VCP-1 In 1918, Virginius E. Clark, in charge of the Plane Design section of the U.S. Army Air Service's Engineering Division and
Alfred V. Verville, who had recently joined the Engineering Division from private industry, started design of a single-seat fighter (known as "pursuit" aircraft to the U.S. Army), the VCP-1 (Verville-Clark Pursuit). Drawing from the experience of the French and their
SPAD S.XIII, the desire was to make a sleeker and more maneuverable fighter. The VCP-1 was powered by a Wright-built
Hispano-Suiza 8 V-8 engine and had tapered single-
bay biplane wings. The fuselage was a
monocoque structure constructed of
plywood, while the wings were of wood and fabric construction. The engine was cooled with an unusual
annular radiator. Two were built, but only one was flown, making its maiden flight on June 11, 1920.
PW-1 In 1920, work commenced on two new fighter aircraft based on the VCP-1, featuring an easier to build fabric covered steel-tube fuselage instead of the plywood monocoque of the VCP-1. The aircraft retained the tapered wings of the VCP-1 and was powered by a Packard 1A-1237 engine, cooled by a tunnel-style radiator located under the engine. The new design was initially known as the VCP-2, but was soon redesignated as PW-1 (Pursuit, Water-Cooled) in the U.S. Army Air Service's new designation system. The first aircraft was used for static testing, while the second prototype flew in November 1921, While plans were prepared for more powerful versions fitted with revised wings, no production ensued. ==Operational history==