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An Royal Canadian Air Force CF18 Hornet flying during the RCAF's CF18 demo at the 2025 Abbotsford International Airshow.
The real truth about this discovery was nothing like what you might have read or heard about in the news.
On 10th May 2012 the world's mainstream media organisations ran the following inaccurate story with this almost universal headline and copy:
"WWII fighter plane hailed the 'aviation equivalent of Tutankhamun's Tomb' found preserved in the Sahara."
Articles went on to say:
"A Second World War aeroplane that crash landed in the Sahara Desert before the British pilot walked to his death has been found almost perfectly preserved 70 years later. The single-seater fighter plane was discovered by chance by Polish oil company worker Jakub Perka exploring a remote region of the Western Desert in Egypt, about 200 miles from the nearest town."
Having found the crash site location for myself, I can now reveal that bit about it being 200 miles from the nearest town is completely untrue.
The crash site is a mere 31.3 miles from the centre of the nearest town.
More over it is just 6.5 miles from the nearest asphalt road and only 26 miles from the nearest village.
The credit for the discovery attributed in the world's media to Jakub Perka is questionable. It has since been claimed, though not widely reported, that the discovery of the crash site was actually made on 12th Feb 2012 by an Italian expedition who were sworn to secrecy by the Egyptian authorities, and it would appear that Jakub Perka was a opportunist who got wind of the Italian find and sold rights to crash site photos to the BNPS press agency and made up the story of 'his' discovery and the rest as they say is history.
Italian, Andrea Mariotti of the Association of Independent Researchers Western Desert (ARIDO) wrote two reports in the Summer 2012 newsletter of The War Graves Photographic Project (TWGPP).
In the first report on the discovery he asserts the truth is:
“In early February 2012 we were returning from an expedition in which we had travelled from northwest to southeast of the Grand Sand Sea in order to map two or three possible routes on the trail of the exploring British groups during the Second World War in North Africa, which were framed in the Long Range Desert Groups. We had driven the track we familiarly call the “main route” and we went again to the wreck of one of the vehicles that were abandoned by the LRDG, probably due to a mechanical failure. After only 20 miles we stopped for the night and during the evening briefing we took the decision to take a chance on the next day and make a long range reconnaissance to locate the point where an acquaintance of ours, who lives in El Alamein, had told us that perhaps we could find an unidentified fighter plane still in good condition. It could be a free interpretation of the infinite fantasy of our Bedouin friend, but it was worth the chance, even if, in the past, we have used this sort of information which has proven, in most cases, not to be true.The next day at dawn, divided into three groups of two cars each, we began the search climbing and descending the plateaus that form the natural boundary of the “new valley” as it is called today, in the Egyptian Western Desert. At the end of many attempts and many tens of miles we found it. The aircraft is on a plateau almost impassable by the vehicles and still in excellent condition. We shot many pictures, took some measurements and left the aircraft after a few hours. On the same day (12th Feb) we were asked to keep the finding secret and not report anything on the internet which might identify the location. This was to prevent souvenir hunters finding the site and desecrating it. The police were informed and we were tasked to lead an expedition of the army and police up to the P40 on a date to be agreed. Since that date, despite our constant requests, we did not receive any information until the end of April 2012 when we were told that a group of soldiers were there to remove munitions and weapons from the aircraft. We organized a second expedition immediately and on May 2nd, 3rd, 4th 2012 we were back at the place of our discovery. Meanwhile, the same soldiers who went on site to remove weapons and ammunition from the P40 had begun to put online the photos taken with mobile phones. These were accompanied by the pictures and information sold to a well known press agency by an employee of an oil company, who reached the wreck later on. When we arrived there for the second time we found that the P40 had been damaged and some parts had been stolen. The real problem is that plunderers and looters are the new owners of the wreck and this is what is happening to the P40, so far, because of the bureaucratic delays and inaction of the authorities who should already have taken action to protect such a wonderfully preserved piece of history that is already becoming Illegal property of individuals without scruples or conscience."
To date I have not seen definitive evidence to back up the discovery claims of Mariotti's ARIDO or Perka, and the more I research the topic the more I was inclined to believe Mariotti's version of events, although I do find his explanation for searching in this area - a Bedouin source in El Alamein a little far fetched - but the truth is often stranger than fiction. However the longer Mariotti's ARIDO refuse to publish definitive evidence to back up their claims of making the discovery before Perka, the less likely I am to believe they got there before Perka.
This story is certainly stranger than fiction.
