Warbird Information Exchange

Hi All,

I am new here so I hope my request ended up in the correct chapter.

Lately, we are re-building a SE.5 full scale replica here at Hoogeveen airport, the Netherlands. Originally, it is a twin seat version painted in brown paint and carrying a Tophatter marking. I never saw it in one piece as the bird came to us in parts by sea container.
The new owner decied we should rebuild it as a single seat RAF fighter in 56 Squadron colors. The project is slowly making progress so hopefully it will fly again next Spring.

The aircraft was built by Albert Brown (?) and had some 200 flight hours before it ended up here in the Netherlands. It has a smoke generator so it must have made its rounds in the airshow circuit in the USA.
FAA registration is/was NX540AB

I would love to see pictures of it if you have them.
Also other information on the bird is very welcome. Please drop me an e-mail if you can.

Thanks,

André

Here's some photo's of it :
Arriving :



As today :

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www.cia-391squadron.nl

That particular marking is not called Tophatter. The U.S. Navy had a squadron called the Tophatters.

The marking originally on the SE 5 would have been the Hat in the Ring squadron. Made famous by Eddie Rickenbacker.

Thanks Rick.

Any idea if the markings were like used in WW.1 ?

The twin seat SE.5 was used as trainer in the US but I have no idea how they looked.

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www.cia-391squadron.nl

The 94 Pursuit Squadron used Nieuports and SPADs during the war.

Here is an online link to Rickenbackers wartime memoirs.

http://www.richthofen.com/rickenbacker/

A link to the history of the 94th. I could find no reference to them using SE 5s.

http://www.1stfighter.org/history/94thhistory.htm

Thanks !

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www.cia-391squadron.nl

But this aircraft was painted with postwar USAAC roundels so the real question is, what was the 94th flying back in the States in the immediate postwar years? There were a lot of S.E.5a's in the USAAC at that time; they were license-built here by Eberhart ("S.E.5e").

August