Warbird Information Exchange

Hi all,

I am currently doing some research on the Curtiss P-40E and am working on the nav and IFF lighting at the moment. I need some help identifying some of the lights. After reading these forums for the last few weeks, it appears you are the guys with the expertise...

1) This first photo shows the blue formation light on the starboard side of a P-40. Is there a reason some P-40's have blue formation lights and others have red? Is this a US vs UK thing? Also, is there a reason why some P-40's have blue formation lights on both sides and some seem to have a blue one on the starboard side and a red one on the port side?



2) The next photo shows what I am assuming is the landing light. It is located on the bottom of the port wing. The 3-View section also shows this light. It appears to be hinged and I'm guessing it swings out to point forward? If it's not a landing light, what is it? A downward pointing light seems to be a bad thing on a warbird...one of those "Here I am, shoot me down" lights? Anyone have a photo of this light in the lowered position (if it lowers)?





3) This 3-View section shows three lights on the bottom of the port rear wing fillet which I am assuming are the lower IFF (Identification - Friend or Foe) lights. The larger light is definitely red (I have another photo that shows this one in red). If they are IFF lights, I would assume that the next light is green and the rearward light is amber? Does anyone have a photo of this section of the wing fillet?



4) Lastly, this light is on the rear spine just behind the cockpit. It could be an upper IFF light (I've heard that a white IFF light was on the top of the aircraft as well) or is it an anti-collision strobe? Since this is a currently flying P-40, it could be either?



Any help you folks could offer would be greatly appreciated. There's not a lot of info on P-40 lighting out there...at least not that I could find.

Kevin

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Kevin S. Beebe

landing light motors down like some B-25s.
last one looks like a GPS antenna.
over to the experts........................

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Don't touch my junk!!

Found this in a thread over at Army Air Forces, http://forum.armyairforces.com

"P40E-1 aircraft had the provisions for identification lights. The first 800 P40E-1s, 41-24776 to 41-36353 (ET100-999) had the British type recognition lights. This consisted of one upper and one lower light and Formation lights, forward of the cockpit, on the fuselage sides. The remainder, 41-36354 to 41-36953 (EV100-699) had USAAF type recognition lights of one upper and three lower lights.
USAAF P40Es 40-358, 40-382 to 41-13599 had no lights, as didn’t the first 400 P40N-1s."

Looks like a lot of the "Brit" P-40's had them, and not many USAAF did.

The landing light definitely motors down. Probably made by Grimes. Some of them could turn on the lamp in the retracted position on others the lamp only turns on when it reaches its vertical stop. Have repaired and rebuilt different styles on old twin Cessnas.

The upper light near the radio mast looks like a modern strobe type beacon lamp. It looks like the forward portion is blanked off with white paint which is sometimes done in order to prevent distractions to the pilot. in modern civil aircraft anti collisions lights have to be white and are on the extremities of the aircraft, wing and tail. The beacon lamp can be white or red whether it rotates, flashes or strobes.

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"I can't understand it, I cut it twice and it's still too short!" Robert F. Dupre' 1923-2010 Go With God.

Thanks guys,

That helps a lot.

John, I figured that might be a strobe on the top near the radio mast. There are no beacons on the wingtips, and I figured since it was a currently flying P-40 that it would have to have one somewhere.

I see you're a Burn Notice fan also

Thanks again,

Kevin

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Kevin S. Beebe