RE: ROKA - add

[Marc James Small <msmall@infi.net>]

At 02:20 PM 2/27/02 -0500, Daniel T. Fahey wrote:
>The British were sure dedicated to the 30cal.
>The wings look like they were right off a T-6.
>Was very maneuverable, slow 310mph but with a good climb.
>
>The P66 Northup was another interesting plane that never really made
>headlines.
>China used it but know nothing of its sucess as a fighter aircraft
>It used the same Pratt or Wright engines.
>Sort of looked like a Corsair without the Gull Wing.


The British were dedicated to the .303, not to the .30 caliber.  The
Boomerang used either four .303 or four .30:  my sources differ, and either
is possible, though the .303 is more likely.  The wings probably were
identical to those on the NA-33, but understand that the NA-33 was made in
Australia as the Wirraway.  The fuselage is quite a bit different.  My
sources give 296mph as the top speed, incidentally.

North American itself did a similar work-up with its NA-50 project, used by
Peru, which grew into the NA-68, six of which were taken over from a Royal
Thai AF order as the P-64.  These used the 870 hp P&W R-1820 Cyclone and
could work up to a princely 270 mph.

The P-66 Vanguard was a Vultee product, not Northrup.  144 were ordered by
the Royal Swedish Air Force but the order was embargoed by the USAAF, who
assigned the aircraft to the RAF but, later, passed 129 of them to China
and kep the remaining 15 for USAAF use as advanced combat trainers.  The
Vanguard had a 1,200 hp P&W R-1830 Twin Wasp and could reach 340  mph.  

Marc

msmall@roanoke.infi.net  FAX:  +276/343-7315
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