Aeromarine PG-1
{{Short description|Pursuit and ground attack aircraft by Aeromarine}}
{{Infobox aircraft
|name= PG-1
|image= File:Aeromarine PG-1.jpg
|caption=
|type= Pursuit and ground attack aircraft
|national_origin= United States
|manufacturer= Aeromarine
|design_group= U.S. Army Engineering Division
|designer=
|introduction=
|retired=
|status=
|primary_user=
|number_built= 3Angelucci, 1987. pp. 36.
|developed_from=
|variants=
}}
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.
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.
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 {{convert|1/4|in|mm|adj=on|2}} 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.
File:PG-1 - Ray Wagner Photo Collection (16387189799).jpg
Power was to have been provided by the eight-cylinder, water-cooled {{convert|330|hp|kW|abbr=on}} Wright K-2 engine but the first two prototypes were fitted with {{convert|346|hp|kW|abbr=on}} Packard 1A-1116 units due to delays in clearing the K-2 for flight testing. A third prototype was also built and testing was eventually carried out using both the K-2 and Packard 1A-1237 at McCook Field. Prototype aircraft suffered disappointing performance, high levels of vibration and poor visibility. The aircraft had a tendency to spin when stalled.{{cite journal|journal=Skyways|date=April 2001|title=More Aeromarines|author=Ted Koch}} Development was abandoned in 1922.
Specifications
{{Aircraft specs
|ref=Angelucci, 1987. pp. 35-36.
|prime units?=imp
|crew=1
|capacity=
|length ft=24
|length in=6
|span ft=40
|span in=0
|height ft=8
|height in=0
|wing area sqft=389
|empty weight lb=3,030
|gross weight lb=3,918
|eng1 number=1
|eng1 name=Packard 1A-1116
|eng1 hp=346
|max speed mph=130
|range miles=195
|ceiling ft=19,000
|climb rate ftmin=684
|guns=1x {{convert|37|mm|in|abbr=on|3}} Baldwin cannon + 1x {{convert|0.50|in|mm|abbr=on|1}} machine gun
}}
{{aircontent
|see also=
|related=
|similar aircraft=
|lists=
}}
References
{{commons category}}
=Notes=
{{Reflist}}
=Bibliography=
- {{cite book |last= Angelucci |first= Enzo |title=The American Fighter from 1917 to the present |year=1987 |publisher=Orion Books |location=New York |page= 36}}
- Green, W. & Swanborough, G. (1994). The Complete Book of Fighters. London: Salamander Books. {{ISBN|1-85833-777-1}}
{{Aeromarine}}
{{USAAS fighters}}