Abrams P-1 Explorer

Abrams P-1 Explorer
Type:	Special aircraft for aerial photography
Design country:	United States
Manufacturer:	Abrams Air Craft
First flight:	November 1937
Number of pieces:	1

The Abrams P-1 Explorer was a single-engine aircraft developed by Talbert Abrams ( Abrams Air Craft ) , which was specifically intended for aerial photography and photogrammetry and made its maiden flight in November 1937. It was the first aircraft in the world specially designed for this purpose.

The all-metal monoplane has a pusher propeller and double tail booms. The front of the aircraft was covered with Plexiglas from Rohm and Haas . The machine had a rigid landing gear with a nose wheel .

After the outbreak of World War II , the development of this type was discontinued because the military considered the relatively slow P-1 to be too vulnerable. The last flight took place in 1948. The only machine built is owned by the National Air and Space Museum .

Technical specifications

Three-sided view of the Abrams P-1 Explorer

Parameter	Data
crew	1
Passengers	1
length	8.3 m
span	11.7 m
height	1.9 m
Wing area	18.58 m²
Empty mass	1067 kg
Max. Takeoff mass	1545 kg
Initial rate of climb	7.1 m / s
Top speed	282 km / h (at approx. 3000 m)
Service ceiling	6100 m
Range	1931 km
Engine	an air-cooled 9-cylinder radial engine Wright R-975
power	272 kW (365 hp)

literature

• CG Gray: Jane's All the World's Aircraft 1938 . David & Charles, London 1972, ISBN 0-7153-5734-4 . (Reprint)
• Terry Penry: Talbert Abrams - The Father of Aerial Photogrammetry. In: The American Surveyor. December 2015 (PDF)
• Robert F. Pauley: The Abrams Explorer. In: Skyways: The Journal of the Airplane 1920-1940. No. 61, January 2002.

Web links

Commons : Abrams P-1 Explorer  - collection of images, videos and audio files

Individual evidence

1. ^ Talbert "Ted" Abrams , Department of Physics and Astronomy, Michigan State University
2. ↑ Terry Penry: Talbert Abrams - The Father of Aerial Photogrammetry in: The American Surveyor, December 2015 (PDF)