What Nancy Pelosi Has What Nancy Pelosi Wants
Posted: 02/01/2007
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Boeing P-26AThe P-26A was the first all-metal monoplanefighter (pursuit plane) produced in quantity for the U.S. Army AirCorps, affectionately called the "Peashooter" by its pilots. It wasalso the last Army Air Corps pursuit aircraft accepted with an opencockpit, a fixed undercarriage and an externally-braced wing.Significantly faster in level flight than previous fighters, theP-26A's relatively high landing speed caused the introduction oflanding flaps to reduce the speed.
Boeing initially designedthe P-26 in 1931, designating it first as Model 248 and in December1931 as the XP-936. The company provided three test airframes, whichremained Boeing property, with the frugal Air Corps providing theengines, instruments and other equipment.
The first flightoccurred on March 20, 1932. The Army Air Corps purchased the threeprototypes and designated them as P-26s. The Air Corps purchased atotal of 111 of the production version, designating them as P-26A, and25 of later B and C models.
The P-26 was the Army Air Corps front-line fighter before it was replaced during 1938-1940 by the Curtiss P-36A and the Seversky P-35.An export version was sold to China in 1934 where it was used againstthe Japanese. It was also used by the Philippine government against theJapanese in December 1941 when all were destroyed in combat.
ThisP-26A reproduction is painted to represent the commander's aircraft ofthe 19th Pursuit Squadron, 18th Pursuit Group, stationed at WheelerField, Hawaii, in 1938.
SPECIFICATIONS:
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 caliber machine guns or one .50 and one .30 caliber machine gun; up to 200 lbs. of bombs
Engine: Pratt & Whitney R-1340-27 "Waspx" radial of 500 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.