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UPDATE: The photo is from July 1922. The original caption:
"Army dirigible C-2 at Bolling Field." More here.
Washington, D.C., or vicinity in what looks to be the 1920s. Who can put a name to this unidentified flying object? 4x5 glass negative. View full size.
this pic shows that Air Corps officers were wearing enlisted men's shirts (no epaulets) long before WW2. Pictures suggest the practice stopped in the early '30s when "U.S." replaced the rank on the collar - at least when flight jackets were worn.
I'm pretty sure that the guy on the left with the moustache and serious expression is William E. Kepner. He would go on to have a distinguished career, and as a Major General he commanded the 2nd Air Division of the 8th USAAF in England during the latter part of the 2nd World War.
Judging by the abundance of flying wires that are attached to something out of the frame above and the pad without wheels suitable for a takeoff roll that it is sitting on I would guess that it is a version of a dirigible as opposed to an aircraft.
My guess is that this aircraft does not have wings but maybe a gas bag above it.
Could I be correct?
TC 5 blimp at Langley VA?
Have a look here.
If this were a movie, the guy on the right would be the comic relief.
Maybe the carriage for a zeppelin of some kind? Considering the numerous wires running upwards. My GoogleFu has failed me this morning though.
concerning aircraft specs, but the engine and other hardware lead me to believe that it has to be a dirigible of some sort. It looks too heavy to lift using wings.
I'm guessing it's some kind of lighter than air craft. All of those guywires going straight up probably aren't connected to wings. They're not the right angle.
I think it is the gondola of US Army airship TC-5.
It appears to be a twin-engined biplane, with pusher props. It's possibly a bomber or an attack craft (that sight in front of the pilot's seat seems to indicate that, but other than that I'm at a loss.
This must be dangerous work. On the left we see Doc Adams in attendance.
I'll bet that thing could do 60, maybe 70 mph. The learning curve for what not to do must have been steep.
Clearly the control car of a small lighter than air craft.
The engines are Hispano-Suiza V8s, and the only results I get from a quick Google search for "blimp two hispano suiza" is the USN C-class of 1918. Can't find a good enough view of the control car to make a 100% positive ID, unfortunately.
The venturi is about big enough to power a turn and bank indicator, so occasional blind flying is contemplated.
(A single gyro indicating rate-of-turn is enough to fly blind with. 1. Zero the turn with the rudder; 2. stabilize the speed with the elevators; 3. stabilize the altitude with the power. If you can't tell when the turn is zero'd, none of this works.)
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