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Albree Pigeon Fraser Pursuit |
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| The Pigeon-Fraser was the first
pursuit aircraft contracted for by the United States.
Only three of these aircraft were built. The first one
was static tested to destruction, whereby hundreds of small,
carefully weighed sandbags were strategically placed on the
structure. This was done to simulate, and exceed flying
loads that the aircraft would experience in flight while it
remained safely on the ground. It has been said that
the second example crashed and burned on its maiden flight,
killing the test pilot. One scorched wing panel was
repaired and installed on the unfinished third
aircraft. The U.S. government canceled the contract at
this time, so this last remaining Pigeon-Fraser was stored
in the rafters of the Pigeon Hollow Spar Company in Boston,
MA. Forty-four years later, on November 15, 1961, Cole Palen
procured the aircraft for the Old Rhinebeck Aerodrome
Museum. This is a prize example of an unsuccessful
aircraft.
Interestingly, the aircraft was designed without movable elevators. Instead, the fuselage is hinged behind the cockpit and the entire tail section moves up and down behind the hinge line at the leading edge of the stabilizer. Although this type was not a successful design, it did incorporate at least two innovative design features. It is believed to be the first aircraft to utilize a flat-bottomed airfoil, and uniquely designed spring-type wheels were used to provide shock absorption. |
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