So exactly who and when it was discovered remains disputed until conclusive evidence is put forward to determine which man got there first.
Whatever the truth is, the fact remains that the detailed satellite imagery of the crash site, a copy of which I have posted above, remained undiscovered despite being online in the public domain long before the physical crash site was visited by either Mariotti or Perka.
The fact that it went undetected online is remarkable. You can if you know where to look even find this crash site and make out the plane on the satellite imagery provided by DigitalGlobe, Inc here on Flickr.
According to the mainstream media's inaccurate story the crash site was apparently discovered by chance in March 2012 by Polish oil worker Jakub Perka. It is true the news of the discovery first appeared in a public posting of crash site photographs on 17th April 2012 on an online Polish scale modelling / aviation forum. The poster identifies the photographer as Sławomir Lubomski of Geofizyki Toruń. He also posted a link to the set of photographs credited to Jakub Perka on Picasa Web Albums.
The following day, 18th April, the story was picked up by The Aviation Forum and sparked of speculation surrounding the aircraft’s authenticity and identification. Sceptics initially called it an elaborate photoshopped hoax.
On 20th April video was posted on youtube of the 'oil worker's discovery' of the crash site. During the next few days aviation historians concluded the identity of the aircraft was the Curtiss Kittyhawk P-40 bearing the 260 Squadron “HS” squadron code and the aircraft letter “B” serial number ET 574, flown by 24-year-old RAF Flight Sergeant Dennis Copping which disappeared on 28th June 1942 whilst enroute from an Allied FOB Forward Operating Base to a repair depot behind Allied lines.
In the early days before the story broke in the mainstream media many questions were asked about the exact location of the crash site and concern was raised about protecting the site for fear of vandalism and/or souvenir hunting.
There are many conflicting, confusing and inaccurate reports and speculation about the whereabouts of the crash site and perhaps more importantly precisely who revealed what and when.
Whilst the initial public posting on the Polish online forum on 17th April 2012 did not reveal the whereabouts of the crash site, it is clear that on 2nd May 2012 the person who posted those initial photographs stated in the same online thread that the crash site coordinates were 27° 23' 48.70" N,
27° 37' 54.10" E. This follow up post giving the exact location of the crash site appears to have escaped the attention of many, but not everyone.
On 12th May a blog credits Jakub Perka with a screengrab of a satellite image (similar to the one I created and posted here) showing the aircraft, but with details of the coordinates deliberately obscured.
Since the news of the crash site discovery has become more widely known it has been revisited and sadly, but rather predictably, the aircraft has suffered from repeated mindless vandalism and looting.
Had the location been kept secret then the chances of this happening would have been lessened.
Even so it appears that those Polish / Egyptian oil workers connected to the Perka claim of discovering the crash site in March 2012 were responsible for damaging the aircraft. Inadvertently providing documentary evidence of their destructive actions to gain access the cockpit; the first video uploaded to youtube shows all the sliding canopy panes intact whereas the initial photographs credited to Jakub Perka show 2 smashed panes of plexiglas on the starboard side. By 16th June photographic evidence makes it clear another 7 panes have been smashed and removed from the cockpit canopy. Egyptian military personnel were sent to remove the still live ammunition, though thankfully they decided against cutting the 6 Browning machine guns out of the wings. Photographs and videos from subsequent visits to the crash site document the gradual damage and looting of the aircraft since its discovery. On 16th June the ARIDO team documented the condition of the aircraft and conducted a search for the pilot's remains. Evidence at the crash site strongly indicates that the pilot survived the crash. The ARIDO search discovered human remains approximately 5 miles from the crash site, but it is unclear whether DNA testing of these remains is going to be carried out to determine if they are the remains of Flight Sergeant Dennis Copping.
Later in June of 2012, a group of recovery experts, lead by the Royal Air Force Museum's Tim Manna, recovered the remains of the aircraft from the crash site. On 13th September 2012 photographs of the recovery of the aircraft were published online. In a further twist, during the recovery, it became evident that the bogies were retracted at impact, which is contrary to the suggestions from the 1942 flight reports which stated the aircraft had stuck landing gear.
The aircraft is currently stored in a shipping container outside the perimeter of the museum in El Alamein. Some say this is because the museum doesn't want it. Other reports say there are plans to display the aircraft at the museum at former RAF Hendon, London, UK.
Now there is nothing left at the crash site I can reveal its exact location without worrying that further damage will result from my disclosure of the GPS coordinates of the crash site.
