Curtiss F7C-1 "Seahawk"
Model Airplane News Cover Art for November, 1958
by Jo Kotula
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The Curtiss F7C Seahawk was a carrier-capable biplane fighter aircraft of the United States Navy Marine Corps in the late 1920s and early 1930s.

     

Curtiss F7C-1 "Seahawk"
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This was first the Curtiss fighter designed from the outset for shipboard use as opposed to being an adaptation of a land-based fighter, the XF7C-1 single-seat fighter was characterised by sweptback upper wing outer panels and flew for the first time in 1927. While clearly a descendant of the P-1 Hawk, its wings were constant-chord rather than tapered, and the upper wing had a slight sweepback; it was powered by a 450 hp radial engine. The plane was ntirely fabric-covered, the top wing was framed with spruce, while the fuselage was built from a combination of aluminum and steel tubing. It was sufficiently strong to serve as a dive bomber as well as a fighter. Sixteen production aircraft F7C-1 Seahawks were built, and entered service in the USMC's VF-5M at Quantico. They continued in service until 1933.

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