Biplane ID Question
Tue Jan 29, 2013 11:59 pm
Can anyone ID this biplane? The photo was taken in the Spartan School shops in Tulsa, OK in 1948. The back of the photo has a suggestion, but I don't want to taint folks' first impressions. I don't necessarily agree with the back of the photo. Can anyone help?
kevin
kevin
Re: Biplane ID Question
Wed Jan 30, 2013 12:07 am
With a very limited knowledge of Spartan Aircraft, it looks like a C-2 to me.
Jerry
Jerry
Re: Biplane ID Question
Wed Jan 30, 2013 12:10 am
Maybe the Spartan NP-1:
http://www.aerofiles.com/spart-np1.jpg
http://www.aerofiles.com/spart-np1.jpg
Re: Biplane ID Question
Wed Jan 30, 2013 12:20 am
The back of the photo says NP-1. A couple of things that were throwing me off:
In all of the photos of the NP-1, I've never seen one painted with that scheme;
By 1948, all of the Navy NP-1 aircraft were out of service and in training facilities or scrapped;
The only NP-1 known to have remained at Spartan during the war and after production ceased in 1942 was the prototype;
The prototype was (supposedly) scrapped sometime during WWII. That doesn't mean that it actually happened, but was the story at the time.
Is it possible that the prototype survived the war and was used up until (apparently) 1948?
kevin
In all of the photos of the NP-1, I've never seen one painted with that scheme;
By 1948, all of the Navy NP-1 aircraft were out of service and in training facilities or scrapped;
The only NP-1 known to have remained at Spartan during the war and after production ceased in 1942 was the prototype;
The prototype was (supposedly) scrapped sometime during WWII. That doesn't mean that it actually happened, but was the story at the time.
Is it possible that the prototype survived the war and was used up until (apparently) 1948?
kevin
Re: Biplane ID Question
Wed Jan 30, 2013 10:01 pm
Being at technical school for aircraft mechanics it could have been repainted in any scheme that struck someone's fancy.
Re: Biplane ID Question
Thu Jan 31, 2013 2:31 am
Re: Biplane ID Question
Thu Jan 31, 2013 10:18 am
CoastieJohn-
That airplane was restored and owned for many years by a WIXer in Oregon, and with the help of Jack Cook I made contact with him and arranged the purchase of that airplane by our museum from him. In the last photo on that web story, the pair of legs in blue jeans on the other side of the fuselage is me.
photo of it in the museum:
http://www.airliners.net/photo/Spartan-NP-1/1502826/L/
kevin
That airplane was restored and owned for many years by a WIXer in Oregon, and with the help of Jack Cook I made contact with him and arranged the purchase of that airplane by our museum from him. In the last photo on that web story, the pair of legs in blue jeans on the other side of the fuselage is me.
photo of it in the museum:
http://www.airliners.net/photo/Spartan-NP-1/1502826/L/
kevin
Re: Biplane ID Question
Thu Jan 31, 2013 3:14 pm
Keven
no question about it. That is an NP-1. Not the prototype but one of the production birds. mine actually made it to the mid 50's at the clover park trade school.
no question about it. That is an NP-1. Not the prototype but one of the production birds. mine actually made it to the mid 50's at the clover park trade school.
Re: Biplane ID Question
Thu Jan 31, 2013 4:47 pm
Hi Jeff,
Why do you not think it is the prototype? Not arguing, just curious. I don't have a big dog in the hunt, but was baffled by the idea that a production NP-1 would come back to Spartan post-war.
kevin
Why do you not think it is the prototype? Not arguing, just curious. I don't have a big dog in the hunt, but was baffled by the idea that a production NP-1 would come back to Spartan post-war.
kevin