It's Time To Play,"What's My Plane" !

[Rickitycrate 10]

Thanks Dej, I got lucky and got there first this time. It's still a race it seems. So I was trying to get my answer in what do I see at the bottom of the page but the names of Olham, Red Dog and a few others. I was sweating it and needed the points to stay with the pack.

[Dej 17]

....

 

Now I'm going to have to lug 'The Complete Book of Fighters' into work as well as an over-stuffed laptop case and general hapsy-flapsy bag... not that I'm taking this competition seriously, mind.

 

Frightfully bad form to quote oneself, I know. But Lou's on to us I just know that the next Wild Card will be the equivalent of the underside of an SE5 rudder bar that I predicted earlier.

 

I think we're in for a tough last few rounds, gentlemen. We've shown our unimprovéd mettle, like young Fortinbras, and Louvert will test it to the full.

Edited September 22, 2009 by Dej

[RAF_Louvert 101]

Frightfully bad form to quote oneself, I know. But Lou's on to us I just know that the next Wild Card will be the equivalent of the underside of an SE5 rudder bar that I predicted earlier.

 

I think we're in for a tough last few rounds, gentlemen. We've shown our unimprovéd mettle, like young Fortinbras, and Louvert will test it to the full.

 

 

Dej my good man, you are so right it's frightening. More for you lot than for me, but frightening all the same. Study those tomes and steel yourselves laddies, you have about 48 hours to breathe easy until I get back home from a quick business trip I had foisted upon me late this afternoon. That's two days of me mulling over just what my final batches of puzzlement, mystification, frustration, anxiety, and general confoundment shall contain. Be ready. Mua-Ha-Ha-Ha!

 

Cheers!

 

Lou

[Rickitycrate 10]

Thanks for letting us know. I can sleep tonight.

[Red-Dog 3]

Well done Rickity, you needn't of worried about me, i'am on the nightshift for the next two weeks so only got 1 hour to mull over the pic,mind you i did think about throwing a sicky.... but if i had i still wouldn't of got this one...

[Olham 164]

A ceasefire of 48 hours, to let the men sleep, wash their undergarments,

cook some real food, and write a letter home - but all still in the trenches...

[zoomzoom 2]

I'm not. I'm hanging out at the Cantina behind the lines with some fine nurses, but I'll stop in to see you fella's from time to time. Once and a while I can hit one with my big-ole Sniper Rifle....even from waaaaaay out here. Makin my 1 Point Count!

 

ZZ.

Edited September 22, 2009 by zoomzoom

[RAF_Louvert 101]

Well I'm finally back home and have things ready for the weekend, so here is a heads-up to all you eager contestants. 13 hours from now I will be posting photo set #11. Be prepared.

 

Cheers!

 

Lou

[RAF_Louvert 101]

.

 

Alrighty folks, here we go with the second to the last set of photos. Remember the rules, have fun, and give 'er what for!

 

 

 

 

 

Round 11 begins now. Good luck everyone. Let's play What's My Plane!

 

 

.

[Rickitycrate 10]

Pic #44.The B.E.12 was produced by the Royal Aircraft Factory in response to an urgent appeal for a single seater fighter to combat the growing menace of the Fokker Monoplane. Picture is the prototype B.E. 12 No.1697. To save time a standard B.E. 2c. two seater was adapted by fairing over the front cockpit and installing a 150h.p. R.A.F. 4a engine in place of the 90h.p. R.A.F. 1a On the prototype a small air-scoop was fitted to the engineand the exhaust stacks were connected to form a peculiar inverted fork. The rest of the machines construction was of course identical to the B.E.2c; the two-bay wings had wooden main spars and ribs, wire-braced box girder, fabric-covered except for plywood top decking in front of the cockpit. The fin and rudder were of fabric-covered steel tubing; the tail and elevators were square cut. Production version had twin exhaust stacks and a large air-scoop, and the upper longerons in front of the cockpit were altered to make room for a large petrol tank. A Vickers gun with Vickers interrupter gear was carried on the port side of the fuselage.

