The Gallaudet DB-1 was a United States

United States

The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...

 day bomber prototype designed during World War I

World War I

World War I , which was predominantly called the World War or the Great War from its occurrence until 1939, and the First World War or World War I thereafter, was a major war centred in Europe that began on 28 July 1914 and lasted until 11 November 1918...

. Two protoypes of the aircraft were constructed, however testing revealed flight control issues and serious structural problems with the wings. The aircraft was known to be extremely heavy, which turned out to be more than a ton

Ton

The ton is a unit of measure. It has a long history and has acquired a number of meanings and uses over the years. It is used principally as a unit of weight, and as a unit of volume. It can also be used as a measure of energy, for truck classification, or as a colloquial term.It is derived from...

 over the weight it was designed to be. The aircraft never got off the ground. The National Museum of the US Air Force states that "the DB-1, although unsuccessful, was quite advanced for its time." The aircraft was succeeded by the Gallaudet DB-1B

Gallaudet DB-1B

The Gallaudet DB-1B was a United States daytime bomber designed during World War I, and was the successor to the Gallaudet DB-1, a very heavy aircraft with flight control issues and serious structural problems with the wings, which never got past the ground test phase. The DB-1B was lighter than...

, which was lighter, but the flight characteristics were still poor.