Hughes D-2 / XA-37

Apparently the D-2 was built for reconnaissance dutues. However in its short career it was designated XP-73 (it was not a fighter) and XA-37 (it was not an attack aircraft).

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Think of the Hughes D2 as being the American counter-part to the British "wooden wonder" Mosquito...both being made of wood, although using different processes: D2 using 'Dura-Mold' and Mosquito using plywood.

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I explored the burned D-2 hangar site on Harper Dry Lake, NW of Barstow, in November 2014. I found many bits of pieces including burnt wood, and possibly a partially melted alloy metal piece of the D-2. It has cast and stamped codes on it. Does anyone have D-2 code reference? data?

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What is the value of a vintage original engineers' Hughes Aircraft 3 ring binder from 1943 containing original photos of the d-2 blueprints printed on Hughes aircraft logo emblazened photo paper. Not the blueprints themselves but actual photos of the actual blueprints in a Hughes Aircraft stamped denim 3 ring binder. If you reply to this post please email me also as I may not able to find this website again to check the posts. thanks. RanTam111@gmail.com

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Like the P-38, the D-2 featured an unusual twin-engine, twin-boom configuration. What made it unique was that it was built of alternating layers of heat-treated wood veneers and epoxy resin glues. This so-called Duramold process enabled exceedingly smooth surfaces. Better still, wood was cheap and widely available. But brief test flights in 1943 exposed the airplane's flaws. "It turned out to be a dog," Burk says. "The ailerons were almost completely ineffective, so it had no lateral control." It was no great loss when the lone D-2 was destroyed in 1944 by a fire said to have been caused by a lightning strike.

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