That’s a good start, Tim! I’m guessing that you were probably using a folding camera, which must have been interesting in a cockpit – or did the Air Ministry provide something a bit better?

So how did you get involved in the first place? Did you volunteer, or were you volunteered? And what was the training – presumably as you mention Speke’s training catapult you at least had the benefit of a ground launch so that you knew what to expect? Or was it intended to be a case of “press the tit and see what happens”?

Enough questions for now, I’m sure!

Adrian

Someone went to a lot of trouble to cook this one up. I’d say it’s a model, judging by the depth of field: on a bright day you wouldn’t see a difference in focus like that – unless you were using a macro lens at small scale.

Don’t forget, though, that you are probably talking a medium format, rather than 35mm, camera, with something like a 75mm or 105mm lens so the depth of field would be much less, especially if the aperture is wide open. It looks a bright day, but if the film was slow… I just can’t see someone faking something so well, but making a total pig’s ear of whatever is in the cockpit.

Frankly, to settle this, we need someone to buy the damn thing, scan at vast resolution, and see what we can make of it! It won’t be me…

Adrian

I’m not sure it’s so much a propaganda photo as a “look what we found!” photo to impress people back home with. Similar scenario, but perhaps a couple of people coming across the already-bent-then-vandalised aircraft…

I don’t think it’s a propaganda photo in any official sense because an official photographer would be likely to have made a much better job of it – this one says snapshot to me.

Where’s Andy Saunders when you need him? He’s probably got the wreck in his shed…

Adrian

A little more grist to the mill – this is how I did it!!
= Tim

No-one seems to have spotted the wording or the significance…

There cannot be many people about who were involved in any way with the CAM ships – please tell us more!

Adrian

Why don’t we all just wait to see it at Legends next year? :p

Well, I guess with the shortage of Bristol Hercules engines, if they get the Chinese Stirling in the air it’ll be a fair substitute. :diablo:

Adrian

I love the tonal values on the P40 pics (late evening sun?) – they could be period Kodachrome!

Adrian