Curtiss PW-8

The Curtiss PW-8 was the first in the long line of Curtiss biplane Hawk fighters built for the U.S. Army and Navy between the world wars. A single-seat pursuit powered by the advanced 415-460 hp Curtiss D-12 water-cooled V-12, it first flew in early 1923 and immediately impressed, reaching about 168-171 mph, some 27 mph faster than the Army's then-current Boeing MB-3A fighter. Its sleek lines owed much to the streamlined D-12 engine and surface (wing) radiators, technology proven on the Curtiss racers.

A PW-8 famously made the first dawn-to-dusk transcontinental flight across the United States in 1924, flown by Lieutenant Russell Maughan. Although only a small number were built, the PW-8 led directly to the highly successful P-1 Hawk series, establishing the design lineage that would dominate U.S. Army pursuit aviation through the 1920s and early 1930s.