Airplanes that didn't make it

The floatplane is certainly an oddity and obviously not quite what is stated on the caption.
It seems to be of the Kingfisher ilk but has some features strongly reminiscent of the Curtiss SO3 Seamew family. Note the in-line engine (yet apparently with Wasp type radial cooling gills) and the single cantilever strutted tip floats. Also that fin and rudder assembly is enormous.
The photo has been touched up somewhat which doesn’t help.

That’s the machine that came to mind when I saw the picture and Iwas planning to throw in the Curtiss name but you beat me to it. I couldn’t remember the designation and, as I’m at work, I have no access to my reference books.

Lockheed XFV-1 (a.k.a. “Salmon”):eek:

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lockheed_XFV

Must have made one hell of a noise at full chat 😀
Whenever I see a pic of this I think “Flash Gordon”:diablo:

Roger Smith.

It wasnt retouched by me…

I wasn’t suggesting it was. 😉 Retouching pre-dates PhotoShop by a century or so, but a crude job like that’s also very obviously retouched.

It wasnt retouched by me… They were part of a collection. Seems like you sent away and got a picture each time or something..

Well found Thunderbird, thanks!

I’m glad I din’t stick my neck out and call it fictitious… 😀 Who said only Russian aircraft were heavily retouched?

That’s the beast!
Looks like it flew around Aug 1939 , about a year after the first flight of the Wasp Junior Variant.( According To William Green in his Vol 6 “Floatplanes”)

XSO2u-1

Looks pretty much like this

http://aeroweb.brooklyn.cuny.edu/specs/vought/xso2u-1.htm

I am somewhat of the opinion of JDK,
However.
The Kingfisher was underpowered and there was a rumoured “oil burning motor ” variant quoted in Vol 111 of Aircraft of the Fighting Powers. ( Yes I know, but it the only evidence I yet have to hand of a non-Wasp Junior Variant)
A Ranger Variant could therefore make sense (about another 150 Hp) and the longer nose etc. could justify the bigger fin and rudder. The cleaned up wing floats could also then apply.
I agree with JDK that the canopy indeed looks odd but I wondered if that was just down to the crude touching up.
So, I think we are either looking at some artist’s licence for an improved Kingfisher, or a highly touched up picture of an in-line engined one-off variant as has been indicated by Michal Los.

The second aircraft is certainly NOT a Kingfisher. I’m torn whether it’s a faked photo for the hell of it, or a heavily retouched photo of a one-off prototype I’ve not seen before.

The tip float isn’t attached to the spar (the Kingfisher’s were on struts)

The tail looks retouched / invented.

The cowling gills are just retouching.

There looks insufficient clearance for a prop that’s going to be big enough to fly the a/c.

The cockpit’s from a birdcage Corsair, but I dunno what the windscreen’s off.

The floatplane is certainly an oddity and obviously not quite what is stated on the caption.
It seems to be of the Kingfisher ilk but has some features strongly reminiscent of the Curtiss SO3 Seamew family. Note the in-line engine (yet apparently with Wasp type radial cooling gills) and the single cantilever strutted tip floats. Also that fin and rudder assembly is enormous.
The photo has been touched up somewhat which doesn’t help.

Funny, all I had to do to find the identity of the second was to right-click on it & select “save image as” and the file name “Vought Sikorsky XOS2U-1” came up.

A little more on-line searching might have got me the engine model & BuNo, but I had already guessed the Ranger engine, as it didn’t look like an Allison or Merlin, which left the Ranger for US-built in-line engines.

I knew all about the Skyrocket already though.

Second plane – XSO2U-1 with Ranger XV-770-4 BuNo1440 ??

correct on the first one… the scond one is a Vought kingfisher.

second looks similar to a kingfisher but obiously isnt, it seems to have an inline engine or an inverted V

First one is the Grumman XF5F-1. I’ll have to do some thinking about the second one, somehow Vultee keeps popping up in my head.
Edit: cancel that, I cannot find the type but I’m guessing that it was a competitor for the OS2U Kingfisher from Vought. Someone else will complete the puzzle I’m sure.