Bellanca 28-90 Flash

The Bellanca 28-90 Flash was an American military aircraft derived from a 1930s air racer, the 28-70 Irish Swoop, which had been built for the 1934 MacRobertson Race. After a landing accident the racer was rebuilt in 1936 with a 900 hp Pratt and Whitney Twin Wasp and redesignated the 28-90, and the British racer Jim Mollison used it for a transatlantic speed record before selling it to the Spanish Republic. Spain then ordered a batch through an arms-length deal, but export permission was refused under the Neutrality Acts and the aircraft went to China, where they were fitted with bomb racks and guns and saw brief service. A second batch intended for Spain ended up in Mexico, where it flew with the Mexican Air Force from 1939 to 1940.