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[1972.017.001] Aircraft - 'AM-1 Aircraft, Bureau Number 122397' |
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AM-1 Aircraft, Bureau Number 122397
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| Accession Number |
1972.017.001 |
| Accession Date |
16/05/1972 |
| Creator |
| Creator |
Creator Role |
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Manufacturer |
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| Date Created |
1949 |
| Object Desciption |
Delivered in March 1949, the museum's aircraft logged 673 flight hours before being retired from the Naval Air Reserve in 1955. During its career it flew from Naval Air Stations (NAS) Atlanta, Georgia, and NAS St. Louis, Missouri. During its operational service, it also set an unofficial record for weight carried by a single-engine aircraft by carrying a 10,689 lb. load aloft.
Stored at the Aberdeen Proving Ground in Maryland following its retirement from service, the AM-1 Mauler was delivered to the museum in 1971. |
| Notes |
Designed to meet the Navy's requirement for an attack aircraft that combined the missions of the World War II scout and torpedo bombers, the AM Mauler (called the XBTM-1 in its prototype configuration) logged its first flight on 26 August 1944. A powerful bombing platform, the Mauler featured four 20mm cannon in the wings with a standard 4,500 lb. ordnance load. Yet, it could carry much more as demonstrated in a 6 April 1949, flight in which the museum's aircraft set an unofficial record for weight carried by a single-engine aircraft by carrying a 10,689 lb. load aloft. Despite this impressive performance, technical maladies hindered the AM. The final report issued following the Navy's Service Acceptance Trials for the aircraft concluded that the suitability of the Mauler for service was "marginal for long range operations, formation flying, night flying and instrument flying, which demand excessive pilot effort and cause excessive fatigue." During carrier trials the entire aft section of the fuselage of the test aircraft tore away after an arrested landing, and once assigned to active squadron service, a marked tendency to bounce when hitting the flight deck and causing the aircraft to miss the arresting wires, doomed the aircraft for fleet service. The Navy instead chose the more capable and dependable AD Skyraider manufactured by the Douglas Aircraft Company, which outclassed the AM and became one of the greatest attack aircraft in history. To this end, the "Able Mabels" were relegated to service in the Naval Air Reserve in 1950, just two years after the type was delivered to the fleet.
Specifications for the AM-1
Manufacturer: Glenn L. Martin Company
Dimensions: Length: 42 ft., 2 in.; Height 16 ft., 10 in.; Wingspan: 50 ft.
Weights: Empty: 14,500 lb.; Gross: 23,386 lb.
Power Plant: One 3,000 horsepower Wright R-4360-4W engine
Performance: Maximum Speed: 367 M.P.H. at 11,600 ft.; Service Ceiling: 30,500 ft.; Range: 1,800 miles
Armament: Four 20mm fixed forward-firing cannon and 4,500 lb. of ordnance
Crew: Pilot |
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