Curtiss 18

The Curtiss 18T, unofficially the Wasp and known to the United States Navy as the Kirkham, was an early American triplane fighter that Curtiss designed for the Navy, later renumbered Curtiss Model 15. It was meant to protect bombers over France, so speed was the first requirement, and a streamlined fuselage of cross-laminated wood veneer strips formed on a mold helped deliver it. Flown by Roland Rholfs, it set a world speed record of 163 mph in August 1918 with a full military load, and an 18T-2 set an altitude record in 1919. The two-seat 18T had a 400 hp Curtiss K-12 piston engine. The improved 18T-2 added power and swept two-bay wings and later raced, and a biplane 18B Hornet followed.