The Curtiss-Wright XP-55 Ascender (company designation CW-24) is a 1940s United States prototype fighter aircraft built by Curtiss-Wright. Along with the Vultee XP-54 and Northrop XP-56, it resulted from United States Army Air Corps proposal R-40C issued on 27 November 1939 for aircraft with improved performance, armament, and pilot visibility over existing fighters; it specifically allowed for unconventional aircraft designs. An unusual design for its time, it had a canard configuration, a rear-mounted engine, swept wings, and two vertical tails. Because of its pusher design, it was sarcastically referred to as the "Ass-ender".[1] Like the XP-54, the Ascender was designed for the Pratt & Whitney X-1800 engine, but was re-designed after that engine project was canceled. It was also the first Curtiss fighter aircraft to use tricycle landing gear.
June 1940, the Curtiss-Wright company received an Army contract for preliminary engineering data and a powered wind tunnel model. The designation P-55 was reserved for the project. The USAAC was dissatisfied with the results of these tests. Accordingly, Curtiss-Wright built a flying full-scale model they designated CW-24B. The flying testbed was powered by a 275 hp (205 kW) Menasco C68-5inline engine. It had a fabric-covered, welded steel tube fuselage with a wooden wing. The undercarriage was non-retractable.
July 1942, the United States Army Air Forces issued a contract for three prototypes under the designation XP-55. Serial numbers were 42-78845 through 42-78847. During this time, the Pratt & Whitney X-1800H-blocksleeve valve engine was delayed, and was eventually canceled. Curtiss decided to switch to the 1,000 hp (750 kW) Allison V-1710 (F16) liquid-cooled inline engine because of its proven reliability. Armament was to be two 20 mm (0.79 in) cannon and two 0.50 in (12.7 mm) machine guns. During the mock-up phase, engineers switched to the 1,275 hp (951 kW) V-1710-95. The 20 mm cannons were also replaced by 0.50 in machine guns.
One feature of the XP-55 was a propeller jettison lever inside the cockpit to prevent the pilot from hitting the propeller during bailout. The jettison device was invented by W. Jerome Peterson while working as a design engineer for Curtiss-Wright.[citation needed]
Operational history
The first XP-55 following a testing crash.
The first XP-55 (42-78845) was completed on 13 July 1943 with the same configuration as the final prototype CW-24B. The aircraft made its first flight on 19 July 1943 from the Army's Scott Field near the Curtiss-Wright plant in St Louis, Missouri. The pilot was J. Harvey Gray, Curtiss' test pilot. Testing revealed the takeoff run was excessively long. To solve this problem, the nose elevator size was increased and the aileron up-trim was interconnected with the flaps so it operated after the flaps were lowered.
November 1943, test pilot Harvey Gray, flying the first XP-55 (S/N 42-78845), was testing the aircraft's stall performance at altitude. Suddenly, the XP-55 inverted into an uncontrolled descent. The pilot was unable to right the airplane, and it fell out of control for 16,000 ft (4,900 m) before Gray was able to parachute to safety. The aircraft was destroyed.
The second XP-55 (S/N 42-78846) was similar to the first, but with a slightly larger nose-elevator, modified elevator-tab systems, and a change from balance tabs to spring tabs on the ailerons. It flew for the first time on 9 January 1944. All flight tests were restricted so the stall-zone was avoided.[2]
The third XP-55 (S/N 42-78847) flew for the first time on 25 April 1944. It was fitted with four machine guns, and incorporated some of the lessons from the loss of the first XP-55. Engineers discovered the aircraft's stall characteristics could be improved by the addition of four-foot wingtip extensions, and by increasing the limits of the nose elevator travel. Between 16 September and 2 October 1944, the second XP-55 (42-78846), modified to the standards as the third aircraft, underwent official USAAF flight trials.
The performance of the XP-55 was inferior to conventional fighter aircraft.[3] Sealing its fate, by 1944, jet-powered fighters were in development; that terminated development of the XP-55.
The third prototype XP-55 (s/n 42-78847) was lost on 27 May 1945 during the closing day of the Seventh War Bond Air Show at the Army Air Forces Fair at Wright Field in Dayton, Ohio.[4] After a low pass in formation with a Lockheed P-38 Lightning and a North American P-51 Mustang on each wing, its pilot, William C. Glasgow, attempted a slow roll, but lost altitude and crashed, sending flaming debris into occupied civilian ground vehicles on a highway near the airfield. The crash killed Glasgow and four civilians on the ground.[5]
Balzer, Gerald H. (2008). American Secret Pusher Fighters of World War II: XP-54, XP-55, and XP-56. North Branch, MN: Specialty Press. ISBN978-1-58007-125-3.
Bowers, Peter M (1979). Curtiss Aircraft, 1907–1947. London: Putnam. ISBN0-370-10029-8.
Green, William (1969). War Planes of the Second World War, Volume Four: Fighters (Sixth ed.). London: MacDonald & Co. (Publishers) Ltd. ISBN0-356-01448-7.
