The Boeing XP-8 (Boeing Model 66) was a prototype

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, pe ...

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 of the 1920s, notable for its unusual design incorporating the engine

radiator Radiators are heat exchangers used to transfer thermal energy from one medium to another for the purpose of cooling and heating. The majority of radiators are constructed to function in cars, buildings, and electronics. A radiator is always a ...

into the lower wing.Jones 1975, p. 34–35.

Design and development

Boeing developed the prototype in 1926 as a private venture, with the goal of winning the Army Air Corps competition announced in 1925. Designated by Boeing as its Model 66, the airframe was basically a

PW-9 The Boeing Model 15 was a United States single-seat open-cockpit biplane fighter aircraft of the 1920s, manufactured by the Boeing company. The Model 15 saw service with the United States Army Air Service (as the PW-9 series) and with the United ...

with an experimental 600 hp Packard 2A-1500 engine. In order to streamline around the engine, the radiator was moved back so that the opening coincided with the front edge of the lower wing, resulting in an unusually narrow profile around the engine.

Testing

Army testing of the aircraft began in January 1928, and it handled well, but performance was lacking, achieving only a maximum speed of 173.2 mph. Even so, the prototype continued in Air Corps service until June 1929, after which it was scrapped. The airframe design lived on in the Navy's Boeing F2B.

Operators

; * United States Army Air Corps

Specifications (XP-8)

Boeing_XP-8_3-view_L'Aéronautique_October,1927

References

Notes

Bibliography

* Boeing Company. ''Pedigree of Champions: Boeing Since 1916, Third Edition''. Seattle, Washington: The Boeing Company, 1969. * Dorr, Robert F. and Donald, David. ''Fighters of the United States Air Force''. London: Temple, 1990. . * Jones, Lloyd S. ''U.S. Fighters: Army-Air Force 1925 to 1980s''. Fallbrook, California: Aero Publishers, Inc., 1975. .

External links

Boeing XP-8
{{Boeing model numbers Boeing P-08 P-08 Single-engined tractor aircraft Biplanes Aircraft first flown in 1928