| Bell Xp-77 |
Article Index for Bell |
Website Links For Bell |
Information AboutBell Xp-77 |
| CATEGORIES ABOUT BELL XP-77 | |
| u.s. fighter aircraft 1940-1949 | |
| p-77, bell | |
| abandoned united states military projects | |
|
The Bell XP-77 development was initiated by the U.S. Army Air Corps to produce a simplified 'lightweight' Fighter Aircraft using so-called 'non-strategic' materials. The project with the Bell Aircraft Corporation was initiated in October 1941 . The aircraft was a single-engine low-wing Monoplane , with Tricycle Landing Gear . While originally conceived using an air-cooled 500 hp Ranger XV-770 -9 twelve cylinder engine with a Supercharger , the prototypes were delivered with the unsupercharged '''XV-770-7''' engine due to development delays. The planned armament was two 20 Mm Cannon and two 0.5 Inch Machine Guns , with the option of either a 300 lb bomb or 325 lb depth charge. The project suffered numerous delays, many for correction of excess weight issues. The first XP-77 flew April 1 , 1944 at Wright Field . These trials revealed vibration problems due to directly mounting the engine to the airframe, without vibration isolation. The long nose and rear-mounted cockpit inhibited visibility relative to operational aircraft of the time. Further trials were conducted at the A.A.F. Proving Ground at Eglin Field with the second aircraft where it was destroyed due to entry into an inverted Spin while attempting an Immelmann , and the pilot left his aircraft to its own devices. The development was terminated in December 1944 . SPECIFICATIONS (BELL XP-77)
REFERENCE
RELATED CONTENT
|
|
|