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Curtiss-Wright XP-55 Ascender

January 01, 1970

"P-55" redirects here. For other uses, see P55.

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 with a rear-mounted engine, and two vertical tails at end of swept wings. Because of its pusher design, it was satirically referred to as the "Ass-ender".[1] Like the XP-54, the Ascender was designed for the 1,800 hp Pratt & Whitney X-1800 24-Cylinder H-engine, but was redesigned after that engine project was canceled. It was also the first Curtiss fighter aircraft to use tricycle landing gear.

XP-55 Ascender
Curtiss XP-55 Ascender in flight.
Role Fighter
National origin United States
Manufacturer Curtiss-Wright Corporation
First flight 19 July 1943
Status Canceled at flight-test stage
Number built 3

Design and development edit

 
Curtiss CW-24B at Langley wind tunnel.

In June 1940, the Curtiss-Wright company received an Army contract for preliminary engineering data and a powered wind tunnel model.[2] The designation 'P-55' was reserved for the project. The exhaustive wind-tunnel tests that from November 1940 through January 1941 left the USAAC dissatisfied with the results of these tests.[3][4]

Accordingly, Curtiss-Wright built at their St Louis division a flying full-scale mockup they designated CW-24B.[5] The flying testbed was powered by a 275 hp (205 kW) Menasco C68-5 inline engine.[3][6][unreliable source?] It had a fabric-covered, welded steel tube fuselage with a wooden wing.[7] The undercarriage was non-retractable.[3] The canard did not carry load but only trimmed flight.[5] The CW-24B model completed its maiden flight in December 1941.[3] From November 1941 to May 1942, the Model 24B logged 169 flights at Muroc Dry Lake, California. The tests appeared to show potential.[4] The CW-24B then went to NACA at Langley Field for wind tunnel tests.[5]

On 10 July 1942, the United States Army Air Forces issued a contract for three prototypes under the designation XP-55.[4][6] Serial numbers 42-78845 through 42-78847 were assigned to the aircraft. During this time, the Pratt & Whitney X-1800 H-block sleeve valve engine was delayed, and was eventually canceled.[7] Curtiss decided to switch to the 1,000 hp (750 kW) Allison V-1710[4] (F16) liquid-cooled inline engine because of its proven reliability.[7] Armament was to be two 20 mm (0.79 in) Hispano autocannon and two 0.50 in (12.7 mm) M2 Bowning heavy machine guns.[3] During the mock-up phase, engineers switched to the 1,275 hp (951 kW) V-1710-95.[4][8] The 20mm cannons were also replaced by 0.50-in machine guns.[6]

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.[3][7]

Operational history edit

 
The first XP-55 following a testing crash.

Three XP-55 prototypes were built. Two were destroyed during flight testing, as a result of their propensity for sudden wing stalls.

The first XP-55 (42-78845) was completed and delivered on 13 July 1943, with the same configuration as the final prototype CW-24B. The aircraft made its first flight on 19 July 1943[3][8] from the Army's Scott Field near the Curtiss-Wright plant in St Louis, Missouri.[7] The pilot was J. Harvey Gray,[3] 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.[7]

In 15 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 engine failed "making recovery impossible"[2] 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 and "left a smoking hole in the ground".[4][7]

The second XP-55 (serial 42-78846) was similar to the first, but with a slightly larger nose-elevator,[7] 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.[4][7] All flight tests were restricted so the stall-zone was avoided; included no stalling below 20,000 ft.[5][7][9]

The third XP-55 (serial 42-78847) flew for the first time on 25 April 1944. Modifications resulting from the investigation of the crash of the first prototype were introduced during construction; the addition of four-foot wingtip extensions to improve the stall characteristics and increasing the limits of the nose elevator travel to improve recovery if a stall did occur.[2] It was the only prototype to be fitted with armament - four 0.5-inch machine guns.[5]

After the second XP-55 (42-78846) was given the same modifications as the third prototype, it underwent official USAAF flight trials between 16 September and 2 October 1944.

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.[7][10] After a low pass in formation with a Lockheed P-38 Lightning and a North American P-51 Mustang[7] on each wing, its pilot, William C. Glasgow, attempted a slow roll,[7] 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.[7][11]

In test flights the XP-55 achieved 390 mph at 19,300 feet but there were engine cooling problems.[2] In terms of overall performance, testing of the XP-55 revealed it to be inferior to conventional fighter aircraft.[4][7][12] In addition, by the end of 1944, German and British jet-powered fighters were fully operational, and the Lockheed XP-80 was about to commence operational trials with USAAF units in Italy. Development of completely new piston-engine fighter designs was regarded as redundant; further development of such aircraft was terminated, including the XP-55.

