The military derivative of the racer was, more or less, the "PS-1". The PS-1 differed in having an open-air cockpit in place of the racer's streamlined covered workspace and the cantilever wing mainplanes were replaced by a parasol-type arrangement. Power was from a Lawrence J-1 air-cooled radial of 200 horsepower (instead of the Hall-Scott L-6a of 250 horsepower) and used to drive a four-bladed wooden propeller at the nose. Ahead of the pilot's position were fitted the wing mainplanes but their position made for poor forward vision out-of-the-cockpit. Of particular note here is the mainplanes carried flaps at both its leading and trailing edges. The fuselage was stout, slab-sided, and of mixed construction - steel tubing used for the underlying framework, wood at all of the horizontal wing sections, and fabric skinning across the fuselage and at the vertical tail plane.
Dimensional specifications included a wing span of 30 feet, an overall length of 19.1 feet, and a height of 7 feet. Maximum Take-Off Weight (MTOW) reached approximately 1,720 lb. Maximum achievable speed was 146 miles per hour with a useful range out to 235 miles.
Dayton-Wright developed its PS-1 to a USAAS requirement, "Pursuit Alert (Special)", seeking a quick-reaction interceptor armed with 2 x 7.62mm Browning air-cooled machine guns. The service eventually contracted for three prototypes to be operated in flight trials under the "XPS-1" designation in June of 1921. The first prototype was set aside as a static test article.
It was quickly found in November of 1922 that the design was unsatisfactory for USAAC officials which requested a reworking of the undercarriage and lower forward fuselage section. The second prototype was completed with most of the changes in place and this example went to the air for the first time in July of 1923 but failed to impress. Mounting disappointments in the program ultimately led to its quick demise with the two flyable forms ending their days in storage at McCook Field (Ohio). No more is known of this aircraft line beyond April 1926.
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