The Wedell-Williams XP-34 was a
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 ...
design submitted to 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 r ...
(USAAC) before
World War II
World War II or the Second World War, often abbreviated as WWII or WW2, was a world war that lasted from 1939 to 1945. It involved the vast majority of the world's countries—including all of the great powers—forming two opposin ...
by
Marguerite Clark
Helen Marguerite Clark (February 22, 1883 – September 25, 1940) was an American stage and silent film actress. As a movie actress, at one time, Clark was second only to Mary Pickford in popularity. All but five of her films are considered ...
Williams, widow of millionaire
Harry P. Williams, former owner and co-founder of the
Wedell-Williams Air Service Corporation.
Design and development
Derived from an original proposal made in 1932, the XP-34 was based on a design by
air racer
Air racing is a type of motorsport that involves airplanes or other types of aircraft that compete over a fixed course, with the winner either returning the shortest time, the one to complete it with the most points, or to come closest to a prev ...
Jimmy Wedell
James Robert Wedell (March 31, 1900 – June 24, 1934) was a famous 1930s racing pilot and aircraft designer. Wedell broke the world record for land-plane speed in 1933 when he clocked 305.33 m.p.h. in a Wedell-Williams aircraft of his own design. ...
, who was considered, "one of the most noted race plane designers of its day".
[Jones 1975, p. 80.] The aircraft was a direct result of the development of Wedell's most successful designs, the
Model 44 and
Model 45.
The forward fuselage was intended to be metal, the after part and control surfaces covered in
fabric
Textile is an umbrella term that includes various fiber-based materials, including fibers, yarns, filaments, threads, different fabric types, etc. At first, the word "textiles" only referred to woven fabrics. However, weaving is not the ...
.
The interest expressed from the USAAC was based on the success of the private racing aircraft in the 1930s that were reaching 300 mph speeds in competition, a performance level not achieved by standard aircraft types in service in the U.S. military.
[Dorr and Donald 1990, p. 61.]
On 1 October 1935, the USAAC ordered a full set of drawings and issued the XP-34 designation. It soon became apparent, however, with its original 700 hp (522 kW)
Pratt & Whitney
Pratt & Whitney is an American aerospace manufacturer with global service operations. It is a subsidiary of Raytheon Technologies. Pratt & Whitney's aircraft engines are widely used in both civil aviation (especially airlines) and military aviat ...
R1535 Twin Wasp engine, the anticipated performance of the XP-34 would be insufficient compared to designs already in production.
Wedell-Williams suggested substituting the 900 hp (671 kW)
XR-1830 instead. Although the promise of high speed was still there, other considerations such as the complete redesign of the airframe to accommodate a heavier and more powerful engine were considered impractical with the new design subsequently rejected by the Air Corps before any aircraft were built.
Specifications (proposed)
See also
References
;Notes
;Bibliography
* Dorr, Robert F. and Donald, David. ''Fighters of the United States Air Force.'' London: Temple, 1990. .
* Jones, Lloyd S. ''U.S. Fighters, Army-Air Force: 1925 to 1980s''. Los Angeles: Aero Publishers Incorporated, 1975. .
{{USAF fighters
XP-34
Wedell-Williams P-34
Single-engined tractor aircraft
Low-wing aircraft