Looking for the needle in the haystack.
This is the story of how I found an aircraft with a wing span of just 37' 4" in the vastness of the Egypt's Western Desert without the help of any GPS coordinates.
Having read news about the discovery of the crash site on 10th May, I had not heard anything about it since. A couple of days ago I went looking online for more news and clues to its whereabouts. I was also curious to know if there was detailed satellite imagery of the crash site and if there was, whether I could piece together the clues and find the plane for myself using satellite imagery. It was clear that since the discovery many people had tried to do the same, but I found no evidence that anybody had successfully done so and publicised it.
During my initial search I found the reference to the screengrab credited to Perka which had no coordinates. I used this as my primary source to pin point the whereabouts of the crash site for myself. It was clear that the Perka screengrab was taken from Flash Earth so I used this app as my search tool, along with Google Maps / Earth as the mid range imagery of the Western Desert in Google is significantly clearer than Flash Earth's.
As it turned out Google Maps / Earth does not have detailed close up imagery of the crash site, whereas Flash Earth does. So anyone looking using Google will never find the plane.
In the course of looking for references to the location of the crash site I sifted through numerous sources, many of which had conflicting descriptions which turned out to be inaccurate.
Like the often quoted " a remote region of the Western Desert in Egypt, about 200 miles from the nearest town."
Other articles stated "The aircraft was found in Egypt’s Western Desert, west of the Farfara depression and the Qasr Farfara oasis. This lies south of the famous White Desert."
National Geographic stated the site was found in March in the Wadi al-Jadid region of southern Egypt.
After weighing up the many potential search areas, I began searching a few I felt more likely. It took about 2 hours of searching before I stumbled across familiar looking rock formations and then sure enough there it was just sitting there.
So if you want to see it for yourself have a look here on Flash Earth
www.flashearth.com/?lat=27.397909&lon=27.629218&z...
Crash site coordinates in Flash Earth are:
27° 23' 52.4"N
27° 37' 45.1"E
In Google Maps you'll only get a more distant satellite overview at these coordinates
27.397909N, 27.629218E
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This image is not to be downloaded, used, copied, duplicated, transmitted, manipulated or reproduced in whole or part, in any medium, physical or electronic, for use on websites, blogs or other media without my explicit written permission. All rights reserved - Copyright © Libyan Soup
Taken at the National Museum of the United States Air Force in Dayton, Ohio, USA. The French aircraft company, Société pour l'Aviation et ses Dérives (SPAD) developed this aircraft in 1917. The US adopted the SPAD as its fighter aircraft in 1918.
A second RCAF CF-18 Hornet performing the CF-18 Demo in the evening show of the 2022 Abbotsford Airshow. It cool seeing the demo at night, the Hornet's afterburners could be fully seen. It was a loud demo too, the pilot didn't hold back.
F-15E Strike Eagle of the USAF 48th Fighter Wing the Statue of Liberty Wing based at RAF Lakenheath Suffolk UK. This F-15E had just joined overhead the airfield and was banking round hard coming in for either a go around or landing.
A Lockheed Martin F-35 Lightning II belonging to the Royal Netherlands Air Force on the static display at the 2022 Abbotsford Airshow.
A beautifully restored example of the iconic North American P-51 Mustang, “Marinell” is painted in the authentic markings of the 339th Fighter Group, 504th Fighter Squadron of the USAAF. Based at RAF Fowlmere during WWII, this aircraft is a tribute to the long-range escort fighters that helped secure air superiority over Europe. Seen here at IWM Duxford, it continues to turn heads with its elegant lines and powerful presence.
Eventhough we were working and couldn't venture far from the Sony booth, I managed to make some photos
An overview: on the blog
A short video - on Instagram.
A longer video - on Clapper
Wilmington - Wilmington Air Park (Airborne Airpark / Clinton County AFB) (ILN)
Wilmington, OH
McDonnell F-101B-90-MC Voodoo (36AT) c/n 486, 57-0308, United States Air Force
A second RCAF CF-18 Hornet performing the CF-18 Demo in the evening show of the 2022 Abbotsford Airshow. It cool seeing the demo at night, the Hornet's afterburners could be fully seen. It was a loud demo too, the pilot didn't hold back.
P-47 'Nellie B' peforms high speed pass during an air display at Old Warden for the Shuttleworth Collection's 2024 Military Airshow.
A restored USAF P51 Mustang from WWII flying during the Warbirds demo at the 2025 Abbotsford International Airshow. It flew alongside an F4U Corsair and a P38 Lightning .