Green, William; Gordon Swanborough (1977). WW2 Aircraft Fact Files: US Army Air Force Fighters, Part 1. London: Macdonald and Jane's Publishers Ltd. ISBN0-356-08218-0.
Jenkins, Dennis R.; Tony R. Landis (2008). Experimental & Prototype U.S. Air Force Jet Fighters. North Branch, MN: Specialty Press. ISBN978-1-58007-111-6.
McIntyre, Violet. Niagara Gazette, Niagara Falls, NY, 11 November 2004.
Further reading
Balzer, Gerald H. (2014). Curtiss XP-55 Ascender. Air Force Legends. Vol. 217. Simi Valley, CA: Ginter Books. ISBN978-0-9892-5833-3.
External links
Wikimedia Commons has media related to Curtiss-Wright XP-55 Ascender.
XP-55 Ascender by Joe Baugher
Curtiss Wright XP-55 Ascender -USAAF Resource Center at warbirdsresourcegroup.org
"Flying Backwards to the Future", Popular Science, August 1945
January 30, 2023
curtiss, wright, ascender, this, article, needs, additional, citations, verification, please, help, improve, this, article, adding, citations, reliable, sources, unsourced, material, challenged, removed, find, sources, news, newspapers, books, scholar, jstor, . This article needs additional citations for verification Please help improve this article by adding citations to reliable sources Unsourced material may be challenged and removed Find sources Curtiss Wright XP 55 Ascender news newspapers books scholar JSTOR March 2021 Learn how and when to remove this template message P 55 redirects here For other uses see P 55 disambiguation The Curtiss Wright XP 55 Ascender company designation CW 24 is a 1940s United States prototype fighter aircraft built by Curtiss Wright Along with the Vultee XP 54 and Northrop XP 56 it resulted from United States Army Air Corps proposal R 40C issued on 27 November 1939 for aircraft with improved performance armament and pilot visibility over existing fighters it specifically allowed for unconventional aircraft designs An unusual design for its time it had a canard configuration a rear mounted engine swept wings and two vertical tails Because of its pusher design it was sarcastically referred to as the Ass ender 1 Like the XP 54 the Ascender was designed for the Pratt amp Whitney X 1800 engine but was re designed after that engine project was canceled It was also the first Curtiss fighter aircraft to use tricycle landing gear XP 55 AscenderCurtiss XP 55 Ascender in flight Role FighterManufacturer Curtiss Wright CorporationFirst flight 19 July 1943Status Canceled at flight test stageNumber built 3 Contents 1 Design and development 2 Operational history 3 Aircraft disposition 4 Specifications XP 55 5 See also 6 References 6 1 Citations 6 2 Bibliography 7 Further reading 8 External linksDesign and development Edit Curtiss CW 24B at Langley wind tunnel June 1940 the Curtiss Wright company received an Army contract for preliminary engineering data and a powered wind tunnel model The designation P 55 was reserved for the project The USAAC was dissatisfied with the results of these tests Accordingly Curtiss Wright built a flying full scale model they designated CW 24B The flying testbed was powered by a 275 hp 205 kW Menasco C68 5 inline engine It had a fabric covered welded steel tube fuselage with a wooden wing The undercarriage was non retractable July 1942 the United States Army Air Forces issued a contract for three prototypes under the designation XP 55 Serial numbers were 42 78845 through 42 78847 During this time the Pratt amp Whitney X 1800 H block sleeve valve engine was delayed and was eventually canceled Curtiss decided to switch to the 1 000 hp 750 kW Allison V 1710 F16 liquid cooled inline engine because of its proven reliability Armament was to be two 20 mm 0 79 in cannon and two 0 50 in 12 7 mm machine guns During the mock up phase engineers switched to the 1 275 hp 951 kW V 1710 95 The 20 mm cannons were also replaced by 0 50 in machine guns One feature of the XP 55 was a propeller jettison lever inside the cockpit to prevent the pilot from hitting the propeller during bailout The jettison device was invented by W Jerome Peterson while working as a design engineer for Curtiss Wright citation needed Operational history Edit The first XP 55 following a testing crash The first XP 55 42 78845 was completed on 13 July 1943 with the same configuration as the final prototype CW 24B The aircraft made its first flight on 19 July 1943 from the Army s Scott Field near the Curtiss Wright plant in St Louis Missouri The pilot was J Harvey Gray Curtiss test pilot Testing revealed the takeoff run was excessively long To solve this problem the nose elevator size was increased and the aileron up trim was interconnected with the flaps so it operated after the flaps were lowered November 1943 test pilot Harvey Gray flying the first XP 55 S N 42 78845 was testing the aircraft s stall performance at altitude Suddenly the XP 55 inverted into an uncontrolled descent The pilot was unable to right