Curtiss P-1 Hawk

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Curtiss_P-1_Hawk

The P-1 Hawk (Curtiss Model 34) was a 1920s open-cockpit biplane fighter
aircraft of the United States Army Air Corps. An earlier variant of the same
aircraft had been designated PW-8 prior to 1925

The Curtiss P-1 Hawk was the first US Army Air Service aircraft to be assigned
the "P" (Pursuit) designation which replaced seven designations for pursuit
aircraft, including "PW" (for "Pursuit, Water-cooled engine"). The P-1 was the
production version of the Curtiss XPW-8B, an improved variant of the PW-8, 25 of
which were operational with the Air Service's 17th Pursuit Squadron

The March 7, 1925 order for the P-1 also requested five aircraft with the more
powerful 500 hp (373 kW) Curtiss V-1400 engine installed. These were completed
in January 1926. The first (SN 25-420) was then modified with a supercharger
mounted on the right side of the fuselage nose, and whose turbine was driven by
engine exhaust; the craft was designated XP-2.

However, the Curtiss V-1400 engine did not perform up to expectations, with or
without the supercharger, and so after a year in service, three of the standard
P-2 Hawks had their engines replaced with the Curtiss D-12 and were consequently
redesignated as P-1s. The fifth machine (25-243) received a Curtiss V-1570
Conqueror engine and became the XP-6.[4]

While a total of 202 Hawks were built in the basic variants PW-8, P-1, P-2, P-3,
P-5, AT-4 and AT-5, conversions resulted in 148 having a P-1 designation.

93 production P-1s were brought into service in the P-1, P-1A, P-1B, and P-1C
variants. 52 other P-1s, variants P-1D, P-1E, and P-1F, were made by conversion
of other Hawk variants, primarily AT-4 and AT-5 trainers.

P-1 Hawk
Role Fighter plane
Manufacturer Curtiss Aeroplane and Motor Company
First flight January 1923
Introduction 27 April 1923
Primary user United States Army Air Corps
Produced 1925–1929
Number built 202 built as PW-8, P-1, P-2, P-3, P-5, AT-4 and AT-5
Variants F6C Hawk
P-6 Hawk

On June 23, 1924, taking off at 3:58 A.M., Army test pilot First Lieutenant
Russell Maughan left Mitchel Field, New York, in PW-8 24-204, modified with
additional fuel and oil tanks, made a dawn-to-dusk transcontinental flight
across the US. Refueling five times, he landed at Crissy Field, San Francisco,
California, at 9:46 p.m., one minute before dusk, covering 2,670 mi (4,297 km)
in 20 hours and 48 minutes. His flight time included four planned 30-minute
stops at McCook Field, Ohio; Saint Joseph, Missouri; Cheyenne, Wyoming; and
Salduro Siding, Utah; and an unplanned stop in North Platte, Nebraska for
additional fuel when a muddy field in Missouri did not permit him to take on a
full load.[10] He also lost an hour at McCook to repair a broken fuel valve
after an over-eager mechanic had over-torqued the valve, damaging it.

Specifications (P-1C)

General characteristics
Crew: one, pilot
Length: 23.0 ft (7.01 m)
Wingspan: 31.5 ft (9.6 m)
Height: 8.75 ft (2.67 m)
Wing area: 252 ft² (23.41 m²)
Airfoil: Clark Y
Empty weight: 2,195 lb (996 kg)
Max. takeoff weight: 2,937 lb (1,349 kg)
Powerplant: 1 × Curtiss V-1150-3 liquid-cooled V12 engine, 435 hp (324 kW)

Performance
Maximum speed: 155 mph (249 km/h)
Cruise speed: 123 mph (198 km/h)
Range: 300 mi (483 km)
Service ceiling: 20,800 ft (6,340 m)
Rate of climb: 1,460 ft/min (7.42 m/s)

Armament
2 × .30 in (7.62 mm) fixed forward-firing Browning machine guns




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