__NOTOC__ The Engineering Division TP-1 was a two-seat biplane fighter designed by Alfred V. Verville and Virginius E. Clark at the

United States Army Air Corps The United States Army Air Corps (USAAC) was the aerial warfare service component of the United States Army between 1926 and 1941. After World War I, as early aviation became an increasingly important part of modern warfare, a philosophical ri ...

Engineering Division. A second aircraft was completed as an observation biplane and designated the Engineering Division XCO-5.

Development

The prototype TP-1 was built as the XTP-1 and tested at McCook Field in 1923. A biplane, the upper wing had a smaller span and narrower chord than the lower wing. The XTP-1 was armed with five machine guns and fitted with a Liberty 12 engine. A second prototype was completed as an observation/reconnaissance aircraft with the designation XCO-5. The XCO-5 needed a high-lift wing suitable for high-altitude work. New wings were prepared. The aerofoil was Joukowsky StAe-27A, a heavily cambered wingshape with a thick leading edge. The upper and lower wings had a pronounced stagger, with a total wing area of 600 ft². As well as lining and insulating the cockpit, heat was taken from the engine exhaust. A cover over the top of the cockpit kept the heat in; a clear panel in the cover allowed the pilot to see his instruments.''Flight'' p68

Operational history

On October 10, 1928, Bill Streett and Albert William Stevens achieved an unofficial altitude record in the XCO-5 for aircraft carrying more than one person: ; less than short of the official single-person altitude record. At that height they measured a temperature of , cold enough to freeze the aircraft controls. With frozen controls, Streett was unable to reduce altitude or to turn off the engine until some 20 minutes later when it ran out of fuel, after which he piloted the fragile experimental biplane down in a gentle glide and made a deadstick landing.

Variants

;TP-1 :Two-seat pursuit fighter prototype, one built. ;XCO-5 :Observation variant of the TP-1, one built.

Operators

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Specifications

References

Bibliography

* * * {{DEFAULTSORT:Engineering Division TP-1 1920s United States fighter aircraft TP-1 Single-engined tractor aircraft Biplanes Single-engined piston aircraft Aircraft with fixed conventional landing gear