Name That Plane

Charlie Z wrote:Nimrod. Based on the first commercial airliner, the Comet. They may still be operating them(!). Probably the most modified airframe in history, except for maybe the Guppy.

Excellent!

Since we have so many PA folks here, I'd like to see if you can ID this plane. One of the first mailplanes. The founder sold the company and mailroute (NY-Atlanta) to a company that became Eastern Air Lines. The founder's grandson has an amazing collection of his grandad's planes and still flies them. This is one of those important aircraft that quickly were superceded. It's also incredibly beautiful:

PS: you can cheat by looking up CAM 19

If your interested in old airfields in your area, you can spend a lot of time here: http://www.airfields-freeman.com/index.htm

Stinson

Stearman, which is what I was thinking.

Eddie Stinsion did build mailplanes. Early ones were purpose-built after they couldn't adapt military or civilian craft. They had carried serious loads for the time and were very rugged, even though they look like 'regular' biplanes. These were really hi-tech for the time and the pilots that flew them were treated like movie stars in the small towns they landed in. Lindy was already a bit of a celebrity in his region before he flew the atlantic.

Stearman is close. He started with a very similar plane (C3). This was the only busines (gov't subsidized) that paid for planes in the 20's and early 30's.

Travel Air?

BK

Close, too. Travel Air became Beechcraft.

Neat fact about how tight the pioneers were: Lloyd Stearman, Walter Beech and Clyde Cessna started at Matty Laird's company at the same time in the 20s. (Wow, would that have been a great lunch crowd to talk with!)

You've nailed the Kansas boys, Detroit giant and you're only missing the west coast builders, and our company. This was probably the best of the lot, but production stopped after he sold, so it's relatively unknown. One hangs in the Smithsonian.

Martin

He didn't get involved in mail. Mostly chased military contracts (and they still do as Lockheed-Martin...).

He did teach Bill Boeing how to fly, though.

http://www.centennialofflight.gov/essay/Aerospace/Martin/Aero12.htm

MB-1s designed for mail service were later transferred to the U.S. Army.

It can be argued so, but the MB-1 ("Martin Bomber #1") really is a bomber, sold as a mailplane. Curtiss did the same with it's Carrier Pigeon, a civilized version of the 0-1 Falcon. Military aircraft did not adapt to the role very well and didn't last long. The successful mailplanes were purpose-built as economical commercial aircraft. A lot of them were better airplanes than the military had. Air power was pretty weak at this time.

The military didn't have a very good experience with flying the mail, either. Great story:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Air_Mail_Scandal (Another great linkup here (1934) in command was Hap Arnold, Ira Eaker and Frank Armstrong -- key players later of the 8th Air Force.)

This mystery ship is a Pennsy-designed and built design.

I didn't even know Piper made a biplane Who'da thunk

Well, the first 2 letters and state are correct!

Pitcairn Mailwing.

Here's a later version. Magnificent.

Since people seem to like the combination of airplanes and guns; here's another plane that had a lot of firsts and lasts for US fighters.

First: monoplane, all metal construction, flaps.
Last: open cockpit, flying wires, fixed gear.

All 136 of them made up the air corps front line fighter groups during much of the '30s. They were still on the line in the Phillipines on Dec 7, 1941. Derived from a mailplane, too.

P-36?

I'm sure everyone can identify this one, I'm just wondering how many board members have seen this one in person. I would guess a very large percentage of the board members have.