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The Wright XF3W was an American racing aircraft built by Wright Aeronautical for the United States Navy.
Development and design
After the U.S. Navy declared its preference for radial engines, Wright developed the P-1 Simoon. To demonstrate the engine, the F3W was designed to carry it. The F3W was a single-seat biplane, with a steel tubing fuselage and wood wings, covered by fabric. Designed to be a carrier-based fighter and powered by the Simoon engine, its performance was poor. After the Navy took delivery of the aircraft, they installed a rival company's engine, thePratt & 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 ...
R-1340 radial. The aircraft was redesignated XF3W, and flew with the new engine for the first time on 5 May 1926.
Operational history
The Navy used the XF3W as a test bed for the Pratt & Whitney engine until 1930, during which time the aircraft set a number of records. On 6 September 1929, the XF3W piloted by Apollo Soucek set the world altitude record for seaplanes of ; on 6 April 1930, Soucek set the landplane altitude record of . The XF3W was also fitted with a single centreline float to evaluate the concept of basingfloatplane
A floatplane is a type of seaplane with one or more slender floats mounted under the fuselage to provide buoyancy. By contrast, a flying boat uses its fuselage for buoyancy. Either type of seaplane may also have landing gear suitable for land, ...
s on battleships.
Specifications
References
External links
{{DEFAULTSORT:Wright F03W 1920s United States fighter aircraft XF3W Biplanes Aircraft first flown in 1926 Single-engined tractor aircraft