The Boeing F4B (P-12) was an American, carrier-based fighter in service with the US Navy and US Army's Air Corps from 1930 to 1941. This biplane aircraft had superb maneuverability, massive strength, and excellent performance as it was the most capable carrier-borne fighter of its time. However, by the time the United States declared the war on Japan, it had been completely phased out as it had been replaced by more advanced monoplane fighters, such as the Grumman F4F Wildcat.
The prototype of the Boeing F4B, the Model 83, made its maiden flight on June 25, 1928, while Model 89 was the second prototype. Both of them were powered by one Pratt & Whitney R-1340B Wasp radial engine. After more than two years of flight tests, it would finally be introduced into service with the US Navy on July 24, 1924, as the F4B-1. Meanwhile, the US Army's Air Corps version was the P-12, which was based on the Model 89 prototype, and it had already been accepted for Army service in late February 1929. The US Navy's final variant, the F4B-4, is the best remembered among the 220 aircraft that saw active service in the Navy. Part of the success of this aircraft was due to its power plant, the Pratt & Whitney R-1340, which was the period's finest technical achievement.
Technical Description
The Boeing F4B was a single-seat, single-engine biplane. The airframe of the aircraft consisted of welded steel tubes, while the fuselage was fabric-covered until 1931. However, this fabric fuselage would soon be replaced with stressed metal skin for better strength. Upper and lower wing had a straight leading and trailing edge, with rounded wingtips. The biplane wing had exaggerated stagger, with upper and lower planes being firmly held together with 'V'-shape struts. The wing construction consisted of two box spars, with mahogany bracing. Both wing planes were fabric-covered with corrugated aluminum ailerons. The F4B-4 variant was powered by one Pratt & Whitney R-1340-16 radial piston engine, which was rated at 550 horsepower. The Navy's version was fitted with arrestor hook for flight deck landing, and very strong fixed landing gear.
Specifications (F4B-4)
Type: fighter aircraft
Length: 6.12 m (20 feet, 1 inch)
Wing Span: 9.14 m (30 feet)
Wing Area: 21.13 m2 (227 square feet)
Height: 2.84 m (9 feet, 4 inches)
Power Plant: one 550-HP, Pratt & Whitney R-1340-16 Wasp, air-cooled, radial engine.
Maximum Speed: 300 km/h (186 mph)
Range: 600 km (373 miles)
Service Ceiling: 8,200 m (26,903 feet)
Crew: one
Armament: two 7.62-mm (.30-cal) fixed, forward-firing Browning machine guns; one 227-kg (500-lb) bomb.
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| Above, an early US Army's P-12 model, with uncowled engine. |
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| An F4B-1 on the flight deck of USS Lexington. |
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| F4B-4s on the ramp at Marine Corps Air Station Quantico, Virginia, in 1936. |