Mark12's Quiz

😮 Damn that’s a weird thingy! 😀

Rm874

Full marks indeed but please don’t think me ungracious – I didn’t actually ask for the RAF serial. 🙂

Mark

Full marks to JBS for the serial then.

That’s very cool, I never knew that existed! Maybe they figured if the Curtiss X-19 had so much trouble, they weren’t going to be successful. Did they try to bench test the powerplant/drive components first?

Mark,

Bring on more of the “interesting” mystery piccies, frustrating but great fun

Convertiplano

Back In 1971 when Fernando Almeida sent me the photographs he wrote:-

“The Convertiplano is a piston-engined VTOL developed in San Jose dos Campos, Brazil, by a team lead by the famous Dr Henrich Focke of Focke-Wulf.

The prototype never flew and now is in a Junk Yard at the Brazilian ‘Centro Tecnico de Aeronautica’.

The power plant was a Wright turbo Cyclone (the same as used by the Super G Constellation), centrally installed. Power was supplied through 4 drive shafts to the two front pivoting rotors and the two rear ones. The rotors tilted 90 degrees for vertical take off, and in normal flying condition, should pull the ‘Convertiplano’ ( with 5 people) at a speed of about 500 Km/h . There is also another interesting feature: wings and stabilizer were borrowed from a Spitfire.”

All I can say is rather you then me. 🙂

We now know that the donor Spitfire for said Convertiplano was the MK XIV RM874, acquired by the Brazilean Air Attache in London in 1952.

In 1971 a flying Spitfire was valued at about £12k. Although coveted, a trip to negotiate/recover the wings was way way beyond my personal means at that time in my life and although I passed the lead on to a US group, the final outcome was that the project including the wings were scrapped off at sometime estimated in the 1970’s – a tragedy.

Mark

Is that enough of ‘tricky pics’ for a while or do you want some more?

kept me googling for a while – should have checked on Boorman’s whereabouts first!

Mark,

Excellent quiz, really enjoyed that one 😀 😀

Convertiplano – Yes.

So – its RM874 in ‘Convertiplano’ guise (VTOL experiment) in Brazil?

Gosh that was quite hard work.

JDK – No not a Spitfire. 🙂

Mark

More detail later

Strangest looking thing I ever saw!

http://www.cta.br/historico/photos/CONVERT5.JPG

Bruce

So – its RM874 in ‘Convertiplano’ guise (VTOL experiment) in Brazil?

An Argentinian Harrier with Spitfire wings?

Right theory.

Wrong country.

Mark

I’ll give it another half hour.

Mark,

Is it Mk.XIV RM874 that was aquired by the London Brazilian Air Attaché’s office in Brazil ?

A long shot I know

Yes – or rather it made a substantial donation.

Mark

Oh this is killing me..why prolong the agony – three days already

Initial guess was IAC TIX.. now with VTOL in mind i can only think of the Bachem Natter – an imitation for some movie.

An Argentinian Harrier with Spitfire wings?

More Clues

Think “Martin Borman”. 😉

Think VTOL.

Mark

It looks like there is also a bit of monocoque fuselage to the right of it :confused:

Ok I’ll have another guess

It’s not a movie prop is it ?

As it could be sitting in a film studio’s back lot somewhere, that Russian-stlye numbering middle left is confusing

That’s why I asked what the bulged bit was between the gear – it didn’t look at all right for a Spit! :confused:

Come on Mk12, put us out of our misery!

It looks like some sort of (aborted??) attempt to create a jet fighter.

Looking at the top of the fuselage that can be seen, there is clearly some form of access to a jet engine or similar. Nothing about the fuselage looks like Spitfire.

We’re not talking early Attacker here are we??

Bruce