Boeing P-26

      It's time to move beyond World War I and into the Interwar period, between 1918 and 1939. The Boeing P-26 was a milestone development in 1931. It was the first all-metal monoplane to enter service with the U.S. Army Air Corps, but would be the last aircraft to serve with an open cockpit, fixed, non-retractable landing gear, and external wing braces. The P-26 was somewhat derogatorily called the "Peashooter" by its pilots, referencing either the long, thin tube housing the gunsight, or the gun blast tubes which prevented firing the guns from damaging the fuselage. It quickly became obsolete following further aviation developments, but served up until World War II. In fact, P-26s claimed the first American victories over Japanese airplanes when Philippine pilots responded to Japanese attacks on the islands following the attack on Pearl Harbor.

    The P-26 was developed following a theory that fighters should be as light and small as possible for better maneuverability. With short wings and a thin profile, it had a high top speed. Its 500 horsepower R-1340-27 Wasp engine could propel the aircraft up to 200 mph (322 kph), where controls became less and less responsive. It was also forced to land at higher speeds than pilots were comfortable with, which resulted in a number of accidents before the wings were fitted with flaps. Flaps are a part of the wing that can be angled to catch more air, raising lift and drag while lowering stall speeds. Another issue quickly reared its head before being addressed: If pilots weren't careful they could overturn on landing while braking, flipping the plane over and risking fatal head or neck injury. After all, the P-26 had an open cockpit with the pilot exposed to the elements. To combat this the fuselage behind the pilot was raised up, creating a distinctive humpback appearance.

    In terms of armament, the P-26 was fairly modest. Two synchronized guns—either two .30 caliber Browning machine guns, or one .30 caliber and one .50 caliber—were placed in the cockpit floor, and shot through the bottom of the propeller from behind gaps between the cylinder heads of the engine. By the time the Peashooter was engaged in actual combat, the arrangement proved anemic. Other craft in the skies were equipped with a higher quantity of firepower, higher caliber cannons, or sometimes both. The guns were aimed with a long tubular gunsight placed in front of the cockpit glass. The P-26 could also carry up to 200 lbs of bombs in two separate underwing pylons for ground strike sorties.

    The Boeing P-26 managed to set several speed and altitude records between 1932 and 1934, and anticipated the World War II standard of all-metal monoplane fighters. It's also another one of the planes I had the privilege of seeing at the National Museum of the USAF! I also pulled a short video of a restored Peashooter being hand-cranked to start its engine.

Boeing P-26A at the National Museum of the USAF




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