Warbird Information Exchange

I was reading up on P-40s and became curious. I read that 3 P-40Qs were made and 1 was destroyed at the races in Cleveland in 1947. But what became of the other 2? I figured somebody on here would know. Thanks

Shay

Shay--

Didn't realize there were three P-40Qs. I knew of two, the Q-1 being a highback, resembling the P-40L except for its long nose, and the Q-2 a very striking-looking bird with a large bubble canopy and squared wingtips. The Q-2 became a racer, but a very shortlived one; as you say it was destroyed in a crash during one of the late-40s Cleveland races. (It had not been in the field, but when one of the entries dropped out, Joe Ziegler took off in the Q-2 as an alternate...then had to bail out himself!). I expect that the Q-1 (and the third Q, whichever version it was) would have gone to the smelter like so much else during the late 40s.

S.

I apologize inadvance for forgetting who wrote this:

"The P-40Q was an experimental project which attempted to produce a really modern fighter out of the existing P-40. The modifications were in fact so drastic that there was very little in common with earlier P-40 versions.

Two P-40Ks (serial numbers 42-9987 and 42-45722) and one P-40N (serial number 43-24571) were extensively modified with revised cooling systems, two-stage superchargers, and structural changes which markedly altered their appearance. The project was assigned the designation XP-40Q.

The first XP-40Q was P-40K-10-CU ser no 42-9987 fitted with a new cooling system, a longer nose, and a four-bladed propeller. The radiators were moved into an under-fuselage position, with intakes between the undercarriage legs.

The most prominent XP-40Q feature, used on 42-45722 and 43-24571, was the cutting down of the rear fuselage and the addition of a bubble canopy as on the "XP-40N". Later the wingtips were clipped. The result was an aircraft which bore almost no resemblance whatsoever to its parent P-40 line. The V-1710-121 engine was fitted with water injection, resulting in a power of 1425 hp. Speed increased to 422 mph at 20,500 feet, making it the fastest of all the P-40s. An altitude of 20,000 feet could be reached in 4.8 minutes, and service ceiling was 39,000 feet. Four 0.5-inch machine guns were carried by the prototypes. Wingspan was 35 feet 3 inches (after clipping), and length was 35 feet 4 inches (2 feet longer than the P-40N).

The proposed production models of the P-40Q were to have carried either six 0.50-inch machine guns or four 20-mm cannon, but the XP-40Q was still inferior to contemporary production Mustangs and Thunderbolts, and development was therefore abandoned. Consequently, the production life of the P-40 ended with the N version.

The second XP-40Q was briefly used for postwar air racing. Registered NX300B, the second XP-40Q was an unauthorized starter in the 1947 Thompson Trophy race. It was in fourth place when it caught fire and had to drop out of the race. "

I was unaware of the other aircraft too, until I read this.

Shay

For those who unaware of what the P-40Q looked like.





A rather attractive bird I think.

Shay

"A rather attractive bird I think."

Me too!

Looks like an attractive candidate for another 'new-production' effort to me

_________________
Rob Mears
'Surviving Corsairs' Historian
robcmears@yahoo.com
http://www.robmears.com

Rob/Shay et al--

That's an excellent idea, I think. With all the Warhawk/Kittyhawk components that have been recovered--plus the fact that the Q Warhawks were conversions of earlier versions (I didn't know that either)--surely a Q-model should be a viable project. Hmm. I'm picturing Ziegler's racer, "reincarnated", parked someday on the ramp in ND alongside the F2G that won the same race in which the Q illicitly ran...

And yeah, the Q-2 is a slick ship. Looks like the lovechild of a P-40N and a P-51D! (The Q, but with a belly scoop instead of the deep nose, is probably pretty close in appearance to what the developed P-46 would have looked like if the data from that project had not been transferred to NAA to assist in developing the NA-73/P-51).

Actually, am I the only one experiencing deja-vu here, or did we float the idea of "reincarnating" a P-40Q once before on WIX??

S.