Consolidated P2Y

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Consolidated_P2Y

The Consolidated P2Y was an American flying boat maritime patrol aircraft. The
plane was a parasol monoplane with a fabric-covered wing and aluminum hull.

Initially created to compete for a U.S. Navy contract dated February 28, 1928,
the prototype Model 9, XPY-1, was designed by Captain Dick Richardson and Isaac
M. 'Mac' Laddon. Beginning construction in March 1928, the aircraft was ready
for its first flight by the end of the year. Lieutenant A. W. Gorton made the
first flight out of Anacostia NAS, Washington, D.C..

The production contract was opened to other bidders, and the Glenn L. Martin
Company undercut them and was awarded the contract to construct the plane as the
Martin P3M-1 and P3M-2. Three P3M-1s and six P3M-2s were built; one XP2M-1 was
also built to a similar design, powered by three Wright Cyclone engines;
following the removal of the third engine it was redesignated XP2M-2. The idea
of a third engine on the XPY-1 had been studied and rejected by Navy Bureau of
Aeronautics staff.

A new contract was placed by the U.S. Navy on May 26, 1931, for a prototype of a
developed version of the Model 9, XPY-1, designated the Model 22 Ranger by
Consolidated. Incorporating features of the Model 16 Commodore, such as the
enclosed flight deck, designated the XP2Y-1 by the Navy, this new prototype had
the same 100 ft parasol wing, but became a sesquiplane with a smaller wing
mounted lower, at the top of the hull, replacing the booms that had supported
the stabilizing pontoons on the XPY-1. Two Wright R-1820-E1 Cyclone engines were
located close below the top wing and had narrow-chord cowlings. A third similar
engine was mounted on a strut along the centerline above the wing, but was
removed after the first test in April 1932.

The Navy ordered 23 P2Y-3s as production models similar to the P2Y-2s that were
modified from the original batch of P2Y-1s.


Role
Flying boat

Manufacturer
Consolidated Aircraft

First flight
10 January 1929

Retired
1941

Status
Retired

Primary user
United States Navy

Number built
78

The Navy ordered 23 P2Y-1s on 7 July 1931. They were serving by mid-1933 with
VP-10F and VP-5F squadrons which made a number of classic long-range formation
flights. At least 21 P2Y-1s were modified to P2Y-2s in 1936 and flown by VP-5F
and VP-10F until 1938, when they were transferred to VP-14 and VP-15.

The first P2Y-3s reached VP-7F in 1935, and this version was flown by VP-4F at
Pearl Harbor and in 1939 was in operation with VP-19, VP-20, and VP-21. By the
end of 1941, all the P2Y-2s and P2Y-3s had been withdrawn from operational use
and were at Naval Air Station Pensacola.

The Colombian Air Force used one Commodore P2Y as a bomber in the Colombia-Peru
War in 1932–1933.

The Imperial Japanese Navy Air Service evaluated the Consolidated P2Y as the
"Consolidated Navy Experimental Type C Flying-Boat".

Specifications (P2Y-3)

General characteristics
Crew: five
Length: 61 ft 9 in (18.82 m)
Wingspan: 100 ft in (30.48 m)
Height: 19 ft 1 in (5.82 m)
Wing area: 1514 ft2 (140.65 m2)
Empty weight: 12769 lb (5792 kg)
Gross weight: 25266 lb (11460 kg)
Powerplant: 2 × Wright R-1820-90 Cyclone radial piston, 750 hp (559 kW) each

Performance
Maximum speed: 149 mph (240 km/h)
Cruise speed: 118 mph (189 km/h)
Range: 1180 miles (1899 km)
Service ceiling: 16100 ft (4265 m)
Rate of climb: 650 ft/min (3.3 m/s)

Armament
1 × flexible bow-mounted .30 in (7.62 mm) M1919 Browning machine guns
2 × flexible dorsal-mounted .30 in (7.62 mm) M1919 Browning machine guns
2,000 lb (910 kg) bombload



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