Bomber Destroyer

Someone once said that if something is worth doing, it's worth doing right.

Someone else (namely, your blogmeister) once said that if you can't do something right, you should at least make an attempt to look groovy doing it wrong.

Such was the case with the Bell FM-1 Airacuda. Plagued from the get-go by numerous flaws, Bell's first foray into the world of aviation was an utter failure. Conceived as a long-range heavy fighter, meant to intercept and obliterate enemy bombers with its dual-cannon armament, the Airacuda was itself comparable in size and weight to many of the types that would be its prey, and was slower than most of them. And had it somehow made it into front-line service, seen combat, and encountered more conventional enemy fighters... well, can you say 'good-night, Irene'?

Now, as you, the readership of half a dozen or so might be aware, we like to try to keep things fairly brief here at BuffaloWingz. So a detailed description of the myriad other problems which ensured the Airacuda's status as a hangar queen will not be forthcoming. We will simply say that the Airacuda suffered from problems ranging from chronic and severe engine overheating, to major issues with the electrical system, to unusual flight characteristics. Heck, we haven't been able to confirm it, but as far as we know, the thing didn't even have cup-holders.

What a deplorable state of affairs...

But hey, it was one super-freakin'-groovy-lookin' airplane, wasn't it?

Project 914 Archives (Hans Groenhoff photo)

Project 914 Archives (Hans Groenhoff photo)

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