Photo Short Aircraft

[musec04]

Hello,


Currently on ebay is a very nice photo of Short Type184 serial 8084 transferred to France in 1916 at:


https://www.ebay.it/itm/Photo-franca...YAAOSwjl1ev7m1




https://www.ebay.it/itm/Photo-franca...0AAOSwEfdev7js

Regards,


Clint

[Stig Jarlevik]

Excellent find Clint

One can even see the c/n S.226.
Wonder what happened to it?

Lucien Morareau is very silent (can't find it indexed anywhere) so most likely it was tested and discarded.

Cheers
Stig

[musec04]

Stig,


I wonder if its significant that Sturtivant and Page in Royal Navy Aircraft Serials and Units 1911-1919 write transferred to the French Government, rather than to the French Navy?


How's your french. I could try posting a question on Aeroforums which might produce more information, though my french is limited.


Regards,


Clint

[Stig Jarlevik]

Well Clint

Starting with my French all I can say it is fortunate this forum is silent, speaking wise, since right now I believe our French friends have enough with the Corona virus. We don't need half the population laughing itself to death....

I believe any contracts between France and Britain were Government to Government so such wordings don't have to mean much really, but you have a point. France has always been masters in bringing out various odd institutions not belonging to any of the true military forces, but somewhere in a kind of limbo. So yes, the 184 could well have ended up within some testing place/unit run by something which at least I don't know anything about.

If you want to, yes please, put something up on the Aeroforums. It will at least save my face....

Cheers
Stig

[musec04]

Hello Stig,


Thanks to the helpful Paul Badre at Aerostories : http://www.aerostories.org/~aeroforums/forumnav/ I can now say why the two Short 8083 & 8084 do not appear in the index of Lucien Moreau's Les Aeronefs de l'Aviation Maritime. To whit they were army machines.


Using the link provided by Paul Badre http://albindenis.free.fr/Site_escad...les_Cazaux.htm both photos I posted can be seen (in my defence they are from the same source as given by the seller, so are original). So both machines served with the Ecole de Tir Aérien at Cazaux.


Regards,


Clint

[Stig Jarlevik]

Thanks Clint

That was a surprise! Why on earth would the Army be training their pilots on all these floatplanes and seaplanes?

I can understand the reasoning behind having firing practice on a lake, but why use so many typical Naval aircraft? Some Naval aviators obviously passed the Cazaux school but most were Army pilots/observers, both French and American. Why not use Army aircraft (on wheels) to shoot up targets on the lake?

Both Shorts also seems to have at least been evaluated by the Navy before being discarded to the Army.

I wonder if all the sea/float planes which were used at Cazaux were taken from Naval orders or if the French Army ordered such aircraft as well?

Cheers
Stig