the airplane and it fell out of control for 16 000 ft 4 900 m before Gray was able to parachute to safety The aircraft was destroyed The second XP 55 S N 42 78846 was similar to the first but with a slightly larger nose elevator modified elevator tab systems and a change from balance tabs to spring tabs on the ailerons It flew for the first time on 9 January 1944 All flight tests were restricted so the stall zone was avoided 2 The third XP 55 S N 42 78847 flew for the first time on 25 April 1944 It was fitted with four machine guns and incorporated some of the lessons from the loss of the first XP 55 Engineers discovered the aircraft s stall characteristics could be improved by the addition of four foot wingtip extensions and by increasing the limits of the nose elevator travel Between 16 September and 2 October 1944 the second XP 55 42 78846 modified to the standards as the third aircraft underwent official USAAF flight trials The performance of the XP 55 was inferior to conventional fighter aircraft 3 Sealing its fate by 1944 jet powered fighters were in development that terminated development of the XP 55 The third prototype XP 55 s n 42 78847 was lost on 27 May 1945 during the closing day of the Seventh War Bond Air Show at the Army Air Forces Fair at Wright Field in Dayton Ohio 4 After a low pass in formation with a Lockheed P 38 Lightning and a North American P 51 Mustang on each wing its pilot William C Glasgow attempted a slow roll but lost altitude and crashed sending flaming debris into occupied civilian ground vehicles on a highway near the airfield The crash killed Glasgow and four civilians on the ground 5 Aircraft disposition Edit XP 55 on display at the Air Zoo 42 78845 crashed during vertical dive on Nov 15 1943 Pilot bailed out 6 42 78846 on display at the Air Zoo in Kalamazoo Michigan It is on long term loan from the Smithsonian s National Air and Space Museum in Washington D C 7 42 78847 crashed during air show at Wright Field Ohio on May 27 1945 Pilot killed 8 Specifications XP 55 Edit Curtis XP 55 Ascender side view Patent for the propeller jettison system used on the XP 55 Data from Green and Swanborough 1977 9 General characteristicsCrew One pilot Length 29 ft 7 in 9 02 m Wingspan 40 ft 7 in 12 37 m Height 10 ft 0 in 3 05 m Wing area 235 sq ft 21 8 m2 Empty weight 6 354 lb 2 882 kg Gross weight 7 710 lb 3 497 kg Max takeoff weight 7 930 lb 3 597 kg Powerplant 1 Allison V 1710 95 liquid cooled V12 engine 1 275 hp 951 kW Performance Maximum speed 390 mph 630 km h 340 kn at 19 300 feet 5 900 m Range 635 mi 1 022 km 552 nmi Service ceiling 34 600 ft 10 500 m Wing loading 32 8 lb sq ft 160 kg m2 Power mass 0 16 hp lbArmament Guns 4 0 50 in 12 7 mm machine guns in the noseSee also Edit Aviation portalAircraft of comparable role configuration and era Ambrosini SS 4 Kyushu J7W Shinden Miles M 35 Libellula Northrop XP 56 Black Bullet SAAB 21 Vultee XP 54Related lists List of aircraft of World War II List of fighter aircraft List of military aircraft of the United States Lists of air show accidents and incidentsReferences EditCitations Edit Jenkins 2008 p 8 Bowers 1979 p 467 Green 1969 p 65 Balzer 2008 Scott Roland B Air Mail Wings Granada Hills California October 1978 Volume 8 Number 5 p 10 XP 55 Ascender 42 78845 Joe Baugher s Serial Numbers Retrieved 10 May 2013 XP 55 Ascender 42 78846 Archived 2017 08 19 at the Wayback Machine Air Zoo Retrieved 10 May 2013 XP 55 Ascender 42 78847 Joe Baugher s Serial Numbers Retrieved 10 May 2013 Green and Swanborough 1977 pp 69 71 Bibliography Edit Balzer Gerald H 2008 American Secret Pusher Fighters of World War II XP 54 XP 55 and XP 56 North Branch MN Specialty Press ISBN 978 1 58007 125 3 Bowers Peter M 1979 Curtiss Aircraft 1907 1947 London Putnam ISBN 0 370 10029 8 Green William 1969 War Planes of the Second World War Volume Four Fighters Sixth ed London MacDonald amp Co Publishers Ltd ISBN 0 356 01448 7 Green William Gordon Swanborough 1977 WW2 Aircraft Fact Files US Army Air Force Fighters Part 1 London Macdonald and Jane s Publishers Ltd ISBN 0 356 08218 0 Jenkins Dennis R Tony R Landis 2008 Experimental amp Prototype U S Air Force Jet Fighters North Branch MN Specialty Press ISBN 978 1 58007 111 6 McIntyre Violet Niagara Gazette Niagara Falls NY 11 November 2004 Further reading EditBalzer Gerald H 2014 Curtiss XP 55 Ascender Air Force Legends Vol 217 Simi Valley CA Ginter Books ISBN 978 0 9892 5833 3 External links Edit Wikimedia Commons has media related to Curtiss Wright XP 55 Ascender NMUSAF Curtiss XP 55 NASM article XP 55 Ascender by Joe Baugher Curtiss Wright XP 55 Ascender USAAF Resource Center at warbirdsresourcegroup org Dayton Air Show History Flying Backwards to the Future Popular Science August 1945 Retrieved from https en wikipedia org w index php title Curtiss Wright XP 55 Ascender amp oldid 1134699105, wikipedia, wiki, book, books, library,
