The Hall XP2H-1 was an

American American(s) may refer to: * American, something of, from, or related to the United States of America, commonly known as the "United States" or "America" ** Americans, citizens and nationals of the United States of America ** American ancestry, p ...

prototype four-engined

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 ...

flying boat A flying boat is a type of seaplane with a hull, allowing it to land on water. It differs from a floatplane in having a fuselage that is purpose-designed for flotation, while floatplanes rely on fuselage-mounted floats for buoyancy. Though ...

of the 1930s. Intended as an experimental very-long-range maritime patrol aircraft, a single example was built. The XP2H-1 was the largest four engine biplane aircraft ever procured by the US Navy.''Test Pilot'' Airpower, September 1974 pp. 11-12

Development and design

In 1930, the

United States Navy The United States Navy (USN) is the naval warfare, maritime military branch, service branch of the United States Department of Defense. It is the world's most powerful navy with the largest Displacement (ship), displacement, at 4.5 millio ...

ordered a single example of a large flying boat from the Hall-Aluminum Aircraft Corporation, to meet a requirement for an experimental very-long-range patrol aircraft. The resulting design, designated XP2H-1, was a four-engined

with an all-aluminum hull, scaled-up from the smaller PH flying boat, which accommodated a crew of six. The wings were of fabric-skinned aluminum construction and were of

trapezoid In geometry, a trapezoid () in North American English, or trapezium () in British English, is a quadrilateral that has at least one pair of parallel sides. The parallel sides are called the ''bases'' of the trapezoid. The other two sides are ...

al shape. The water-cooled V-12 Curtiss V-1570 Conqueror engines were mounted in tandem push-pull pairs between the wings, in nacelles attached to the lower wings.Wegg 1990, pp.113-114.''Flight'' January 24, 1935, p.94. The XP2H-1 first flew on November 15, 1932, and was extensively tested, demonstrating excellent performance, being faster than predicted. It was possible to cruise on just two engines to extend range, and in 1935, the XP2H-1 was used to carry out a nonstop flight between

Norfolk Norfolk ( ) is a Ceremonial counties of England, ceremonial county in England, located in East Anglia and officially part of the East of England region. It borders Lincolnshire and The Wash to the north-west, the North Sea to the north and eas ...

Virginia Virginia, officially the Commonwealth of Virginia, is a U.S. state, state in the Southeastern United States, Southeastern and Mid-Atlantic (United States), Mid-Atlantic regions of the United States between the East Coast of the United States ...

and

Coco Solo Coco Solo was a United States Navy submarine base and naval air station near the Panama Canal, active from 1918 to the 1960s. History The submarine base at Coco Solo was established May 6, 1918. The site corresponds with modern-day Cativá i ...

Panama Canal Zone The Panama Canal Zone (), also known as just the Canal Zone, was a International zone#Concessions, concession of the United States located in the Isthmus of Panama that existed from 1903 to 1979. It consisted of the Panama Canal and an area gene ...

. The XP2H-1 took 25 hours and 15 minutes to fly the distance between these two locations.''Flight'' 21 February 1935, p.195. It was destroyed later in the year attempting to alight in open water.Loftin 1985
Chapter 8: Boats in the Sky :Biplane Flying-Boat Developments, 1920-30
No further P2Hs were built, with the US Navy equipping its patrol squadrons with smaller flying boats such as the

Consolidated P2Y The Consolidated P2Y was an American sesquiplane maritime patrol flying boat. The aircraft was also made by Martin as the P3M, as a parasol monoplane, due to the Navy awarding production contracts separately from prototype contracts. Develop ...

Operators

; *

Specifications

References

*
For Long Range Patrol
. ''

Flight Flight or flying is the motion (physics), motion of an Physical object, object through an atmosphere, or through the vacuum of Outer space, space, without contacting any planetary surface. This can be achieved by generating aerodynamic lift ass ...

'', 24 January 1935. p. 94.
A Long Distance Flight
''Flight'', 21 February 1935, p. 195. * Boyne, Walter J.
The Flying Hallmarks: The Hall Aluminium Classics
. ''The Best of Wings Magazine''. Washington, DC:Brasseys, 2001. . pp. 52–61. * Loftin, Laurence K.

'',SP-468. Washington, DC: National Aeronautics and Space Administration, History Office, Scientific and Technical Information Branch, 1985. * Wegg, John. ''General Dynamic Aircraft and their Predecessors''. London:Putnam, 1990. . {{USN patrol aircraft Flying boats 1930s United States patrol aircraft Four-engined push-pull aircraft P2H Biplanes Aircraft first flown in 1932

Development and design

Operators

Specifications

See also

References