Congratulations to the Observer Corps for an almost perfect score identifying the mystery airplane as the Douglas DT-1 (BuNo A-6031) photographed in November 1921 at NAS San Diego.
In April 1921, the then Davis-Douglas Company contracted with the Navy to build three torpedo-carrying aircraft designated DT-1s to compete in an evaluation with four other competitors. The first aircraft (BuNo A-6031) was entered as a single-seater in October 1921 in Los Angeles, Calif., by the newly created Douglas Company. A-6031 was powered by the standard 400-hp water-cooled Liberty engine. The DT-1 had a top speed of 101 mph, wings that folded and could be converted to a land or twin-floatplane.
In November the DT-1 was flown to NAS San Diego where it satisfactorily completed its acceptance testing with both wheels and floats in December. The Navy desired their torpedo planes to be manned by a crew of two or three so Douglas modified the second and third aircraft (A-6032 and 6033) as two-seaters and were redesignated as DT-2s.
On 8 March 1922, the DT-1 crashed in a floatplane configuration when it flew too close to the water during a high-speed run over San Diego Bay. It had accumulated only 22 hours and 25 minutes of flight time. The second DT-2 was destroyed at NAS Anacostia on 19 July 1922 during testing, but the third DT-2 survived to beat the competition in early 1923. The DT-2 and follow-on DT models equipped the Navy’s torpedo squadrons until the late 1920s. The DT aircraft design also helped establish a strong relationship between the new Douglas Company and the Navy for future aircraft.
Jim Mulquin, North Bethesda, Md. was the winner of the winter contest and will receive a one-year subscription to The Hook magazine and Tailhook coffee mug.
Please keep your informative cards, letters and e-mails coming (the Tailhook Association, 9696 Businesspark Ave, San Diego, CA 92131-1643; thookassn@aol.com). Below is the new "What Is It?" aircraft. Be sure to include the manufacturer and correct designation of the aircraft at the time of the photograph. Please, no phone calls. Deadline is June 15, 2009.
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