Aircraft disposition edit

 
XP-55 on display at the Air Zoo

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[16] [17] Air and Space Museum [18]

General characteristics

  • Crew: 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/lb

Armament

  • Guns: 4 × 0.50 in (12.7 mm) machine guns in the nose

See also edit

Aircraft of comparable role, configuration, and era

Related lists

References edit

Citations edit

  1. ^ Jenkins 2008. p. 8.
  2. ^ a b c d Rubenstein & Goldman  (1974) p178
  3. ^ a b c d e f g h Davey, Guy (2023-03-03). "XP-55 Ascender: the Back-to-Front Fighter". PlaneHistoria. Retrieved 2023-12-02.
  4. ^ a b c d e f g h i "Curtiss XP-55-CS Ascender". National Air and Space Museum. Retrieved 2023-12-02.
  5. ^ a b c d e Bowers (1984) pp 10-11
  6. ^ a b c "Curtiss-Wright XP-55 Ascender". www.militaryfactory.com. Retrieved 2023-12-02.
  7. ^ a b c d e f g h i j k l m n o p q "World of Warbirds: Curtiss-Wright XP-55 Ascender on Apple Podcasts". Apple Podcasts. Retrieved 2023-12-02.
  8. ^ a b c d >"Curtiss XP-55 Ascender". Air Zoo Aerospace & Science Museum Kalamazoo, MI. Retrieved 2023-12-02.
  9. ^ Bowers 1979, p. 467.
  10. ^ Balzer 2008
  11. ^ Scott, Roland B. "Air Mail", Wings, Granada Hills, California, October 1978, Volume 8, Number 5, p. 10.
  12. ^ Green 1969, p. 65.
  13. ^ "XP-55 Ascender/42-78845". Joe Baugher's Serial Numbers. Retrieved: 10 May 2013.
  14. ^ "XP-55 Ascender/42-78846" 2017-08-19 at the Wayback Machine Air Zoo. Retrieved: 10 May 2013.
  15. ^ "XP-55 Ascender/42-78847". Joe Baugher's Serial Numbers. Retrieved: 10 May 2013.
  16. ^ Green and Swanborough 1977, pp. 69–71.
  17. ^ Air Zoo museumXP-55 AirZoo
  18. ^ Curtiss XP-55 - National Air and Space Museum

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.
  • Bowers, Peter M (1984). Unconventional Aircraft. Blue Ridge Summit, PA: Tab Books.
  • Green, William (1969). War Planes of the Second World War, Volume Four: Fighters (Sixth ed.). London: MacDonald & Co. (Publishers) Ltd. ISBN 0-356-01448-7.
  • Green, William; Swanborough, Gordon (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.; Landis, Tony R. (2008). Experimental & 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[full citation needed]
  • Rubenstein, Murray; Goldman, Richard M. (1974). To Join With The Eagles : Curtiss-Wright aircraft, 1903-1965. Garden City, NY: Doubleday.

Further reading edit

  • Balzer, 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.
  • 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
  • PlaneHistoria - XP-55 Ascender: the Back-to-Front Fighter
  • The FlyingMag - The Short, Unconventional Life of the Curtiss XP-55 Ascender


