Roost Air Lounge => Aviation related topics => Topic started by: Baradium on September 12, 2006, 06:23:39 AM
Title: Aircraft Identification
Post by: Baradium on September 12, 2006, 06:23:39 AM
Alright folks, a question was posed to me today by a non pilot aircraft enthusiast. He swears he saw an aircraft fitting this discriiption 2 day ago from the ground.
It's a single engine piston with a front end similiar to a cessna 172, the fuselage looked normal to him except instead of a normal tail it had a twin tail like a Beech 18. This wasn't a 336/337, he knows them, it was single boom and not twin boom.
Anyone have any idea? I havn't a clue. He also said it wasn't an ercoup... he asked if I could help try to figure out what it is because he's infinitely curious about it since he hadn't seen one before.
-Ryan
Title: Re: Aircraft Identification
Post by: fireflyr on September 12, 2006, 02:13:47 PM
Alright folks, a question was posed to me today by a non pilot aircraft enthusiast. He swears he saw an aircraft fitting this discriiption 2 day ago from the ground.
It's a single engine piston with a front end similiar to a cessna 172, the fuselage looked normal to him except instead of a normal tail it had a twin tail like a Beech 18. This wasn't a 336/337, he knows them, it was single boom and not twin boom.
Anyone have any idea? I havn't a clue. He also said it wasn't an ercoup... he asked if I could help try to figure out what it is because he's infinitely curious about it since he hadn't seen one before.
-Ryan OH OH, Looks like somebody parked a 172 and am Erpcup to close together on one of them looooooong Alaskan nights............... ;D
Title: Re: Aircraft Identification
Post by: Frank N. O. on September 12, 2006, 02:18:13 PM
LOL good one. Btw Jim "quote" (without the quotes, also known as goose-eyes in danish, and with those square brackets) starts the quote text and "/quote" ends the frame. You can enter your text under that, or seperate the quotes if there are several questions/statements to comment/answer. Just trying to help, not to act as a know-it-all!
Frank
Title: Re: Aircraft Identification
Post by: fireflyr on September 12, 2006, 02:31:48 PM
Thanks Frank--I know that but I guess being as "experienced" as I am---well, I just get confused with these here computer thingys!!!! :-\
Title: Re: Aircraft Identification
Post by: cj5_pilot on September 12, 2006, 05:19:54 PM
Was it a V tail Bonanza? Did he maybe get "twin tail" and "V-tail" mixed up? Also, what about a...umm....darn it there's one sitting on east ramp that Tundra sent me a pic of. Just one row over from where he used to park the Tundra Toy.
Title: Re: Aircraft Identification
Post by: Baradium on September 12, 2006, 06:33:49 PM
Was it a V tail Bonanza? Did he maybe get "twin tail" and "V-tail" mixed up? Also, what about a...umm....darn it there's one sitting on east ramp that Tundra sent me a pic of. Just one row over from where he used to park the Tundra Toy.
He said it was exactly like a Beech 18 but not as wide. I'll ask, but he seemed to have a pretty good idea of different aircraft designs. His hobby is spotting aircraft and he knew some fairly obscure types I suggested.
Title: Re: Aircraft Identification
Post by: happylanding on September 12, 2006, 09:29:53 PM
what about this? I'm not sure it fits entirely your description, but I give a try.... :)
http://www.fly-net.org/aeromedia/lb1029.jpg
Title: Re: Aircraft Identification
Post by: Frank N. O. on September 12, 2006, 09:43:18 PM
Hehe, that looks like what Jim calls a Mixmaster but I think it was already said it wasn't a 337 or any other twin-boom plane but twin tail, which I take it means two rudders/vertical stabilizers, one on each end of the horizontal stabilizer. Btw, didn't he say it had the front of a Cessna? Does that mean it was a high-wing aircraft?
Frank
Title: Re: Aircraft Identification
Post by: Baradium on September 12, 2006, 10:04:06 PM
Hehe, that looks like what Jim calls a Mixmaster but I think it was already said it wasn't a 337 or any other twin-boom plane but twin tail, which I take it means two rudders/vertical stabilizers, one on each end of the horizontal stabilizer. Btw, didn't he say it had the front of a Cessna? Does that mean it was a high-wing aircraft?
Frank
That's what I thought he meant, but he said it definately wasn't a skymaster and no twin booms. And yes, two vertical stabs on each end of the horizontal.
Front of a cessna, seemed to mean high wing (dont' remember if I actually asked that), but include low wings if you know of any.
Thanks, Ryan
Title: Re: Aircraft Identification
Post by: BrianGMFS on September 12, 2006, 11:41:56 PM
Might have been one of these http://www.airliners.net/open.file/1090560/L/ (http://www.airliners.net/open.file/1090560/L/) the Max Holste Brousard (kind like a French DH Beaver)
Brian
Title: Re: Aircraft Identification
Post by: cj5_pilot on September 13, 2006, 12:09:50 AM
Title: Re: Aircraft Identification
Post by: BrianGMFS on September 13, 2006, 02:53:32 AM
Ahhhh.. a Belanca Cruisemaster AKA the "Cardboard Connie"
Hey.... is that Fairbanks Airport?
