| P-30 (PB-2) | |
|---|---|
| Consolidated P-30 (US Air Force Photo) | |
| Role | Fighter aircraft |
| Manufacturer | Consolidated Aircraft |
| First flight | January 1934 |
| Status | Retired |
| Primary user | United States Army Air Corps |
| Number built | 60 |
The Consolidated P-30 (PB-2) was a 1930s United States two-seat fighter aircraft. An attack version called the A-11 was also built, along with two Y1P-25 prototypes and YP-27, Y1P-28, and XP-33 proposals. The P-30 is significant for being the first fighter in United States Army Air Corps service to have retractable landing gear, an enclosed and heated cockpit for the pilot, and an exhaust-driven turbosupercharger for altitude operation.
Contents |
The P-30 had its origins in the canceled Detroit-Lockheed YP-24/A-9. After collapse of the Detroit Aircraft Corporation in 1931, the chief YP-24 designer Robert J. Woods went to work for Consolidated Aircraft. Since the YP-24 was a victim of the Great Depression and not flawed design and the Army Air Corps was still interested in the type, Woods continued his work, producing the Y1P-25. The new aircraft differed from the YP-24 in being somewhat larger and having an all-metal wing and a turbosupercharged engine. The Y1P-25 and its sister attack version, the Y1A-11 armed with four forward-firing machine guns and racks for 400 lb (182 kg) of bombs, were ready for testing in December 1932. Although both prototypes were lost in crashes a week apart in January 1933, the USAAC was pleased enough to order production of four P-30 fighters and four A-11 attack aircraft. Production versions differed from prototypes in having more powerful engines and revised landing gear and cockpit canopies. The Y1P-25 crashed during flight testing at Wright Field, Ohio, on 13 January 1933, killing Captain Hugh M. Elmendorf. Exactly one week later, on 20 January 1933, the prototype XA-11 attack aircraft crashed, claiming the life of Elmendorf's associate, Lieut. Irvin A. Woodring.
US Army Air Corps testing in January 1934 revealed good performance, especially at altitude. However, pilots questioned utility of the gunner who had a limited field of fire and was vulnerable to blackouts during hard maneuvering. Three P-30s were delivered to the 94th Pursuit Squadron at Selfridge Field. In December 1934, the Army Air Corps ordered an additional 50 P-30A, redesignated PB-2A (Pursuit, Biplace), with further upgraded engines and onboard oxygen equipment for high altitude flying. On 17 October 1936, Lt. John M. Sterling flying a PB-2A won the Mitchell Trophy race with a speed of 217.5 mph (350.2 km/h). Although high-altitude flights were rare at the time, in March 1937, a PB-2A flew for 20 minutes at 39,300 ft (11,980 m). Since the PB-2A was one of the few aircraft at the time to have retractable landing gear, several were damaged in unintentional "wheels up" landings.
Consolidated attempted to further refine the design by proposing further variants:
None of these proposals advanced to prototype stage.
One PB-2A was converted to a single-seat configuration, proposed as a replacement for the USAAC's P-26 Peashooter fighter aircraft. However, this conversion was still too heavy for the role, and the sole aircraft crashed during early flight testing.
While generally trouble-free, the PB-2A was slow and heavy, and by 1939 all had been replaced in frontline service by Seversky P-35 and Curtiss P-36 Hawk aircraft.
The A-11 attack version failed to win a production order beyond the original four aircraft in spite of good performance because the USAAC wanted more durable radial engines for its attack aircraft. One was converted to the XA-11A testbed with the new Allison XV-1710-7 inline engine with 1,000 hp (746 kW).
Data from Singular Two-Seater[1]
General characteristics
Performance
Armament
|
||||||||
|
|||||
|
||||||||||||||
|
||||||||||||||