TIGHAR
Chatterbox => Extraneous exchanges => Topic started by: Ric Gillespie on April 30, 2019, 10:35:17 AM
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In addition to potentially important images of NR16020 in Lae, the recently acquired 16mm film includes picture of other aircraft that were active in New Guinea at that time. Andrew McKenna has identified the biplane pictured below as a Simmonds Spartan (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Simmonds_Spartan) but can anyone identify the radial engined monoplane? (The trimotor in the background is a Junkers G-31.)
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... can anyone identify the radial engined monoplane?
It bears some resemblance to the Northrop Alphas, but the undercarriage looks all wrong.
Drawing on his experience with the Lockheed Vega, John K. Northrop designed an advanced mail/passenger transport aircraft. In addition to all-metal construction, the new Alpha benefitted from two revolutionary aerodynamic advancements: wing fillets researched at the Guggenheim Aeronautical Laboratory at the California Institute of Technology, and a multicellular stressed-skin wing of Northrop's own design which was later successfully used on the Douglas DC-2 and Douglas DC-3. In addition, the Alpha was the first commercial aircraft to use rubber deicer boots on wing and empennage leading edges which, in conjunction with state-of-the-art radio navigation equipment, gave it day or night, all-weather capability. The aircraft first flew in 1930, with a total of 17 built.[2]
The Alpha was further developed into a dedicated fast transport, the Northrop Gamma.
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It bears some resemblance to the Northrop Alphas, but the undercarriage looks all wrong.
And the tailplane is wrong. The Alpha's was cantilevered and mounted low. This one is mounted higher and is strut-braced. Also, the Alpha's fuselage was cylindrical in cross-section. This one appears slab-sided. I think this is a much smaller airplane.
The tarp doesn't help. Looks like it might have a ring-cowl.
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https://www.martinwilkinson.co.uk/v_junkersf13.htm
How about this one?
"Junkers F13 VH-UOX"
The tail number is 5. Its could be the exact one
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Ric
I think I figured it out, it is a Junkers W 34.
In the attached photos of Ju W 34's you can see the tail numbers 3 and 6. Guinea Airways started out with several of the W 34s and later moved up to the Trigger-Motor G31.
Andrew
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Greg
Good find, matches the tail number 5, but the registration VH-UOX is listed as a Ju W 33.34f as found here:
http://www.afleetingpeace.org/index.php/aeroplanes/15-aeroplanes/84-register-australia (http://www.afleetingpeace.org/index.php/aeroplanes/15-aeroplanes/84-register-australia)
So the designation of F13 is incorrect. The W 34 and the F13 seem to be closely related, but from what I can tell the W 34 has an open cockpit, and the F13 has an enclosed cockpit.
Andrew
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Well, I might be wrong about the open cockpit, the F13 also could have an open cockpit, see attached photo. Would make sense to cover either with a tarp to keep water out of the open cockpit.
The W 34 with a 17.8 meter wingspan is larger than the F13 at 14.8 meters. The W 34 seems to have a cargo door on the port side the the F13 lacks.
Andrew