I stumbled across a cockpit canopy in the woods. What type of markings should I be looking for to identify this? And where exactly should I be looking for markings to identify this piece? Here is a photo of what I found.
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6$\begingroup$ Hi and welcome to aviation.se. This is not a discussion board, so please reword your question and possibly include the pictures. Identifying the canopy you found is a viable question, asking if someone wants to look at them is not. See our Help Center for details... $\endgroup$– SentryRavenJan 14, 2016 at 14:54
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1$\begingroup$ You might want to make enquiries in your area for any local flying/gliding clubs, if they seem interested let them know the location. (I know glider/sailplane canopies can be detached in an emergency for the pilot to parachute out, but that seems unlikely in this case! More likely it has just been dumped.) $\endgroup$– AndyJan 14, 2016 at 15:15
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4$\begingroup$ Just add the photos & that would make it a good question. I'd definitely nominate to re-open the question. $\endgroup$– curious_catJan 14, 2016 at 15:56
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$\begingroup$ How do I add pictures? @curious_cat $\endgroup$– Jaela WoodJan 14, 2016 at 16:19
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1$\begingroup$ It may be worth something to a collector as a decorative piece or a museum, but I believe its no longer valid for aircraft use since it was not removed and tagged properly. Technically if this was involved in an aircraft accident you should leave it where it is and report it to the FAA. $\endgroup$– DaveJan 14, 2016 at 23:08
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2 Answers
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Looks like a B-47 Stratojet to me.
Image from wattflyer.com
I'm not sure about this particular model. But usually the canopy will have part number markings on it, which can be correlated to the program.
Also, see the B-47 Stratojet association's page.
answered Jan 14, 2016 at 18:31
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2$\begingroup$ Nice find! Perhaps the canopy of the prototype. From wikipedia: During early tests of the XB-47 prototype, the canopy came off at high speed, killing pilot Scott Osler.[12] The copilot safely landed the aircraft. This resulted in a canopy redesign, and the hiring of pilot Tex Johnston as chief test pilot.` $\endgroup$– DeltaLima ♦Jan 14, 2016 at 19:44
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1$\begingroup$ If it was that, it would be quite a find. $\endgroup$ Jan 15, 2016 at 16:51
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1$\begingroup$ @jaela click the green check mark to accept this as the best answer if you want. the checkmark is found to the left of the image $\endgroup$ Jan 18, 2016 at 6:17
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1$\begingroup$ According to the B-47 Association's Loss & Ejection PDF, XB-47 went down on 11 May, 1949 at the Grant County Int'l Airport (formerly Larson AFB, formerly Moses Lake AFB, as listed in the PDF), in east-central Washington. @JaelaWood, did you find it anywhere near that location? If so, it might be quite a historic find and worth letting the Air Force or a nearby museum know about it. $\endgroup$– FreeManJun 22, 2016 at 12:14
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$\begingroup$ @FreeMan Do we know if it was this one? Although unlikely, it would be a very nice find! $\endgroup$– LegiseyApr 30, 2018 at 13:08
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Wow, great B-47 canopy! I happen to be rebuilding a B-47E cockpit with the intention of loaning or donating it to the Cobb County, Georgia History Museum. I remember there being dozens of the 47 spare canopies at Davis Moncton Air Force Base in Arizona as late as in the late 1980s. At this point who knows how many there are sitting around. Not much need for them, they're only a handful of B-47s in museums. While some of the other answers that you got about it possibly being a canopy from an aircraft that lasted in flight I would strongly doubt that because it is not cracked nor does it look like there was any damage to it. It looks like there might be another odd piece sitting by the front of the canopy, I would just guess that someone had gotten the canopy surplus and was going to use it for a little greenhouse or something like that. Can't think of any other reason to haul around the middle of the words unless it was actually at the shelter. Who knows, stranger things have been done. Let us know what you find out! Thanks for the great post. By the way, if no one else told you to do this, there should be a data plate on the inside of the canopy, probably near the front on the left side. This will probably tell you the type of B-47 and maybe the serial number of the aircraft. Thanks again, Mark
