Boeing’s first and last all-metal monoplane fighter produced for the US Army Air Corps
was the P-26. Known as the “Peashooter” there were 111 P-26As produced. The wings
were braced with wire instead of wooden struts and this reduced drag and along with a
500 hp engine the aircraft was much faster than the older bi-planes. The mono-wing also
meant a higher landing speed so flaps had to be added to slow the aircraft down. It had
fixed landing gear and an open cockpit with just a windscreen to protect the pilot.

The first group to replace their Boeing P-12’s with the new Boeing P-26A was the 20th
PG. The new aircraft were delivered between December 1933 and early 1934 and were
assigned to the 55th, 77th and 79th PS’s. The P-26 was used until February 19, 1935.
The 20th PG was stationed at the new Barksdale Field in Louisiana named after a WWI
veteran 2nd Lt. E.H. Barksdale. The airfield was used by fighter and attack pilots to
practice their gunnery and bombing. On January 13, 1948 the airfield was renamed
Barksdale Air Force Base. The tail code for the 20th PG was PT where P stood for
Pursuit while T is the 20th letter of the alphabet.

Specifications for the P-26A

Country of origin – USA

Manufacturer – Boeing Aircraft Company

Role – Fighter

Crew - One

Dimensions
Wing Span - 27 ft. 11.5 in.
Length - 23 ft. 10 in.
Height - 10 ft. 5 in.

Weight
Empty - 2,197 lbs.
Maximum - 2,955 lbs.

Performance
Engine - Pratt and Whitney R-1340-27   (500 hp)
Maximum Speed - 234 mph   (203 knots)
Cruising Speed - 199 mph   (172 knots)
Landing Speed - 82 mph (71.26 knots)
Range - 360 statute miles   (313 nautical miles)
Service Ceiling - 27,400 ft.

Armament
2 x fixed .30-cal. Machine guns
or
1 x .50 and 1 x .30-cal. Machine gun
up to 200 lbs. of bombs

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