Photo of the SR-71 Blackbird on display at the Udvar-Hazy Center in Chantilly, VA. Taken with the Fuji X-Pro1.
For more of my images check out www.fstopguy.com
Follow me on Twitter: @krowland3
A pair of classic British fighters (Supermarine Spitfire Mk V.b and a Hawker Hurricane Mk I) in side by side formation at the Yorkshire Airshow, Church Fenton, UK. I shot this photo back in 2015 at what was to be a one-off Yorkshire Airshow, but re-processed it recently and thought that this toned monochrome version might be of interest as an alternative presentation or the reprocessed colour version posted last week. Best viewed (L)arge.
A Lockheed Martin F-35 Lightning II belonging to the Royal Netherlands Air Force on the static display at the 2022 Abbotsford Airshow.
In high speed flight mode from below. Most of the underside of the fuselage has been SNOT'd for ease of handling and aesthetic smoothness. This angle shows the lean of the air intakes quite nicely too, I had to incorporate those for this build.
You can just see the main landing gear doors tucked in between the engine nacelle and weapon pylon. A smaller than scale tyre had to be used, as anything larger threw the scale out entirely. This clocks in at approximately 1:40 scale.
You can't trust me anymore!! I have finally caved in and bought CS6 (Photoshop) and am really struggling to learn how to use it. I uploaded 2 of my photos -a photo of a sunset then one of a model Warbird and fiddled around with layering and magnetic Lassoos! Suddenly up this came! Sadly I have no idea what I did and can't do it again! Steep learning curve! I promise not to post a lot of these mock ups as Ido feel it is kind of cheating, but this is pretty cool !
Today's airbrushed style pinup photo features Alisha in another of the ongoing WW2 Nose Art Pinup series! Calling on the classic Vargas style pinup that would often adorn nose of Fighters/Bombers or the backs of bomber jackets during World War 2. This particular WW2 Pinup Art represents the Army Air Force with Alisha and the North American P-51D Mustang. Nose Art and Jacket Art were often very colorful and not only represented the aircraft the person was assigned to but also what squadron or overall group the person was with.
Interested in purchasing a print or large size poster of this WW2 P-51 Mustang Army Air Force pinup featuring Alisha? You can order one now on the Dietz Dolls Online Store in sizes ranging from 8x10 prints to 24x36 posters! www.dietzdolls.com/catalog/product_info.php?products_id=64
Model: Alisha
Photographer: Britt Dietz
Online Pinup Print and Poster Store: www.dietzdolls.com/catalog
© Dietz Dolls Vintage Pinup Photography: www.dietzdolls.com
Facebook Fan Page: www.facebook.com/DietzPinupPhotography
A Supermarine Spitfire Mk V.b and a Curtiss P40F Warhawk flying in formation at the Yorkshire Airshow, Church Fenton, UK.
A second RCAF CF-18 Hornet performing the CF-18 Demo in the evening show of the 2022 Abbotsford Airshow. It cool seeing the demo at night, the Hornet's afterburners could be fully seen. It was a loud demo too, the pilot didn't hold back.
A USAF F-15 Eagle flying during the evening show of the 2022 Abbotsford Airshow. Thanks to it being an evening show, I got some good shots of the Eagle's afterburners.
Wilmington - Wilmington Air Park (Airborne Airpark / Clinton County AFB) (ILN)
Wilmington, OH
McDonnell F-101B-90-MC Voodoo (36AT) c/n 486, 57-0308, United States Air Force
I rebuild my old fighter plane, Dragonfly, with modifications. This is it, Dragonfly v2.0. 8th addition to my new Victory Squadron.
Lackland A.F.B. S.A. TX
HDR~ORTON~
This photo is for the new group ~**Top Gun**~{ Invite } Post 1 Award 1**~
Top Quality ,Elite photos~
Inside the engine of a (well) used F-16 Fighting Falcon.
DALO days in Ballerup: The Ministry of Defence's Materiel and Procurement Agency is behind the exhibition, which is targeted at defense and preparedness.
I am ashamed to admit that all the new equipment, radars, vehicles, artillery and missiles that were for sale (it is a trade show after all) didn't really make me want to take pictures. There is a world of difference between the smiling business people in suits showing off the newly polished weapons, and then the reality that is happening at the fronts. I recognize the necessity of the equipment, but I didn't get good photos home.
Ballerup Super Arena, Ballerup.