Hobby Master 1-48 Air Power
HA9204 Curtiss Hawk 81A-2 White 68, Ft Ldr Charles Older, AVG 3rd PS, Burma
May 1942

The Curtiss P-40 Warhawk was an all metal, single-engine, single-seat fighter and ground-attack aircraft that made its maiden flight in 1938. Since the P-40 was a modified P-36 Hawk it was developed quickly and entered service in record time. The USAAF referred to the aircraft as the Warhawk while the British Commonwealth and the Soviet Union called the B and C variants Tomahawk while the D and later variants were called Kittyhawk. By the end of production in 1944 approximately 18,000 aircraft were manufactured.

In 1940 Charles (Chuck) Older was assigned to VMF-1. In July 1941 he resigned the Marines and joined the AVG. The 3 AVG squadrons were “Adam and Eve”, “Panda Bear” and “Hell’s Angels” to which Older was assigned. In December 1941 Older scored 5 victories over Rangoon, Burma. Older became a double Ace with the AVG and later added 8 more victories. Older fought in Korea and when he retired became a judge who presided over the Charles Manson case

Specifications For Curtiss-Wright P-40
Manufacturer / Curtiss - Wright Corporation
P-40 Produced All Variants - 17,738
Role - Fighter, Ground-Attack
First Flight - 1938 Crew
P-40B - 1
P-40E - 1
P-40F - 1
P-40N - 1
Dimensions
Length
P-40B - 31 ft 8 in (9.66 m)
P-40E - 31 ft 8 in (9.66 m)
P-40F - 31 ft 2 in (9.8 m)
P4-F-5-CU Onward 33 ft 4 in (11.38 m)
P-40N - 33 ft 4 in (11.38 m) Wingspan
P-40B - 37 ft 4 in (11.38 m)
P-40E - 37 ft 4 in (11.38 m)
P-40F - 37 ft 4 in (11.38 m)
P-40N - 37 ft 4 in (11.38 m)
Height
P-40B/E/F/N - 12 ft 4 in (3.76 m)
Weight
Empty
P-40B - 5,590 lb (2,535 kg)
P-40E - 6,350 lb (2,880 kg)
P-40F - 6,590 lb (2,990 kg)
P4-N - 6,405 lb (2,905 kg)
Max Take Off
P-40B - 7,600 lb (3,447 kg)
P-40E - 8,810 lb (4,000 kg)
P-40F - 9,350 lb (4,238 kg)
P-40N - 8,860 lb (4.020 kg)
Performance
Powerplant
P-40B - 1 X Allison V-1710-33 1,040 hp
P-40E - 1 x Allison V-1710-39 1,150 hp
P-40F - 1 X Packard V-1650-1 1,300 hp
P-40N - 1 X Allison V-1710-81 1,200 hp, Later Series P-40N-40 V1710-115, 1,360 hp
Maximum Speed
P-40B - 352 mph (566 k/h)
P-40E - 360 mph (580 km/h)
P-40F - 364 mph (585 km/h) @ 20,000 ft (6.096 m)
P-40N - 378 mph (608 km/h) @ 16,400 ft (5,000 m)
Cruise
P-40B - 273 mph (439 km/h)
P-40E - 270 mph (435 km/h)
P-40F - 300 mph (482 km/h)
P-40N - 280 mph (455 km/h)
Service Ceiling
P-40B - 32,400 ft (9,875 m)
P-40E - 29,000 ft (8,840 m)
P-40F - 34,400 ft (10,500 m)
P-40N - 31,000 ft (9,450 m)
ROC
P-40B - 2,860 ft/min (14.5 m/s)
P-40E - 2,100 ft/min (10.7 m/s)
P-40F - 1,725 ft/min (8.8 m/s)
P-40N - 2,240 ft/min (11.4 m/s)
Armament
P-40B - 2 X .50 cal (12.7 mm) 4 X 0.30 Browning Machine Guns
P-40E - 6 X .50 cal (12.7 mm) Browning M2 Machine Guns With 281 Rounds Up to 1,500 lb (680 kg) Of Bombs On 3 Hardpoints
P-40F - 4 or 6 X Browning Machine Guns With 240 – 312 Rounds Per Gun, 2 X 500 lb (227 kg) Bombs
P-40N - 4 X .50 cal (12.7 mm) Browning M2 Machine Guns Up To 1,500 lb (680 kg) Of Bombs On 3 Hardpoints