Congratulations to the observer corps again. A few people were tricked but generally all identified correctly this hard luck trainer. The mystery airplane pictured in the Winter 2007 magazine is the Fairchild XNQ-1, BuNo 75725. The picture was taken during factory testing in 1947. In fall 1944 the Navy began a search to replace its primary (N2S and N3N) and basic (SNV) trainers. The Navy’s April 1945 specifications listed a two-place tandem, all metal, low-wing monoplane with conventional retractable landing gear. It was to be powered by a 320 hp Lycoming R-680E engine — spinning a two-bladed Hamilton Standard constant-speed propeller. In addition, the design was to incorporate the first joint military-civilian attempt at cockpit standardization based on guidelines developed by the Navy and Army Air Corps during a 1944 National Research Council meeting on aircraft safety.
Fairchild was chosen and the first XNQ-1 rolled out on 4 October 1946. The aircraft had a very roomy cockpit, a bubble canopy and reached a top speed of 175 mph. The second trainer, BuNo 75726, was produced on 4 February 1947. The trainer tested successfully in 1947 but failed to win a production contract after the CNO’s decision to replace the primary N2S trainer with the SNJ in the Training Command.
The new Air Force was interested in replacing its primary trainers and held a flyoff evaluation between the newly redesignated T-31 and two other entries by Beech and Temco. The T-31 won, but due to budget problems, the production order of 100 was not funded. In fall 1950 a joint Air Force-Navy primary trainer evaluation was held between the T-31 and the now more powerful Temco Buckaroo and Beech YT-34 (future T-34). Due to interservice and intra-service training philosophies and design conflicts, the Air Force, even though it wanted the T-31, withdrew from the evaluation.
The outbreak of the Korean War ended all efforts to obtain a new primary trainer for both services. Fairchild dropped out of the trainer business to concentrate on its production of military transport. The fate of the prototype is unknown, but the second is still flying as a privately owned aircraft.
Gerald Myers was the winner of the winter contest and will receive a one-year subscription to The Hook magazine and a Tailhook coffee mug.
Be careful with the new mystery aircraft (below). Keep those cards and e-mails coming (The Tailhook Association, 9696 Businesspark Ave., San Diego, CA 92131; thookassn@aol.com) with the manufacturer and correct designation of the aircraft at the time of the photograph. No phone calls, please.
Oh, yeah. Only one entry per contestant, please.
Either e-mail your
guess to thookassn@aol.com
or send it to:
"What is it?"
The Hook Magazine
9696 Businesspark Ave.
San Diego, CA 92131-1643