Curtiss P-40M Kittyhawk

The P-40 Kittyhawk (Warhawk in the USAAF) is an elegant fighter that first took to the air in 1938. It was heavily used in the Pacific, North Africa and also on the Eastern Front with the Soviet air force. The P-40 was rarely used in Northwest Europe, as it was inferior to the Me 109 and the FW 190.

maxFlite chose the colouring of the well-known “Jacky C II” with her wide-open shark mouth full of razor-sharp teeth. You can admire the original in the American Airpower Museum in New York. Make the attractive P-40 part of your personal maxFlite “Gardenfighter” collection today!

[wingspan: 40 cm; length: 41 cm; weight: 500 g approx.]

Facts & Figures

• Specific maxFlite model: P-40M-10-CU, serial number 43-5795, N1232N, The Jacky C II.
• The US Army Air Corps used the name “Warhawk” for all P-40 models, while the British Commonwealth and Soviet air forces called the P-40B and P-40C versions “Tomahawk”, and all P-40Ds and later models “Kittyhawk”.
• The P-40 was manufactured by the Curtiss-Wright Corporation, which was founded in 1929 by the Wright brothers and Glenn L. Martin. The company is still operating today.
• The P-40 was used by the “Flying Tigers” in China. The Flying Tigers were a group of of American pilots recruited as mercenaries, whose mission was to defend China against the Japanese invasion.
• “Jacky C” stands for Jaqueline Cochran, the first woman to break the sound barrier.
• The P-40 was an evolution of the Curtiss P-36 Hawk, which reduced development time drastically.
• Because of the engine, the P-40 was never an outstanding aircraft, but it was the most important American fighter aircraft at the beginning of the war because it was available in large numbers.
• There were 29 airworthy P-40s in 2008.