BOEING P-26
The P-26A was the first all-metal
monoplane pursuit plane produced for the U.S. Army Air Corps,
affectionately called the "Peashooter" by its pilots. The
Consolidated Y1P-25
was the first all-metal pursuit plane tested, but the production
version --
P-30 -- was
purchased after the initial P-26 orders.
The P-26 was also the last Army Air Corps pursuit aircraft accepted
with an open cockpit, a fixed undercarriage, and an externally
braced wing. Significantly faster in level flight than previous
fighters, the P-26A's relatively high landing speed caused the
introduction of landing flaps to reduce this speed.
Boeing initially designed the P-26 in 1931, designating it first as
Model 248 and in December 1931 as the XP-936. The company provided
three test airframes, which remained Boeing property, with the
frugal Air Corps providing the engines, instruments and other
equipment. The first flight occurred on March 20, 1932. The Army Air
Corps purchased the three prototypes and designated them as Y1P-26s.
The Air Corps purchased a total of 111 of the production version,
designating them as P-26A, and 25 of later -B and -C models.
The National Museum of the United States Air Force has a
P-26A on display in
its
Early Years Gallery.
| Type |
Number built/
Converted |
Remarks |
| Y1P-26 |
3 |
XP-936 test models |
| P-26A |
111 |
Improved Y1P-26 with new
landing gear |
| P-26B |
25 |
P-26A with new engine and
fuel injection |
| P-26C |
23 (cv) |
Converted P-26B with new
controls |
SPECIFICATIONS (P-26A):
Span: 27 ft. 11.5 in.
Length: 23 ft. 10 in.
Height: 10 ft. 5 in.
Weight: 2,197 lbs. empty/2,955 lbs. (maximum)
Armament: Two fixed .30-cal. machine guns or one
.50- and one .30-cal. machine gun; up to 200 lbs. of bombs
Engine: Pratt and Whitney R-1340-27 of 600 hp
Crew: One
Cost: $16,567
PERFORMANCE:
Maximum speed: 234 mph/203 knots
Cruising speed: 199 mph/172 knots
Range: 360 statute miles/313 nautical miles
Service ceiling: 27,400 ft.
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