Parks P-1
| {{Infobox Aircraft Begin
| name=P-1 | image=Parks P-1 biplane NC362K.jpg | caption= }}{{Infobox Aircraft Type | type=Sport biplane | national origin=United States | manufacturer=Parks Aircraft Division, Parks Air Lines, Parks Air College | designer= | first flight= | introduced=1929 | retired= | status= | primary user= | more users= | produced= | number built=45 | program cost= | unit cost= | developed from= Kreider-Reisner Challenger | variants with their own articles= }} |
The Parks P-1 was an American three-seat sport biplane that was built in the late 1920s.{{cite book|title=Aircraft year book|author=Aerospace Industries Association of America, Manufacturers Aircraft Association, Aeronautical Chamber of Commerce of America|year=1929}}
Design and development
Based in St.Louis, pilot, salesman and entrepreneur Oliver Parks founded an air school, airline and aircraft manufacturing business shortly after Lindbergh's 1927 transatlantic flight. Parks bought the rights to the Kreider-Reisner Challenger C-2 and modified it with a chin radiator. The P-1 was built in a new facility in Cahokia, Illinois.{{cite magazine|title=Parks P-1, 1929|department=Advert|magazine=Flying|date=May 1963|volume=72|issue=5|page=89}}
The P-1 was a tandem seat, open cockpit biplane with conventional landing gear. The fuselage was constructed of welded steel tubing with aircraft fabric covering.
Operational history
The P-1 was both sold as a commercial aircraft and placed into service as a trainer at Parks Air College. Although the OX-5 engine was out of production since 1917, there were still enough war surplus engines available at low enough cost to justify installing them on the 1929 design. This made the P-1 the last new aircraft produced using the outdated engine.{{cite web|title=The OX-5 Era|url=http://www.generalaviationnews.com/2011/01/10/the-ox-5-era/|accessdate=1 March 2012}} Parks located his engines by sending out his associate, Joeseph Wecker, to buy OX-5 engines from flight schools in the region. Production ended at number 45, before the onset of the Great Depression and the temporary takeover of the company by the Detroit Aircraft Corporation.{{cite book|title = Aerospace engineering education during the first century of flight|author=Barnes Warnock McCormick, Conrad F. Newberry, Eric Jumper, American Institute of Aeronautics and Astronautics|page=822}}
While part of the Detroit Aircraft Corporation, one experimental P-1 (X289W) was modified with a faired in, tail mounted, all-plane parachute. It was filmed in a live deployment for Paramount Sound News. The 60 ft diameter Russell parachute was designed to hold 2600 to 3000 lbs. A secondary 24 ft diameter parachute was installed for the pilot.
One P-1 has been restored and displayed at the EAA airshow at Oshkosh, Wisconsin winning the award for outstanding open cockpit aircraft in 1992.{{cite web|title=Parks P-1|url=http://1000aircraftphotos.com/Contributions/Shumaker/4894.htm|accessdate=1 March 2012}}
Variants
;Parks P-1
:45 units built, Kreider-Reisner Challenger C-2 copy but with chin radiator.
;Parks P-1H
:Powered by a 100hp Kinner K-5, received ATC on 23 November 1932.{{Cite web|title=Hammond 100|url=http://1000aircraftphotos.com/Contributions/Shumaker/3588.htm|accessdate=1 March 2012}} 7 aircraft modified as the Hammond 100 Sportster.
;Parks P-1T
:Powered by a 115hp Milwaukee Tank engine.
;Parks P-1X
:Three-seater with a 90hp Curtiss OX-5 engine.
Specifications (Parks P-1)
{{Aircraft specs
|ref=Specifications of American Commercial AirplanesAviation March 22, 1930, pp. 606, 608, 610
|prime units?=imp
|genhide=
|crew=1
|capacity=2 passengers
|length m=
|length ft=24
|length in=7
|span m=
|span ft=29
|span in=8
|height m=
|height ft=9
|height in=4
|wing area sqm=
|wing area sqft=290
|empty weight kg=
|empty weight lb=1311
|gross weight kg=
|gross weight lb=2078
|fuel capacity={{convert|35|USgal|impgal L|abbr=on}}
|eng1 number=1
|eng1 name=Curtiss OX-5
|eng1 type=water-cooled V8 engine
|eng1 kw=
|eng1 hp=90
|prop blade number=
|prop name=
|prop dia m=
|prop dia ft=
|prop dia in=
|perfhide=
|max speed kmh=
|max speed mph=102
|max speed kts=
|cruise speed kmh=
|cruise speed mph=90
|cruise speed kts=
|range km=
|range miles=305
|range nmi=
|ceiling m=
|ceiling ft=11000
|climb rate ms=
|climb rate ftmin=500
|more performance=
|avionics=
}}
See also
{{Portal|Aviation|US}}
= Aircraft of comparable role, configuration and era =
(Partial listing, only covers most numerous types)
= Related lists =
References
=Citations=
{{reflist}}
=Bibliography=
- {{cite magazine|title=Specifications of American Commercial Airplanes|magazine=Aviation|date=March 22, 1930|volume=28|issue=12|pages=606–611|url=http://archive.aviationweek.com/issue/19300322#!&pid=606|url-access=registration }}
External links
{{Commons category}}
- [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=B1bQBq4kxik Video of a P-1 aircraft parachute test]
- [http://cdm.slu.edu/cdm/singleitem/collection/photos/id/1349/rec/19 Image of a P-1]