[QUOTE=avion ancien;1347012]Can someone shed light in my darkness concerning the current status of the former ‘Blue Max’ Caudron Luciole that is, I assume, still in the USA with the registration N907AC. It’s the one that started life as F-AQFB before being registered to 20th Century Fox Productions Ltd. as G-ATIP. I’d love to see a photo of it bearing UK marks but my researches, to date, have drawn a blank.
Post ‘Blue Max’ it went back to France as F-BNMB before making another Channel hop to become EI-ARF. It was then badly damaged in a hangar collapse in Ireland (where was this?) before crossing the pond to join the Fighting Air Command (FAC) at Hartlee Field, Denton, Texas in the early 1980s.
The FAC sold the Luciole in the late 1980s and the most recent owner that I can attribute to it is Dale L Portschi of Tucson, Arizona. I believe that he was still the owner as recently as November 2008. However I have been unable to ascertain anything concerning its current status. Was it repaired following the Irish hangar collapse? Did it fly in the USA? Is it currently airworthy? If not, what is its current condition and where is it? Does anyone have a recent photo of it? The usual thanks in advance to anyone who can help.
Finally whilst on the subject of the ‘Blue Max’ Lucioles, can anyone enlighten me as to the circumstances in which G-ATIO was destroyed in the course of the making of the film? This is the one which was F-AOFD and F-PHQM before being sold to the film company in the mid 1960s. Like G-ATIP, I have been unsuccessful in tracing a photo of it bearing UK marks. Can anyone help me here?[/QUOT
I have been in touch with Paddy O’Meara who was an Air Corps technician and who worked on the “Blus Max” aircraft 1965/68. He is certain that there was only one Luciole and it was not involved in a crash. When I saw EI-ARF F-BNMB at Baldonnel August ’67 it had French roundels. More searching needed.
Paddy kindly supplied the attached picture.
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