By:      Norm Goyer

The Liberty V-12 liquid cooled engine was designed in 1917 by a group of American auto manufacturers. It was the first engine designed for mass production methods for aircraft engines.

Our thanks to Wikipedia for the facts about the Liberty, NG

There is little doubt that one of sweetest sounds in the field of aviation is the roar of a Mustang with a Packard V-12 Merlin, swinging a four-bladed prop, roaring over the field in a low level pass. Almost as good as you know what. The Merlin dominated the air battles of Europe during World War II. An almost twin, the Rolls Royce Merlin, was right alongside propelling Spitfires, Hurricanes and Mosquitoes. Lockheed P-38 Lightings, Curtiss P-40 Warhawks  and Bell Airacobras were using a another sibling, the Allison V-12. The only hold out opting for a radial air-cooled engine was the outstanding Republic P-47 Thunderbolt. It’s Pratt & Whitney twin row R-2800-59 radial engine was one of the most dependable engines of the entire war. The Allies most capable foe was the German Messerschmitt Bf.109, you guessed it with a V-12 liquid cooled Daimler-Benz DB 605A-1 very similar to the Merlins. In fact Spain used Rolls Merlins in their post war fleet of Bf.109s, an almost direct swap. It would be hard to find another engine that seemed built for the aircraft of World War II. Unfortunately that would be incorrect.

The engine was installed in a Douglas DT torpedo bomber. The Liberty produced about 400-hp.

The mighty Merlin, Allison and Rolls owe their heritage not to World War II but to World War I, that’s right, 1917, was the year it all started. With America about to enter the war it was deemed necessary for America not to produce fighting planes, but to mass produce engines to power the coming larger aircraft. England and France both said that they had the capability of building the airplanes, but desperately needed larger dependable engines. America had many firms capable of building engines, unfortunately automobile engines, and not airplane engines. A new design was needed, one that was capable of being mass produced, and versatile enough to produce different sizes, using the same components. Auto engines use mostly a cast iron block with the cylinder holes bored after the block was cast. In other words, four, 6, 8 and 12 cylinder car engines have no interchangeable main parts other than pistons, rods and other smaller components. The British SE.5, German Albatros and Fokker D-VII used automobile engines from Hispano-Suiza, , Mercedes and BMW. An engine designed just for aircraft was needed as fast as possible.

The Liberty was also used in the four-engine Curtiss NC-4 aircraft that was first to fly the Atlantic. Shown is the first NC, which only had three Liberty engines.

A group of auto makers including Packard, Hall-Scott, Buick, Ford, Cadillac and Marmon were asked to design and produce a new series of engines. All signed on but Cadillac who opted out as the company did not want to produce weapons of war. That prompted their designer to bail out and form the Lincoln Automobile company and promptly joined the group. The resulting Liberty L-12 was a modular design, where four or six cylinders could be used in one or two banks. A single overhead camshaft for each cylinder bank operated two valves per cylinder, in a similar manner to the inline six-cylinder German Mercedes engine. Dry weight was 844 lb. Ford was asked to supply cylinders for the new engine, and rapidly developed an improved technique for cutting and pressing steel which resulted in cylinder production rising from 151 per day to over 2,000, Ford eventually manufacturing all 433,826 cylinders produced, and 3,950 complete engines. Lincoln constructed a new plant in record time, devoted entirely to Liberty engine production, and assembled 2,000 engines in 12 months. By the time of the Armistice with Germany, the various companies had produced 13,574 Liberty engines, attaining a production rate of 150 engines per day. Production continued after the war, for a total of 20,478 engines built between July 4, 1917 and 1919. An inverted Liberty 12-A was referred to as the V-1650 and was produced up to 1926 by Packard the exact same designation was later applied, due to identical displacement, to the World War II Packard-built Rolls-Royce Merlin. The Allison VG-1410 was an air cooled inverted Liberty L-12, with a geared super-charger and Allison epicyclic propeller reduction gear and reduced capacity.

The Packard Merlin V-1650 which was installed in the famous P-51 Mustang was a direct descendent of the Liberty V-12 engine.

