(C) Daily Kos This story was originally published by Daily Kos and is unaltered. . . . . . . . . . . Air Force Museum: Interwar years monoplanes (photo diary) [1] ['This Content Is Not Subject To Review Daily Kos Staff Prior To Publication.'] Date: 2023-06-16 The years between the end of World War I in 1918 and America’s entry into World War II at the end of 1941 was a period when aircraft continued to be developed for military use. During this time, biplanes (planes with two wings) which had dominated during World War I gave way to monoplanes (planes with a single wing). In the Early Years gallery of the National Museum of the United States Air Force in Dayton, Ohio there are a number of monoplanes from this period. Being P-26A Peashooter According to the Museum: The P-26A marked a significant step in the evolution of fighter aircraft -- it became the U.S. Army Air Corps' first all-metal monoplane fighter in regular service. Affectionately nicknamed the "Peashooter" by its pilots, the P-26A could fly much faster in level flight than the Air Corps' older wood and fabric biplane fighters. The P-26A also had a higher landing speed. Although not initially delivered with wing flaps, P-26As were later fitted with them to reduce landing speeds. Even with its monoplane design and all-metal construction, the Peashooter retained some traditional features, such as an open cockpit, fixed landing gear and external wing bracing. The P-26A became the last Air Corps fighter to have these obsolete characteristics. The first of three prototype P-26s flew in March 1932. After purchasing these aircraft, the Air Corps ordered a total of 111 of the production version, the P-26A, and 25 of the later B and C models. Boeing delivered the first P-26As to the Air Corps in December 1933. The P-26 remained the Air Corps front-line fighter until 1938, when the Curtiss P-36A and the Seversky P-35 began to replace it. The P-26 also flew in foreign air forces. In 1934 Boeing sold an export version to the Chinese, who flew it in combat against the Japanese. In December 1941, the Philippine government employed the then-obsolete P-26 against the Japanese in a futile effort. This aircraft has a top speed of 234 mph, a cruising speed of 199 mph, a range of 360 miles, and a ceiling of 27,400 feet. The Museum’s airplane is a reproduction. This aircraft is powered by a 500 horsepower Pratt & Whitney R-1340 Wasp radial engine. Ryan YPT-16 According to the Museum: A military version of the civilian Ryan STA, the YPT-16 became the first monoplane acquired by the U.S. Army Air Corps as a primary trainer. The Air Corps ordered 15 YPT-16s after purchasing a single Ryan STA-1 in 1939 for testing as the XPT-16. From 1940-1942, the Air Corps bought nearly 1,200 more similar Ryan trainers as PT-20s, PT-21s and PT-22s. The YPT-16 had a metal fuselage and wooden wing spars with fabric covering and external wire bracing. Originally powered by Menasco L-365 in-line engines, all but one were later reequipped with Kinner R-440 radial engines. This aircraft has a top speed of 128 mph, a cruising speed of 118 mph, a range of 350 miles, and a ceiling of 10,000 feet. Northrop A-17A According to the Museum: The A-17 series was a direct descendent of the pace setting Northrop "Gamma," made famous by the aerial explorer Lincoln Ellsworth. It replaced the Curtiss A-8 and A-12 Shrike and was the last of the pre-World War II single-engine attack aircraft ordered into production by the Army Air Corps. Caught in the pre-WWII doctrine that emphasized air superiority over ground support, the A-17 was never fully tested in peacetime exercises or in combat. Its fate was sealed in 1938 when the Army Air Corps determined that all future attack aircraft procured would be multi-engine models. Despite this handicap, the A-17's design and novel features such as split perforated flaps figured prominently in the success of a distinguished line of Douglas aircraft including the Dauntless dive bomber and the post-WWII Skyraider. The first 109 production A-17s featured fixed, partially enclosed landing gear. One hundred twenty-nine A-17As configured with fully retractable landing gear and a more powerful engine followed between February 1937 and August 1938. The A-17A could lift over one ton of bombs. The bombs were carried on four external racks and in an internal bomb bay that featured vertical chutes, which held up to 20 30-pound fragmentation bombs. In addition to the bombs, the A-17A was armed with four forward-firing .30-cal. machine guns for strafing, and one flexible mounted .30-cal. gun in the rear cockpit for self-defense. A-17As saw unit service for less than four years. In June 1940, all but 20 A-17As were sold overseas. The remaining Army Air Forces A-17 and A-17As were used as advanced trainers and squadron support aircraft, most ending up as ground maintenance trainers. The last A-17A was written