Aircraft Identification V

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It's an interesting pic, so far I've only seen line drawings of it, and i discarded it as the correct answer because I thought the tail fin on the drawing was "taller" than this one appears to be, and I also thought it hadn't left the drawing board.
 
That was my reasoning as well... the XP-34, according to every source I've come across, was never built.

What's the source of this image, J?


Fade to Black...

Actually the XP-34 would of been the same aircraft depicted there. Wedell never delivered the drawings requested by the Air Corps...
 

It is a model 45, and I think there were 2 built and both were altered during their final construction and development, here the original photo, I altered the writing on the hangar to avoid "hints."



Link: Wedell-Williams XP-34

"In 1934 Wedell-Williams won the design competition to build a prototype of the next-generation fighter plane for the army. Dubbed the XP-34, it was a direct descendant of the "45," except that it was larger and designed for two machine guns. The project had progressed to the point of final wind tunnel drawings at the time of Jimmie Wedell's death. The project slowly withered and died after this tragedy, a combination of Harry Williams's apathy and the reluctance of the army to proceed without the plane's main designer."

I believe that aircraft was being tweaked by Wedell for the XP-34 program and was basically becoming a prototype which was cancelled shortly after, that's why the difference in the cowl and landing gear. Wedell's death didn't help matters either...
 
Great find - I think there are only a handful of photos of the Model 45 (XP-34, XP-34 prototype or predecessor). It seems Wedell was really experimenting with this aircraft, not only for racing but for an Army contract.
 
Yeap looks like it is a modified Grumman FF-1 turned into a monoplane. It even has the belly and retracable landing gear. Only difference is the missing lower wing and the the tail is different.
 
Well, with a belly like that, if it's not a Grumman then it's a Curtiss.

The nearest I can think of is the Curtiss XF12C-1 which first flew in July 1933 with a Wright R-1510-92 radial. Originally designed as a 2-seat fighter.
It was later re-engined with a Wright SR-1820-80 when tested by the USN in October later that year.
It was redesignated the XS4C-1 in December 1933 when the 2-seat fighter role was dropped, and then redesignated yet again in January 1934 to the XSBC-1 when it became a scout-bomber. It later crashed during a demonstration in June 1934.
 

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