The Liberty started the trend which dictated that aircraft engine cylinders should be individually bolted to the crankcase for easy replacement. The Liberty engine had a great reputation and was installed in the Curtiss NC series of seaplane which were the first to fly across the Atlantic Ocean. Liberty engines were also installed in the Douglas DT bomber, and the Douglas Mail Plane. Another great accomplishment due to the needs of war.

Technical:

• Type: 12-cylinder liquid-cooled V piston aircraft engine
• Bore: 5 in
• Stroke: 7 in
• Displacement: 1,649.3 in³
• Dry weight: 845 lb

Components

• Valve train: One intake and one exhaust valves per cylinder operated via a single overhead camshaft per cylinder bank
• Cooling system: Liquid-cooled

Performance

• Power output: 449 hp at 2,000 rpm (takeoff)
• Specific power: 0.27 hp/in³
• Power-to-weight ratio: 0.53 hp/lb

The PA-15 was a bare-boned, side-by-side, sport aircraft built to keep Piper from bankruptcy.

By:      Norm Goyer

My close friend Sparky Barnes Sargent totally rebuilt a Piper PA-17 Vagabond by herself. Over the several years that was required, Sparky documented the project with photos and her thoughts. The story of her Vagabond became her college thesis. At the time I was Editor of Custom Planes, and thanks to a tip from Charles Stites, contacted her and a very successful writing career for Sparky was on the way. Sparky loves her “Vag” and flies it often from her home, which is located on a grass strip. This area of Washington, Oklahoma, is perfect for leisurely site-seeing flights. The original Piper Vagabond PA-15 resulted from a very clever pre-bankruptcy  ”clean up man.” The resulting PA-15 is credited with saving Piper in the unexpected postwar aviation slump.

The PA-17 Vagabond had sprung landing gear and dual controls. It was also called the Vagabond Trainer.

Piper built some well established post-war aircraft, the J-3 Cub, J-5 Cruiser (PA-12 Super Cruiser)  and the J-4 Coupe. The problem was they were pre-war aircraft and did not fit the mold of what 1948 post war pilots wanted to fly or to buy. The airframe was welded steel with some wood parts. The aircraft were fabric covered and were all tail draggers. Piper believed that the airplanes they were marketing were very good airplanes, and they were. But, they were not very saleable post-war airplanes. Technology had advanced, Piper had not. Sales plummeted and Piper was facing possible bankruptcy.

The four-place 115-hp Piper PA-16 Clipper had control sticks. It was replaced very shortly with the PA-20 Piper Pacer which had a larger engine and control wheels.

The word came down, “Build a minimum airplane as cheaply as you can. Use only the parts that are in the warehouse.” Those parts were mostly J-3 parts, steel tubing, fabric, wood parts, 50 gallon barrels of Cub Yellow dope, 65-hp Continental engines and big fat balloon tires. Have at it guys! The resulting aircraft did indeed save Piper from bankruptcy. The PA-15 managed to use all the parts from the Cubs. The wings of the new airplane were cut down one bay which still allowed the fabric rolls to be used without any waste. The plane was a side-by-side sport plane, no dual controls, no landing gear shock struts, no bungee cords only a welded-on, steel-tube landing gear which depended on the low pressure fat tires from the Cub for shock absorbing duties. Piper had the airplane and they used another technique to sell them. It’s called “filling the pipe line.” Call all the Piper dealers and with a little arm twisting cajole them to purchase two of the new minimum PA-15s. Almost all the dealers fell in line looking for the rumored all metal low wing models now on the drawing board. (Comanche no doubt). To help out the dealers, Piper designers took the Piper PA-15, stretched it 17 inches, added two seats in back, added dual controls, shock absorbing landing gear, a larger fuel tank and a 115-hp Lycoming engine. The PA-16 Piper Clipper was born. Almost immediately Pan American filed a breach of copy write suit stating that they had the exclusive rights to the name “Clipper” and didn’t want a little puddle jumper besmirching their great flying boat image. So Piper dumped the Clipper, added a little larger engine, took out the control sticks and added control wheels. prettied it up a bit and the PA-20 Pacer was born, still a modified Vagabond however. The short-wing Piper inventory was slowly growing. But, it was also the decade of the wimpy pilot and the tail dragger was out, and training wheel airplanes were in. Being the leader in the cheap way to do things, Piper turned the main gear around so the wheels were further back behind the CG. Then they added a nose gear and a matching size tire. Most other aircraft used a smaller tire as a nose gear, but not the new PA-22 TriPacer. Like all the Vagabond family the TriPacer was a great flying aircraft; it did look rather dumb, but fly it did, and it was cheap to buy and cheap to fly. Piper had one more dumb trick in its bag called the Colt. They took the TriPacer, removed the two rear seats, removed the rear window and the flaps, put a 115 Lycoming engine in it and hoped to steal some of the learn to fly students from Cessna’s C-150. Didn’t work. There you have it Piper buffs, the story of the PA-15 and PA-17 Vagabond and the launch of the Piper Short wing series. The upcoming Piper Cherokees would save Piper, and just in time. Poor Piper, they were successful, in spite of themselves.

