WWII fighter plane hailed the 'aviation equivalent of Tutankhamun's Tomb' found preserved in the Sah

Telegraph UK ^ | May 10, 2012 | Richard Alleyne

[Neil E. Wright]

WWII fighter plane hailed the 'aviation equivalent of Tutankhamun's Tomb' found preserved in the Sahara

The Kittyhawk P-40 has remained unseen and untouched since it came down on the sand in June 1942 and has been hailed the "aviation equivalent of Tutankhamun's Tomb".

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.

The single-seater fighter plane was discovered by chance by Polish oil company worker Jakub Perka exploring a remote region of the Western Desert in Egypt, about 200 miles from the nearest town.

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

There are also signs of the makeshift camp the pilot made alongside the fuselage.

No human remains have been found but it is thought the pilot may lie within a 20 mile radius of the plane.

[Neil E. Wright]

Here's hoping that they can find the pilot and return him home where he belongs. “Where liberty dwells, there is my country." –Benjamin Franklin Islam Delenda Est! REFUSE. RESIST. Do NOT Submit! ★ FREEDOM! ★

[wolficatZ]

Daily Mail ALWAYS has a better pics, story and comments.

ALWAYS.

http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-2142300/Crashed-plane-Second-World-War-pilot-Dennis-Copping-discovered-Sahara-desert.html?ito=feeds-newsxml

[VeniVidiVici]

P-40 Kittyhawk

[AngelesCrestHighway]

http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2882592/posts

[Nifster]

a 20 mile radius is a lot of sand to try and uncover

[fish hawk]

So this plane is equal to King Tut's tomb. I take it then, that it was loaded with gold. Talk about over stating something, that plane is not rare that I know of. Not saying it is not a great find but come on.

[Art in Idaho]

Great Britain. . our staunchest Ally. . and Obama sent back the bust of Churchill. .

[Attention Surplus Disorder]

This is a great story, but I am waiting with bated (yes, that’s the correct spelling) breath for the pix from that group of Spitfires that were found, buried in crates and cosmolene (or equivalent) in...Indonesia, was it?

That’s going to be a droolfest.

[ME-262]

It is the historical aspect that makes this equivalent to Tut’s tomb. Who cares about the mysteries of ancient Egypt? With this plane we might be able to put together the missing pieces and discover once and for all if there really was a second world war!

[matthew fuller]

Thanks, that IS an impressive source.

[ZULU]

“Historians are urging the British government to step in sooner rather than later and have the scene declared as a war grave so it can be protected until the plane is recovered”

Are they SERIOUS????

We SAW what Muslims did to the graves of war dead in Lybia just recently.

[353FMG]

I believe it was in Burma.

[AngelesCrestHighway]

I read that story also....can’t wait for the pictures!

[6SJ7]

Isn’t it a P-40 Warhawk? I thought the same things when I read “Kittyhawk”. What? The Wright Flyer is in the dessert in the Middle East?

[rmlew]

Seriously? That's awesome. Wonder if they can be returned to flightworthy status.
On the other hand, WTF. The British lost air superiority and many pilots in the region were flying obsolete planes against the Japanese. Not to have used these Spitfires seems criminal.

[Erasmus]

This is a great story, but I am waiting with bated (yes, that’s the correct spelling) breath for the pix [...]

Well, when I have a bad day fishing, I come home with baited breath.

[ozzymandus]

A little overstated, isn’t it? There are still a few P40s around, and lost aircraft turn up pretty often.

[ozzymandus]

Kittyhawk was the british name for the P-40.

[ozzymandus]

You need to find the Spitfire story. The war was over, or nearly over, when the Spitfires were buried.

[abner]

I would love to have the coordinates to look it up on Google Earth.