Guys,

One of my PH friends is trying to trace a bit of family history. He's lost the history of the family, but knows they had some kind of hunting operation in British East Africa/Tanganyika and these old pics come from a recently discovered photo album. I think the hotel sign reads 'NEW ARUSHA HOTEL' - Can anyone out there use these pics to give me a rough date or car model or aircraft type etc....... Any info would help us to begin tracking something down. - Thanks in advance.

Don't know about much of them but the New Arusha Hotel was built as a ONE story hotel in 1927 by Kenyon Painter who has a hunting background in Africa dating back to Theodore Roosevelts time. The cars appear to be all late 30's models as does the pickup. The first aircraft rings a bell (I'm an old aircraft buff) because of the exhaust pipe on the left side just below the cockpits. Only remember a couple of old planes that carried the pipe that far back. The large transport is probably an early 30's tri-motor but judging from the fuselage covering NOT a Ford since it is not courrugated but could be a Stinson or Fokker from late 20's early 30's. One key would be to find when the New Arusha Hotel went 2 story.

I agree about the vehicles. Somewhere between 1936 and 1940.

Bill Quimby

I'm almost certain the large transport aircraft, pict. #2, is a Fokker C-2 or C-7A - not enough detail visible to tell for sure - dates would help.This is a photo of the C-2:



Another picture of an early Fokker (PAA) showing the unique configuration of the cabin door - note the angle of the top aft end of the door:



As to the first aircraft, I'm not at all sure it can be identified based on the photo - just not enough detail, at least not for me.
Good luck with your search.

quote:

Originally posted by shakari:

Steve my bet would be on DE HAVILLAND MOTH (one of Moths):




To be sure ask those guys:

Tiger moth club SA

Not much help but this photo is said to be from 1929 and it's already a two story structure:

The cars in Shikari's photos were made 10 years plus/minus AFTER the 1929 photo.

Bill Quimby

Zimbabwe:

quote:

One key would be to find when the New Arusha Hotel went 2 story.

Bill, my post was in response to Zimbabwe's thought that perhaps knowing when the second story of the Hotel was completed might be of some help in determining the vintage of the vehicles in the first photo. As I said, clearly it was not. I agree, the vehicles appear to be late 30's vintage.

From the looks of the cars and the planes I'd say the 1930's.

Looks like around the 1930s then - thanks guys, I'll pass the info on to my buddy.

MIGHT be a Gypsy Moth, the basis of the later Tiger Moth, where they just turned the engine upside down for better prop/ground clearence and Pilot visability, moved the top wing forward so the instructor could parachute out easier, sweept the wings back to keep the C of G right, then had to throw some dihederal in for ground/wingtip clearance, and hey, a new design appeared. (Don't even mention the ailerons, what a scream they are.)

I believe one of the autos in the photo is a 1938 Oldsmobile as that is the car my dad had through WWII. The panel truck is a Ford---about '37-'38.

Brooks