By:      Norm Goyer

The Douglas DF was manufactured in 1936 and 1937. Many of the wing, engine and tail parts were from the Douglas DC-2.

The year 2010 marks the 75th Anniversary of the Douglas DC-3, the aircraft that helped establish the airline industry as we know it today. World War II saw the same airplane with a new suit of camouflage clothes setting the benchmark for military twin-engine “fitzall”  transports, The proud old girl is still earning her keep, what a great American airplane.

Before the DC-3 established her reign, there was the DC-2, the starting point for the infant airline industry. Douglas knew they had an outstanding wing and engine combo, a great tail design and a plan form that could be used to continue the line of famous Douglas seaplanes and flying boats. Douglas engineers took these elements and added a boat-shaped fuselage, no landing gear, and the DF series of airframes were developed. The first two airframes were labeled DF-151 (Douglas model number) and were promptly sold to Japan. They wanted to clone the latest American manufacturing methods. And indeed they did, Japan used these two DFs for both military and civilian transport after they did a bit of reverse engineering. The two were flown to Japan via the Bering Straits. The second pair of DF-195s, exact same airframe, were sold to Russia who needed dependable water based aircraft along their remote seaports. The two Russian Douglas airframes were disassembled and transported to Russia via ship. It is not known if any of the four airframes are still in existence, however, it is highly doubtful.

Douglas believed that there was a market for the DF, replacing obsolete four-engine seaplanes. The first two were sold to Japan.

Douglas only built four airframes; they didn’t really push the design because of their huge backorder for DC-3 transports. They also knew the era of Clipper type flying boats was grinding to an end. Airports were rapidly being constructed which had the strength and length to handle the four-engine transports which were on the design boards of almost every large company. Douglas engineers were working on the DC-4, Lockheed on the Constellation and Boeing on the Stratoliner. Douglas also knew that Consolidated had a far better twin engine military seaplane which had been designed just for search and rescue. Yes, we are talking about the outstanding Consolidated PBY series of Catalina twin engine seaplanes and flying boats. Some were built as only capable of operating from the water while others were amphibious (had retractable landing gear). So the rugged, great flying twin engine Douglas Flying Boat was discontinued. It was the last seaplane of any kind built by Douglas.

The second two DF 151s (DF-195) were sold to Russia who used them for many years.

But what had convinced Douglas engineers and the marketing department that there was indeed a market for a flying boat version of their great selling DC-2 transport design? It was Pan American Airways who also owned majority interests in a number of foreign airlines. Douglas viewed the airline as being a possible operator of a new series of aircraft, namely the new Douglas DF-151. It seems that Pan American had become the second customer for the Douglas DC-2 and had also bought two Dolphin amphibians for operation by a subsidiary. Douglas engineers reasoned that a large and efficient flying boat airliner could be built; the obvious customer was Pan American. The first studies were started in 1935, and the project was given the designation of DF for Douglas Flying boat. The new aircraft would allow the airline to retire their earlier flying boats yet still offer an airplane which had the capability of their four-engine aircraft with an even longer range. And, the fact that two engines are cheaper to operate than four was stressed by Douglas.

