Gloster Gladiator in USAAF

[The Rat]

What say you, lads? I think the markings from the Williams Brothers Martin B-10 should fit.

I love the yellow-wing look.

[Dizzyfugu]

Colorful! Yellow wing aircraft are always pretty. 

[McColm]

Go for it 

[Wardukw]

Absolutely Rat man .. do it! 

[zenrat]

 

[Captain Canada]

Great idea. Defo going to get some of those " wait a minute...." looks !

[The Rat]

The rationale might be that the USAAC was hedging their bets aginst the Boeing P-26 Peashooter. The Gladiator had far superior performance in just about every area.

From Wikipedia:

Gloster Gladiator Performance

Maximum speed: 253 mph (407 km/h, 220 kn) at 14,500 ft (4,420 m)
Cruise speed: 210 mph (340 km/h, 180 kn)
Stall speed: 53 mph (85 km/h, 46 kn)
Endurance: 2 hours
Service ceiling: 32,800 ft (10,000 m)
Rate of climb: 2,300 ft/min (12 m/s)
Time to altitude: 10,000 ft (3,048 m) in 4 minutes 45 seconds

Boeing P-26 Performance

Maximum speed: 234 mph (377 km/h, 203 kn)
Combat range: 360 mi (580 km, 310 nmi)
Ferry range: 635 mi (1,022 km, 552 nmi)
Service ceiling: 27,400 ft (8,400 m)
Rate of climb: 719 ft/min (3.65 m/s)


The Gladiator first flew about 18 months after the Peashooter, so the timeline kind of works. There were American aircraft of the same period that were the equal or even slightly better, but most were used by the US Navy, and others never went beyond the testing stage. The Consolidated P-30 was a fairly good aircraft, and a monoplane, but required a 2-man crew, which the Air Corps wasn't really sold on, and only 60 were built.

[Rick Lowe]

Yeah, a trials example would be a good rationale.

You could always do others, too - some that have crossed my fevered imaginings on occasion are the Fokker D.XXI (mine almost ended up that way) or an I-16 Rata, but re-engined with some thing more 'American', of course.

FWIW. 

[NARSES2]

Yeah, a trials example would be a good rationale.

Perhaps the USAAC ran a competition and Gloster's got their design up and running for it ?

You could always do others, too - some that have crossed my fevered imaginings on occasion are the Fokker D.XXI (mine almost ended up that way)

FWIW. 

I like the idea of the D.XXI, built under licence perhaps ?

[zenrat]

I put a Hercules (Airfix Beaufighter) into a ICM Rata.  It was quite easy.

Polikarpov I-16 Sprinter 004 by Fred Maillardet, on Flickr
https://www.whatifmodellers.com/index.php?topic=45868.msg829881#msg829881

[jcf]

Yeah, a trials example would be a good rationale.

Perhaps the USAAC ran a competition and Gloster's got their design up and running for it ?

You could always do others, too - some that have crossed my fevered imaginings on occasion are the Fokker D.XXI (mine almost ended up that way)

FWIW. 

I like the idea of the D.XXI, built under licence perhaps ?

Why would the USAAC have bothered with the D.XXI? The first flights of the all-metal, retractable landing gear Curtiss Hawk 75/P-36 and Seversky P-35 were in March 1935 and August 1935, respectively. The D.XXI first flight was in March 1936.

Anyhow Fokker established Atlantic Aircraft Corporation (aka Fokker-America and Atlantic-Fokker) in New Jersey in 1924. The company was renamed Fokker Aircraft Corporation of America in 1927. GM bought a 40% share in 1929 and it became a GM subsidiary. Fokker gave up his association with the company in 1931 and GM renamed the aviation division as the General Aviation Manufacturing Corporation. GM merged it with North American Aviation in 1934, GM purchased a controlling interest in NAA in 1933.
I suppose you could have Fokker retain a relationship through the various corporate changes and have an American D.XXI produced by NAA. No licensing required.