FlightGlobal.com
Home
Premium
Archive
Video
Images
Forum
Atlas
Blogs
Jobs
Shop
RSS
Email Newsletters
You are in:
Home
Aviation History
1923
1923 - 0673.PDF
NOVEMBER J, 1923 The Curtiss Night Mail 'Plane, 163 h.p. Curtiss C.-6 engine. (bottom) ; o.a. length, 32 ft. 11 ins.; height, 12 ft. 9 ins. ;area, 540 sq. ft. ; mail space, 45 cubic ft. ; -weight empty, 2,875 lbs. ; weight laden, 4,450 lbs. ; loading/sq. ft., 8.2 lbs. ;loading/h.p., 11.1 lbs. ; speed range, 45-116 m.p.h. ; climb with 600 lbs. mail, 6,500 ft. in 10 mins. ; ceiling, 17,000 ft. The Curtiss Night Mail 'Plane.—This machine is a tractorbiplane of the " one-and-a-half-strutter" type, employing the U.S.A. 27 wing curve and fitted with a Curtiss 160 h.p.C.-6 engine. A feature of the wing arrangement is the con- struction of the upper centre section. This is metal, andcontains the fuel tank, and on which are mounted the Curtiss wing type radiators. The advantages claimed for thisarrangement are low head resistance, due to the use of wing type radiators, reliability of fuel system on account of theuse of gravity feed entirely with consequent elimination of fuel pump trouble, and the desirable feature of having thepetrol outside the fuselage. This centre section is carried above the fuselage by a pair of N struts. Top and bottom planes are of equal span and chord, andhave a slight sweep back and a dihedral angle, and ailerons are fitted to the top planes only. The fuselage is of the usual rectangular section girderconstruction of wood. The pilot is located aft of the main planes, and between his cockpit and the engine is a roomycompartment, with easily opened hinged cover, for mails. Loading and unloading the latter is greatly facilitated bycovering the top surface of each lower wing, alongside the fuselage, with strong veneer, and thus providing a safewalkway. Another important feature of the Curtiss machine is theemployment of a Reed duralumin airscrew of high efficiency, manufactured by the Curtiss Co. It is claimed for this air-screw that it cannot be injured in flying through rain or hail. Searchlights are mounted on the tips of the lower plane,for use in night landing, the wiring for these lights being carried in aluminium conduits within the wings. One of the most noteworthy features of this machine, which makes it particularly adaptable to mail service, is its greateconomy of operation. Although the specifications under which the machine was designed only call for a mail load of300 lbs., the efficiency of the machine has proved such that 500 lbs. of mail has satisfactorily been carried in flying trials.Credit for this is said to be due largely to the use of the C.-6 engine, giving its 163 h.p. with an economy of fuel consump-tion which provides a flight range of 3i hrs. or 360 miles full throttle, or 5 hrs.—425 miles, at cruising speed. Characteristics of Curtiss Night Mail 'Plane :—Span, 33 ft. ;chord, 6 ft. ; gap, 6 ft. ; o.a. length, 26 ft. 11 ins.; height, 10 ft. 3 ins. ; area, 364.8 sq. ft. ; sweep-back, 5° ; dihedralangle, 1|° ; incidence, 2° ; weight empty, 1,704 lbs. ; weight laden, 2,524 lbs. ; loading/sq. ft., 6.9 lbs. ; loading/h.p.,15-5 lbs. ; speed range, 44-106 m.p.h. ; climb, 5,600 ft. in 10 mins. (800 ft./min.) ; ceiling, 14,000 ft. The Glenn L. Martin Night Mail 'Plane.—The Glenn L.Martin machine is also a tractor biplane, of the single bay type, with a Wright E4 200 h.p. engine. It is of sturdy-construction, having a fuselage of rectangular section, veneer covered. The pilot's cockpit, which is comfortable and roomy,is located well back of the wings, about midway of the fuselage. In front of this cockpit is the mail compartment in the upperpart of the fuselage, having 31 cubic ft. of space, sufficient for 600 lbs. of mail. Below the mail compartment are twopetrol tanks, with a combined capacity of 64 gals. The engine is mounted on ash bearers supported by a tubularsteel structure attached to the longerons and front bulkhead of the fuselage. The radiator is directly below the engine, andcompletely cowled in with the exception of the front cooling surface. The radiator shutter is a novel trapdoor arrange-ment with a positive rack-and-pinion control in the cockpit. A 5-gal. oil tank is mounted on the front bulkhead at the rearand below the engine. Between this tank and the engine is a special oil radiator. An aluminium fire wall separates theengine from the mail compartment and fuel tanks. The cowling is arranged to allow quick accessibility to all 7" " 'Cj. The Glenn L. Martin Night Mail 'Plane, 200 h.p. Wright E4 engine. ,1573
Sign up to
Flight Digital Magazine
Flight Print Magazine
Airline Business Magazine
E-newsletters
RSS
Events