Poor sales and an increased military market caused Douglas to cease production. This was the last seaplane ever built by Douglas.

Specifications:

Span                            95 ft 0 in
Length                          69 ft 10.56 in
Height:                          24 ft 6.25 in
Wing area:                    1,295 sq.ft
Weight empty:               17,315 lb
Max T/O weight:            28,500 lb

Max speed:                   178 mph at 6,800 ft
Cruise speed:                160 mph
Service ceiling:              9,842 ft
Initial climb:                   800 ft
Range                           1,500 miles

By Norm Goyer

The S2F Tracker was first flown in 1952, many are still in service around the world.

I would like to thank Wikipedia for the technical facts about the Grumman S2F series of aircraft, NG

For many reasons I have always found the Grumman S2F a fascinating aircraft. It is not the handsomest stud on the flight deck. It lacks the flowing lines of contemporary fighters such as the Grumman F9F. The S2F was first flown in 1952, and delivered to the Navy in 1954. Over the years various versions were produced, including the Tracer, Trader and the Tracker. Almost from day one, the S2F was nicknamed the Stoof (S-two-F). The E-1 Tracer version with the huge round radar dome on the top was called the Stoof with a Roof, who says our sailors don’t have a sense of humor. It was also called other not so nice names, but they were nicknames of acceptance; the airplane did its job.

The S2F was initially designed for anti-submarine warfare and sized to be capable of carrier operation. This Tracker is being launched via steam catapult.

The S2F was first designed as a high-wing twin radial engine submarine chaser and spotter. It was also used delivering mail and supplies to aircraft carriers. It had folding wings for compact storage. Grumman produced 1,185 Trackers. Another 99 aircraft carrying the CS2F designation were manufactured in Canada under license by de Havilland Canada. U.S.built versions of the Tracker were sold to various nations, including Australia, Japan Argentina and Taiwan. The Tracker was replaced  for U.S. military use by the S-3 Viking; the last USN Tracker squadron was decommissioned in 1976. The last Navy S-2 was withdrawn from service on August 29, 1976. A number are still used as firefighting aircraft. Trackers continued to provide excellent service with the naval forces of other countries for years after the U.S. discontinued them. For example, the Royal Australian Navy continued to use Trackers as front line ASW (anti submarine warfare) aircraft until the mid 1980s.

Grumman E-2s were equipped with a radar dome and earned the nickname "Stoof with a roof".

I was watching TV the other night and learned that Argentina had used various Trackers operating from two Argentina carriers during the Falkland Island battle with Britain. Argentine Naval Aviation received seven S-2A in 1962, six S-2E in 1978 and three S-2G in 1990s. They were used from both aircraft carriers, the ARA Independencia and the ARA 25 de Mayo. They were also used as US-2A (carrier delivery) conversions, Maritime Patrol and ASW roles. They were extensively used in the 1982 Falklands War, first from the de Mayo, from where they detected the British Task Force and then from the mainland  when the carrier returned to port after the sinking of the ARA General Belgrano cruiser. In 1990s the remaining operational six aircraft were converted to turboprop by Israel Aerospace Industries.

Many S2Fs were converted to turbine power. This S2T is being used as a fire bomber.

The Grumman S2F saw extensive civilian flying with forest fire departments in several countries including the US and Canada. In the late 1980s, and early 90s, Conair Aviation of Abbotsford, British Columbia, Canada took possession of retired U.S. and Canadian Trackers and converted them into Firecats, with a retardant tank replacing the torpedo bay. The Firecats were made in two variants, a piston engine Firecat and a turboprop-powered Turbo Firecat.

This propjet S2T belongs to Argentina and after it survived the Falkland Island war was converted to turbine power.

