The Pigeon-Fraser was the first dedicated pursuit airplane ordered by the United States Government.
Designed by George N. Albree, it was manufactured by the Pigeon Hollow Spar Company in East Boston, Massachusetts. The first two airplanes were intended to serve in the Aviation Section of the US Army Signal Corps but, after performing some testing at McCook field, it wasn't found to be suitable for army service and they were rejected.
Of those two airplanes, it's believed that one of them was just a static mockup to perform test without any risks. Apparently that first one was tested until it broke up.
The second one, however it seems that it crashed on it's maiden flight in December 1917, but if that piece of information is correct, it seems to contradict the fact that it was tested in McCook field, unless the tests performed there were non-flying ones.
Anyway, a third airplane was partially completed but it was kept inside the rafters of the Pigeon Hollow Spar Company after the contract was cancelled because the airplane was considered too old-fashioned, unrealiable and slow in comparison with the other fighter airplanes of those years. It was keep there until 1961 when it was bought by an aeronautical museum.
Even if it wasn't a successful design, it should be noted that it included a flat-bottomed airfoil, a completely moveable tail and the entire aft fuselage was also hinged so it could be moved up and down to control pitch.
It was powered by a single 100hp Gnôme Monosoupape (French word for single-valve) engine.
Sources:
1. http://www.airminded.net/pigeon/pigeon.html
2. http://oldrhinebeck.org/ORA/albree-pigeon-fraser-pursuit/
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