What is/was it?

Fri Mar 13, 2009 12:22 am

Ran across these wood fuselages at El Mirage, Ca.

Sat Mar 14, 2009 11:26 am

I'll bite: Dehavilland Vampire cockpit?
http://www.paulnann.com/Make.asp?Make=D ... _w1873.jpg

Sun Mar 15, 2009 9:30 pm

Boy, I sure don't know....Was the Vampire built with a wood fuselage?

Sun Mar 15, 2009 9:37 pm

Wood cockpit on the Vampire.
Jerry

Sun Mar 15, 2009 9:59 pm

Yeah, but it was along the same process as the Mossie, molded veneers on the outside (both inner and outer) and a balsa sheet sandwiched in between, and fabric over the outer veneer.
Those look to be considerably older and more along the lines of a limited production light plane from the 30's/40's

Sun Mar 15, 2009 10:55 pm

It would appear to have a nosewheel well under the forward bulkhead, but no provision for a firewall if it had a tractor engine???? Dunno??

Sun Mar 15, 2009 10:57 pm

Looks like it had a retractable nose gear and had two seats side-by-side. Culver V?

Mon Mar 16, 2009 12:36 pm

bdk, I think your on the right track, how about a Culver drone PDQ-8 or 14?
http://www.aerofiles.com/culver-pq8.jpg
http://www.aerofiles.com/culver-PQ14A.jpg

Wed Mar 18, 2009 12:35 pm

Don't think it's a Culver, as mentionned before, look like a remain of wheel well into the lower firewall center. But not big and round enough for the Vampire and this last one had a small metal frame windshield.

You can also see 4 rusted metal piece for single engine mount. Could be Homebuilt Czetkovick Firefly CA-65. There is not enough different ones out there! we'll probably never know. :roll:

Alain.

Wed Mar 18, 2009 12:38 pm

Just looked at the second link on the Culver, I should have checked before :oops:

this is more like it. the retractable one you're right.

Alain

Wed Mar 18, 2009 1:29 pm

I think you guys may be close...

Last edited by Ztex on Wed Mar 18, 2009 1:37 pm, edited 1 time in total.

Wed Mar 18, 2009 1:33 pm

I dunno, y'all. The turtledeck on the Culver pictured looks more "pointy" to me than the rounded off turtledeck on the airframe(s) in question.

Gary

Wed Mar 18, 2009 2:23 pm

Also the 45 degree angle piece between the large bulkhead and the horizontal stringer runing from front to back below shoulder height, not common to the Culver...

Wed Mar 18, 2009 7:56 pm

Also, Culver PQ-14 is only about 22 inches across at the canopy rails. The pieces in the original pic are probably closer to 40 inches across

Wed Mar 18, 2009 8:22 pm

Alain wrote:Also the 45 degree angle piece between the large bulkhead and the horizontal stringer runing from front to back below shoulder height, not common to the Culver...

Certainly not a PQ-14. might be a PQ-8, but those are quite rare and as you note, that 45 degree angle feature is not consistent with the Culver series.

As for a homebuilt, that's anybody's guess! There are a lot more possibilities there.