NeoGAF

dc89 · (05-10-2012, 04:58 PM)

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An RAF fighter plane thought lost in the sands of time after its pilot crash landed in the desert during World War Two has been discovered in what has been described as the "aviation equivalent of Tutankhamun's Tomb". The almost perfectly preserved Kittyhawk P-40 is an aviation time capsule that has remained unseen and untouched since it came down in the Sahara in June 1942.

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Most of its cockpit instruments are intact and it still had it guns and ammunition before they were seized by the Egyptian military for safety reasons.

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It is thought the pilot survived the crash and initially used his parachute for shelter before making a desperate and futile attempt to reach civilisation by walking out of the desert. The RAF airman, believed to have been Flight Sergeant Dennis Copping, 24, was never seen again.

More incredible pictures and information over here.

Incredible, the desert really is a formidable place.

Neuromancer · (05-10-2012, 04:59 PM)

Holy shit

Brettison · (05-10-2012, 05:01 PM)

Makes you wonder just what other secrets a vast desert such as the Sahara may hold.

jakncoke · (05-10-2012, 05:01 PM)

That's amazing.

shagg_187 · (05-10-2012, 05:02 PM)

So awesome.

.GqueB. · (05-10-2012, 05:03 PM)

Heh... it was found on a mayday.

hehe

lupinko · (05-10-2012, 05:03 PM)

That's incredible.

sankt-Antonio · (05-10-2012, 05:04 PM)

Reads like an Uncharted viral.

TheWiicast · (05-10-2012, 05:04 PM)

SULLY! Nathan's plane has been located!

Edit: beaten by seconds!

Stet · (05-10-2012, 05:04 PM)

Airman died in the desert. Can't even imagine.

Cat Party · (05-10-2012, 05:05 PM)

Looks like the pilot did a great job bringing it down. Too bad he didn't make it.

ThatCrazyGuy · (05-10-2012, 05:07 PM)

Pretty awesome. I wonder what else is out there.

OpinionatedCyborg · (05-10-2012, 05:07 PM)

200 miles from the nearest town... shit.

MisterHero · (05-10-2012, 05:07 PM)

Aw, no skeleton :(

FStop7 · (05-10-2012, 05:07 PM)

I've seen this movie.

Wubby · (05-10-2012, 05:08 PM)

The modeling forums have been abuzz about this for a few weeks now. When the first few pictures were shown there were some arguing that it must be fake since the aircraft looked to be in too good of condition for the amount of time it's been sitting. Then the youtube videos of the find (when they went back to take out the .50cal ammo that was still in it) and no one could say it was fake anymore.

Britain really needs to jump in and get this recovered before the locals strip it clean.

Ken Masters · (05-10-2012, 05:10 PM)

Looks like something out of uncharted 3

CFMOORE! · (05-10-2012, 05:10 PM)

Originally Posted by Wubby:

The modeling forums have been abuzz about this for a few weeks now. When the first few pictures were shown there were some arguing that it must be fake since the aircraft looked to be in too good of condition for the amount of time it's been sitting. Then the youtube videos of the find (when they went back to take out the .50cal ammo that was still in it) and no one could say it was fake anymore.

Britain really needs to jump in and get this recovered before the locals strip it clean.

to me it seems odd the egyptian military won't keep it safe till the brits arrive.

gar3 · (05-10-2012, 05:10 PM)

King Nine Will Not Return.

rhfb · (05-10-2012, 05:10 PM)

Anyone have a link to a google/bing/ect map of the location of the plane?

LQX · (05-10-2012, 05:11 PM)

Wow! Amazing and depressing when you think about it. I wonder how long the pilot lasted out there.

StriKeVillain · (05-10-2012, 05:11 PM)

Very cool, shitty way to go for the pilot though.

FStop7 · (05-10-2012, 05:11 PM)

Originally Posted by Wubby:

The modeling forums have been abuzz about this for a few weeks now. When the first few pictures were shown there were some arguing that it must be fake since the aircraft looked to be in too good of condition for the amount of time it's been sitting. Then the youtube videos of the find (when they went back to take out the .50cal ammo that was still in it) and no one could say it was fake anymore.

Britain really needs to jump in and get this recovered before the locals strip it clean.

Britain concerned about the preservation of antiquities in Egypt.

Now that's irony.

SUPREME1 · (05-10-2012, 05:12 PM)

Nowhere near the equivolent to the discovery of King Tut's tomb.

One is over 3 millenia old and the final resting place of a boy king who once ruled over one of the great civilizations in history.

The other is a war plane that crashed landed 70 years ago... and was just found now.

: \

ConfusingJazz · (05-10-2012, 05:12 PM)

Originally Posted by Wubby:

Britain really needs to jump in and get this recovered before the locals strip it clean.

Yeah, I am sure Egypt would love to hear this one.

-Pyromaniac- · (05-10-2012, 05:12 PM)

Amazing stuff.

Guevara · (05-10-2012, 05:12 PM)

Originally Posted by Ken Masters:

Looks like something out of uncharted 3

Yeah this is amazing. Right now Drake would be like "But where's the pilot?"

And Sully would be like "I have a baaad feeling about this kid"

Trick_GSF · (05-10-2012, 05:14 PM)

That is freaking amazing. Shame the pilot didn't make it out though, that would've been quite the story.

MonkeyKing · (05-10-2012, 05:15 PM)

Originally Posted by FStop7:

Britain concerned about the preservation of antiquities in Egypt.

Now that's irony.

