A part found on a beach near Biarritz

[gillescollaveri]

A very strange part found on a beach near Biarritz, south of France. No marking or stamp, screws, weird rivets.. what would you attribute it to ?

 

[gillescollaveri]

some more information / comments about this part recently found on a beach near Biarritz, on the oecan, near the spanish border.
it looks very much like an aircraft part BUT :
(i) you will see that there are screws, on the "leading edge", going into a wooden part inside. I have never seen such technic before
(ii) rivets with empty heads don't talk to me
(ii) there are no stamps/markings. On an aircraft part, this is strange.
I checked with a friend working in a naval repair station : it is not from a boat. Boats with an aluminium hull never use rivets, and the skin is 5 or 6 mm thick, here on this part it is 1 or 2 mm;
Could it be a drone ? a home made boat ? or submarine ? (I think about the drug smugglers) or even a car or a trailer part ?
so, I am really puzzled and your ideas will be welcome in my brainstorming..
Gilles

 

[Sabrejet]

Interesting use of slotted-head screws into what seems to be a wooden (leading edge?) strengthening strip. Pop rivets in evidence too.

I'd suggest a good clean, and a VERY good look. If it's aircraft, it WILL have part numbers stamped on individual parts and this should help track it down. My first thought is that it looks to be an aircraft part but the wood and slotted screws make me pause and ponder.

It's either older than its condition indicates or possibly from a light/GA aircraft.

Give it a GOOD clean and find some numbers!!!!

 

[gillescollaveri]

That is exactly what I asked for : a GOOD clean !
we will see (or see nothing..)

 

[smutny]

(ii) rivets with empty heads don't talk to me

Those are blind rivets, also known as pull rivets or pop rivets. Very popular in modern light plane construction.

The slotted screws are an interesting choice. Rarely see those on aircraft anymore. However, I have seen them used on components that were not to be disassembled for routine maintenance.

 

[wozza]

The leading edge with the screws looks very similar to a picture of a Sea-fire / Spitfire wing leading edge that I viewed somewhere on this WW2 Aircraft site . Wood was used for forming leading edges -- and covered in . I am sure the tail fins on Manchester / Lancaster and Lincoln used Mahogany timber for their leading edges

 

[Antarctica]

It's from a WW2 British aircraft. Such wood / metal construction was popular right up to the end of the 1950s.

 

[MiTasol]

some more information / comments about this part recently found on a beach near Biarritz, on the oecan, near the spanish border.
it looks very much like an aircraft part BUT :
(i) you will see that there are screws, on the "leading edge", going into a wooden part inside. I have never seen such technic before
(ii) rivets with empty heads don't talk to me
(ii) there are no stamps/markings. On an aircraft part, this is strange.
I checked with a friend working in a naval repair station : it is not from a boat. Boats with an aluminium hull never use rivets, and the skin is 5 or 6 mm thick, here on this part it is 1 or 2 mm;
Could it be a drone ? a home made boat ? or submarine ? (I think about the drug smugglers) or even a car or a trailer part ?
so, I am really puzzled and your ideas will be welcome in my brainstorming..
Gilles

Item (i) was common on British aircraft during ww2 and after for a while but from the condition of the metal it is not that old.

Item (ii) could be either pop rivets or Chobert rivets. The latter were common on Brit aircraft in the 30's and 40's. A clear photo of each side would probably allow me to say which type.

Item (iii) possibly means that all the parts were ink stamped. Not rare during ww2 but pretty much standard now.

I would strongly suspect a British aircraft part.

 

[gillescollaveri]

Item (i) was common on British aircraft during ww2 and after for a while but from the condition of the metal it is not that old.

Item (ii) could be either pop rivets or Chobert rivets. The latter were common on Brit aircraft in the 30's and 40's. A clear photo of each side would probably allow me to say which type.

Item (iii) possibly means that all the parts were ink stamped. Not rare during ww2 but pretty much standard now.

I would strongly suspect a British aircraft part.

Item (i) was common on British aircraft during ww2 and after for a while but from the condition of the metal it is not that old.

Item (ii) could be either pop rivets or Chobert rivets. The latter were common on Brit aircraft in the 30's and 40's. A clear photo of each side would probably allow me to say which type.

Item (iii) possibly means that all the parts were ink stamped. Not rare during ww2 but pretty much standard now.

I would strongly suspect a British aircraft part.

thanks Mitasol & antartica;
Would someone find for me the contact of an organization performing maintenance or restauration on Brit A/C from the 40'S 50's ? (for example BBMF ?) so I ask them directly ?
Gilles

 

[Sabrejet]

Item (ii) could be either pop rivets or Chobert rivets. The latter were common on Brit aircraft in the 30's and 40's. A clear photo of each side would probably allow me to say which type.

I don't think they are Choberts, which look slightly different due to common mandrel insertion. I'd say they look 100% like Tucker pops. However I do agree that the parts look British.