Brian
Title: Re: Aircraft Identification
Post by: cj5_pilot on September 13, 2006, 02:59:35 AM
It's Fairbanks alright, real close to where Tundra used to park the Toy. A couple hundred yards from Tamarack. Tundra sent me this shot and another from further away.
Title: Re: Aircraft Identification
Post by: spacer on September 13, 2006, 04:52:16 AM
I had considered one of the Bellanca models, but it isn't a high-wing. Perhaps as experimental of some sort? I know the CompAir 12 has twin vertical tails and a high wing. There were also some factory Cessna-ish planes like the Lark, but I don't think their tails were unconventional. Did Bellanca make a high-wing?
Is it a taildragger, or trigear? If it's fabric (like a Bellanca) you should be able to make out some structure under the covering. Two or three verticals?
Could it be... (http://www.warbirdalley.com/images/BrouG-BKPT2.jpg) http://www.warbirdalley.com/mh1521.htm
Title: Re: Aircraft Identification
Post by: tundra_flier on September 13, 2006, 05:03:37 AM
I'm very confused here ???
Quote
It's a single engine piston with a front end similiar to a cessna 172,
Quote
He said it was exactly like a Beech 18 but not as wide.
A Beech 18 is a radial engine twin ??? However, there was a turbine conversion tri gear version at FAI last week.
There's also an old Cessna "Bamboo Bomber" in town for the summer. Last I heard it was parked in a hanger about 500ft down the runway from me. Bright Yellow as I recall.
The Bellanca Cruisair in the photo is a derilict, hasn't flown in many years and is no where near airworthy these days.
So what are we trying to identify exactly? A classic twin like a Beech 18, or a high wing single engine like a C-172?
Phil
Title: Re: Aircraft Identification
Post by: tundra_flier on September 13, 2006, 05:06:12 AM
Quote
Did Bellanca make a high-wing?
Well, they made the Citabrias for a while. And on floats they sport a triple tail. :)
Phil
Title: Re: Aircraft Identification
Post by: Baradium on September 14, 2006, 04:24:37 AM
I meant the *tail* is "exactly like a beech 18s" Not the whole airplane, just the way the tail is setup, albiet single engine and not as wide...
Title: Re: Aircraft Identification
Post by: tundra_flier on September 14, 2006, 06:41:24 AM
OK in that case it could have been a:
Chrislea CH-3 Skyjeep, but I'm not aware of one in the area.
SNCAC.854 a post WWII French Plane.
Well, those are the only two I can find that are single engine high wings with twin tails that don't use radial engines.
-Hey Bob, didn't Aeronca make a prototype with twin tails once?
Phil
Title: Re: Aircraft Identification
Post by: cj5_pilot on September 14, 2006, 03:22:59 PM
Title: Re: Aircraft Identification
Post by: tundra_flier on September 14, 2006, 09:12:50 PM
Twin tails were typically used on the early nose wheel aircraft so they could fit through lower hangar doors used by tail draggers (B-24 and B-25 being prime examples). So it was probably something in the WWII, or soon after vintage.
Phil
Title: Re: Aircraft Identification
Post by: spacer on September 14, 2006, 11:39:53 PM
Hey. I posted a pic on page 1. Did it get missed?
Title: Re: Aircraft Identification
Post by: tundra_flier on September 19, 2006, 05:55:22 PM
Quote
Hey. I posted a pic on page 1. Did it get missed?
I saw it. And I believe I saw one at Arlington a couple years back. So there's one in the country, I think it belonged to a museum though. Also, Cessna 172 front end tends to imply it was an opposed engine, trigear.
Ryan, any more clues from your friend?
Phil
Title: Re: Aircraft Identification
Post by: Baradium on September 19, 2006, 06:03:18 PM
I saw it. And I believe I saw one at Arlington a couple years back. So there's one in the country, I think it belonged to a museum though. Also, Cessna 172 front end tends to imply it was an opposed engine, trigear.
Ryan, any more clues from your friend?
Phil
Havn't talked to him again, that's the only time I've talked to him ever actually. ;) Was with a friend going to look at some IH stuff this guy wanted to get rid of. Kind of rough shape. There's also a big oshkosh (IIRC) 4x4 truck from the building of the alcan (ex military looks like a 6x6 with no tandem axle). Needs a bit more work than I want to put into the something though. ;)
Title: Re: Aircraft Identification
Post by: spacer on September 20, 2006, 01:27:03 AM
I saw it. And I believe I saw one at Arlington a couple years back. So there's one in the country, I think it belonged to a museum though. Also, Cessna 172 front end tends to imply it was an opposed engine, trigear.
Ryan, any more clues from your friend?
Phil
I was allowing for losses in translation... Hey, I tried.