January 01, 1970
curtiss, wright, ascender, redirects, here, other, uses, company, designation, 1940s, united, states, prototype, fighter, aircraft, built, curtiss, wright, along, with, vultee, northrop, resulted, from, united, states, army, corps, proposal, issued, november, . P 55 redirects here For other uses see P55 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 with a rear mounted engine and two vertical tails at end of swept wings Because of its pusher design it was satirically referred to as the Ass ender 1 Like the XP 54 the Ascender was designed for the 1 800 hp Pratt amp Whitney X 1800 24 Cylinder H engine but was redesigned after that engine project was canceled It was also the first Curtiss fighter aircraft to use tricycle landing gear XP 55 Ascender Curtiss XP 55 Ascender in flight Role Fighter National origin United States Manufacturer Curtiss Wright Corporation First flight 19 July 1943 Status Canceled at flight test stage Number 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 nbsp Curtiss CW 24B at Langley wind tunnel In June 1940 the Curtiss Wright company received an Army contract for preliminary engineering data and a powered wind tunnel model 2 The designation P 55 was reserved for the project The exhaustive wind tunnel tests that from November 1940 through January 1941 left the USAAC dissatisfied with the results of these tests 3 4 Accordingly Curtiss Wright built at their St Louis division a flying full scale mockup they designated CW 24B 5 The flying testbed was powered by a 275 hp 205 kW Menasco C68 5 inline engine 3 6 unreliable source It had a fabric covered welded steel tube fuselage with a wooden wing 7 The undercarriage was non retractable 3 The canard did not carry load but only trimmed flight 5 The CW 24B model completed its maiden flight in December 1941 3 From November 1941 to May 1942 the Model 24B logged 169 flights at Muroc Dry Lake California The tests appeared to show potential 4 The CW 24B then went to NACA at Langley Field for wind tunnel tests 5 On 10 July 1942 the United States Army Air Forces issued a contract for three prototypes under the designation XP 55 4 6 Serial numbers 42 78845 through 42 78847 were assigned to the aircraft During this time the Pratt amp Whitney X 1800 H block sleeve valve engine was delayed and was eventually canceled 7 Curtiss decided to switch to the 1 000 hp 750 kW Allison V 1710 4 F16 liquid cooled inline engine because of its proven reliability 7 Armament was to be two 20 mm 0 79 in Hispano autocannon and two 0 50 in 12 7 mm M2 Bowning heavy machine guns 3 During the mock up phase engineers switched to the 1 275 hp 951 kW V 1710 95 4 8 The 20mm cannons were also replaced by 0 50 in machine guns 6 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 3 7 Operational history edit nbsp The first XP 55 following a testing crash Three XP 55 prototypes were built Two were destroyed during flight testing as a result of their propensity for sudden wing stalls The first XP 55 42 78845 was completed and delivered on 13 July 1943 with the same configuration as the final prototype CW 24B The aircraft made its first flight on 19 July 1943 3 8 from the Army s Scott Field near the Curtiss Wright plant in St Louis Missouri 7 The pilot was J Harvey Gray 3 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 7 In 15 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 engine failed making recovery impossible 2 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 and left a smoking hole in the ground 4 7 The second XP 55 serial 42 78846 was similar to the first but with a slightly larger nose elevator 7 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 4 7 All flight tests were restricted so the stall zone was avoided included no stalling below 20 000 ft 5 7 9 The third XP 55 serial 42 78847 flew for the first time on 25 April 1944 Modifications resulting from the investigation of the crash of the first prototype were introduced during construction the addition of four foot wingtip extensions to improve the stall characteristics and increasing the limits of the nose elevator travel to improve recovery if a stall did occur 2 It was the only prototype to be fitted with armament four 0 5 inch machine guns 5 After the second XP 55 42 78846 was given the same modifications as the third prototype it underwent official USAAF flight trials between 16 September and 2 October 1944 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 7 10 After a low pass in formation with a Lockheed P 38 Lightning and a North American P 51 Mustang 7 on each wing its pilot William C Glasgow attempted a slow roll 7 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 7 11 In test flights the XP 55 achieved 390 mph at 19 300 feet but there were engine cooling problems 2 In terms of overall performance testing of the XP 55 revealed it to be inferior to conventional fighter aircraft 4 7 12 In addition by the end of 1944 German and British jet powered fighters were fully operational and the Lockheed XP 80 was about to commence operational trials with USAAF units in Italy Development of completely new piston engine fighter designs was regarded as redundant further development of such aircraft was terminated including the XP 55 Aircraft disposition edit nbsp XP 55 on display at the Air Zoo 42 78845 crashed during vertical dive on November 15 1943 Pilot bailed out 13 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 4 7 8 14 Used for official performance tests flying a total of 27 hours 8 42 78847 crashed during air show at Wright Field Ohio on May 27 1945 Pilot killed 7 15 Specifications XP 55 edit nbsp Curtis XP 55 Ascender side view nbsp Patent for the propeller jettison system used on the XP 55 Data from Green and Swanborough 1977 16 17 Air and Space Museum 18 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 lb Armament Guns 4 0 50 in 12 7 mm machine guns in the noseSee also edit nbsp Aviation portal Aircraft 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 54 Henschel Projekt P 75 Related 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 a b c d Rubenstein amp Goldman 1974 p178 a b c d e f g h Davey Guy 2023 03 03 XP 55 Ascender the Back to Front Fighter PlaneHistoria Retrieved 2023 12 02 a b c d e f g h i Curtiss XP 55 CS Ascender National Air and Space Museum Retrieved 2023 12 02 a b c d e Bowers 1984 pp 10 11 a b c Curtiss Wright XP 55 Ascender www militaryfactory com Retrieved 2023 12 02 a b c d e f g h i j k l m n o p q World of Warbirds Curtiss Wright XP 55 Ascender on Apple Podcasts Apple Podcasts Retrieved 2023 12 02 a b c d gt Curtiss XP 55 Ascender Air Zoo Aerospace amp Science Museum Kalamazoo MI Retrieved 2023 12 02 Bowers 1979 p 467 Balzer 2008 Scott Roland B Air Mail Wings Granada Hills California October 1978 Volume 8 Number 5 p 10 Green 1969 p 65 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 Air Zoo museumXP 55 AirZoo Curtiss XP 55 National Air and Space Museum 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 Bowers Peter M 1984 Unconventional Aircraft Blue Ridge Summit PA Tab Books 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 Swanborough Gordon 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 Landis Tony R 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 full citation needed Rubenstein Murray Goldman Richard M 1974 To Join With The Eagles Curtiss Wright aircraft 1903 1965 Garden City NY Doubleday 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 nbsp 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 PlaneHistoria XP 55 Ascender the Back to Front Fighter The FlyingMag The Short Unconventional Life of the Curtiss XP 55 Ascender Retrieved from https en wikipedia org w index php title Curtiss Wright XP 55 Ascender amp oldid 1214557177, wikipedia, wiki, book, books, library,

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