Anyone recognize this 'flying wing'?

[Doc Yo]

 You can ignore the text-I'm reasonably certain that the first image is a model airplane of some kind, but
any further info would be appreciated.

http://www.nationalufocenter.com/artman/publish/article_339.php

I am refering to the first image above "Europe's UFO crash" which isn't exactly Prachett, but still pretty
funny.

[Jschmus]

I did a Google search for "pegna la volante" which is how the image is captioned.  This led me to a second UFO page, but it proclaims the craft the work of one Giovanni Pegna, and gives the year 1936.  A sentence at the end asks if it was reverse-engineered from an alien craft.

http://www.alfredolissoni.net/du89.htm

Giovanni Pegna apparently worked as a designer/engineer for Piaggio.  He created their P.2 fighter and P.3 light bomber prototypes, and later in the 20s created the PC.7 Schneider Cup racer, which has been discussed here:

http://www.whatifmodelers.com/index.php?topic=23653.0

All of the references I have found mention a possible UFO connection, which is laughable.

[Doc Yo]

 Laughable, but surprisingly common in UFOlogy, or at least the shabby fringes of it. Many thanks for the
search!

[puddingwrestler]

You can ignore the text-I'm reasonably certain that the first image is a model airplane of some kind, but
any further info would be appreciated.

My good doctor, you are ignoring the obvious explanation. The vehicle is most assuredly of terrestrial origin, yet also clearly not of the time period in which the photographs were taken. Careful scrutiny of the photographs reveals a large, flying wing aircraft of highly advanced and sophisticated design. VERY careful scrutiny reveals beetle shaped markings on the wings. My dear doctor, it is clearly the work of the BLACK SCARAB! I can only hypothesize that the machine is an evolved version of the Black Scarab Aero Fortress produced at some stage in the 21st Century. What it is doing in Italy during the 1930s I am not sure, but I have a theory explaining how it got there. My dear doctor, prepare yourself for a dreadful shock. It is my theory that the dreaded Black Scarab (or some descendent there of) has teamed up with that noted Chronomechanist and evil genisu, YOUR BROTHER! What their sinister plans can possibly be I cannot guess, however Alberta, Grand-Daughter of the original Alberto (Wonder Boy Aviator) is even now working flat out on fitting a YO Type XVI ChronoDrive to the Scarlet Blaze (A 1990 model Tortwagen Gulf GTi she bought with her student loan money - the Scarlett Sloth has fallen upon hard times!) and is even now preparing to set off in hot pursuit (and hot pants!)
I feel some precautions will be nessecary from you as your notorious brother may have fratricidal plans again!
This may all explain why my most famous book (Air Pirates of the South Americas) was published twenty-five years before my birth...

I hope this helps you my dear Doctor Yo. May your mighty steam impeller boiler rivets never pop and your monowheel always track true!
Dr. P. W. Restlier; Doctor of Aero-Pirate History, San Churro University, San Torta.

[Roger the Cabin Boy]

A Most Excellent Post, worthy of some pointless, allegedly prestigious, Award.  Most likely to be allocated by an International Committee of the WIf Great and Good, probably towards the end of the year, (as and when their busy diary schedules permit).  Radish would probably be on this august body, and as he is, apparently, enthused by Steampunk, your eloquent Victorian written style would be a near guarantee of some recognition or other.

But what, pray tell, is an Evil Genisu?  Japanese, I suspect?

[puddingwrestler]

Either a typo of genius, or a a mis-capitalisation go GeniSU; the abbreviated name of the Amalgamated Union of Genies, Efreets, Djinn and other wish-granting bottle-dwellers; Southern Uraguay Branch.

[Doc Yo]

 AKA DeLovli, the bottle babe ( because there is exactly one Djinn in South Uraguy, and she's it. Nice kid,
for a six-thousand year old temptress from the other side. But I digress )

P.W., the Yo Foundation will be endowing the U of ST with a generous grant in the next quarter, many thanks
for the insights. I've heard of this "Black Scarab" though we've never actually locked horns, or antenna,
as it were. ( Dung beetles. ugh. ) I'm not too worried about Wen in the parlor with a pipewrench, though-being
twins, its next to impossibe for us kill each other, forewarning, sensing each others thoughts*, and all that.
Besides, neither of us really has in for the other so much as we have it in for each other's world views.

But enough family talk-tell Alberta I'll be on the next Princess out of Boston harbor, and I'll be bringing a spare
type XVI, Yo Porta-Fusion, and enough spares fro a warehouse. ( I've also had my man in Havanna shift a
few thousand into the Sloth's accounts, on the QT, as it were-can't have the Carribean's finest aviator and
air-borne Vigilante worrying about his grocery bills!)




* Which is a damn nuisance when he's watching Carry On, Doctor! for the umpteenth time, let me tell you.

[Hawkeye]

Alien craft? All one needs to do is not look up into the vastness of space and speculate IF there is intelligent life, but look down to see where this evolved from. This design looks more like it was influenced by any one of the ray species in the oceans and waterways. Man often imitates nature, or at least tries to.

[Jschmus]

Alien craft? All one needs to do is not look up into the vastness of space and speculate IF there is intelligent life, but look down to see where this evolved from. This design looks more like it was influenced by any one of the ray species in the oceans and waterways. Man often imitates nature, or at least tries to.

And yet, if one looks both heavensward and down into the depths (better still each with one eye), then one can ascertain the evil influence of the Great Old Ones.  "Cthulhu waits", but he is not above acting through mortal instruments when it suits him.

[Roger the Cabin Boy]

* Which is a damn nuisance when he's watching Carry On, Doctor! for the umpteenth time, let me tell you.

Are our Colonial chums familiar with the Carry On series?  A tad parochial, perhaps - there are some big cultural divides out there.  Carry On won't be well known in Uruguay either, but there again, nor was Life Of Brian or Fawlty Towers, much to my surprise when I recently visited that region.  The former most probably on account of local religious sensibilities, and in the latter case, the outrageous bullying of the Spanish speaking member of staff might have been an issue.