Фотографии
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Регистрационный номер: A-7956 Mr.N.D.Welch has sent in the photograph which was found in some personal effects of the father of Alan Smith who had served in the Far East. It is a Curtiss OC-2 Falcon and a magnifying glass reveals that it is a US Marine Corps aircraft from VO-10M. Its BuAer No. appears to be A7955.
A photograph of the above Curtiss OC-2 appeared on page 55 of Aeromilitaria 2/92. At the time, the serial number on it appeared to be A7955 but Dan Hagedorn at the Smithsonian has kindly provided some details taken from the US Navy record of the aircraft.
That for A795_6_ shows this Falcon to have been shipped to China on 3 March 1928 to VO-8M with the Marine Corps Expeditionary Force. It was received on 10 May 1928 and on 6 December 1928 is shown to have the lower left wing damaged. It was shipped back to San Diego where it is shown on 19 May 1930 as being damaged beyond repair and stricken on 30 June 1930 after 712 flying hours.
It appears that the crash shown in the photograph was not the final one since at the time A7956 had engine no. 11919 whereas when stricken it had 12723. If it had languished since its original crash before being finally stricken as beyond repair, why would they have changed the engine?Самолёты на фотографии: Curtiss F8C Falcon / Helldiver - США - 1928