New in 1939
Vultee P-66 Vanguard
Stats
Type: single-seat fighter Crew: 1 Armament: 4 30 cal machine guns Specifications: Length: 28' 5" Height: 9' 5" Wingspan: 36' 0" Wing area: 197 sq.ft Empty Weight: 5235 lb Max Weight: 7384 lb max at takeoff Propulsion: Powerplant: Pratt&Whitney R-1830-33 Twin Wasp radial Horsepower: 1200 hp Performance
Range: 950 miles
Cruise Speed: 290 mph at 17,000 ft
Max Speed: 340 mph at 15,100
Ceiling: 28,200 ft
ARMY AIR CORP VERDICT It wasn't very good!
So the AAC used it as a trainer for a short time.
The Lend Lease Program
The British wanted it and then the Chinese ended up with
about a hundred of them.
Unfortunately the P66
proved to be
ineffective in combat except for one day.
On the afternoon of 6 June 1943,
the Japanese attacked the base at Liagshan, Szechuan Province.
Capt. Chow Chi-Kai (known as "Fatty") had just returned in his P40 and had the pilot of a lone P66 removed who was
wounded as the base was being attacked again. Chi-Kai got the
P66 airborne and left the gear down as he was new to it apparently.
He ended his "check out" flight
downing 4 Japanese attackers in the borrowed
Vanguard.
Twenty-eight year old "Fatty" Chow received the Blue Sky - White Sun award from Chiang Kai-Shek as only the fourth recipient of China's high award. He was soon promoted Major and appointed acting Group commander.
The Blue Sky White Sun
Equivalent to our CMH or the
Navy Cross
You never know about a plane or a pilot
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