:) nicely done.

Para bailar La Bomba · (05-10-2012, 05:15 PM)

Originally Posted by dc89:

Incredible, the desert really is a formidable place.

In the desert you can remember your name
'Cause there ain't no one for to give you no pain
La, la, la-la-la.

Snkfanatic · (05-10-2012, 05:15 PM)

Pretty amazing. Chilling to read about what he did with the parachute and what must of been a horrible death.

gooey kablooie · (05-10-2012, 05:17 PM)

A little too RAF...

Khalifa Jayy · (05-10-2012, 05:17 PM)

Originally Posted by Guevara:

Yeah this is amazing. Right now Drake would be like "But where's the pilot?"

And Sully would be like "I have a baaad feeling about this kid"

Lmfao

Cat Party · (05-10-2012, 05:19 PM)

Originally Posted by Snkfanatic:

Pretty amazing. Chilling to read about what he did with the parachute and what must of been a horrible death.

I imagine you go pretty quick in the open dessert. You probably stumble and then decide you need to rest, and never open your eyes again.

EDIT:

Originally Posted by lunchtoast:

A little too RAF...

Goddammit I should not be laughing in a thread like this, but lol

dc89 · (05-10-2012, 05:20 PM)

Historians are urging the British government to declare it a war grave so they can then recover it properly.

Yes, I agree with many comments here about the pilot. What a way to go, RIP.

Edmond Dantès · 05:29 PM

Almost thought for a second that Antoine de Saint Exupery's wreckage had been found.

Acid08 · (05-10-2012, 05:20 PM)

Loving the photos, especially the engine photo.

NaturalHigh · (05-10-2012, 05:22 PM)

Wow this is fucking awesome.

Dead Man · (05-10-2012, 05:31 PM)

So well preserved, amazing.

BoomBap · (05-10-2012, 05:42 PM)

Originally Posted by lunchtoast:

A little too RAF...

Good show old chap!

Chichikov · (05-10-2012, 05:43 PM)

Vivalaraza · (05-10-2012, 06:02 PM)

Wow that is amazing, crazy to think it's just been there untouched and unseen for so many years.

Napoleonthechimp · 06:11 PM

Originally Posted by SUPREME1:

Nowhere near the equivolent to the discovery of King Tut's tomb.

One is over 3 millenia old and the final resting place of a boy king who once ruled over one of the great civilizations in history.

The other is a war plane that crashed landed 70 years ago... and was just found now.

: \

Uh... Is that we compare something's value now? Because I'm pretty sure no one is comparing it to the discovery of King Tut's tomb.

Originally Posted by FStop7:

Britain concerned about the preservation of antiquities in Egypt.

Now that's irony.

We kept their stuff pretty well preserved, they could at least do the same for our junk.

JetBlackPanda · 06:14 PM

its an American built P-40 warhawk! so awesome.

believe it or not but I do this all the time, its called aviation archaeology.

look it up.

NoRéN · (05-10-2012, 06:12 PM)

Originally Posted by JetBlackPanda:

its an American built P-40 warhawk! so awesome.

believe it or not but I do this all the time, its called aviation archaeology.

look it up.

You go around seaching for planes and stuff? Any cool stories?

JetBlackPanda · (05-10-2012, 06:15 PM)

Originally Posted by NoRéN:

You go around seaching for planes and stuff? Any cool stories?

I could go on and on.. there are a few other guys that do it, I mainly do it in the American Southwest. (a lot of WW2 airbases were setup here during the war due to good weather) this lead to many accidents around the region.

anyways sorry to derail the thread.

NoRéN · (05-10-2012, 06:16 PM)

Originally Posted by JetBlackPanda:

I could go on and on.. there are a few other guys that do it, I mainly do it in the American Southwest. (a lot of WW2 airbases were setup here during the war due to good weather) this lead to many accidents around the region.

anyways sorry to derail the thread.

Make a thread! With pics!

This sounds really interesting.

Kinyou · (05-10-2012, 06:16 PM)

Originally Posted by Chichikov:

Hehe, that was my first thought as well, but Antoine de Saint-Exupéry was flying somewhere towards Grenoble and also a different type of machine.

JetBlackPanda · 06:30 PM

Originally Posted by NoRéN:

Make a thread! With pics!

This sounds really interesting.

haha I just might.

This story reminds me of the Lady Be Good. If you are unaware of the story check it out.

Lady Be Good

They find aircraft like this all the time, granted its getting more rare but most of the aircraft that you see at airshows are recovered from scenarios like this.

Glacier Girl is another example and Kee Bird could have been great but the recovery team was full or morons.

sorry again for derailing this thread.

Dead Man · 06:46 PM

Originally Posted by Napoleonthechimp:

Uh... Is that we compare something's value now? Because I'm pretty sure no one is comparing it to the discovery of King Tut's tomb.

We kept their stuff pretty well preserved, they could at least do the same for our junk.

Umm...

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in what has been described as the "aviation equivalent of Tutankhamun's Tomb".

Originally Posted by JetBlackPanda:

haha I just might.

This story reminds me of the Lady Be Good. If you are unaware of the story check it out.

Lady Be Good

They find aircraft like this all the time, granted its getting more rare but most of the aircraft that you see at airshows are recovered from scenarios like this.

Glacier Girl is another example and Kee Bird could have been great but the recovery team was full or morons.

sorry again for derailing this thread.

Heard of Glacier Girl, Kee Bird sounds like a fuck up. Lady Be Good is kind of eerie.