Hall PH

PH
Hall PH-3
Role	Patrol Flying Boat
Manufacturer	Hall Aluminum Aircraft Corporation
First flight	1929
Introduction	1931
Retired	1944
Primary users	United States Coast Guard United States Navy
Number built	24
Unit cost	$170,000 (PH-3)
Developed from	Naval Aircraft Factory PN

The Hall PH was an American flying boat of the 1930s. It was a twin-engined biplane, developed from the Naval Aircraft Factory PN and could hence trace its lineage back to the Felixstowe flying boats of World War I. The PH was purchased in small numbers by the United States Navy and the United States Coast Guard. It remained in service with the Coast Guard until 1944, being used for anti-submarine and search and rescue duties.

In December 1927, the U.S. Navy placed a contract with the Hall Aluminum Aircraft Corporation of Bristol, Pennsylvania for a developed version of the Naval Aircraft Factory PN-11, which itself could trace a development history back to the Felixstowe F.5 flying boat of World War I. The resultant prototype, the XPH-1, first flew in December 1929.

The XPH-1 had identical wings and a similar metal hull to that of the PN-11, but was fitted with a large single fin and rudder. It was powered by two Wright Cyclone radial engines and accommodated its two pilots side by side in an open cockpit, with cockpits for gunners in the nose and behind the wings.

In 1930 the Navy ordered nine aircraft, designated the PH-1, which were fitted with more powerful engines and a partly enclosed cockpit for the pilots. The Coast Guard later ordered seven PH-2 aircraft, similar to the PH-1 but with armament removed, and seven PH-3 units with armament reinstated and a fully enclosed cockpit for the pilots.

Delivery of the PH-1 commenced in October 1931, equipping VP-8 from 1932, operating from the seaplane tender Wright and from bases at Pearl Harbor, Midway Atoll, and the Panama Canal Zone. It was replaced by the Consolidated PBY-1 Catalina in 1937.

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