Dayton-Wright PS-1

The Dayton-Wright PS-1 (designation 'PS' for 'Pursuit, Special'; sometimes listed as XPS-1) was an experimental single-seat parasol-monoplane fighter built by the Dayton-Wright Airplane Company for the U.S. Army Air Service. It was conceived around 1921-1922 in response to an Army requirement for a lightweight 'alert' interceptor able to climb quickly to meet intruders. The aircraft had wooden flying surfaces and a fabric-covered steel-tube fuselage, and was powered by a small air-cooled radial engine driving a wooden propeller.

Three prototypes were ordered and flight-tested at McCook Field, but the design proved unsatisfactory and was rejected in late 1922; it never entered production. The PS-1 is significant mainly as an early U.S. monoplane fighter experiment during the transition from wartime biplanes. The existing hint specs are broadly consistent; max speed is more reliably about 145-146 mph.