Verville-Packard R-1 Racer

The Verville-Packard R-1 Racer was a military racing aircraft that was modified from Alfred V. Verville's previous Verville VCP-1 design. The R-1 is sometimes known also as the Verville-Packard VCP-R or the Verville-Packard 600. The R-1 was the first racing aircraft built for the United States Army Air Corps.

R-1 Racer
Role Racing aircraft
National origin United States
Manufacturer Verville-Packard
Designer Alfred V. Verville
First flight 1919
Primary user United States Army Air Corps
Number built 1
Developed from Verville VCP

Development

The first R-1 was created from a VCP-1 in 1919, by installing the Packard V-12 engine.[1][2]

Operational history

On November 27, 1920, Capt. Corliss Moseley, flying an R-1 racer, out of 24 track finishers, won the Pulitzer Trophy Race at Mitchel Air Force Base. The top speed was 156.54 mph.[3][4]

  • Photo of C. C. Mosley, who piloted the R-1 Racer to victory at the 1920 National Air Races in New York.
  • R-1 Racer in photo c. 1920
  • The VCP-R was damaged on August 2nd, 1920, after colliding on landing with an automobile that had been timing its speed tests at Wright Field.

Operators
 United States

Specifications (R-1)

General characteristics

  • Crew: 1
  • Wingspan: 32 ft (9.8 m)
  • Wing area: 269 sq ft (25.0 m2)
  • Powerplant: 1 × Packard 1A-2025 V-12 liquid-cooled piston engine, 638 hp (476 kW)

Performance

  • Maximum speed: 177 mph (285 km/h, 154 kn)

See also

Aircraft of comparable role, configuration, and era

Notes
  1. "Verville-Packard R-1 air racer". Air-racing-history.com. Archived from the original on 2019-08-03. Retrieved 2010-12-10.
  2. Smithsonian_Annals_Of_Flight, Number 7: Curtiss_D-12, Page 36
  3. US Air Services, February, 1920 (Published 1919), Volume 2, Number 7, Item notes: v. 3-4, Original from the University of Michigan, Digitized Jul 26, 2007, Page 14. 2007-07-26. Retrieved 2010-12-10.
  4. "Army Pilot Wins Pulitzer Air Race," New York Times, Nov 26, 1920, Page 1, Column 6, Subtitle: "Lieutenant Mosley, in Verville Packard, Averages Almost Three Miles a Minute"

References
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