100 years ago (May 5, 1926), on this day in aviation history, the Wright XF3W Apache aircraft made its first flight. The XF3W was a racing car developed by Wright Aviation for the United States Navy. At the time, the Navy made it clear that they preferred aircraft powered by radial engines, so Wright responded by creating the P-1 Simoon. To develop the P-1 Meridian, Wright designed the F3W as a test bed. The F3W is a single-seat biplane constructed of a steel tube fuselage, wooden wings, and fabric coverings. The F3W was designed as a carrier-based fighter and would perform poorly when powered by the P-1 Simoon.
Shortly after the U.S. Navy received the F3W, it replaced the engine with a 450-horsepower Pratt & Whitney R-1340 radial engine. The aircraft's designation was changed to XF3W and it made its first flight on May 5, 1926 with the new R-1340. The Navy continued to use the XF3W as a test bed until 1930, when pontoons were fitted to the aircraft to evaluate the concept of launching seaplanes from battleships. The aircraft broke several records during flight tests. On September 6, 1929, Apollo Soucek set a world seaplane altitude record of 38,500 feet in an Apache. On April 6, 1930, Soucek broke the land airplane altitude record of 43,166 feet. The Wright XF3W Apache is 22 feet 1 inch long, with a wingspan of 27 feet 4 inches and a standing height of 8 feet 6 inches. The Apache has an empty weight of 1,414 pounds and a maximum gross weight of 2,128 pounds. The XF3W's maximum achievable airspeed is 162 mph. Wright built only one XF3W, but the aircraft still left its mark on aviation history.
