I guess I'll just have to build one of apo's bubble-topped 'regular' Corsairs with the left over
bits from the SH and Tamiya kits.
Looking forward to that! So, actually, you'll almost be getting three buildable kits out of your evilBay investment
More deviant
Corsairs coming down the pike ... but first a quickie based on the Hughes H-1:
Hughes XP-34 'Harrier' -- the Hughes Aircraft XP-2 concept depicted in whif Material Division/Wright Field markings as winner of the 1935 Circular Letter X–603 pursuit competition.
The Hughes XP-2 was based closely upon the H-1
Racer. Like the
Racer, the XP-2 was to be powered by a Pratt & Whitney R-1535
Twin Wasp Junior radial -- chosen for its comparatively low frontal area. [1]
The US Army Air Corps issued Circular Letter X–603 for a new pursuit on 15 Jan 1935. By the end of April 1935, a team at Hughes had revised the H-1 design into a single-seat fighter to meet X-603. Compared with the
Racer, the pursuit was of all-metal construction and had a longer-span, higher aspect ratio wing with a curved trailing edge. The cockpit canopy was raised and a rearview panel was let in to the rear fuselage.
As specified by X–603, the XP–2 (an internal Hughes designation standing for 'Experimental Pursuit, Model 2') was armed with two machine guns (one in each enlarged wing fillet). Top speed was to be 347 mph at 10,000 feet (against the Air Corps' desired 325 mph at that altitude). Endurance also exceeded requirements (at 5.67 hours against the asked for 3 hours). Service ceiling was to be 31,700 feet (1,700 feet more than requested). Rate of climb at sea level was 2,500 feet per minute (versus the 2,200 required).
The XP-2's 4 minute climb time to 10,000 feet fell between the desired and minimum accepted times. Likewise, take off and landing to clear a 50 foot obstacle was slightly less than desired (541 feet vs 500 feet) but well short of the minimum distance of 1,500 feet.
But the Hughes design was deficient in several performance areas. X-603 listed a desired stalling speed of 60 mph with a maximum 65 mph. The XP-2 was expected to stall at 70.5 mph. Required flight path angle was 10°. The XP-2's path angle would be 17°.
By the closing date of 16 May 1936, sixteen pursuit designs had been offered to the Air Corps' Material Division. The Hughes XP-2 was assessed but the competition was won by a rival design by the Wedell-Williams Air Service Corporation, based on their Model 45 racer. Designated XP–34, the Wedell-Williams was to be powered by an R-1830
Twin Wasp -- the more powerful 'big brother' to the Hughes' R-1535 engine.
The RW XP-34 was never built -- Wedell-Williams was in financial trouble. That was moot. It had already become apparent that the performance of a service P-34 would be inferior to the new Seversky P-35 and Curtiss P-36 pursuits.
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[1] The service engine would be rated at 750 hp (whereas the H-1 Racer's engine had reached 900-to-1,000 hp through the use of then-new 100 octane fuel).
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