Engineering Division TP-1

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American fighter aircraft

title: "Engineering Division TP-1" type: doc version: 1 created: 2026-02-28 author: "Wikipedia contributors" status: active scope: public tags: ["1920s-united-states-fighter-aircraft", "engineering-division-aircraft", "single-engined-tractor-aircraft", "biplanes", "single-engined-piston-aircraft", "aircraft-with-fixed-conventional-landing-gear"] description: "American fighter aircraft" topic_path: "engineering" source: "https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Engineering_Division_TP-1" license: "CC BY-SA 4.0" wikipedia_page_id: 0 wikipedia_revision_id: 0

::summary American fighter aircraft ::

::data[format=table title="Infobox aircraft"]

FieldValue
nameTP-1 / XCO-5
imageXCO-5 and Lt Macready.JPG
captionXCO-5
aircraft_typeBiplane fighter
national_originUnited States
manufacturerEngineering Division
designerAlfred V. Verville
and Virginius E. Clark
number_built2
::

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The Engineering Division TP-1 was a two-seat biplane fighter designed by Alfred V. Verville and Virginius E. Clark at the United States Army Air Corps Engineering Division. A second aircraft was completed as an observation biplane and designated the Engineering Division XCO-5.

Development

The prototype TP-1 was built as the XTP-1 and tested at McCook Field in 1923. A biplane, the upper wing had a smaller span and narrower chord than the lower wing. The XTP-1 was armed with five .30 in machine guns and fitted with a 423 hp Liberty 12 engine. A second prototype was completed as an observation/reconnaissance aircraft with the designation XCO-5.

The XCO-5 needed a high-lift wing suitable for high-altitude work. New wings were prepared. The aerofoil was Joukowsky StAe-27A, a heavily cambered wingshape with a thick leading edge. The upper and lower wings had a pronounced stagger, with a total wing area of 600 ft2. As well as lining and insulating the cockpit, heat was taken from the engine exhaust. A cover over the top of the cockpit kept the heat in; a clear panel in the cover allowed the pilot to see his instruments.

Operational history

On October 10, 1928, Bill Streett and Albert William Stevens achieved an unofficial altitude record in the XCO-5 for aircraft carrying more than one person: 37854 ft; less than 1000 ft short of the official single-person altitude record. At that height they measured a temperature of -78 °F, cold enough to freeze the aircraft controls. With frozen controls, Streett was unable to reduce altitude or to turn off the engine until some 20 minutes later when it ran out of fuel, after which he piloted the fragile experimental biplane down in a gentle glide and made a deadstick landing.

Variants

;TP-1 :Two-seat pursuit fighter prototype, one built. ;XCO-5 :Observation variant of the TP-1, one built.

Operators

;United States

Specifications

|ref=The American Fighter |prime units?=imp |crew=2 |capacity= |length m= |length ft=25 |length in=1 |span m= |span ft=36 |span in=0 |height m= |height ft=10 |height in=0 |wing area sqm= |wing area sqft=375 |airfoil= |empty weight kg= |empty weight lb=2748 |gross weight kg= |gross weight lb=4363 |max takeoff weight kg= |max takeoff weight lb= |eng1 number=1 |eng1 name=Liberty L-12 |eng1 type=water-cooled V12 engine |eng1 kw= |eng1 hp=423 |max speed kmh= |max speed mph=129 |max speed kts= |max speed note=at sea level |cruise speed kmh= |cruise speed mph=117 |cruise speed kts= |stall speed kmh= |stall speed mph= |stall speed kts= |range km= |range miles= |range nmi= |endurance=3.95 hr |ceiling m= |ceiling ft=13450 |climb rate ms= |climb rate ftmin=495 |lift to drag= |wing loading kg/m2= |wing loading lb/sqft= |power/mass met= |power/mass imp= |guns=

  • 2 × fixed forward firing .30 in machine guns
  • 2 × flexibly-mounted .30-in machine guns in rear cockpit
  • 1 × .30-in machine gun firing through ventral grille

References

Bibliography

References

  1. ''Flight'' p68
  2. Angelucci and Bowers 1987, p. 199.
  3. Andrade 1979, p. 98
  4. Andrade 1979, p. 171
  5. National Aeronautics and Space Administration. [https://history.nasa.gov/Timeline/1925-29.html Aeronautics and Astronautics Chronology, 1925–1929.] Retrieved on 3 January 2010.
  6. Armagnac, Alden P. ''Popular Science'', May 1929. [https://books.google.com/books?id=bCoDAAAAMBAJ&pg=PA22&lpg=PA22 "Stranded—Seven Miles Up!"] Retrieved on 22 November 2009.

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1920s-united-states-fighter-aircraftengineering-division-aircraftsingle-engined-tractor-aircraftbiplanessingle-engined-piston-aircraftaircraft-with-fixed-conventional-landing-gear