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F6C Hawk
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Photo: Robert Deering
4/18/2015 National Museum of Naval Aviation NAS Pensacola (NPA) Pensacola, Florida |
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An exceptional Golden Age fighter and part
of Curtiss' famous Hawk-series, the F6C Hawk
served a critical role in developing the
tactic of dive-bombing, being one of the
earliest aircraft with an airframe strong
enough to make the steep dives necessary for
accurate strikes. During World War II,
dive-bombing attacks such as those developed
in the '20s and '30s were key to destroying
the carrier force of the Imperial Japanese
Navy.
The Curtiss Aeroplane and Motor Company's
famous Hawk-series fighters were a mainstay
in Army Air Corps and naval squadrons during
the late-1920s and early-1930s. Four
versions of the aircraft appeared during its
production run, the configurations including
the installation of tail hooks for carrier
operations, floats for service as seaplanes,
and conversion from the water cooled Curtiss
D-12 engine to the more easily maintained
Pratt & Whitney R-1340 radial engine. The
F6C was the last Navy aircraft to employ
liquid cooled engines.
The U.S. Navy procured the F6C-1, the type
displayed in the Museum, beginning in March
1925, the same month that USS Langley
(CV-1), the Navy's first aircraft carrier,
first participated in the annual fleet
exercises. Though the contract called for
delivery of ten examples of the F6C-1, only
seven were actually flown in that
configuration, the others being modified
with tailhooks and designated F6C-2s.
However, though their ranks were small, the
first Hawks participated in early
experimentation with the tactic of
dive-bombing, the sturdier metal
construction on the leading edge of their
wings allowing pilots to dive at angles as
great as 70 degrees. On 13 December 1926,
personnel of Fighting Squadron (VF) 2
employed F6C-1/2 and FB-5 airplanes in
official exercises, scoring 19 hits out of
45 attempts on a 100 x 45 ft. target from an
altitude of 1,000 ft. In addition to its
performance in bombing, an F6C-1 also
captured the 1926 Curtiss Marine Trophy
Race, achieving a top speed of 130.94 mph. The Museum's example of the F6C-1 Hawk was acquired from Roy Reagan of Chico, California, in 1986. It is restored in the markings of Bureau Number A-6969. |
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