Английская Википедия:Curtiss 18

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The Curtiss 18T, unofficially known as the Wasp and by the United States Navy as the Kirkham,[1] was an early American triplane fighter aircraft designed by Curtiss for the US Navy.

Design and development

The Curtiss 18T was intended to protect bombing aircraft over France, and a primary requisite for this job was speed. Speed was not the triplane's only salient feature: an 18T-2 set a new altitude record in 1919 of Шаблон:Cvt.[2] The streamlined and very "clean" fuselage contributed to the aircraft's performance. The basic construction was based on cross-laminated strips of wood veneer formed on a mold and attached to the inner structure. The technique was a refinement of that used on the big Curtiss flying boats.[3]

Operational history

Flown by Roland Rholfs, the 18T achieved a world speed record of Шаблон:Cvt in August 1918 carrying a full military load of Шаблон:Cvt.[4]

The Model 18T-2 was an improved version of its predecessor, with 50 additional horsepower. The wings of the new model were swept back. It was also Шаблон:Cvt longer with a Шаблон:Cvt larger two-bay wing, though its operational ceiling was Шаблон:Cvt lower.

After World War I, it was employed as a racing plane: an 18T-2 nearly won the Curtiss Marine Trophy Race in 1922 (limited to U.S. Navy pilots), but the pilot, Lt. Sanderson ran out of fuel just before the finish line.[5]

Curtiss Engineering followed the Model 18T with the Model 18B, unofficially known as the "Hornet", built to otherwise similar specifications.

Файл:Curtiss 18T-1.jpg
The 18T-1
Файл:Rear view of man in a Curtiss biplane 18-B cockpit on field, circa 1917-1919 (TRANSPORT 1105).jpg
Curtiss 18-B

Variants

Model 18T or 18T-1
Two-seat fighter triplane with single-bay wings, powered by a Шаблон:Cvt Curtiss K-12 piston engine. Referred to by the US Navy as the "Kirkham". Originally designated 18T, the type was redesignated the 18T-1 when the prototype was modified to a new configuration designated 18T-2 (see below).
Model 18T-2
18T with longer-span two-bay wings. Could be fitted with floatplane or landplane landing gear.
Model 18B
Biplane fighter version, known unofficially as the "Hornet". Sole flying prototype of Curtiss 18B, USAAS 40058, 'P-86', crashed early in flight trials at McCook Field, Dayton, Ohio, summer 1919. Type not ordered into production. One non-flying prototype also delivered for static testing.[6]

Operators

Шаблон:USA

Specifications (18T-1 Wasp)

Шаблон:Aircraft specs

Notes

Шаблон:Reflist

Bibliography

External links

Шаблон:Commons category

Шаблон:Curtiss aircraft

  1. PART 2 Test of Strength 1917-1919 Шаблон:Webarchive Retrieved: 13 January 2011.
  2. Naval investigation, hearings before the subcommittee of the Committee on Naval Affairs. Washington: United States Senate, 66th Congress, 2d session, 1921. Retrieved: 13 January 2011.
  3. "Curtiss # to J." aerofiles.com. Retrieved: 13 January 2011.
  4. "Aviation History Facts: August 1." Шаблон:Webarchive Centennial of Flight, 2003. Retrieved: 13 January 2011.
  5. Berliner, Don. "A Concise History of Air Racing." Society of Air Racing Historians, 9 January 2007. Retrieved: 13 January 2011.
  6. Green, William, and Swanborough, Gordon, "Fighter A To Z", Air International, Bromley, Kent, UK, February 1976, Volume 10, Number 2, page 98.