Silhouette challenge

[Lightning Mate]

Challenge - bipe or mono?

[Noyade]

Looks French Reg....any chance of that?

[RegDep]

Bipe and not French gentlemen.

[Lightning Mate]

Big wheel spats - or are they small floats?

Or maybe skis....

[Lightning Mate]

Keep posting Reg -8 to go.

[RegDep]

I could call them spats.

[Lightning Mate]

I could call them spats

You could or they are?

[Noyade]

Fighter?..........

[RegDep]

They are, but to a casual observer they could look like they could be floats or skis, too. At least used as such.

[RegDep]

It was to be a fighter.

[Noyade]

It was to be a fighter.

But...? What happened?

[RegDep]

The potential purchaser chose to order something else.

[Lightning Mate]

So it wasn't built then.

[RegDep]

It didn't pass the taxying testing, not even if the spats were removed.

[Noyade]

Advanced congratulations on 3,000 Reg!
Keep at him David!

Night.

[Lightning Mate]

I'll try mate, but getting nowhere at the moment.

[Lightning Mate]

European.?

[RegDep]

Yes Mate. European.

Let's recapitulate/rephrase: It is a biplane fighter prototype that went to the second round in a request of proposals to a government procurement, and the second round was contracts for prototypes to be built. The challenge's undercarriage was somewhat peculiar. The challenge didn't make it to flight tests, and the government order was awarded to a contestant with far more gallant designation.

[Lightning Mate]

A thought - could the undercarriage be jettisoned?

[RegDep]

No. Look at your own country Fighter Man! Carry on the torch, which your forebears carried with their Gladiators!

You MUST get this now, for me to grant it to you on my 3000th post.

Mate, all eyes in the Nation are focused on you! Don't let us down, please.