What's this?

[zenrat]

I was watching a video of sports car racing at Sebring in 1957 and spotted this parked up with the RVs in the infield.

Rest of the film is here.  There appear to be a lot of what look like C119s scattered around the airfield.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?feature=player_embedded&v=OzegAlq92V0

[Captain Canada]

Isn't that the Piaggio pusher amphib ? Not sure of the designation, but there have been a few incarnations of it. I think the Italians just retired them. Well, from the Air Force anyway, but I think their Coast Guard is still flying them.

The other ones are the Boxcar's brother, the Packett.

[The Rat]

Piaggio P.136 - https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Piaggio_P.136

[zenrat]

Thanks folks.  Piaggo eh, like the scooters.  It's nice looking little aircraft.  Only ever kitted in 1/72 as vac form according to my goggling.

Watching the film it amazes me Moss and Fangio can walk normally give the obvious size of their 'nads. Polo shirts, corker crash helmets, no seat belts (no more than a lap belt anyway), telegraph poles in the runoff and just look at the size of the expansion joints on the concrete runway sections!

[PR19_Kit]

That aircraft was sometimes called the Royal Gull, no idea why. One flew by at the Seawings 2000 event at Southampton but didn't land as it was a tad rough, and it looked superb. I've often thought that a cross-kit with an Avanti's wings and engines would work well, but I didn't know there WAS a vacform of a P.136! Who made it please?

Perhaps we should suggest it to the 'Lift Here' guys in Serbia, it's just up their street. 

[martinbayer]

That aircraft was sometimes called the Royal Gull, no idea why. One flew by at the Seawings 2000 event at Southampton but didn't land as it was a tad rough, and it looked superb. I've often thought that a cross-kit with an Avanti's wings and engines would work well, but I didn't know there WAS a vacform of a P.136! Who made it please?

Broplan: http://www.internetmodeler.com/2000/february/first-looks/broplan_piaggio.htm

Martin

[kitnut617]

but I didn't know there WAS a vacform of a P.136! Who made it please?

According to 'the book', Broplan, Challenge and O'Neill made 1/72 offerings, all vacuforms --

[PR19_Kit]

Broplan?   

Hell's Bells, I should have known that. I'm quite a fan of Broplan stuff having build quite a few of theirs and got even more filed away in The Loft, but I never noticed they did a P.136. I'll see if I can get one and put my Turbo Royal Gull plan into action.

[jcf]

Kearney-Trecker assembled and marketed the P.136 in the US under the Royal Gull and Trecker Gull/Super Gull monikers.

[zenrat]

Any connection with the Kearney-Trecker-Marwen who built machine tools as KTM?

[jcf]

Yep, Kearney & Trecker of Milwaukee, Wisconsin.