off of Army Air Forces records in early 1945. This aircraft has a top speed of 220 mph, a cruising speed of 170 mph, a range of 732 miles, and a ceiling of 19,400 feet. The aircraft on display is the only A-17 series known to exist. Curtiss O-52 Owl According to the Museum: In 1940 the U.S. Army Air Corps ordered 203 Curtiss O-52s for observation duties -- signified by the designation "O" -- and used them for military maneuvers within the continental United States. Upon America's entry into World War II, however, the U.S. Army Air Forces realized that the airplane lacked the performance necessary for combat operations overseas. As a result, the Army relegated the O-52 to stateside courier duties and short-range submarine patrols off the coasts of the United States. The O-52 was the last "O" type airplane procured in quantity for the Army. Following the attack on Pearl Harbor, the Army Air Forces cancelled the "O" designation and adopted "L" for the liaison type airplanes that replaced it. This aircraft has a top speed of 215 mph, a range of 455 miles, and a ceiling of 23,300 feet. Fairchild PT-19A Cornell According to the Museum: Fairchild developed the PT-19 in 1938 to satisfy a military requirement for a rugged monoplane primary trainer, and it went into quantity production in 1940. In addition to those manufactured by Fairchild, the Aeronca, Howard and St. Louis Aircraft Corps. produced Cornells. Fleet Aircraft Ltd. produced them in Canada. From the basic PT-19, Fairchild produced two more aircraft: the Continental radial engine powered PT-23 and the PT-26 with an enclosed cockpit. Altogether the U.S. Army Air Forces accepted 7,742 Cornells, of which 4,889 were PT-19s. Additional Cornells went to Canada, Norway, Brazil, Ecuador and Chile. This aircraft has a top speed of 124 mph, a cruising speed of 105 mph, a range of 480 miles, and a ceiling of 16,000 feet. North American BT-14 According to the Museum: The NA-58, Army Air Corps designation BT-14, was a basic trainer developed by North American from its earlier BT-9. Except for the fabric-covered movable surfaces on the tail and wings, the BT-14 was an all metal aircraft. The Army Air Corps purchased 251 BT-14s. Very similar to the BT-14, this North American NA-64 is one of a group of aircraft originally built for the French. When Germany defeated France in 1940, undelivered NA-64s were diverted to the Royal Canadian Air Force where they served as Yale I flight and radio operator trainers. This aircraft has a top speed of 177 mph, a range of 765 miles, and a ceiling of 21,650 feet. According to the Museum: This exhibit demonstrates what could happen to a cadet pilot when taxiing with the wind from behind and applying his brakes too hard. The wind would lift the tail, and the nose would hit the ground. Such an accident resulted in at least a stern lecture from the instructor and possibly the student's dismissal from the school. On average during the war, 40 percent of the cadet pilots did not graduate from flying school. North American O-47B According to the Museum: In 1934 North American Aviation developed the O-47 to replace the O-19 and O-38 observation biplanes. Larger and heavier than most preceding observation aircraft, its crew of three sat in tandem under the long canopy. Since the wings restricted downward observation and photography, North American put windows in the aircraft's deep belly. The U.S. Army Air Corps ordered 174 O-47s in 1937, and National Guard units received 93 of them. In 1938 the Army ordered 74 O-47Bs, which had a redesigned engine cowling for better cooling, a more powerful engine, and improved radio equipment. Training maneuvers in 1941 demonstrated the O-47's shortcomings. Lighter airplanes proved more capable of operating with ground troops, and fighters and twin-engine bombers showed greater ability to perform reconnaissance and photographic duties. Therefore, the Army relegated the O-47 to towing targets or to flying coastal and antisubmarine patrols. This aircraft has a top speed of 227 mph, a cruising speed of 200 mph, a range of 800 miles, and a ceiling of 24,100 feet. More airplanes Air Force Museum: Interwar years bombers (photo diary) Yanks Air Museum: Observation Aircraft (Photo Diary) Planes of Fame: Pre-WWII Fighters (Photo Diary) Evergreen Aviation: Monoplanes (photo diary) WAAAM: Fairchild Airplanes (Photo Diary) McChord Air Museum: Bolo and Dragon (photo diary) Stonehenge Air Museum: Monoplanes (Photo Diary) Museum of Flight: Airplanes of the 1930s (photo diary) [END] --- [1] Url: https://www.dailykos.com/stories/2023/6/16/2175327/-Air-Force-Museum-Interwar-years-monoplanes-photo-diary Published and (C) by Daily Kos Content appears here under this condition or license: Site content may be used for any purpose without permission unless otherwise specified. via Magical.Fish Gopher News Feeds: gopher://magical.fish/1/feeds/news/dailykos/