Curtiss Basic Combat 1

[MIflyer]

Attached is some info on the Curtiss Basic Combat 1, which I guess was sort of a two seat version of the Curtiss CW-21 Demon fighter.

The odd thing about this airplane is that while it clearly was almost useless in combat in WWII it's just the sort of machine that would come in handy for many military operations today, being rugged, simple, and adaptable to a variety of missions.

 

[vikingBerserker]

Replacing the "canopy" would have given great all around vision. I wonder if it was able to achieve 325 mph.

 

[MIflyer]

It was built light, with no armor or self sealing tanks, so it may well have been that fast. Note that either an R-1340 or an R-1820 could be installed. With an R-1820 it probably could hit 325.

The wings look a lot like those of an AT-6.

As for the canopy, I guess that was a little early for the bubble. And you'll notice that the drawing refers to an "Integral Roll Over Structure" that I guess explains that substantial solid area behind the pilot.:

 

[taly01]

Probably a fast little ship, but I wouldn't like to guess how many hours before tail falls off!