# Vultee XP-66 Vanguard



## Wildr1 (Apr 19, 2018)

The P-66 was built in Downey, Calif., by the Vultee company founded by Gerard Vultee. The company was better known for its Trainer the BT-13 Valiant, the company good-naturedly dubbed the “Vultee Vibrator,”
The original version of the XP_66 had a pointed nose with a huge prop spinner that was flush against the forward fuselage. In this configuration, and acting as a company demonstrator, it made its maiden flight on Nov. 8, 1939. It was too late to be useful to the Army Air Forces. They already had commitments to the P-39, P-38, P-40, P-47 and P-51. It garnered some foreign interest from Sweden, Britain and China. Sweden was embargoed Britain took Three, 15 AAF Vanguards were earmarked for training duty with the 14th Pursuit Group at Oakland, Calif. The P-66 was 100mph slower than the P-47 & 51. Officials decided to transfer the remaining 129 Vanguards – now AAF property – to China.
Chinese pilots trained in the tricycle-gear P-39 found it difficult to land this unforgiving “tail dragger” and cracked up many of them during trial hops at Karachi. A mid-air collision watched by dozens at Karachi snuffed out the lives of two Chinese pilots in an instant. More of the planes were lost while being ferried to China and still more were simply stored in Karachi’s colossal dirigible hangar, short on parts or plagued with structural problems. Said Timson: “Some of them rotted there.”
Of 129 planes that reached Karachi, 79 made it to Chengdu. Alas, they resembled their adversaries: in a confusing Nov. 21, 1943 battle, Chinese pilots shot down a similar-looking Japanese Nakajima Ki-43 fighter but also downed two of their own P-66s! Years later, Communist Chinese forces took over a few P-66s.












In the close-up below notice the 55 gal drums and a hand pump for fueling.

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## Wurger (Apr 19, 2018)




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## buffnut453 (Apr 20, 2018)

Always liked the P-66. Quite a pretty aircraft that was bypassed by history.

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## vikingBerserker (Apr 20, 2018)

First time I had seen it with the nose cone, I can understand the confusion.


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## Capt. Vick (Apr 20, 2018)

Was it really 100 mph slower than the P-47 & P-51? Wow! That is a huge difference


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## Wildr1 (Apr 20, 2018)

View attachment 490385

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## wuzak (Apr 22, 2018)

Were there cooling issues with the big spinner version?


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## Wurger (Apr 22, 2018)




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## Wildr1 (Apr 22, 2018)

Initially the spinner size and propeller shaft extension were for greater aerodynamic stability, but after the collision of the prototype on landing at Vultee field, the rebuild settled on a standard radial intake for cooling. It was decided that the reducting of the cooling for the engine was not worth the aerodynamic savings in stability.


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## Gnomey (Apr 22, 2018)

Good shots!


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## vikingBerserker (Apr 23, 2018)

I really like the look with the spinner, great pics!


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## Wildr1 (Apr 23, 2018)



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## MIflyer (Apr 23, 2018)

My friend Ward Duncan was maintenance chief of the 9th PRS. Their F-4 Lightnings were shipped to India in 1942. When the airplanes arrived he found that had been dismantled for shipment in various disastrous ways, such as bending the flap actuators back to make the wings fit in a crate.. The same Indian base was used for assembly of the P-66's intended for China; the Chinese pilots were busy turning them into scrap metal. Desperate to get his F-4's back together, Ward ended up using P-66 parts and anything else he could find.

So never say that the P-66 did not contribute to victory!

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## wuzak (Apr 23, 2018)

Doesn't look like much of a cooling intake.

Also, reminds me a little of the Kawasaki Ki-61.


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## dogsbody (Apr 24, 2018)

Plans.


Chris

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## polo1112 (Apr 29, 2018)

Beautiful and very interesting pictures.
Thank you very much.


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## Gnomey (May 1, 2018)

Nice shots!


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## MIflyer (May 1, 2018)

The new Vultees of 1939

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## Wurger (May 2, 2018)




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## Wildr1 (May 2, 2018)

That was going to be a different post but you gave a lead in to put it here. Vultee V-11 or A-19


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## Wurger (May 2, 2018)




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## buffnut453 (May 2, 2018)

Not one of Vultee's more elegant designs, I'm afraid!


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## Wildr1 (Jun 29, 2018)




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## Wurger (Jun 29, 2018)




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## Wildr1 (Jul 2, 2018)




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## Wurger (Jul 2, 2018)




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## Admiral Beez (Feb 19, 2021)

Wildr1 said:


> View attachment 490474
> View attachment 490475
> View attachment 490476
> View attachment 490477
> ...


The murals on the back wall are something else.

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## Gnomey (Feb 22, 2021)

Nice shots!


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