Curtiss P-1 and F6C Hawk

Curtiss P-1 and F6C Hawk

The Curtiss P-1 Hawk was a 1920s open-cockpit biplane fighter aircraft (P stood for pursuit, but the designation of the class was eventually changed to F). It first flew in 1923 and entered service with the US Army Air Corp in the same year. It was also known in the US Navy and the US Marine Corp as the F6C Hawk. The airframe was the first of a long series of fighter planes produced by Curtiss named Hawk, mostly distinguished by different engines. In the production run from 1925 to 1929, Curtiss built 202 examples in all variants. The C model was powered by a 435 hp engine, which could take it to 155 mph, but it normally cruised around 120 mph. It could go 300 miles without refueling. Its service ceiling was 20,800 ft, limited mostly because of the open cockpit and lack of oxygen at extreme altitudes, resulting in engine and pilot fatigue. It could climb at 1,460 ft/min and it was armed with 2 x .30 inch fixed forward-firing Browning machine guns.