The Vultee XP-54, apart from being a twin-boom pusher, stood out for it's sheer size, which would have made it by far the largest USAAF single-engine fighter of it's time.
Nicknamed the 'Swoose Goose', the XP-54 was a large aircraft but extremely slender. Sitting high off the ground, the pilot was winched into the cockpit from below.
The aircraft showed considerable potential on account of it's high speed and awesome firepower (2 x 37mm cannon and 2 x .5" machine guns). The nose section could be tilted to offset the drop of the low-velocity 37mm cannon shells.
This design, after testing, was not chosen for production and by the end of 1943, the program was cancelled.
Source: Fighters of the United States Air Force
Temple Press/Aerospace Books
