The Bell XFL Airabonita, Bell Model 5, was an experimental carrier-based interceptor that Bell Aircraft of Buffalo, New York built for the United States Navy. It was a parallel development of the Army P-39 Airacobra, with an Allison V-1710 engine mounted behind the pilot driving the propeller through an extension shaft, but with a conventional tailwheel undercarriage and wing-mounted radiator fairings. The Navy signed for one prototype in November 1938, and it first flew on 13 May 1940. Engine and landing gear problems and weak altitude performance kept it from carrier certification, and the Navy chose not to order production. The single prototype ended as an armament test aircraft at Patuxent River.
Facts
Engine Class Top Speed (km/h) Maximum Mass (kg) EngineAllison XV-1710-6 liquid-cooled V12 1 Comparison
Body StyleAircraft (no road body style) 1 Connections
Of Make
Source Bell XFL Airabonita (Wikipedia)
Sources
1. Bell XFL Airabonita (Wikipedia)
Design and development, first flight
It first flew on 13 May 1940.
Specifications, empty weight
Empty weight: 5,161 lb (2,341 kg)
Specifications, maximum takeoff weight
Max takeoff weight: 7,212 lb (3,271 kg)
Specifications, maximum speed
Maximum speed: 336 mph (541 km/h, 292 kn)
Lead, prototypes built
Only one prototype was built.
Design and development, power
The XFL-1 (Bell Model 5) was powered by a single 1,150 hp (858 kW) Allison XV-1710-6 liquid-cooled V12 engine installed amidships behind the pilot
Design and development, engine
The XFL-1 (Bell Model 5) was powered by a single 1,150 hp (858 kW) Allison XV-1710-6 liquid-cooled V12 engine installed amidships behind the pilot
Specifications, powerplant
Powerplant: 1 × Allison XV-1710-6 V-12 piston engine, 1,150 hp (860 kW)
Lead, aircraft description
The Bell XFL Airabonita was an American experimental carrier-based interceptor aircraft developed for the United States Navy by Bell Aircraft Corporation of Buffalo, New York.
Operational history, no production order
Based on the test results, the Navy decided not to order production of the aircraft.
Lead, builder
The Bell XFL Airabonita was an American experimental carrier-based interceptor aircraft developed for the United States Navy by Bell Aircraft Corporation of Buffalo, New York.
Lead, country
The Bell XFL Airabonita was an American experimental carrier-based interceptor aircraft developed for the United States Navy by Bell Aircraft Corporation of Buffalo, New York.
Of Make: Bell Aircraft Corporation, Lead, Bell Aircraft Corporation
The Bell XFL Airabonita was an American experimental carrier-based interceptor aircraft developed for the United States Navy by Bell Aircraft Corporation of Buffalo, New York.
In Group: Propeller-Driven Fighters, Lead, role of the aircraft
The Bell XFL Airabonita was an American experimental carrier-based interceptor aircraft
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