[Olham 164]

Pic 41: Bleriot XI

 

Designed by Louis Blériot and Raymond Saulnier (of Morane-Saulnier), the Blériot XI was a light

and sleek monoplane constructed of oak and poplar. The flying surfaces were covered with cloth.

The original XI was designed and built in 1908 and made its public debut at a Paris airshow in

December of that year. The aircraft's original configuration included a R.E.P. engine spinning

a four blade metal paddle type propeller which proved to be unsatisfactory. In the Spring of 1909

Blériot decided to use a basically simple 25 horsepower (19 kW) Anzani 3 cylinder W-configuration

engine (a central vertical cylinder with the other two at 60o on either side and in the same plane)

and a two blade Chauviere wooden propeller with much better results. Blériot could be assured of

the Anzani 3W engine running continuously for an hour. The Blériot XI also had some ground-breaking

technologies such as castering landing gear, allowing for crosswind landings. Wing warping (instead

of ailerons) controlled the plane's roll. The tail section of the Blériot XI included a horizontal

stabilizer with an elevator, and a rudder, but no vertical stabilizer. Unintentionally, Blériot added

lateral stability to the plane by leaving the aft section of the fuselage uncovered. This created

enough drag to add stability to the aircraft's flight characteristics.

 

The Channel Crossing

The original Blériot XI on which Louis Blériot crossed the Channel in 1909. Musée des Arts et Métiers, Paris.

The plane gained immortality on July 25, 1909 when Louis Blériot successfully crossed the English Channel from

Calais to Dover in 36.5 minutes and using an Anzani engine designed by the Italian engineer Alessandro Anzani.

For several days bad weather grounded Blériot and his opponents Hubert Latham who flew an Antoinette monoplane

and Count de Lambert who brought two Wright Biplanes. That morning, Blériot awoke, albeit in a bad mood,

reportedly due to previously scorching his foot on an engine exhaust, to conditions fair enough to fly in.

When Blériot took off, Latham's camp was still quiet; Latham had overslept. Fighting fog and bad weather,

Blériot did not even have a compass to guide his crossing. It is said that the Anzani engine made the flight

only with the aid of a brief rain shower to cool it off. Letting the aircraft guide itself, Blériot eventually

saw the grey line of the English coast. Approaching closer and closer he spotted a French reporter waving the

French flag marking the landing spot. Blériot made a very rough "pancake" landing during which the landing gear

collapsed, but he walked away, winning the £1000 prize awarded by the Daily Mail.

[RAF_Louvert 101]

Outstanding answers Rickitycrate and Olham, and both correct! You two were ready and waiting I see.

 

I would however like to clear up a common misconception about the B.E.12. While it did evolve at Farnborough during the early months of 1915 as a marriage of the B.E.2 airframe with the then-new R.A.F.4 air-cooled 12-cylinder Vee-type engine of 140hp, the B.E.12 was not meant to be a fighter. It was at first unarmed and was intended for such roles as bombing and photography. The prototype was tested in France in September 1915 and its generally satisfactory performance encouraged the War Office to order production of the B.E.12 in that same month. At first serving with RFC squadrons in France for general duties, (and at that point pressed into service as a fighter due to the lack of other more suitable aircraft), the B.E.12 was fitted with a 7.7mm Lewis machine gun on an oblique mounting on the fuselage side, or over the wing centre section, but several other experimental installations were tried at Farnborough before the decision to adopt the newly-available Vickers-Challenger interrupter gear, using a Vickers gun firing through the propeller disc. Difficulties with the gear, combined with the excessive stability of the B.E.12, made the type ineffectual as a fighter, however, and it was soon withdrawn from France, having served with only two squadrons. B.E.12s remained in service with Home Defence squadrons through 1917, many alternative armament installations being tried, including a quartet of Lewis guns, and sets of Le Prieur rockets on the interplane struts. One Zeppelin was shot down by a B.E.12, in June 1917. At Farnborough, one was tested with a Davis six-pounder recoilless gun, firing upwards at 45° for anti-Zeppelin use, but this was not adopted for production. Contracts were placed with two companies for B.E.12 production, Daimler building 200 and Standard Motor Co, 50, against the original orders placed in 1915, and Daimler receiving a contract for 200 more in August 1917. Many of the latter, however, were completed as B.E.12b's.

