Curtiss 18-T

Designed by Charles B Kirkham, the Curtiss 18-T twoseat fighter triplane was ordered by the US Navy on 30 March 1918 when a contract was placed for two prototypes. The first of these was flown on 7 May 1918. Designed around the Curtiss-Kirkham K-12 water-cooled 12-cylinder engine of 400hp, the 18-T was of extremely clean aerodynamic design by contemporary standards and featured a monocoque three-ply fuselage and side radiators positioned between the lower wings. The proposed armament comprised two forward-firing synchronized 7.62mm Marlin machine guns and two 7.62mm Lewis guns on a Scarff mounting in the rear cockpit. Known unofficially as the "Wasp" (an allusion to the sound emitted by the K-12 engine during landing approach), the 18-T initially suffered some tail heaviness which was corrected by applying five degrees of sweepback to the wings for further trials. A max speed of 262km/h was achieved with full military load in August 1918, the 18-T being acclaimed as the world's fastest aeroplane as a result. The US Navy promptly ordered two examples, the first of which was delivered in February 1919. In the summer of 1919, the first prototype was fitted with longer-span two-bay wings, these having a span and area of 12.38m and 37.16m² respectively, and in this form the aircraft became the 18T-2, the short-span version becoming the 18T-1. The 18T-2 established a world altitude record of 10640m on 18 September 1919, and a second 18T-2 was built by Curtiss for export to Bolivia, where it arrived in 1920.

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A three-view drawing (1280 x 926)

victor hugo, e-mail, 01.02.2023 jerry

podrias proporcionar los planos por favor

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