Curtiss PW-8

The beginning of the 20. years has not been for the firm Curtiss is successful, as well as other companies suffered from a lack of orders. When therefore the success of a number of Curtissových racing aircraft, the company is in pursuit of military contracts, decided at their own expense for their adaptation to the aircraft fighter. The project received the company designation of Model 33. The skeleton of the fuselage was all metal, welded, and from a racing R-6 took over the engine of the Curtiss D-12 even with the fairing. The wings had a narrow profile of the Curtiss C-62 and greater range than R-6, so it required two sets of struts in the shape of N, again for them, but it was surface cooling.

Model 33 first flew in January 1923, and made the army air force sufficient impression on it, to it 27. April bought and at the same time ordered the other two prototypes. Curtissův fighter received from the military designation PW-8, according to a new system, which the army adopted in 1920 and which included seven fighter-categories (even if one of them was just R, i.e. "racing"). PW mean Pursuit, watercooled, therefore a fighter with a water-cooled engine, and it was the only category that contained mass-produced aircraft, and not just one or two prototypes. In 1924, were the prototypes of PW-8 subsequently renamed XPW-8 after it was introduced, the letter X as a prefix distinguishing the experimental machines. XPW-8 was the army handed over to 14. in may 1923 and in the summer he was on zkešebním airport McCook Field subjected to comparative tests with the Boeing XPW-9. XPW-8 of these tests came out as faster, but the XPW-9 overcame him dexterity, durability and reliability. The basic problem of the PW-8 was part of his závodnického heritage, surface coolers in the wings, which, although very improved aerodynamics (XPW-9 also used the engine of the Curtiss D-12, had but the tunnel cooler under the bow), but were very high maintenance and prone to constant leaks. And, of course, would be in a real fight were very easy to damage.

The second prototype, Ser. Well. 23-1202, from the first differed a modified chassis with twin axes, which should lower the resistance, the improved aerodynamics of the fairings of the engine struts connecting the wings at the top and bottom wing and elevator without balance, which all together led to an increase in takeoff weight from 1255 to 1429 kg. The army may continue to prefer Boeing, 1. August but the decision was made to order the 25 Built, based on the form of the second prototype. Curtiss is considered pledged to work together on the plan of the brigadier general Mitchell "from dawn to dusk" clearing in a single day from the east to the west coast of the USA. XPW-8 23-1201 was therefore odstrojen from all military equipment and used lieutenant Russell Maughanem to two unsuccessful attempts to fly. Then got the 1201 second cockpit, the temporary designation of CO-X (Corps Observation, Experimental - experimental choral observation) and deployed to the plant Liberty Engine Builders Trophy for the military two-seater machine, however, after the legitimate protests of the navy phased out.

25 serial PW-8 was ordered in September, and the first machines the air force has taken over in June 1924. Most of these aircraft served with the 17. fighter squadron, flew also but 28. the squadron and several of the machines were left to experimental work on the McCook Field. 23. in June, 1924, also finally managed to fly US, when Maughan on the machine 24-204 flitted from Mitchell Field on Long Island to Crissy Field in San Francisco. Distance 4195 km did it in 22 hours, with refueling in Dayton in Ohio, St. Joseph, Missouri, Cheyenne, Wyoming and Salduře in Utah.

So far not mentioned the third prototype remained in the factory for the installation of a new jednopříhradového wings and was completed as a XPW-8A, and then was adapted to the form of XPW-8B, which became the basis for the pursuit family P-1 Hawk..

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