Boeing’s classic biplane
When one thinks of classic American biplane fighters of the late 1920s and 1930s, the Boeing P-12/F4B series immediately springs to mind. Small, powerful, and highly maneuverable, these Air Corps and Navy fighters were the epitome of the two-gun biplane pursuit. However, they would soon be eclipsed by the advanced monoplane fighters being built in Britain and Europe.
Of the various models of the P-12, the best-known is the P-12E which carried the Boeing designation Model 234. A large portion of the aircraft was similar to the earlier P-12D but, in a big step forward, a new all-metal fuselage was added along with new tail surfaces. These had been flight tested on the Model 218 which was a Boeing, owned aircraft and.can be considered the prototype for the P-12E and similar F4B-3.
.fa_inline_results, .fa_inline_results.left {
margin-right: 20px;
margin-top: 0;
width: 220px;
clear: left;
}
.fa_inline_results.right {
margin-left: 20px;
margin-right: 0;
}
.fa_inline_results h4 {
margin: 0;
font-size: 8pt;
line-height: 12px;
padding-bottom: 4px;
border-bottom: 1px dotted #c3d2dc;
}
.fa_inline_results ul {
list-style-type: disc;
list-style-position: inside;
color: #3769DD;
margin: 0 0 15px;
padding: 0;
}
.fa_inline_results ul li {
margin: 0;
padding: 0;
}
.fa_inline_results ul li.title {
color: #333;
list-style-type: none;
font-weight: bold;
}
.fa_inline_results ul li.articles {
color: #333;
list-style-type: none;
}
in Home & Garden
The gentle art of …In pursuit of the …Heart-smart herbs: …Victorian garden …Mulch: the great …More »
.fa_inline_results, .fa_inline_results.left {
margin-right: 20px;
margin-top: 0;
width: 220px;
clear: left;
}
.fa_inline_results.right {
margin-left: 20px;
margin-right: 0;
}
.fa_inline_results h4 {
margin: 0;
font-size: 8pt;
line-height: 12px;
padding-bottom: 4px;
border-bottom: 1px dotted #c3d2dc;
}
.fa_inline_results ul {
list-style-type: disc;
list-style-position: inside;
color: #3769DD;
margin: 0 0 15px;
padding: 0;
}
.fa_inline_results ul li {
margin: 0;
padding: 0;
}
.fa_inline_results ul li.title {
color: #333;
list-style-type: none;
font-weight: bold;
}
.fa_inline_results ul li.articles {
color: #333;
list-style-type: none;
}
in Home & Garden
Southern LivingFamily Economics and …Flower & Garden …Green Guide, TheHome Accents TodayMore »
The government issued a contract for 135 P-12Es on 3 March 1931. Each airframe was to cost $10,197 and this cost did not include government furnished equipment (GFE) such as engine and weapons. As typical in those distant times, work on the planes was carried out at a very rapid rate and 110 P-1 2Es were delivered to the Air Corps between 19 September and 15 October of the same year!
Interestingly, at the time Boeing did not have its own airfield and the disassembled P-12Es were delivered to the Air Corps by train. According to records it is worth noting that once the Air Corps received their aircraft, they were apparently assembled and flight tested but the first Air Corps P-12E did not take to the air until 15 October 1931 - the last day of deliveries. Why this time span existed is not known. The remaining 25 aircraft in the contract were completed as P–
12Fs in which the main difference was the substitution of an SR-1340-G radial that could pump out 500-hp at 11,000 feet.
For the Navy, the F4B-3 was basically identical to the P-12E except for the addition of naval equipment and a revision of the cockpit. The Navy ordered 21 F4B-3s on 12 April 1931 and all were delivered by 20 January 1932. The Navy also contained a slightly improved variant, the F4B-4, and 92 were put into service.
Army pilots enjoyed the nimble P-12E and the type became well known at airshows where pilots put on dazzling aerobatic displays. The aircraft were originally delivered with yellow flying surfaces and olive drab fuselages but the fuselage color was later changed to a medium blue. The addition of squadron insignia and command markings made the P-12Es exceptionally colorful aircraft.
However, the aeronautical world was rapidly changing and the role of the P-12E as America’s premeir pursuit was eclipsed by the new generation of all-metal monoplanes. Retired from frontline service, many were used as base hacks or trainers but by the start of 1941, even these were out of service. In addition, the Army transferred a group of 23 P-12s (the majority of which were thought to be E models) to the US Navy in 1940. These aircraft were converted to target drones with the designation of F4B-4A and most met an inglorious end while being fired at by Navy gunners.
As common during the time period, some airframes were parceled out to trade schools where they could be utilized as instructional aids. One such craft was P-12E s/n 32-17 which was given to the California Polytechnic Institute. “The plane became sort of an inglorious work tool,” recalls Ed Maloney. “The wings and tail were removed and the craft was used as an engine test cell. Students would rebuild different types of radials and then install them on the fuselage and run the engines.”