 

In the Middle East theatre, and in Macedonia, the B.E.12 and B.E.12a proved more useful – although typically as long range reconnaissance aircraft rather than as fighters. An exception to this rule was the machine of Captain G.W. Murlis-Green of #17 Squadron – who shot down several enemy aircraft, probably the only B.E.12 ace.

 

(Information courtesy of Aviastar.org, Wikipedia, and myself)

 

Cheers!

 

Lou

[Red-Dog 3]

I chaps i'am a bit lost for detail but i think No43 is a Albatros C10.

 

General characteristics

 

• Crew: two, pilot and observer
• Length: 9.15 m (30 ft 0 in)
• Wingspan: 14.36 m (47 ft 1 in)
• Height: 3.4 m (11 ft 2 in)
• Wing area: 42.7 m² (459 ft²)
• Empty weight: 1,050 kg (2,320 lb)
• Gross weight: 1,668 kg (3,677 lb)
• Powerplant: 1 × Mercedes D.IVa, 190 kW (260 hp)

Performance

 

• Maximum speed: 175 km/h (110 mph)
• Endurance: 3 hours 25 min
• Service ceiling: 5,000 m (16,500 ft)
• Rate of climb: 3.3 m/s (660 ft/min)

Armament

 

• 1 × forward-firing 7.92 mm (.312 in) Spandau LMG 08/15 machine gun
• 1 × 7.92 mm (.312 in) Parabellum MG14 machine gun for observer

Edited September 26, 2009 by Red-Dog

[RAF_Louvert 101]

Wow! Red-Dog, I thought this one would trip folks up as it is in fact the Albatros C.X prototype fitted with the C.VII style radiator "ears". But you must have picked up on those elliptical wing tips and sorted it out. And I think you gave just enough info Sir.

 

Two more points then to Red-Dog, Olham, and Rickitycrate, with only #42 left to sort out in this group. Of course that's easy as we all know that 42 is the answer to Life, the Universe, and Everything.

 

Cheers!

 

Lou

[Olham 164]

It only sounds easy - the computer needed many years to find out, if I remember that right.

But always remember the first rule: Don't panic!

 

Congratulations, Red Dog and Rickitycrate! "I am lost a bit for detail, but..." was a superb intro!

Poor Dej - now you have a really tough one. I wish you luck for that.

Edited September 27, 2009 by Olham

[Olham 164]

To be fair, I tell you, that I know the answer for the last picture, and that I will post it at 13:30 h Berlin time (GMT +2).

If nobody comes in earlier...

[Rickitycrate 10]

Olham, check your PM's , bitte.

[Olham 164]

Oh, I see - you got it identified too! And you will be allowed even earlier than me to do

a second try!!! Now I can only hope you got it wrong (Lol!!), but I don't think, you have.

Well, if you get these two points, they are surely well deserved, Sir!

[RAF_Louvert 101]

.

 

Intense!

 

.

[Rickitycrate 10]

Pic No. 42 is the D.F.W. R.II

 

Built by the Deutsche Flugzeug Werke Gessellschaft. It was developed at a request by the Luftstreitkräfte in spring 1917 after their experience with the R.I had been generally positive six of a larger version (the RII) were ordered. Only two (R 15/16 and R 16/16) had been completed before the end of the war. The craft pictured is R. 15.

 

Design and development

 

The service desired generally similar aircraft but needed greater payload (3400 kg, up from 2600 kg in the R.I). This meant the design had to be considerably revised. The same engine/propeller arrangement was used (four inline engines mounted in the fuselage, driving two tractor propellers and two pusher propellers via long driveshafts).

 

When the R.II first flew in August 1918, the driveshafts proved troublesome, creating excessive vibration. As a remedy, they were enclosed within steel tubes, which fixed the problem. The aircraft also was able to benefit from the newly-available Mercedes D.IVa engine that had replaced the troublesome D.IV in production.

