Talk:Northrop XP-56 Black Bullet

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Aviation: Aircraft

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XP-56 serial numbers[edit]

The serial numbers for the XP-56 prototypes were 41-1786 and 42-38353.

The Smithsonian web site gives them as 41-786 and 42-38353. Jones; "US Fighters: Army-Air Force 1925 to 1980s", Aero (1975) gives 41-786 and 42-38553 but shows a photo on which 238353 can be clearly seen, so we may take that "553" as a typo. — Cheers, Steelpillow (Talk) 10:14, 1 April 2014 (UTC)[reply]

Name?[edit]

Was the "Black Bullet" nickname sufficently well-known to justify its inclusion in the article title? Everythign I ever read about the XP-56 either didn't mention the name at all or as an aside... - The Bushranger _{One ping only} 00:56, 18 January 2011 (UTC)[reply]

Jones; "US Fighters: Army-Air Force 1925 to 1980s", Aero (1975) titles it the "Northrop XP-56 Black Bullet" I seem to recall some suggestion - the poster was asking for confirmation - that the first prototype was painted black some time after the photos were taken, but I cannot place it now. — Cheers, Steelpillow (Talk) 09:53, 1 April 2014 (UTC)[reply]

[Update] From these photos it looks like it was the second prototype that got painted black. — Cheers, Steelpillow (Talk) 10:05, 1 April 2014 (UTC)[reply]

Cause of the crash?[edit]

The article currently states that "the first XP-56 was destroyed 8 October 1943 when the tire on the left gear blew out during a high-speed (~130 mph) taxi". This is unreferenced. However, Jones; "US Fighters: Army-Air Force 1925 to 1980s", Aero (1975) says that "the first machine suffered nose-wheel shimmy during a high-speed ground run." Can anybody support the left-tyre story or should we change the article as per Jones? — Cheers, Steelpillow (Talk) 09:56, 1 April 2014 (UTC)[reply]

[Update] The Smithsonian web site gives the left-tyre story. Any chance of a tiebreaker? — Cheers, Steelpillow (Talk) 10:26, 1 April 2014 (UTC)[reply]