This is the Military Aviation Museum'sBoeing P-26 "Peashooter." When the P-26 was introduced in 1932, it was the fastest fighter aircraft in the world, topping out at a blistering 234 mph / 377 km/h. It was one of the first all-metal monoplanes, but it still had vestiges of early aviation in its open cockpit, wing-bracing wires, and fixed landing gear. Within 2 years it was surpassed by far superior designs like the British Hawker Hurricane (340 mph / 550 km/h) and the German Messerschmidt Bf-109 (400 mph / 350 km/h), both of which would be front-line fighters in the Battle of Britain.
The Peashooter didn't have an illustrious career because of the advanced technologies of its opponents, but it had a long lifespan. The Guatemalan Air Force retired their last P-26s in 1957. But it is noteworthy that at the outbreak of WWII for the US, a Philippine Air Force pilot, Jesus Villamor, did manage to shoot down two Japanese aircraft in a Peashooter.
The Museum's P-26 is a replica (there are only two surviving originals) painted to represent the 1st Pursuit Group, 94th Pursuit Squadron circa 1935.
On a personal note, my Dad was 8-years old when he first saw the Peashooter and immediately became enamored of it. To him, it was the ultimate expression of "fighter plane." He held that view for quite a while...how long I'm not certain, but he had a much different idea of ultimate when he was a tail-gunner flying combat missions over Europe during WWII!
@joysabin Not improper, because it is. It is also a big hit with kids...with everything else in our hangars having dull camouflage colors, the Peashooter is the bright, shiny object that captures their eye and their minds, just like my Dad.
November 2nd, 2021
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