Specifications S2F

• Crew: four (two pilots, two detection systems operators)
• Length: 43 ft 6 in
• Wingspan: 72 ft 7 in
• Height: 17 ft 6 in
• Wing area: 485 ft²
• Empty weight: 18,315 lb
• Loaded weight: 23,435 lb
• Max takeoff weight: 26,147 lb
• Powerplant: 2× Wright R-1820-82WA radial engines, 1,525 hp

Performance

• Maximum speed: 280 mph at sea level
• Cruise speed: 150 mph
• Range: 1,350 mi or 9 hours endurance
• Service ceiling: 22,000 ft

Armament

• 2 homing torpedoes (Mk. 41, Mk. 43, or Mk. 34), depth charges (Mk. 54), or mines in the bomb bay
• 6 underwing hardpoints for torpedoes, depth charges, or rockets

By:      Norm Goyer

The Beechcraft Model 45 was used by both the Air Force and the Navy for primary flight training for many decades.

My thanks to Wikipedia and Beechcraft publications for technical information. NG

The T-34 was the brainchild of Walter Beech, who developed it as the Beechcraft Model 45 private venture at a time when there was no defense budget for a new trainer model. Beech hoped to sell it as an economical alternative to the North American T-6/NJ Texan, then in use by all services of the U.S. military. The T-34 won a competition which included a Fairchild T-6 look-alike and a Temco modified tandem Swift. The T-34 was the only one which met the specifications of the military bid instructions which included tricycle gear and small engine.

The last T-34 produced by Beechcraft was the T-34-C Mentor with a P & W PT-6 propjet engine. These aircraft are slowly being replaced with the new Beechcraft Texan II propjet trainer.

Three initial design concepts were developed for the Model 45, including one with the Bonanza’s signature V-tail, but the final design that emerged in 1948 incorporated conventional tail control surfaces for the benefit of the more conservative military (featuring a relatively large unswept vertical fin that would find its way onto the Travel Air twin-engine civil aircraft almost ten years later). The Bonanza’s fuselage with four-passenger cabin was replaced with a narrower fuselage incorporating a two-seater tandem cockpit and bubble canopy,which provided greater visibility for the trainee pilot and flight instructor. Structurally, the Model 45 was much stronger than the Bonanza, being designed for +10g and -4.5g, while the Continental E-185 engine of 185 horsepower (hp) at takeoff (less than a third of the power of the T-6’s engine) was the same as that fitted to contemporary Bonanzas.

Thousands of air show spectators have seen Julie Clark's exciting aerobatic routine with her T-34 "Free Spirit" performed and choreographed to music.

Production of the T-34B for the United States Navy (USN) began in 1955. The new Mentor featured a number of changes reflecting the different requirements of the two services. The T-34B had only differential braking for steering control on the ground instead of nosewheel steering, additional wing dihedral and, to cater for the different heights of pilots, adjustable rudder pedals instead of the moveable seats of the T-34A.^[1] T-34A production was completed in 1956, with T-34Bs being built until October 1957 and licensed B45 versions built in Canada (125 manufactured by Canadian Car and Foundry)

In 1973,fifteen years after the T-34 production ended, the T-34C Turbo-Mentor powered by a Pratt & Whitney Canada PT6A-25 turboprop engine was developed. Development proceeded at the request of the USN, which supplied two T-34Bs for conversion. After installing a P & W turboprop, PT-6, the two aircraft were redesignated as YT-34Cs; they first flew in September of 1973. Mentor production re-started in 1975 for deliveries of T-34Cs to the USN and of the T-34C-1 armed version for export customers in 1977, this version featuring four underwing hardpoints. The last Turbo-Mentor rolled off the production line in 1990. In 2004, due to a series of crashes involving in-flight structural failure during simulated combat flights, the entire US civilian fleet of T-34s was grounded by the Federal Aviation Administration. The grounding has since been lifted but there are severe restrictions on the permitted flight envelope.

The T-34C is still used as the primary training aircraft for United States Navy and Marine Corps pilots. The T-34C is currently being replaced by the T-6 Texan II but is still the primary aircraft at NAS Corpus Christi and NAS Whiting Field. NAS Pensacola has already completed the transition to the Texan II. The first new T-6s arrived at Whiting Field during the summer of 2009.

