Unusual Kittyhawks

Keith Gaff · **Posted:** Mon Apr 18, 2011 4:16 pm

The Friends of the RAAF Museum are putting together this years George Merz Memorial Lecture the subject of which is the Curtiss P40 Kittyhawk. As part of that presentation we will be looking at the civil career of the Kittyhawk; in particular the small number that were used for air racing. Does anyone have photographs of modified Kittyhawk air racers. I remember one in particular that was fitted with a streamlined tear drop canopy. If anyone has pics and is willing to share we would greatly appreciate it.

Regards
Keith Gaff
Secretary
Friends of the Royal Australian Air Force Museum

P51Mstg · **Joined:** Tue Jan 25, 2005 11:36 am **Posts:** 1202

I'm sure someone here has the pictures (I have somewhere), but the P-40 at the Kalamazoo Air Zoo was a former racer (or was to be used for racing) and it had a modified canopy. NOW.. If you are talking about the bubble canopy P-40 (I forget the letter) of which few were made and one was raced postwar, thats different.... (YES P-40Q THANKS)

Best wishes

Mark H

thetexpat · **Posted:** Mon Apr 18, 2011 5:00 pm

Check the following for pics of the 'bubbled' P-40.

http://www.aerofiles.com/curt-p40Q.jpg

Cheers,
thetexpat

Jollygreenslugg · **Posted:** Mon Apr 18, 2011 6:28 pm

Hello Keith,

Blast from the past! I haven't spoken with you since the nineties!

You want unusual Kittyhawks; I know of one that had Mustang wings for a while!

*runs away, giggling*

Seriously though, I do recall pics of a bubble-canopied P-40 marked with US civil registration details. Shots have to be out there.

Cheers,
Matt

The Inspector · **Posted:** Mon Apr 18, 2011 7:36 pm

Check GOOLGE for 1947 Thompson Race, 'Skip' Zeigler (X plane test pilot) entered a P-40Q, race # 82 NX 300B. (GOOGLE query will produce photos of all the entrants along with race narrative). Didn't we have a Thompson thread here a couple of years ago?

kennsmithf2g · **Posted:** Mon Apr 18, 2011 9:10 pm

Hi,

PM sent.

Kenn

Rick65 · **Posted:** Tue Apr 19, 2011 5:41 am

i had always assumed that the P40Q never made its way out of Curtiss's test program.
So sad to hear that such a beautiful and unique plane survived postwar to end it's life racing.
Just as sad as the loss of the F15 firefighting.
Both duties have saved a lot of planes and seem to have cost some as well.
I guess neither plane was seen as anything special and worth preserving back then but we would love to have them still around now.

Dave Hadfield · **Joined:** Sun Sep 17, 2006 10:31 pm **Posts:** 1672

You've seen photos of John Paul Curtiss' parrothead P-40 at Reno, right?

I believe he puts a water tank in the back seat and a spray-bar into the 3 rads -- to run at high power settings.

Dave

Keith Gaff · **Posted:** Tue Apr 19, 2011 4:52 pm

Hello Matt

It has been a very long time since the halcyon days at Moorabbin. If you are ever in Melbourne look me up.

Regards,

Keith Gaff

bdk · **Joined:** Sun May 02, 2004 1:16 am **Posts:** 11330

There were also some used for cloud seeding I think.

yakdriver · **Joined:** Mon May 17, 2004 11:58 am **Posts:** 127

Here is a picture taken in about 1970 in the POF compound in Ontario. I think this is the POF P-40N in racing livery.
http://www.photobucket.com/p-40

Keith Gaff · **Posted:** Thu Apr 21, 2011 4:06 am

Hello Yakdriver,

That's the one I was thinking of. Thanks to everyone who gave me leads on these unusual p 40's.

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Unusual Kittyhawks

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