The Hall XFH was an American
fighter aircraft
Fighter aircraft are fixed-wing military aircraft designed primarily for air-to-air combat. In military conflict, the role of fighter aircraft is to establish air superiority of the battlespace. Domination of the airspace above a battlefield ...
built by the
Hall Aluminum Company. It was the first fighter with a
semi-monocoque
The term semi-monocoque or semimonocoque refers to a stressed shell structure that is similar to a true monocoque, but which derives at least some of its strength from conventional reinforcement. Semi-monocoque construction is used for, among ot ...
metal fuselage.
Development
The XFH was designed in 1927 by Charles Hall. It was a single-bay biplane with N-struts for the fabric-covered wings. Its fuselage was made of steel tubing covered with a watertight aluminum skin, enabling it to float if ditched in the ocean. Also for ditching on water or on land, the landing gear could be jettisoned. Power was provided by a
Pratt & Whitney Wasp
The Pratt & Whitney Wasp was the civilian name of a family of air-cooled radial piston engines developed in the 1930s, 1940s, and 1950s.Gunston 1989, p.114.
The Pratt & Whitney Aircraft Company (P&W) was founded in 1925 by Frederick B. Rentsch ...
radial engine. Testing in June 1929 showed poor handling characteristics and performance. During one test flight, the upper wing separated from the aircraft. After repairs, the XFH made test flights from an
aircraft carrier
An aircraft carrier is a warship that serves as a seagoing airbase, equipped with a full-length flight deck and facilities for carrying, arming, deploying, and recovering aircraft. Typically, it is the capital ship of a fleet, as it allows a ...
. Designated XFH by the
Bureau of Aeronautics
The Bureau of Aeronautics (BuAer) was the U.S. Navy's material-support organization for naval aviation from 1921 to 1959. The bureau had "cognizance" (''i.e.'', responsibility) for the design, procurement, and support of naval aircraft and relate ...
, it was purchased not for active service, but to study new metal construction techniques.
Specifications
References
Citations
Bibliography
*
{{USN fighters
F01H
1920s United States fighter aircraft
Single-engined tractor aircraft
Biplanes