High Gallery
U. S. Military Aircraft
 |
Boeing Aircraft
F4B-4 & P12
Photo by Musee de 1 Air |
|
At the end of the 1920s, Boeing funded prototype Models 83 and 89 as possible replacements for some of its older fighter in service with the U. S. Navy and Army. These were evolutionary developments of the F3B, and differed only in their landing gear. The machines were evaluated by the Navy during 1928 as XF4B-1s, and a variant incorporating features of both models was order as the F4B-1. The Army ordered a similar variant as the P-12 and this paved the way for a period of major development and production, of the aircraft remaining in service as fighter trainer up to the eve of the USA's entry into the Second World War. |
TECHNICAL DATA
| Description | Specifications |
| Manufacturer: Boeing | Length: 20 ft. 1 in. |
| First Flight: | Height: 9 ft. 0 in. |
| Model: 1 | Wing Span: 30 ft. 0 in. |
| Crew: One | Wing Area: 227.5 sq. ft. |
| Basic Role: Carrier borne fighter. | Empty Weight: 2354 lb. |
| Other Versions: F4B-1 initial Navy fighter, F4B-2 model on the P-12C, F4B-3 model on the P-12E, F4B-4 Greater vertical tail area, P-12 initial Army fighter modeled on the F4B-1, P-12B with revised ailerons and elevators, P-12C with ring cowed engine and revised landing gear, P-12D with detail differences from the P-12C, P-12E with semi monococque fuselage, P-12F with an improved engine, Model 100E Thai fighter, Model 256 Brazilian fighter based on the F4B-4, Model 267 Brazilian fighter with F4B-3 and P-12E features. | Max. Weight: 3,611 lb. |
| Principal User: Brazil, Thailand and USA | Armament: Two 0.3-in (7.62-mm) machine guns |
|
Performance |
Propulsion |
| Range: 370 miles. | Power Plant: Pratt & Whitney R-1340-16 Wasp radial piston engine. |
| Max. Speed: 188 mph. at 6000 ft. | Horsepower: 550 hp (410 kW) |
| Ceiling: 26,900 ft. | No. Of Engines: One |
| Climb Rate: 26,900 ft. 5,000 ft. in 2 Min. 42 Sec. |