Bell YFM-1 Airacuda

what is it?

The Bell YFM-1 Airacuda was an American heavy fighter aircraft, developed by the Bell Aircraft Corporation for the United States Army Air Corps during the mid-1930s. It was the first military aircraft produced by Bell. Originally designated the Bell Model 1, the Airacuda first flew on 1 September 1937.

🔎How to recognise it: 2 piston engines with propellers · 21.3 m wingspan

base stats

• speed 446 km/htop speed
• size 9,809 kgmax take-off weight
• built 13made in total

Bars compare against all aircraft: 3,500 km/h, 20,000 km, 850 seats; size and number built on a log scale up to 640 t (An-225) and 45,000 built (Cessna 172).

fun facts

• 🎂First flew 89 years ago, in 1937.
• 🏎️Top speed is 3.4× a car on the Dutch motorway (130 km/h).
• 🚗Wingspan of 21.3 m: about 5 cars parked nose to tail.
• 🏔️Can fly 1.1× higher than Mount Everest (8,849 m).

piston: A car-like piston engine turning a propeller: simple and cheap, the classic small plane.

spec sheet

first flight

1937-09-01

introduced

1940

retired

1942

status

retired

number built

13

role

interceptor

origin

🇺🇸 United States

makers

Bell Aircraft Corporation

engines

2× Allison V-1710-9

length

13.7 m

wingspan

21.3 m

height

4.1 m

max take-off weight

9,809 kg

top speed

446 km/h

cruise speed

393 km/h

range

—

ceiling

9,296 m

Specs are for the version in the Wikipedia article's specification section. Blank means the sources don't say.