Vultee 84/XP 54

It seems that every modeler I have known has, or has had, a P 51 Mustang on the building board or flying field at one time or another. Here is a WW II aircraft that is "different". If you wanted to build a model that gets away from the crowd, well, here it is.

The Vultee 84/XP 54 was a one of a kind prototype first flown in 1943. It has all the right moments and lines for a super R/C model, precision scale or sport scale.

The manufacturers name, Vultee Aircraft, is not as well known as Douglas, Northrop, or Lockheed. The company was assimilated into Consolidated Aircraft, becoming Consolidated - Vultee, then becoming Convair, and finally General Dynamics Corporation. Gerald Vultee, the founder, was a designer/engineer easily equal to Donald Douglas or John Northrop in those exciting days of the 1930's we now call the "Golden Age" of aviation history. Vultee helped advance the design of contemporary aircraft with all metal semi-monocoque structures, tricycle landing gear, and innovative configuration. Vultee and his wife were killed in a private plane crash at a relatively young age or we might have seen even more exciting and advanced designs come off his drawing board for use in the U.S. air armada and the Post WW II era.

Officially, his company began as the Airplane Development Co. financed by industrialist E. L. Cord. The aircraft developed by this company quickly came to be known as "Vultee’s" and were renowned for their performance as fast executive transports and attack bombers for the military.

The company built nearly 2000 "Vengence" dive bombers and more than 11,000 "Valiant" BT-13 trainers. As WW II ended, development of new military aircraft was drastically curtailed and the subject aircraft, the model 84 or XP-54, was one of those aircraft under consideration for production that was scrapped.

In its prototype form s/n 41-1210 made 86 flights and was then used as spare parts for a second prototype, s/n 41-1211.

The XP-54 was a fairly large aircraft with a 53 feet 11 inches span and 54 feet 9 inches length compared to the approximately 30 foot span of the British Spitfire and 35 foot span of the P-51. It was powered by an experimental Lycoming XH-2470 with an unusual X cylinder configuration. Liquid cooled, it produced some 2300 horsepower. Radiators were located in the leading edges of the inverted gull wing center section and tricycle landing gear was used to provide ground clearance for the 4 bladed prop. Armament proposed was six 50 caliper M/G and one 37MM cannon in the nose.

Color and markings were standard for the day. Camouflage Olive Drab for the upper surfaces, Camouflage gray on the lower surfaces with a flat black anti-glare panel forward of the cockpit. The prop and spinner were flat black with yellow safety tip marking on the prop.

As shown on the three views an insignia called the "Swoose Goose" was painted on below the canopy. Above the "Swoose Goose" and below the cockpit frame, a small green four leaf clover was painted on the O/D surface. Tail numbers were done in yellow.

Come on now! This is a design that needs to be built as an R/C model. Don't you think so?