Primarily for general aviation discussion, but other aviation topics are also welcome.
#1870603
Would anyone be able to help identify the aircraft in these pictures? They've been sent to me by a relative of the pilot, Thomas Girdwood MacFie.

The first is said to be from 'Charles Samson's flying expedition from Cairo to Cape Town in the 1920s and back'

Image
Last edited by NDB_hold on Wed Sep 15, 2021 3:42 pm, edited 1 time in total.
#1870611
Thank you - assuming the Lithuania thing is correct they must have purchased them. I though the airborne one wasn't a Tiger Moth (no shifted forwards top wing/corrugated fuel tank). I'm always nervous with Moths as there are multiple variants.
#1870831
NDB_hold wrote:Thank you - assuming the Lithuania thing is correct they must have purchased them....


The 2nd and 4th one appears to be civil registered as V?-CAB, the ? looking like the top of a B R or P. VP-CAB was a Tiger Moth registered in Ceylon. I suppose it might have been flown privately to Lithuania before delivery to Ceylon (possibly by the pilot cited). I suppose the 3rd (airborne) picture might have been photographed from that Tiger. It might not have been Lithuanian (or any other nation's, of course) Air Force, just another civilian local or visiting; I can make out no markings. The Wikipedia page text and linked 1940 inventory includes no mention of Moths (although they did have a Rapide :) )

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lithuania ... %80%931940
#1870965
Possibly this one?

https://collection.sciencemuseumgroup.o ... -back-book

NDB_hold wrote:actually answered the first one myself... according to Wikipedia (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Charles_Rumney_Samson) they are Fairey IIIs?

Anyone know if Samson wrote a book on the trip and if so if it is extant? (His book 'Fights and Flights' appears to be WW1 only? https://www.amazon.com/Fights-Flights-G ... 0898391571)