Weird 1942 Duhamel design

[Tophe]

(In France, Alain Duhamel is the most famous journalist in politics but) Roland Joseph Duhamel seems American and designer in 1942 of a twin-pusher like I have never seen. A very streamlined military fighter it seems, that could have replaced my dear P-38 (if twin-engined, what I am not sure of)…
see http://www.adventurelounge.com/aircraft/full/design/133.html
and http://www.adventurelounge.com/aircraft/full/design/128.html

 

[Tophe]

I have not posted it in the Patent forum because sources disagree about it being a Patent or not:

 

[Tophe]

Ups, Google Patents found it as "design" (with minimum text), not actual patent:
http://www.google.com/patents?id=DR1zAAAAEBAJ&printsec=description#v=onepage&q&f=false

 

[Apophenia]

Beautiful design -- the YFM-1A Airacuda re-imagined with wing-buried engines? Thanks Tophe.

US Army enrollment lists include a Pte Roland J Duhamel (12052143) of New York enlisting at Syracuse on 11 March 1942. Could this be the same Roland Joseph Duhamel "residing at Maxwell Field" Alabama three months later?

 

[Tophe]

Maybe you are right Apophenia, but could you tell us more about US enrollment 1942? (I mean: could one enroll as "military designer"? or just soldier forgetting other skills?). For the geographic part, what I have heard match: Northern American people often go to the Sunny belt when they can (it is the same in my France even if distances are far shorter: Northern ones tired of cloudy wheather want to go to the Southern sun, for holidays at least, for retirement later, for job if there is an opportunity).
Concerning the design itself:
- a long patent description would have been interesting to depart 3 hypothesis:
. 2 engines turned horizontal in the thickened wing to decrease drag
. (or) 1 engine central and 4 radiators on the thickened wing
. (or) 4 little Ranger engines driving 2 propellers
- the nose reminds me of the Heinkel 219, no?

 

[Apophenia]

Tophe: as far as I know, enlistment means just that. Able-bodied men were drafted or enlisted. Enlisting meant some choice of Branch (such as Air Corps) then basic training, specialist school, staging, and deployment. Someone recognized as a designer for a strategic industry like aviation would receive an exemption or deferment from service.

Sunny belt: much of the USAAC/USAAF training Army was done in that 'Sun Belt' to take advantage of the flying weather (same rationale for much of the BCATP being in the Canadian Prairies).

The Air Corps had already moved its Tactical School from Langley to Maxwell Field for that exact reason. Maxwell Field was als0 home to an Officer Candidate School and much preflight training (sometimes by civilian instructors) which later included combat glider training.

Duhamel design: the nose reminded me of the Uhu as well For powerplant, I was thinking of one of the so-called Hyper engines such as the horizontally-opposed 12-cylinder Lycoming O-1230 or Continental IV-1430/XI-1430.

AFAIK, the only 'joined' Ranger was the V-770, a V-12 but too small for a fighter like Dehamel's. Menasco worked on Hyper engines but those were (unbuilt) inverted Vs or H engines (XIV-2020 and XH-4070).

 

[Tophe]

Thanks Apophenia for this rich background addition. So I imagine two main possibilities:
A/ RJ Duhamel was an engineer in some famous aircraft company, that refused this design of him, so he deposited it personally. He was aware of the poorly know Hyper engine project. As aircraft engineer, he was exempted from Army and someone else with the same name was enrolled.
B/ RJ Duhamel was an enthusiast reader of aviation magazines, and baker or factory worker. He deposited his personal dream of aircraft, saying "for the engine(s), there is probably something secret that fits". He was enrolled, then.

 

[VictorXL188]

Ups, Google Patents found it as "design" (with minimum text), not actual patent:
http://www.google.com/patents?id=DR1zAAAAEBAJ&printsec=description#v=onepage&q&f=false

I tried the above link which led to the regular File 404 error screen. However https://patents.google.com/patent/USD135696S/en?q=Roland+Duhamel&oq=Roland+Duhamel does work and gives you the full patent pages

 

[southwestforests]

Hmm, interesting thing, I kinda like it, would build the model if there was a kit.

(as long as the kit comes with pilot, I don't like model kits which have 'nobody home')

 

[Tophe]

Sorry, I am not inside the “serious aviation” world anymore, preferring free dreams.
Thanks for the inspiration anyway.

 

[hesham]

Welcome your retrurn my dear Tophe,

keep on.