US Bell XFL ''Airbonita'' Fighter Plane

By Crusader1307

The US Bell Aircraft Company XFL ''Airbonita'' was a US Navy experimental, Carrier Based Fighter – first developed in 1940. Revolutionary, in that The XFL had no Tail Wheel (a ''Drag Wedge'') and a single modified .50 Caliber, Nose Mounted Machine Gun (.303 Caliber being the standard norm prior to World War II). Found ''unacceptable'' for Carrier Duty, The Bell Company moved to market The ''Airbonita'' for Land Based Operations (NAS). The primary cancellation of The protoype from further development was that The XFL was ''air cooled'' (Engine), and The US NAVY was determined to maintain a ''liquid cooled'' Version. Only (1) ''Airbonita'' was manufactured. Flown by (1), The XFL was 30-feet long with a wingspan of 35-feet. The Fighter used a single Allison V-12 Piston Engine, capable of 1,150-HP. Rated airspeed was 340-mph. It's operational ceiling was 31,000-feet.