Can anyone identify this aircraft??
 

Hi, scale buddies -- I bought a scratch-built airframe at the Southeastern Model Expo earlier this month, and I'm wondering if anyone can help me identify exactly what it is. It looks European, perhaps French? The 1936 Caudron C690 advanced trainer is close, but the rudder and stab are wrong. The 1936 Caudron C450/460 racing aircraft is also close, although the horizontal stab looks too high on the model, and the nose moment may be a bit too short.
I scaled the 3-view from the model, with "suggested" outline of nose , canopy and missing elevator and stab tip filled in.
Look forward to hearing back on this one!
Paul Wright
Dahlonega, GA

Well, it might be....
 

It looks like it might be a British Percival "Mew Gull". Considering that you added the canopy and cowl to the drawing.....if you were to add the Mew Gull canopy, cowl, and wheel "spats" as they call them in England, it looks like one to me. I'll see if I can find a picture to post here....

Cheers, Nigel:)

Can anyone identify this aircraft??
 

Here it is in it's most common form:

Can anyone identify this aircraft??
 

Agree with the Mew Gull. It was a 30's Racer that set some speed records. I had one and have pics in my photo gallery here on RCU. It had an old OS .25 with a small pitts style muffler.

Can anyone identify this aircraft??
 

And here is the sole survivor of it's type. Alex Henshaws modified long distance record breaker, with different cowl, canopy and spats:

Can anyone identify this aircraft??
 

"By George, I think he's got it!"
This is definitely IT, fellers. The distinctive tail group, and the latter photo shows (I think) the scallop cutouts to the left and right of the instrument panel (inside the canopy) for improving the pilot's ground-handling view.
The model has a 72" span, the fuse is 58" from tail to firewall, very light, and now "panties" (spats) to boot...what luck... all for $15!!
Bob Banka has a 12-sheet doc pack, plus a 10-photo pak of this very aircraft (G-AEXF).
Thanks, Nigel !
;-)

Mew Gull
 

You're welcome, PJ.
If you do a search, you'll find quite a few of pictures of it on the internet. There are some really good 5-views available in england for it too, by Harry Robinson...Bob Holman should be able to supply them.

Cheers, Nigel :)

Can anyone identify this aircraft??
 

Keith Ryder R1 looks somewhat like that too with a different canopy. Wing and stab shapes are more like the R1 that the Gull.
Book out there by Charles Mendenhall called the Air Racer has three views of most racers for comparison. Printed by specialty press of North Branch MN. Good reference for the subject. Has both planes in the book.

Can anyone identify this aircraft??
 

If you want the full history of the Mew Gull try and find a copy of 'The Flight of the Mew Gull' by Alex Henshaw. Excellent book which gives its complete development history by Henshaw and his record breaking flight to Cape Town and back.

I must admit when I first looked at the three view I thought it was a Dewoitine WWII fighter job..... but the Gull does seem about right.

Can anyone identify this aircraft??
 

Thanks, fellers -- I'm leaning toward the Mew Gull because of the very distinctive tail group arrangement. I've also found 4 different R/C plans (with Modelair Tech's being the closest in scale to what I have) of the Henshaw ship.
I will check into both book references -- the Ryder R1 is something I'll chase down before closing the book on this.
Everything I've read on models of this thing says it must be built light -- although it's quarter scale, the wing area is only about 800 sq in.
;-)