Advanced search  
Pages: [1] 2   Go Down

Author Topic: Engine piece?  (Read 16681 times)

Ric Gillespie

  • Executive Director
  • Administrator
  • *
  • Posts: 6098
  • "Do not try. Do or do not. There is no try" Yoda
Engine piece?
« on: October 12, 2018, 07:44:39 AM »

About once a week somebody in New Guinea finds a piece of Earhart's plane.

"A Engine part believed to be of Amelia Earhart's aircraft, have found ( location, Papua New Guinea.) The engine part No:325. Photographs attached below.
Please confirm it ,and hence need your response as soon as possible."

 Anybody have an idea what his might actually be?

Logged

Bill Mangus

  • TIGHAR member
  • *
  • Posts: 420
Re: Engine piece?
« Reply #1 on: October 12, 2018, 08:09:50 AM »

Belly tank from P-38 or F-6F?
Logged

Ric Gillespie

  • Executive Director
  • Administrator
  • *
  • Posts: 6098
  • "Do not try. Do or do not. There is no try" Yoda
Re: Engine piece?
« Reply #2 on: October 12, 2018, 08:24:05 AM »

Belly tank from P-38 or F-6F?

Too skinny and that fairing with lightening holes looks like a permanent installation.  How about the radar pod from a P-38M night fighter?  A few serve in the Pacific before the introduction of the P-63 Black Widow.
Logged

Bill Mangus

  • TIGHAR member
  • *
  • Posts: 420
Re: Engine piece?
« Reply #3 on: October 12, 2018, 08:30:12 AM »

Pics.
Logged

Ric Gillespie

  • Executive Director
  • Administrator
  • *
  • Posts: 6098
  • "Do not try. Do or do not. There is no try" Yoda
Re: Engine piece?
« Reply #4 on: October 12, 2018, 08:32:54 AM »

The fairing on the Hellcat belly tank looks right.
The tank also appears to have a detachable nose cap that might be the open hole in the second photo.
« Last Edit: October 12, 2018, 08:37:30 AM by Ric Gillespie »
Logged

Bill Mangus

  • TIGHAR member
  • *
  • Posts: 420
Re: Engine piece?
« Reply #5 on: October 12, 2018, 08:46:31 AM »

. . . and that tube coming out at 90 degrees at the bottom of the first picture could be the fuel line.
Logged

Ric Gillespie

  • Executive Director
  • Administrator
  • *
  • Posts: 6098
  • "Do not try. Do or do not. There is no try" Yoda
Re: Engine piece?
« Reply #6 on: October 12, 2018, 08:48:08 AM »

. . . and that tube coming out at 90 degrees at the bottom of the first picture could be the fuel line.

Yep.

Good job Bill.
Logged

Jeff Christmas

  • TIGHAR member
  • *
  • Posts: 8
Re: Engine piece?
« Reply #7 on: October 12, 2018, 11:12:50 PM »

Logged

Jeff Lange

  • TIGHAR member
  • *
  • Posts: 180
Re: Engine piece?
« Reply #8 on: October 13, 2018, 04:42:50 AM »

I do believe that it appears Jeff has hit the nail on the head!
Jeff Lange

# 0748CR
 
Logged

Ric Gillespie

  • Executive Director
  • Administrator
  • *
  • Posts: 6098
  • "Do not try. Do or do not. There is no try" Yoda
Re: Engine piece?
« Reply #9 on: October 13, 2018, 07:32:38 AM »

I think the fuel line tube is a clincher that the New Guinea object is a drop tank and the red primer is a strong indicator that it's Japanese (Americans used yellow/green zinc chromate), but the object is not an exact match to the  linked photos - too skinny and the support fairing is wrong.   
That said, there were undoubtedly many different external fuel tanks used by the Japanese.
Logged

Martin X. Moleski, SJ

  • Administrator
  • *
  • Posts: 3006
Re: Engine piece?
« Reply #10 on: October 13, 2018, 08:02:47 AM »

The engine part No:325.

Does this mean that there is a part number on the debris?

It doesn't seem anywhere near long enough to be a real military part number.

But if there is a number on the thing, it may help narrow down the possibilities.
LTM,

           Marty
           TIGHAR #2359A
 
Logged

Ric Gillespie

  • Executive Director
  • Administrator
  • *
  • Posts: 6098
  • "Do not try. Do or do not. There is no try" Yoda
Re: Engine piece?
« Reply #11 on: October 13, 2018, 08:09:23 AM »

Does this mean that there is a part number on the debris?

Yes. He provided this photo. Not much use.
Logged

Bill Mangus

  • TIGHAR member
  • *
  • Posts: 420
Re: Engine piece?
« Reply #12 on: October 13, 2018, 08:36:35 AM »

Jeff's first picture sure looks at first glance like a match but:

In Jeff's picture there are three double rows of rivets.  I don't see comparable rows in Ric's first picture, especially the furtherst double row which should be present in Ric's first picture.

Dare I say it:  the rivet lines don't match. ;D





« Last Edit: October 13, 2018, 08:39:40 AM by Bill Mangus »
Logged

Jeff Christmas

  • TIGHAR member
  • *
  • Posts: 8
Re: Engine piece?
« Reply #13 on: October 13, 2018, 09:43:32 AM »

Here is another zero drop tank.  It too has double rivet rows.

http://www.pacificghosts.com/guadalcanal/picts/gifu/a6m2_zero_droptank.html
Logged

Bill Mangus

  • TIGHAR member
  • *
  • Posts: 420
Re: Engine piece?
« Reply #14 on: October 13, 2018, 10:46:47 AM »

Here's a better view of the Hellcat drop tank.  It's post-war and the site I got it from didn't cite where or which museum this is.

Logged
Pages: [1] 2   Go Up
 

Copyright 2024 by TIGHAR, a non-profit foundation. No portion of the TIGHAR Website may be reproduced by xerographic, photographic, digital or any other means for any purpose. No portion of the TIGHAR Website may be stored in a retrieval system, copied, transmitted or transferred in any form or by any means, whether electronic, mechanical, digital, photographic, magnetic or otherwise, for any purpose without the express, written permission of TIGHAR. All rights reserved.

Contact us at: info@tighar.org • Phone: 610-467-1937 • Membership formwebmaster@tighar.org

Powered by MySQL SMF 2.0.18 | SMF © 2021, Simple Machines Powered by PHP