French Sopwith Triplanes

Angiolillo · 26 May 2005, 06:59 AM

Hello!

I need an upper view of a French Triplane with name of pilot and rank.

On the Datafile I see French Sopwith Triplanes n. 11, 12, 14 and 16 from "Dunkerque escadrille", Aviation Maritime. Do you please know if this is the official unit's name?

Can you please connect any pilot name (with rank) to them or to other numbers (please specify if there is anything unusual in the color scheme)?

I found those notes to help:

http://www.theaerodrome.com/forum/showthread.php?t=12510&page=1&pp=10

http://www.theaerodrome.com/forum/showthread.php?t=12570

Thanks a lot,

Andrea

gregoire · 26 May 2005, 09:23 AM

the exact designation of the squadron is CAM Dunkerque (Centre d'aviation maritime). This was divided in two main unit the CAM Dunkerque that was manadging the seaplane and flying boat and the PC St Pol (for land based unit)
PC stanting for "poste de combat" or combat station (you know what to answer when someone will tell you are not PC enought

)
a PC was a air station under the control of a CAM (the main CAM could be miles away)

All the french navy land plane were based in St Pol. the code for St Pol was supposed to be SP (but I have never see it on a plane) the Nieuport were decorated by eagle but it is not present on the triplane picture

Angiolillo · 26 May 2005, 09:33 AM

Thnaks a lot, very good to know. Anything about matching pilots and numbers on Triplanes? Orabout strange non-standard decorations you could see from above on any of those Triplanes? Do you know if Triplanes were 1/16 or maybe some numbers weregiven to other models of fighters?

Thanks again, really!

Andrea

MikeW · 26 May 2005, 01:10 PM

Andrea,

from memory, they were numbered 9 to 17. You will see some photographs where four are marked 1 to 4 but these were marked by Sopwith incorrectly, the escadrille already had Nieuports carrying the numbers 1 to 8. No.4 was written off very quickly and No.s 1 to 3 were renumbered in January 1917.

I would suggest QM Henri Le Garrec and No.14 as a nice matched pair - the No."14" being visible on the top decking just behind the cockpit and of course French Cockades on the top wing.

Mike

gregoire · 27 May 2005, 12:15 AM

if I remember correctly there is a couple of french triplane picture on rosebud

Angiolillo · 27 May 2005, 01:52 AM

Thanks again to Gregoire and... MikeW, you are always the best source here around.

So I can bother you with yet another question. In my little game I am going to include a very nice Triplane with an additional Lewis, N5431 of Flt. Lt. Mellings. I have a b/n photo and a color profile:

http://www2.gol.com/users/ransell/PageMill_Resources/1.48.SopTri.Mellings.gif

http://204.83.160.230/archive/a/images/Triplane_Lewis.JPG

From the above I'd say that you can see the silver engine cowling, the PC12 (?) upper surfaces, the slight red line of the vertical tail surface with English colors on the moveable part. Correct? Any clue about other noticeable insigna?

Thanks a lot... and sorry if I exagerate of your patience and helpfulness!

Andrea

MikeW · 27 May 2005, 05:15 AM

Hi Andrea,

the profile is wrong - it did not have a red fin. Otherwise OK though and as you suggest. As far as I know there were no other distinguishing marks other than the fin not being the normal Sopwith shape (the original was destroyed and a replacement made on site).

I don't know how long the triplane was used with the extra gun fitted, but it had quite a long and successful carreer with Mellings out in the Aegean.

Mike

Angiolillo · 27 May 2005, 05:32 AM

Well, even if the extra gun was shortlived is so funny that I'll include it in the little expansion kit I'm planning. And the idea to have a plane on the Egean front is nice too - ok with Flanders, not bad with Piave, ok for huge Russian plains... But now I am having fun adding a couple of Romanian planes and a Turkish Nieuport, so something more exotic can remind players that the Forst World War is called that way for some reason.

Thanks again!

Andrea

MikeW · 27 May 2005, 08:03 AM

Andrea,

how about an Albatros W4 floatplane to go with the triplane?

Mike

Angiolillo · 27 May 2005, 08:24 AM

Great suggestion!

The only problem we have is the limit on maneuver decks. At the moment we have nearly 15 different kinds of decks, and some are shared by similar planes (Ni.11 and SS D.I, for example). By "similar" we mean that they could do almost the same maneuvers with the same agility, and that they had the same maximum speed within a 20 km/h range. Ranges are 141/160, 161/180, 181/200, 201+.

For example, here you can see the Camel's deck:

http://www.wingsofwar.it/read.asp?id=1268

When there is a not so common airplane, it would be good to match it with any other that could use the same cards... Any suggestion?

Please notioce that anyway it's just a game, so we can mak things simplier in spite of 100% (or even 85%...

) accuracy. Even speaking of maximum speed without any relationship to altitude or whatever gives you the idea that we are trying to ease our lives...

Speaking about seaplanes, I would not mind having some Lohner and Macchi in the not so far future...

Bye and thanks for all!

A.