One look at the GA-1 and even a casual observer would question whether the cumbersome aircraft was airworthy.

In 1919, a three-year old aerospace company based in Seattle, Washington would be awarded a contract to build an experimental aircraft designed for ground attack missions. The company was Boeing—then in its relative infancy—and the aircraft was the GA-1, an armored triplane that today, one hundred years after triplanes have been abandoned as a concept, looks radical and excessive with its three layers of wing stacked upon each other. 

Boeing, of course, would eventually become one of the most successful and influential companies in the world. The GA-1 had more limited success, however. Only ten GA-1s would be built before the type was retired in 1926. Of course, the triplane concept never really caught on to become a common feature in military aircraft design. Today, the GA-1 is remembered as a curiosity in the annals of Boeing’s history.

Designing the GA-1 Triplane

Famed U.S. Army General Billy Mitchell returned from World War One with an appreciation for the offensive potential of the aircraft. Bristling with observations from that war, he wanted to explore the idea of heavily armed and armored ground-attack aircraft. Under the direction of Army aeronautical engineer Isaac M. Laddon, the GA-1 would be designed and built in accordance with Mitchell’s vision, and first flown from McCook Field in Dayton, Ohio on May 26th, 1920. 

The aircraft was a bloated beast, weighing nearly 8,000 pounds empty. Its aerodynamics were compromised in exchange for armor and armament. Eight machine guns were strapped to the three-winged design, along with ammunition. Another 2,200 pounds of armor was added to the structure. To carry so much extra weight, the GA-1 was quite sturdy, with a wire-braced wooden construction made from plywood and covered in fabric. The fuselage was rectangular shaped and carried a forward gunner in an open nose position and a rear gunner in an open dorsal position. The pilot meanwhile sat in a semi-enclosed cockpit outfitted with armored shutters to allow for forward visibility. 

The GA-1’s spread of weaponry was impressive, with one 37-mm cannon and eight Lewis machine guns, positioned to fire forward, backwards, upwards, and downwards. Armor was used to protect the front half of the fuselage and the engine housings, which were carried in mid-wing nacelles. 

The upper-most of the three wings had a larger span (65.5-feet) than the lowest two wings (58.5-feet). The top and middle wings featured ailerons, whereas the lower most wing did not.  

The GA-1 Was America’s First Attack Aircraft

One look at the GA-1 and even a casual observer would question whether the cumbersome aircraft was airworthy. Bulky and intricately layered, even by the standards of the day, the GA-1 does not look aerodynamically sound. Indeed, as flight testing would prove, the GA-1’s performance was decidedly subpar, reaching a top speed of only 105 mph. The triplane suffered from a sluggish rate of climb (600 feet per minute), hampered maneuverability, and limited range (350 miles). The pilots who conducted the GA-1’s evaluation strongly disliked the experimental aircraft, citing the lack of visibility from the cockpit, excessive noise and vibrations thanks to the 4.75-mm thick armor plating, and the long takeoff runs. 

By 1926, all ten examples of the GA-1 would be scrapped. Today, there are no surviving examples of Boeing’s three-winged experiment. But the plane is notable for introducing the idea of ground attack aircraft to what would become the Air Force—laying the groundwork for far more successful planes of that type later on.

About the Author: Harrison Kass

Harrison Kass is a senior defense and national security writer with over 1,000 total pieces on issues involving global affairs. An attorney, pilot, guitarist, and minor pro hockey player, Harrison joined the U.S. Air Force as a Pilot Trainee but was medically discharged. Harrison holds a BA from Lake Forest College, a JD from the University of Oregon, and an MA from New York University. Harrison listens to Dokken.

Image: Wikimedia Commons.

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