| Curtiss 18-T Wasp | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Role | twoseat fighter triplane |
| Manufacturer | Curtiss Engineering Corporation |
| Designer | Charles B. Kirkham |
| First flight | 7 May 1918 |
| Introduction | February 1919 |
| Primary user | United States Navy |
| Unit cost |
$55,400[1]
|
The Curtiss 18T, unofficially known as the Wasp and by the United States Navy as the Kirkham,[2] was an early American triplane fighter aircraft designed by Curtiss Engineering for the US Navy.
Design and development[]
The Curtiss 18T was intended to protect bombing squads along the French coast, 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 34,910 ft (10,640 m).[3] 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.[4]
Operational history[]
Flown by Roland Rholfs, the 18T achieved a world speed record of 163 mph (262 km/h) in August 1918 carrying a full military load of 1,076 lb (488 kg).[5] The Model 18T-2 was an improved version of its predecessor, boosting 50 additional horsepower. The wings of the new model were swept back. It was also 5 ft (150 cm) longer with a 9 ft (270 cm) longer two-bay wing, though its flight ceiling was 2,000 ft (610 m) 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 pilot Sandy Sanderson ran out of fuel just before the finish line.[6]
Curtiss Engineering followed the success of the Model 18T with the launch of the Model 18B, unofficially known as the "Hornet", built to otherwise similar specifications.
Variants[]
The 18T-1
- Model 18T or 18T-1
- Two-seat fighter triplane with single-bay wings, powered by a 400-hp (298-kW) Curtiss-Kirkham 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.[7]
Operators[]
Specifications (T-1)[]
Data from Curtiss Aircraft 1907–1947[8]
General characteristics
- Crew: 2
- Length: 23 ft 4 in (7.11 m)
- Wingspan: 32 ft 10 in (9.75 m)
- Height: 10 ft 2 in (3.09 m)
- Wing area: 288 sq ft (26.75 m2)
- Empty weight: 1,980 lb (898 kg)
- Loaded weight: 3,050 lb ()
- Powerplant: 1 × Curtiss K-12 water-cooled 12-cylinder vee engine, 400 hp (298 kW)
Performance
- Maximum speed: 163 mph (142 knots, 262 km/h)
- Endurance: 5.9 hr
- Service ceiling: 23,000 ft (7,010 m)
- Climb to 12,500 ft (3,800 m): 10 min
Armament
- Guns:
- Primary: 2 × forward-firing synchronized .30 in (7.62 mm) Marlin guns
- Secondary: 2 × rear-cockpit .30 in Lewis guns on a Scarff ring, 1 × Lewis gun firing through aperture in aircraft's belly[9]
References[]
- Notes
- ↑ Angelucci 1987, pp. 114–115.
- ↑ PART 2 Test of Strength 19171919 Retrieved: 13 January 2011.
- ↑ 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.
- ↑ "Curtiss # to J." aerofiles.com. Retrieved: 13 January 2011.
- ↑ "Aviation History Facts: August 1." Centennial of Flight, 2003. Retrieved: 13 January 2011.
- ↑ Berliner, Don. "A Concise History of Air Racing." Society of Air Racing Historians, 9 January 2007. Retrieved: 13 January 2011.
- ↑ Green, William, and Swanborough, Gordon, "Fighter A To Z", Air International, Bromley, Kent, UK, February 1976, Volume 10, Number 2, page 98.
- ↑ Bowers 1979, p. 143.
- ↑ Bowers 1979, p. 139.
- Bibliography
- Angelucci, Enzo and Peter Bowers. The American Fighter: The Definitive Guide to American Fighter Aircraft from 1917 to the Present. New York: Orion Books, 1985. ISBN 0-517-56588-9.
- Bowers, Peter M. Curtiss Aircraft 1907–1947. London: Putnam, 1979. ISBN 0-370-10029-8.
- "The Curtiss Model 18-T Triplane." Flight, Volume XI, Issue 22, No. 544, 29 May 1919, pp. 698–700.
- "The Curtiss Model 18-B Biplane." Volume XI, Issue 28, No. 550, 10 July 1919, pp. 902–904.
- Green, William and Gordon Swanborough. The Complete Book of Fighters. New York: Salamander, 1994. ISBN 0-8317-3939-8.
External links[]
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