Sorry Peter. Similarities were mooted about the P-40 and the Lancaster affairs, which made it necessary to refer to both in a single thread. The fact that two threads about the P-40 were deleted did not help matters! Will either ever be reinstated?

Neither of the Planes or crew are on British soil, and none of the posters on either threads were on site.

In both instances a poster unknown to the forum appeared claiming first hand knowledge, which was accepted at face value (at first) then because of the absence of any further posting by the newbie poster, unanswered questions started to collect up like uncollected refuse sacks, and the questioning turned on the newbie Poster(s) and the veracity of their claims.

As both of these sagas are on going it is impossible to say exactly what the final conclusion will be; are the bones found Coppings? where are the remains of the Lancaster’s crew?

It is not quite correct to say that none of the posters “were on site”. For the P-40 qattara was in the team that apparently discovered the wreck, and he certainly is not guilty of “absence of any further posting”. He was, and is, actively involved.

As to the Lancaster, Jackflash’s claims were hardly “accepted at face value”. He indeed disappeared, much to our regret, without answering our questions.

We would very much like to be able to answer your questions about the crews’ remains.

I just checked the members’ list and cannot find Jackflash. He or she stills appears in the statistics as joining on 7 October, posting twice, then not seen since 8 October.
Merely a flash in the pan?

Jim:
I have just checked my original logbook and the entries are definitely from 8 September 1957. I must find the original prints of the photos to be sure they ARE 1957, but I was not there in 1956. VW218 does not look that different from your picture, but Varsities WF381 and WL667 were there too, so maybe the spare fuselage was one of those. Others that day were Pembroke WV710, Venom WE471, Swift WK194 and Vulcan XA906

PS:Are there any more Farnborough pics out there?

A few boyhood Farnborough snaps. September 1957

VX828 Varsity prototype
Devon VP966 or XA879 (both were there)
NF11 WD765 or 769 (both were there)
Viking VW218 (I think)
Gannet T(?2)
Britannia in tank
Unidentified Hunter

If you can make positive identification of the dodgy ones, I should be grateful.

When I was in the Air Training Corps in the 1950s, a regular outing was to the SBAC show at Farnborough. Apart from the show itself, I enjoyed walking past the site of the ETPS and the other active units. There were always rare, prototype and abandoned aircraft of all sorts. These 2 were taken, I think, in September 1957. They show an abandoned Grumman Avenger, but I have no record of a visible serial. It could be KE436 which went to the RAE in 1947 and was withdrawn there in 1953. The engine was removed in 1954, so this could be it.

Yes, keep up the pressure so that we may finally get some material for analysis, such as the family really would like to have.

Did you say, “Begin to ease back on the stick”?

Chipmunk on detachment from 7AEF for the World Gliding Championships at South Cerney 1965. Overrun by the glider it was towing and written off 11 June 1965. Both occupants unharmed!
via Martin Pengelly, Facebook