would be a good idea.

[lefty]

There is some debate about where it actually comes from, but no Frenchman was involved !

[Emilio Lafuente]

There is some debate about where it actually comes from, but no Frenchman was involved !

Hi all, I don´t know if I´m welcomed here since I´m not an english speaking guy, and with an awful english writing indeed, but from some time ago I use to visit this place, and this is the first time I know the little airplane; not french but german, or is it jugoslav-serbian??: the little Fizir 85 hp

[lefty]

Emilio, welcome to the forum ! How good to see a Spanish presence here - and your English is just fine.

You are of course right with the Fizir A.F.2 amphibian - commonly listed as German, but as far as I know Mr Fizir had this made by ZMAJ in Zemun, currently in Serbia but Yugoslavia in those days.

Over to you, sir. I'm sure you can find something obscure from a Spanish manufacturer !

[Emilio Lafuente]

A quite grany one, but no doubt, no real challenge for you.

[wout]

Emilio, welcome to the forum!
I hope you will make life difficult for (some of) us.

[Moses03]

Welcome to SOH Emilio.

Your mystery caused some discussion between Lefty, & Co and myself some time ago in our first mystery plane thread that we lost in a site crash back in Oct 2008. Maybe Wout, DHC2, Ferry or anyone else can have a go at it?:mixedsmi:

[DHC2Pilot]

Welcome Emilio! Thow everything you can at us - the more difficult the better in my opinion.

My initial inclination was that it's a Miles M.3 although the windscreen isn't raked forward and the rear window isn't shaped the same. Hmmm........so probably not a Falcon. Searching........

[Moses03]

Let's move along then. The Spanish lady is the Gonzalez Gil-Pazo GP-2.


Here is an oddball I unearthed from a aeronautical engineering book recently. Bit grainy, yes.

[lefty]

Before launching into Moses' grainy horror, I have to say that my references point to the Spanish lady as being the GP-4, originally registered EC-AFM, latterly commandeered by the Nationalist military as 30-20.
Don't want to start a fight here, but.......

[Moses03]

Wasn't 100% sure. The cockpit windows looked like the 2. I think we had this discussion before!

[lefty]

Would this be the mysterious bomber designed by James V Martin in 1919 ? He was a fan of K-struts and wingtip ailerons - however I don't think this lady ever made it off the deck ???????

[DHC2Pilot]

I hate to beat a dead horse but was the GP-2 built with two different canopy configurations? The GP-2 and the GP-4 don't match what I'm seeing in the picture. One GP-2 photo I have shows the bird with a squared razorback style canopy, the second shows your bird (missed it because I have it catalogued under Gil-Pazo and also under Gonzalez). Maybe this photo shows a prototype? Any thoughts?

[Moses03]

Firstly, a mug 'o ale to Mike on the Martin. I just now saw that the Aerofile entry for it says it never flew. The book I pulled it from said nothing about it not flying. Apologies if that is the case.

As far as the Gil-Pazo goes, I'm staying out of the fray.

Over to Scotland-

[lefty]

I'm a bit baffled - DHC2Pilot appears to have taken his pic of the GP-2 from p157 of Howson's Aircraft of the Spanish Civil War.

Further down on the same page he will find this
Attachment 1309

Think we'll leave it there. Emilio, you have sure stirred up this sleepy old forum ! Well done. Will go and look for another.

[lefty]

Easy one now -

[Moses03]

...Howson's Aircraft of the Spanish Civil War.

My holy grail of Putnam books. Never seen it go for less than $200.00

[Ferry_vO]

Easy one now -

Argentinian Curtiss Hawk 75O ?

[lefty]

Close enough, Ferry - it's the H-75H demonstrator sold to China.

[lefty]

My holy grail of Putnam books. Never seen it go for less than $200.00

Thought you had it. See my PM.

[Ferry_vO]

This thing looks like something from a bad 60's scifi movie:

[lefty]

Looks awfully like a mock-up, Ferry - was this one a goer ?

[Ferry_vO]

No, it never flew as the project was cancelled before the prototype was completed.

[Moses03]

Gosh, two non-flyers almost back to back. Shame on us!

This is the McDonnell XHRH-1.

[Ferry_vO]

Gosh, two non-flyers almost back to back. Shame on us!

This is the McDonnell XHRH-1.

Yes, forgot to check if it ever flew before posting... You are right about the XHRH-1 of course!