Specifications:

• Crew: Two
• Length: 28 ft 8½ in
• Wingspan: 33 ft 3⅞ in
• Height: 9 ft 7 in
• Wing area: 179.6 ft²
• Empty weight: 2,960 lb
• Max takeoff weight: 4,300 lb  (T-34C-1 weapons trainer – 5,500 lb
• Powerplant: Pratt & Whitney Canada PT6A-25 turboprop, 715 shp derated to 400 shp

Performance

• Never exceed speed: 280 knots, 322 mph (IAS)
• Cruise speed: 214 knot,  246 mph max cruise at 17,000 ft
• Stall speed: 53 knots  61 mph, flaps down, power off
• Range: 708 nmi,  814 mi at 180 knots, 207 mph and 20,000 ft
• Service ceiling: 30,000 ft

The DC-3 started serving as an airliner in 1935. It completely changed the airline industry.

By:      Norm Goyer

The aviation press has given a lot of ink to the life and times of the DC-3 and its 75th Birthday. AirVenture 2010 is also honoring the historic aircraft with a mass fly in of about 50 of the still operational DC-3s and C-47s. They are arriving this week from all over the North American continent. But, as usual, the Oshkosh, Wisconsin, area presents a challenge with recent downpours leaving Wittman Airport and the EAA grounds a quagmire. The problem is the lack of hard top tie down areas in sufficient numbers for the huge influx of aircraft for the largest air show in the world. Campgrounds are soggy and heavy motor homes would become instantly stuck. Most visiting aircraft are normally parked on the well manicured grass areas of the airport. As of Sunday July 25 these areas are shut down and aircraft are being vectored to other local airports such as Fond du Lac where these is additional paved parking. Hopefully as you read this, the field will have dried out enough so that “Showtime” is in full swing.

The DC-3 was purchased by almost all of the world's airlines, it was very popular with companies and passengers.

I have good and bad memories of the Douglas DC-3.  I always like to start with the sad memories and progress to the good times Tina and I were godparents to a Michael Buckley, twin brother of Jack Buckley. Their mom and dad were two of our closest friends. Both Michael and Jack were members of the Army Golden Knights Parachute Team, Jack left the Army to start his own family, Mike remained due to his love of the Golden Knights. One day the team was headed to an air show in their DC-3. The aircraft encountered turbulence, the wing snapped off, folded up, covering the exit door. All aboard were killed, all had parachutes, but could not get out of the aircraft.

The DC-3 was also quite capable of handling short runways and less-than-perfect airport locations. Drug smugglers love the DC-3.

I had sold several warbirds to a collector in Key West, Florida, and he had invited Tina and I to visit with him. We had picked up a new Piper Warrior at Vero Beach and instead of heading home to California, we headed to Key West, Florida. Our friend owned a famous DC-3, famous in that it was once owned by the President of Mexico, and was his personal aircraft for state business. It was luxurious, to say the least.  I flew right seat and our friend’s personal pilot flew left. His wife and Tina lounged in rear compartment. The pilot headed out over the Gulf of Mexico to the Dry Tortugas, a group of small islands that had once been a prison and an outpost protecting the USA from invasion. It was a beautiful calm day and the Douglas was behaving flawlessly. My impression was it flew like a large twin-engine Cub. Nothing happened very rapidly and all of the controls were heavy but very honest, you pulled the yoke back the nose went up, not very fast, and not very easy, but the plane eventually headed up. Landing the aircraft was quite easy, it felt best with a landing “in back of the wheels”, which is sort of like a combination wheel landing and full stall. I could see why this plane is so loved, it’s a real airplane.

The DC-3 tended to have high control pressures, but the cockpit was large and comfortable, except in the rain, cold and heat.

