Curtiss P-36 Hawk

what is it?

The Curtiss P-36 Hawk, also known as the Curtiss Hawk Model 75, is an American-designed and built fighter aircraft of the 1930s and 40s. A contemporary of the Hawker Hurricane and Messerschmitt Bf 109, it was one of the first of a new generation of combat aircraft—a sleek monoplane design with a retractable undercarriage making extensive use of metal in its construction. Perhaps best known as the predecessor of the Curtiss P-40 Warhawk, the P-36 saw little combat with the United States Army Air Forces during World War II. It was used most extensively and successfully by the French Air Force during the Battle of France.

🔎How to recognise it: 1 piston engine with propeller · low wing · retractable tailwheel (taildragger) · 11.4 m wingspan

base stats

• speed 504 km/htop speed
• size 2,726 kgmax take-off weight
• built 215made 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 91 years ago, in 1935.
• 🏎️Top speed is 3.9× a car on the Dutch motorway (130 km/h).
• 🚗Wingspan of 11.4 m: about 3 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

1935-05-06

introduced

1938

retired

1954

status

retired

number built

215

role

fighter

origin

🇺🇸 United States

makers

Hindustan Aeronautics Limited, SNCAC, Fábrica Argentina de Aviones, Curtiss-Wright

engines

1× Pratt & Whitney R-1830-17 Twin Wasp / R-1820 / R-1830 Twin Wasp

length

8.7 m

wingspan

11.4 m

height

2.6 m

max take-off weight

2,726 kg

top speed

504 km/h

cruise speed

434 km/h

range

—

ceiling

9,967 m

wings

low wing

landing gear

retractable conventional landing gear

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