Aeromarine PG-1

The Aeromarine PG-1 was an American single-seat pursuit (fighter) and ground attack (PG) biplane developed by the Engineering Division of the United States Army and manufactured by the Aeromarine Plane and Motor Co..

PG-1
Role Pursuit and ground attack aircraft
National origin United States
Manufacturer Aeromarine
Design group U.S. Army Engineering Division
First flight 22 August 1922[1]
Number built 3[1]

Development and design

The PG-1 was intended to fulfill both ground strafing and aerial defense roles, the contract for construction was won by Aeromarine in May 1921.[1]

Armed with a single 0.5 in (12.7 mm) machine gun as well as a 37 mm Baldwin cannon firing through the propeller hub; the cockpit had ¼-in (6.3 mm) armour. The wings were dissimilar, with a wide-chord upper wing with ailerons, and a closely spaced narrow-chord lower plane with dihedral that placed the tips close to the upper wing. The upper wing was mounted close to the top of the fuselage with a cut-away forward section to accommodate the cockpit, and attached to the lower plane via V-type struts.[1]

Power was to have been provided by the eight-cylinder, water-cooled 330 hp Wright K-2 engine but the first two prototypes were fitted with 346 hp Packard 1A-1116 units due to delays in clearing the K-2 for flight testing.[1] A third prototype was also built and testing was eventually carried out using both the K-2 and Packard 1A-1237 at McCook Field.[1] Prototype aircraft suffered disappointing performance, high levels of vibration and poor visibility. The aircraft had a tendency to spin when stalled.[2] Development was abandoned in 1922.[1]

Specifications

Data from Angelucci, 1987. pp. 35-36.[1]

General characteristics

  • Crew: 1
  • Length: 24 ft 6 in (7.47 m)
  • Wingspan: 40 ft 0 in (12.19 m)
  • Height: 8 ft 0 in (2.44 m)
  • Wing area: 389 sq ft (36.1 m2)
  • Empty weight: 3,030 lb (1,374 kg)
  • Gross weight: 3,918 lb (1,777 kg)
  • Powerplant: 1 × Packard 1A-1116 , 346 hp (258 kW)

Performance

  • Maximum speed: 130 mph (210 km/h, 110 kn)
  • Range: 195 mi (314 km, 169 nmi)
  • Service ceiling: 19,000 ft (5,800 m)
  • Rate of climb: 684 ft/min (3.47 m/s)

Armament

  • Guns: 1x 37 mm (1.457 in) Baldwin cannon + 1x 0.50 in (12.7 mm) machine gun

References

Notes
  1. Angelucci, 1987. pp. 36.
  2. Ted Koch (April 2001). "More Aeromarines". Skyways.

Bibliography
  • Angelucci, Enzo (1987). The American Fighter from 1917 to the present. New York: Orion Books. p. 36.
  • Green, W. & Swanborough, G. (1994). The Complete Book of Fighters. London: Salamander Books. ISBN 1-85833-777-1
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