Loening M-8
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
| Loening M-8 | |
|---|---|
| Type | Monoplane fighter |
| Manufacturer | Loening Aeronautical Engineering |
| Designed by | Grover Loening |
| Maiden flight | 1918 |
| Primary users | United States Navy United States Army Air Corps |
| Number built | 55 |
The Leoning M-8 was a 1910s American fighter monoplane designed by Grover Loening and built by his Loening Aeronautical Engineering Company. An order of 5000 for the United States Army Air Corps was canceled when the First World War ended.
[edit] Development
The first design by Grover Leoning after he had formed his company was a two-seat braced-wing monoplane fighter the M-8. It had a fixed tailskid landing gear and was powered by a nose-mounted Hispano-Suiza engine with a tractor propeller. The pilot and gunner had tandem open cockpits. The first aircraft was flown in 1918 and after testing the United States Army Air Corps ordered 5000 aircraft to be built. At the end of the war the order was canceled and only two aircraft were delivered to the Army and one to the United States Navy with the designation M-8-0. The Navy ordered 46 aircraft in two variants for use as observation aircraft. The Navy also ordered six M-8-S twin-float seaplane versions. A single-seat version was developed for the Army as the Loening PW-2.
[edit] Variants
- M-8
- Production variant for the United States Army Air Corps, two prototypes, 5000 cancelled.
- M-8-0
- One M-8 for evaluation by the United States Navy.
- M-8-0
- Production version for the United States Navy, 10 built.
- M-8-1
- Second production variant for the United States Navy, 36 built by the Naval Aircraft Factory.
- M-8-S
- Seaplane variant for the United States Navy, six built.
[edit] Operators
[edit] Specifications (M-8-0)
General characteristics
- Crew: 2
- Length: 21 ft 6 in ( m)
- Wingspan: 32 ft 9 in (9.98 m)
- Gross weight: 2068 lb (938 kg)
- Powerplant: 1 × Hispano-Suiza V-8 engine, 300 hp (224 kW)
Performance
- Maximum speed: 145 mph (233 km/h)
Armament
- Twin 0.3in (7.62mm) Lewis machine gun
[edit] See also
Related development
Related lists
[edit] References
- Taylor, Michael J. H. (1989). Jane's Encyclopedia of Aviation. London: Studio Editions.
- The Illustrated Encyclopedia of Aircraft (Part Work 1982-1985). Orbis Publishing, 2376.
|
||||||||||||||
