CONCEPT CARS  /  STRANGE VEHICLES  /  SPORTS CARS  /  BOATS & SUBS

Vultee XP-54 "Swoose Goose"

Vultee XP-54 prototype aircraft




The Vultee XP-54, or the "Swoose Goose" as it was nicknamed, was a prototype high-altitude interceptor aircraft developed by Vultee to fulfill a U.S. Army Air Corps request for a combat aircraft with an unusual configuration.

Vultee's XP-54 was one of three designs submitted to the competition early in 1941 - the other two aircraft being the Curtiss-Wright XP-55 Ascender and the Northrop XP-56 Black Bullet. But it was the XP-54 which impressed the air force the most, leading to a contract for two prototypes.

Initially the brief had called for a low level interceptor, but by September of 1941 this had changed to to a high altitude interceptor request. This crucial change meant the XP-54 had to be modified, a turbocharger was added to the engine, more armor was fitted and the aircraft received a pressurized cockpit. These alterations drastically increased the weight, taking it from 11,500 lbs (5,200 kgs) to 18,000 lbs (8,200 kgs).

Aside from the unconventional twin boom tail and pusher propeller arrangement, the Vultee XP-54 was also unusual in a number of other ways. Firstly, the nose could be moved up and down (3 degrees up and 6 degrees down). The nose also housed all the aircraft's armaments, which consisted of two 37mm cannons and two .50 cal machine guns. The machine guns were mounted on movable mounts and were controlled by a special compensating gun sight.

The other bizarre feature of the XP-54 was the cockpit entry system. Because of the pressurized cockpit requirement, the engineers decided it would be simpler to have the pilot enter the aircraft from the underside. They came up with the idea of the pilots seat acting as an electrically powered elevator to lift them up into the cockpit. Due to this system the bailout procedure was equally topsy-turvy, with the pilot having to be lowered out the bottom before being tipped out of the seat at a distance great enough to clear the whirling blades of the propeller just behind.

Flight testing of the first prototype began in January of 1943. The initial results were rather disappointing, the aircraft was underpowered - the first choice for the engine (Pratt & Whitney X-1800) had been discontinued and the replacement (a heavier Lycoming XH-2470 ) was inadequate. To make matters worse the XH-2470 proved unreliable and was discontinued shortly after, leading to more costly delays and potential modifications to accommodate yet another powerplant. In the end the military decided to cancel the program and instead concentrate their efforts on more conventional aircraft.

Sadly for the XP-54 and its designers, the aircraft itself wasn't to blame. It featured some clever ideas and unusual concepts which given time may have proven themselves. But the fiasco with discontinued and unreliable engines meant it ran out of time before it could really show what it was capable of.

Categories
Sports Cars
Luxury Cars
4x4s and SUVs
Hot Hatches
Motorcycles
Power boats and Yachts
Sport Submersibles
Strange Aircraft
Extreme Land Vehicles
Extreme Sea Vehicles
Extreme Air Vehicles
Top Ten Lists



Resources
Contact
About
Site map
Privacy policy




Vultee XP-54 prototype aircraft
Vultee XP-54 prototype aircraft
Vultee XP-54 prototype aircraft
Vultee XP-54 prototype aircraft



Vultee XP-54 prototype aircraft
Vultee XP-54 prototype aircraft



Home - About - Contact - Privacy Policy
CC 2005 - 2014 diseno-art.com