About I-15 flown by Morquillas Rubio (Republican Ace of SCW) ?

[le_steph40]

Hello ,
I have in my stock a Special Hobby I-15 "Chato" and I would like to build a Republican Spanish Civil War Ace aircraft.
I decided for an aircraft flown by Leopoldo Morquillas Rubio and I found some information.
But I need your advice and your knowledges about it.
Here are the infos I found => I-15 "Chato" "white 57" flown by L. Morquillas Rubio during Summer 1937, O.C. Escuadrilla de Caza del Norte.

I found infos about this aircraft here http://surfcity.kund.dalnet.se/spain_morquillas.htm
On this website, it is said "CA-57", and I ask myself if there is only "white 57" marking on the rudder or if there is another "CA-57" marking on the fuselage too...?

Other info, and other photo => I-15 "Chato" "white 15" flown by L. Morquillas Rubio early in 1938, O.C. 2a Escuadrilla de Caza.

Effectively, it seems that the triangle is the symbol for 2a escuadrilla O.C. (a circle for the 1a, a square for the 3a and a double circle for the 4a).
I found the archive photo below in a Russian book "КОМБАТ N°1: ИСТРЕБИТЕЛЬ И-15" page 38, photo 63.

This source and some others say it's Morquillas Rubio aircraft when he was O.C. 2a Escuadrilla de Caza early in 1938. But I found other sources on the web and in some other books which statued that this aircraft is the one of the O.C. 2a escuadrilla de Caza during Spring 1937. In this case, this aircrat is the one flown by Roberto Alonso Santamaria due the period... I wonder about the weather on this archive photo and it seems to me that is not a photo taken in Winter... If we look at the photo, we see the shadow of the aircraft on the floor, dry and dusty land and leaves on the trees... So I wonder if this photo was really taken in Winter (early in 1938). I know it's often sunny weather in Spain but, early in 1938, it's winter, isn't it ?

Anybody to enlighten me please for the one or the other of my questions (or the both) ? TIA.
Regards
Stéph

PS: Here is my other I-15 "Chato" from 2a Escuadrilla de Caza early in 1938 flown by Juan Lario Sanchez http://surfcity.kund.dalnet.se/spain_lario.htm

 

[Wurger]

It is quite difficult to say if there was more of signs painted on the plane. Judging by pics of the Spanish planes I would say there was a variety of that. This is confirmed in russian books about the I-15. Generally there should be the full code number applied on the fuselage. The number consisted of two letters ( CC for kites delivered from the USSR and CA for planes made of Spain) and three digits. Usually these letters+digits were of black but also could be of white. The three or two last digits could be applied on the rudder or on the fin and also on the fuselage below the cockpit with the white paint. Most pics showing planes with the full number on the fuselage and three last digits on the rudder are dated on the 1938 and 1939. These of the 1936, 1937 present the variety in applying of the codes including the digits put in the tringle for instance. Therefore I would say the White 57 might have been applied on the rudder only with no additional markings just like the profile shows.. and it won't be a terrible mistake.

A couple of examples found via the net ..

 

[fubar57]

Found a photo of an I-15 that served with the 3rd Squadron of Grupo 26 that had a big "White 58" on the tail, similar in style to your "57" and nothing else

 

[le_steph40]

Another useful advice Wojtek
And thank you too Geo