#friday wings

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The PB4Y-2 Privateer was the Navy’s modified version of the Consolidated B-24, designed as a low-altitude, long-range patrol bomber for anti-shipping, anti-submarine, reconnaissance and rescue missions. The PB4Y-2 replaced the PB4Y-1, the Navy’s essentially unchanged version of the B-24. The Privateer’s single vertical tail provided improved low altitude stability. Its Pratt and Whitney R-1830-94 engines lack the B-24’s turbochargers. Privateers were used throughout the Pacific Theater, Later serving in with the French in Indochina.

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The Sopwith Triplane was closely related to its sibling, the Pup, but designed for superior roll and turn rate and had a remarkable rate of climb. The type’s small-chord wings offered a good field of vision compared to biplane fighters. Structurally, the Triplane was strong enough to avoid the extensive rigging seen on many other airplanes of the time. Its maneuverability was helped by the fact that all six of the plane's wings incorporated an aileron.

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Breguet Bre XIX was mostly of metal construction, with fabric covering only the unequal-span wings, aft fuselage and tailplane. More than 1,000 were built for French service, the type equipping many Groupes of the French Aeronautique Militaire from 1925; the last escadrilles did not relinquish their aircraft until 1935. Included in the total were a number of night fighter (Cn2) variants. Breguet Bre XIX were also used extensively during the Spanish Civil War by both sides, but combat losses and lack of spares led to their disappearance from the scene.

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The Curtiss BF2C Goshawk-2 served the U.S. Navy from 1934-1938. Up to this time, the Navy had been repurposing existing fighter aircraft in the dive bomber role. The Goshawk was the first aircraft designated as 'BF' for bomber/fighter from the factory. It had fabric-covered metal construction with metal-covered control surfaces. The Navy "high hat" squadron retained BFC's until February, 1938. Though the Goshawk did not see combat with the U.S. Navy, the Chinese Nationalist Air Force received 52 F11Cs as Hawk IIs and fought against the Japanese during the Second Sino-Japanese War.

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In 1941, when the Flygvapnet (Swedish Air Force) was equipped with a mixture of fighter aircraft of Italian and US origin. The resulting design was of unusual configuration, low-wing monoplane having moderate wing sweep, with central fuselage nacelle to accommodate the pilot on an ejection seat and a rear-mounted powerplant in pusher configuration, twin booms extending aft from the wings. When introduced into service in late 1945 as the J21A-1 the new type was the only pusher-engined fighter to become operational during World War II, a total of 299 before production ended in 1948.

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The prototype Hawker Hurricane K5083 made its first flight 6th NOVEMBER 1935. The early Merlin C engine, with the two bladed wooden prop worked well enough for further development to continue. The Air Ministry ordered Hawker's Interceptor Monoplane in late 1934. Designed by Hawker’s chief designer Sydney Camm, it was an excellent aircraft, and was first RAF fighter capable of exceeding 300 miles (480 km) per hour in level flight. Production in the UK and Canada totaled 14,487. The Hurricane will always be remembered for the vital role it played, with its partner the Spitfire, in hectic battles during the summer of 1940. Hurricanes destroyed more enemy aircraft during the Battle of Britain than did all the other air and ground defenses combined.

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The Hawker Sea Fury is a British fighter aircraft designed and manufactured by Hawker Aircraft. It was the last propeller-driven fighter to serve with the Royal Navy. Developed during the Second World War, the Sea Fury entered service two years after the war ended. It proved to be a popular aircraft with a number of overseas militaries and was used during the Korean War in the early 1950s, and by the Cuban air force during the 1961 Bay of Pigs Invasion.

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At the end of 1937, it became evident that the French aeronautical industry was not in a position to supply the Air Force with the modern fighters it so badly needed. It was logically foreign countries that the Air Ministry turned to try to make up for the delay.

The Curtiss P36 had just been ousted by the Seversky P-35 in the USAAC equipment contest. The Curtiss P36 becomes Curtiss H75 for export, which will be chosen by the French services. The negotiations were rather lengthy: the price of the Curtiss H75 was indeed very high, but the tensions in Europe left little choice to the French emissaries. This aircraft was appreciated by its pilots for its ease of piloting, its large cokpit, and its general stability which made it a good platform of shooting. On the other hand, its armament was far too weak: 4 machine guns of 7.5mm, 6 for the last versions, and its engine, although reliable and robust, was not powerful enough. Its protection was perfectible, including unprotected tanks.