General Information

Serial #

N/A

Part Number

1

Total Parts

1

AKA

N/A

Patents

N/A

General Description

Unknown

Dimensions

Note: These reflect the general size for storage and are not necessarily representative of the object's true dimensions.

Length

9.7 m

Width

11.7 m

Height

3.7 m

Thickness

N/A

Weight

N/A

Diameter

N/A

Volume

N/A

Lexicon

Group

Aviation

Category

Aircraft

Sub-Category

N/A

Manufacturer

AKA

Curtiss Wright

Country

United States of America

State/Province

New York

City

Buffalo

Context

Country

Unknown

State/Province

Unknown

Period

The Museum example was built in 1942 for the RAF but was delivered to the RCAF. It operated in British Columbia until 1943, then was used for training until 1945. Subsequently selected for preservation, it remained in storage until finally transferred to the Museum in 1964.

Canada

Unknown

Function

Unknown

Technical

Despite an unspectacular overall performance and a lack of power at altitude, the P-40 was the most important American fighter in the early years of Second World War because it was available in large quantities. P-40s were flown on almost all battle fronts and were supplied to many countries, including Canada, Britain, Australia, New Zealand, China, and Russia. The RCAF operated seven squadrons of Kittyhawks in Canada and Alaska. Introduced in 1941, the RCAF retired them all by 1946. A total of 13,750 were built. Despite its mediocre performance the P-40 was tough and reliable, attributes essential for operations in the relatively primitive conditions and harsh climate of Alaska and the Aleutians. In an attempt to increase performance, especially at high altitude, two versions appeared with Rolls-Royce Merlin engines. The best known P-40 unit was the American Volunteer Group in China, the "Flying Tigers". The famous shark-mouth decoration on their aircraft actually originated with the RAF in the Western Desert.

Area Notes

Unknown

Details

Markings

N/A

Missing

N/A

Finish

Unknown

Decoration

N/A