The XP-40 in its final form, seen at Wright Field in 1940 while assigned to the Air Corps Materiel Division.
Project 914 Archives (S. Donacik collection) -
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Though not taken at Wright Field, the following two photos show the XP-40 carrying the Wright
Field arrowhead marking and a '10' on its tail, which signifies the ship's U.S. Army serial number,
'38-10'. These two photos were taken at Uplands Airport in Ottawa, Canada in May of 1940 during an
evaluation of the XP-40 and a British Spitfire by the Royal Canadian Air Force, Britain's Royal Air Force,
and the USAAC. That same month, the USAAC ordered a change to its designator system and the
'11MD' shown in the above photo was applied after the XP-40's return to Wright Field from Ottawa.
Project 914 Archives (S. Donacik collection) -
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A closer look...
Project 914 Archives (S. Donacik collection) -
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This mention of the evaluation in Ottawa appeared in an ish of the Air Corps Newsletter.
From: 'Air Corps Newsletter Vol. XXIV No.11' via Google Books
Testbed
In later years the XP-40 was used as a testbed at Wright Field, notably for experimental rough-field landing
gear configurations. I have no date for this photo, but it was clearly taken on or after January 1st, 1944.
Air Force Materiel Command (afmc.af.mil) -
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Here's an excerpt from an article on
THIS PAGE
of the Air Force Materiel Command website
which describes this experimental gear setup, testing, and results:
Concurrent with the testing of track gear on the A-20, Firestone was awarded a $15,900 contract
in June 1943 to design and test a track gear system for the Curtiss P-40 fighter aircraft suitable
for operations from sandy beaches. The P-40 track system was a dual system (two tracks per side) and
was expected to exert only half the ground pressure of conventional gear. The track gear was installed
on XP-40 No. 38-10 at Wright Field in September with the use of a conventional tail wheel. Testing began
in February 1944 but during taxi testing the system would get packed with snow and ice between the
belt and main drums, stretching the belt. In later flights the gear collected sod and mud.
Along with the testing of the track gear system, other P-40 aircraft were being used to test multi-wheel
and dual-wheel gear at Wright Field. All of these aircraft were scheduled for further testing by the
Proving Ground Command at Eglin Field, but during testing the XP-40 was damaged beyond repair and
was placed in storage at the AMC. The testing indicated that the track gear was inefficient for fighter
operations due to excessive internal friction on the track, inability of the track to get out of ditches
and over obstacles, smallness of the units and the inability of the unit to be sufficiently self-cleaning.
Although the P-40 project failed to produce a gear suitable for fighter operations, much valuable
knowledge had been gained. It was concluded (1) that light aircraft required long, narrow tracks, and
(2) that future tracks should be designed to conform to the ground pressures prevalent
in areas where the particular aircraft was to be operated.
A closer look at the track...
Air Force Materiel Command (afmc.af.mil) -
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And the gear leg.
Air Force Materiel Command (afmc.af.mil) -
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Here's a look at the XP-40 during testing of an earlier multi-wheel setup mentioned in the
excerpt above. These two images were taken from an Army Air Forces film dated August 19th, 1943.
Project 914 Archives (S. Donacik collection) -
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Testing the Talons
A P-40B's fifties are loaded during a live-fire session at Wright on May 12th, 1941.
Project 914 Archives (S. Donacik collection) -
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The fireworks were filmed from several angles and appeared in numerous newsreels:
Video from AIRBOYD TV on Youtube
Toys
Bombs. Guns. Ammo. P-40K. P-40E. Vengeance and Shrike. P-38. Gypsy Rose Lee dancing in the corner.
(Just checking to see if you're paying attention.)
All these goodies were snapped in a hangar at Wright Field during May of 1943.
LIFE Photo Archives (Bernard Hoffman photo) -
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LIFE Photo Archives (Bernard Hoffman photo) -
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Nose Jobs
Another series of photos taken by Bernard Hoffman in May of 1943 shows three
different variants of the P-40 at Wright Field. This first shot shows a P-40E.
LIFE Photo Archives (Bernard Hoffman photo) -
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This second shot, a P-40F...
LIFE Photo Archives (Bernard Hoffman photo) -
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And what looks to be a P-40N-1. 'Tis likely the same ship shown in the following photo.
LIFE Photo Archives (Bernard Hoffman photo) -
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