Richard Hards
December 18, 2012 at 6:01 am

1920s F2B colour

I’d be grateful if anyone can tell me what colour the F2Bs are in these photographs.

F2B, F4865 by Richard Hards, on Flickr

F2B, E6687 by Richard Hards, on Flickr

The photographs belonged to my grandfather and were taken at Khormaksar, Aden between late ’25 and early ’27

Silver dope or CDL? They don’t look like silver dope to me.

Incidentally, there over a hundred other photographs from my grandfather’s career in the RAF (and briefly RNAS) from 1918 until 1955 in this Flickr set here

Thanks, Richard

Member for:

19 years 1 month

Posts:

1

Send private message

By: Richard Hards - 22nd December 2012 at 07:32

Thanks for that Lazy8, sorry for the delay replying, but I’ve been a bit under the weather for the past few days.

That’s a very good point about the opacity of the finish.

I think it’s even more comprehensively demonstrated in this picture

Bristol F2B… by Richard Hards, on Flickr

The sun appears to be almost directly overhead, yet there is absolutely no sign of any sunlight though the wings.

Thanks again
Richard

Member for:

19 years 1 month

Posts:

546

Send private message

By: Lazy8 - 18th December 2012 at 10:11

Silver dope?

Thoroughly enjoyed the pictures. Many thanks for making them available.

To those F.2Bs: They have to be silver. Clear dope on a service aircraft in the middle east in 1925 or later? I’d be very sceptical. In that strong light, I’d expect to be able to see at least a hint of the aircraft structure through the wing fabric, if not elsewhere, if it was all CD, and I can’t. More likely that it’s a local repaint in a slightly non-standard mix of silver dope that looks flatter in the photos than we expect. It’s certainly not the same white as the roundels – in fact it looks brighter, which suggests a more reflective finish. And look at the serials on E6687 – someone has diligently, but not too precisely, painted round them.