FlightGlobal.com
Home
Premium
Archive
Video
Images
Forum
Atlas
Blogs
Jobs
Shop
RSS
Email Newsletters
You are in:
Home
Aviation History
1944
1944 - 1495.PDF
JULY 20TH, 1944 FUG HPo TTH 75 Rear view of the Conestoga, showing the high-wing design, the boat-shaped fuselage, and, indistinctly, the rear loading hatch forward of and below the tail section. a line oi 26 machines in process of final erection. This novel cargo aircraft has been given the official name Conestoga, as a tribute to the many hundreds of sturdy covered waggons of a type originated in Conestoga, New York State, and known as "Conestoga wagons," in which pioneer families of a century and more ago trekked westward to settle the free lands of the great Middle West and Far West. It is the second Budd-built stainless-steel aircraft, the first ever fabricated of this alloy having been built experimentally in 1931, successfully^teSt flown the following year, then taken on a demonstration tour in Europe, and for the last eight years displayed out of doors under all weather conditions in front of the Franklin Institute in Philadelphia. Design of the Conestoga was concentrated on the problem of creating a machine that would be capable of carrying goods economically on a non-stop flying range of moderate length, and have provision for loading and dis charging cargo with maximum ease and speed. These objectives account for most of the unconventional design. The Navy accepted the design in 1942, made a contract with the company for its manufacture in August of that year, and the iniffal test flight of the prototype was made on the last d<ty of October, 1943. Size and. Performance The ship has a wing span of 100ft., an overall length of 68ft., and is powered with two 14-cylinder radial air- cooled engines of 1,200 h.p. each for take-off and a normal cruising rating of 1,050 h.p. With full load, the craft weighs 33,800 lb., of which 10,400 lb. is represented by cargo—an unusually high pay load/ total weight ratio. At a cruising speed of about 165 m.p.h. with full load (in cluding equipment, fuel and crew) the engines are called upon to deliver only 719 h.p. each, making the rate of fuel consumption exceptionally low; the range exceeds 600 miles. If the built-in fuel tank capacity is fully utilised, the range will be about 1,700 miles, which can be. do*fbled by fitting auxiliary tanks. Tests have shown th*t the payload of 10,400 lb. can be lifted off a landing strip in normal operation after only a short run. The most distinguishing feature of the Conestoga, apart from the type of construction and the unconventional appearance, is the provision made for loading, carrying and unloading cargo. Upward sweep of the after section of the fuselage and the tail structure provides large clearance for loading and discharging cargo through an underneath hatch. This hatch is closed during flight by a hinged door, which can be lowered either to the ground or to the platform of a truck to serve as a ramp. To the rear of the hatch are two large clearance doors in the under- body which can be lifted to make sufficient headroom so that the full 8ft.-square section of the interior cargo com partment can be utilised. Above the ramp is a specially designed hoist, and at the forward end of the cargo compartment is a winch to be operated manually for loading large, heavy pieces of freight, machinery or motor transport vehicles. Both a motor ambulance and a jeep can be rolled into the cargo compartment and leave space enough for stowing small items of cargo. Design of the aircraft and the fitting of a tricycle undercarriage keep the floor of the fuselage hori zontal when the aircraft is on the ground and also when it is in flying attitude. So all loading can be doue on the level from platforms of highway vehicles, obviating the need of hauling cases of goods up an inclined ramp and floor for stowage. The long, unobstructed, 8ft.-square cargo compartment was made possible by attaching the wings of the craft to a series of five special frames joined across the fuselage by shallow but rigid transverse members instead of con tinuing the wing spars through the fuselage. This con struction affords a headroom clearance of 8ft. through the length of the space. Foreseeing that the Conestoga would be called upon to transport troops and evacuate wounded and sick service men, the designers made provision for installing 24 seats and 24 stretchers and also designed large doors on opposite sides of the bulbous nose of the ship. These doors will enable paratroops to jump simultaneously from both sides for quick concentration of a large force in a small area. Arrangement was made, too, for discharging equipment and supplies by parachute through the clearance doors back of the loading ramp, which may be done at the same time the paratroops are leaping from the forward side doors. Only a crew of two, pilot and co-pilot, is needed to fly the Gonestoga. Special attention was given to designing full-height, spacious and comfortable quarters for them in the nose, where dual controls, remote-control radio and facilities for blind-landing and take-off are installed. One of the chief objectives of the engineers was to design an aircraft of the power and weight of the Conestoga whcih would have such good flying characteristics that it could be flown by pilots of only limited experience. The builders expect that this novel craft will have a strong influence on commercial operation.
Sign up to
Flight Digital Magazine
Flight Print Magazine
Airline Business Magazine
E-newsletters
RSS
Events