 

Operational history

 

Of the six ordered by the Luftstreitkräfte, only two were completed before the end of the war, and these were operated from Cologne on training duties only when their performance proved inadequate for front-line duties. Following the war, DFW planned an airliner version of the R.II, which would have carried 24 passengers. Construction of a prototype was abandoned before it was complete.

 

Specifications

 

General characteristics

 

Crew: Five

 

Length: 20.93 m (68 ft 8 in)

 

Wingspan: 35.06 m (115 ft 0 in)

 

Empty weight: 8,600 kg (18,900 lb)

 

Gross weight: 12,000 kg (26,500 lb)

 

Powerplant: 4 × Mercedes D.IVa inline piston engine, 194 kW (260 hp) each

 

Performance

 

Maximum speed: 132 km/h (82 mph)

 

Endurance: 6 hours

 

　

 

[RAF_Louvert 101]

.

 

Ummm, Rickitycrate, sorry to have to say this but you've posted far too early Sir, as per the 36 hour wait rule.

 

.

[Rickitycrate 10]

You know what. You're right. What a bone head I am.

[Olham 164]

No. 42 is a DFW R.II

 

The DFW R.II was a German bomber aircraft of World War I. It was developed at a request by the

Luftstreitkräfte in spring 1917 after their experience with the R.I had been generally positive.

 

Design and development

 

The service desired generally similar aircraft but needed greater payload (3400 kg, up from 2600 kg

in the R.I). This meant the design had to be considerably revised. The same engine/propeller arrange-

ment was used (four inline engines mounted in the fuselage, driving two tractor propellers and two

pusher propellers via long driveshafts).

 

When the R.II first flew in August 1918, the driveshafts proved troublesome, creating excessive vibration.

As a remedy, they were enclosed within steel tubes, which fixed the problem. The aircraft also was able to

benefit from the newly-available Mercedes D.IVa engine that had replaced the troublesome D.IV in production.

 

Operational history

 

Of the six ordered by the Luftstreitkräfte, only two were completed before the end of the war, and these were

operated from Cologne on training duties only when their performance proved inadequate for front-line duties.

Following the war, DFW planned an airliner version of the R.II, which would have carried 24 passengers.

Construction of a prototype was abandoned before it was complete.

 

Specifications

 

General characteristics

 

* Crew: Five

* Length: 20.93 m (68 ft 8 in)

* Wingspan: 35.06 m (115 ft 0 in)

* Empty weight: 8,600 kg (18,900 lb)

* Gross weight: 12,000 kg (26,500 lb)

* Powerplant: 4 × Mercedes D.IVa inline piston engine, 194 kW (260 hp) each

 

Performance

 

* Maximum speed: 132 km/h (82 mph)

* Endurance: 6 hours

 

I had this worked out since 27. 9. - 02:43 h, honestly.

Really sorry for you, Rickity, but everyone else still had so much time left to find it.

Now it's time for my second post - so I'll press: "Add apply" now.

 

Oh, and my source was WIKIPEDIA.

Edited September 27, 2009 by Olham

[RAF_Louvert 101]

Olham, you are correct Sir, as was Rickitycrate. You both gave very complete answers on a plane I though might be trickier to identify. Well done. I feel badly about how this one went, but I thought about it and the only fair way to deal with it for all concerned was to stick with the rules set forth at the start.

 

 

The latest contest standings after this photo set are as follows:

 

Olham, 28 points

Dej, 21 points

Red-Dog, 20 points

Rickitycrate, 20 points

Bullethead, 5 points

Duce Lewis, 5 points

Luftace, 5 points

Burning Beard, 4 points

Check Six, 2 points

rhythalion, 2 points

JohnGresham, 1 point

Shrikehawk, 1 point

TonyO, 1 point

zoomzoom, 1 point

 

 

Cheers!

 

Lou

[Rickitycrate 10]

No use in feeling bad Lou. I mess up on a regular basis. Funny thing is I thought I was a good hour late. Good going Olham, I am pleased our answers were so similar. I'll have you know the real fighting is in the B flight between my friend Red Dog and myself. It's getting down to the wire. I keep a chicken-eye open for bingo bonus round or two yet.