The Curtiss XP-10 was an American

experimental An experiment is a procedure carried out to support or refute a hypothesis, or determine the efficacy or likelihood of something previously untried. Experiments provide insight into cause-and-effect by demonstrating what outcome occurs whe ...

biplane A biplane is a fixed-wing aircraft with two main wings stacked one above the other. The first powered, controlled aeroplane to fly, the Wright Flyer, used a biplane wing arrangement, as did many aircraft in the early years of aviation. While ...

fighter developed by Curtiss and tested by the

United States Army Air Corps The United States Army Air Corps (USAAC) was the aerial warfare service component of the United States Army between 1926 and 1941. After World War I, as early aviation became an increasingly important part of modern warfare, a philosophical ri ...

, but rejected due to disappointing performance and major problems with the cooling system.

Design and development

Ordered on 18 June 1928, it was intended to be fast and maneuverable enough to win a

dogfight A dogfight, or dog fight, is an air combat manoeuvring, aerial battle between fighter aircraft that is conducted at close range. Modern terminology for air-to-air combat is air combat manoeuvring (ACM), which refers to tactical situations requir ...

. The XP-10 used a

gull wing The gull wing, also known as Polish wing or Puławski wing, is an aircraft wing configuration with a prominent bend in the wing inner section towards the wing root. Its name is derived from the seabirds which it resembles and from the Polish a ...

top wing, joined at the fuselage; this offered much better pilot visibility than the traditional biplane configuration. This also permitted the wing and fuselage to meet at the optimum angle for minimizing drag.Green 1973, p. 188. The wings were

plywood Plywood is a composite material manufactured from thin layers, or "plies", of wood veneer that have been stacked and glued together. It is an engineered wood from the family of manufactured boards, which include plywood, medium-density fibreboa ...

-covered (rather than

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fabric Textile is an umbrella term that includes various fiber-based materials, including fibers, yarns, filaments, threads, and different types of fabric. At first, the word "textiles" only referred to woven fabrics. However, weaving is no ...

, as used in

World War I World War I or the First World War (28 July 1914 – 11 November 1918), also known as the Great War, was a World war, global conflict between two coalitions: the Allies of World War I, Allies (or Entente) and the Central Powers. Fighting to ...

), and the fuselage was fabric-covered steel tubing. The XP-10 used a 600 hp (447 kW) Curtiss V-1570-15 Conqueror

water-cooled Cooling tower and water discharge of a nuclear power plant Water cooling is a method of heat removal from components and industrial equipment. Evaporative cooling using water is often more efficient than air cooling. Water is inexpensive and no ...

V12 engine. To overcome the drag of a radiator (a quite serious issue before the introduction of

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), Curtiss incorporated it into the upper wing. It was formed of corrugated brass sheets through which cooling water was run. While ingenious, this introduced technical and mechanical problems, especially vulnerability to enemy fire in a combat aircraft.

Operational history

Delivered to the Army Air Corps in August 1928, the XP-10 first flew in September. Despite excellent manoeuvrability, with the XP-10 proving superior to the Curtiss Hawk in testing, persistent problems with cooling and the plumbing of the surface radiator led to the XP-10 being abandoned. Curtiss XP-10 rear

Operators

; *

Specifications (XP-10)

References

Bibliography

* Dorr, Robert F. and David Donald. ''Fighters of the United States Air Force''. London: Temple, 1990. . * Green, William. ''War Planes of the Second World War, Fighters.'' Volume Four. Garden City, NY: Doubleday & Company, 1973. * Jones, Lloyd S. ''U.S. Fighters: 1925-1980s''. Fallbrook, California: Aero Publishers, Inc., 1975. . {{DEFAULTSORT:Curtiss Xp-10 P-10 Curtiss P-10 Single-engined tractor aircraft Biplanes Aircraft first flown in 1928