As everyone must know by now, Douglas produced over 16,000 various models with different engines and various cabin configurations. It was used in WWII, Korea, Berlin Air Lift and Vietnam and I am not totally sure that a few weren’t involved in the middle east conflicts, one way or the other. Military versions were used for every job possible from bomber to glider tug, from transport to gunship. Civilian DC-3s were used by the airlines, freight dog companies and dope smugglers. They were flown on wheels, skis, floats and a few had their cabins removed and used as pickup truck campers. If ever there was a truly “All American Aircraft”, it was the DC-3 Gooney Bird, long may she fly. The DC-3 will be a 100years old 25 years and I am sure I won’t be here but the DC-3 will be. NG

General characteristics DC-3, C-47

• Crew: 2
• Capacity: 21-32 passengers
• Length: 64 ft 5 in
• Wingspan: 95 ft 0 in
• Height: 16 ft 11 in
• Wing area: 987 ft²
• Empty weight: 18,300 lb
• Loaded weight: 25,200 lb (25,346 with deicing boots, 26,900 in some freight versions)
• Power plant: Wright R-1820 Cyclone 9 series (earliest aircraft) or Pratt & Whitney Twin Wasp S1C3G in the C-47 and later civilian aircraft, 1,100 or 1,200 hp max rating, depending upon engine and model each
• Propellers: 3-bladed Hamilton Standard 23E50 series hydraulically controlled constant speed, feathering

Performance

• Maximum speed: 237 mph, (Never Exceed Speed (VNE), or Redline speed))
• Cruise speed: 150 mph (130 kn,
• Range: 1,025 mi (890 nmi)
• Service ceiling: 24,000 ft
• Rate of climb: 1,130 ft/min initial
• Wing loading: 25.5 lb/ft²

By:      Norm Goyer

The prototype Corsair was very impressive, some changes were made by the Navy and the production F4U-1 was released a few months after Pearl Harbor.

The prototype Corsair XF4U-1 first flew on May 29, 1940. Chance-Vought and the Navy knew instantly that they had a winner. The aircraft, powered with the new R-2800 Pratt & Whitney radial engine, two machine guns on the cowl shooting through the prop and two 50 cal canon in the wings. The aircraft literally whistled thought the time trails at 403 mph, very fast for a fighter in 1940. The Corsair was destined for star status.

The F4U-4 had a more powerful R-2800 which used a four-bladed propeller.

The Navy wanted some changes in the production model such as more protective armor, fuselage guns removed and three 50 cal guns in the wings. Fuel tanks removed from the wings and added to the fuselage. They also requested a jettsonable canopy to allow the pilot to exit the aircraft more easily. The ailerons were enlarged and the hard points for bombs under the wing were removed. On June 30th 1941, about six months before Pearl Harbor the Navy issued production orders for Chance Vought, Goodyear and Brewster were to build approxiately 5,559 including the newer high cabin version.

The F4U-5 had a modified right wing to make room for a night flying radar module; this version was used extensively in Korea.

It is interesting to follow the various changes to the Corsair, all needed due to experiences while flying in combat. At each junction the  aircraft became even more deadly to the enemy. The first major change came with the model F4-1A. The previous Corsairs had a birdcage canopy which restricted visibilty due to the braces. The Dash 1A had a semi bubble canopy (blown) which had reduced braces greatly improving visibility in all directions including to the rear with mirrors.

The Goodyear Company produced the F2G-1 Super Corsair with a 3,000 hp four bank P & W engine. Only 18 were built. This version had super climb performance and is still used as a Reno Racer.

Early in 1945 the Corsair Dash 1C was introduced. It differed from the 1A due to the six machine guns in the wings being replaced with four 20mm canon for increased fire power in ground attack mode. Vought produced about 200 Corsairs with canon instead of machine guns. The next improvement was in the Dash 1D. This Corsair was considered to be a fighter bomber and needed extra power to carry the added weight. Water injection was added to the R-2800 engines giving an increase in take off power. The injection could be used at full power for up to five minutes, for take off with loads or running away from the enemy. Provisions were made to carry extra fuel tanks, napalm tanks and extra bombs and rockets. The F4U-1P was a field modification allowing a camera to be installed in the rear fuselage to record ground details.

In 1942 the Navy wanted to try out radar for night flying duties. Vought built the F4U-2 with a different starboard (right) wing. The outer machine gun was removed and a radar dome installed about half way out on the outer wing section. These aircraft pioneered radar night fighting. The Corsair F4F-4 is easy to remember, it had the first four bladed prop and was able to fly at 451 mph. The engine was the more powerful P & W 2800-18. The aircraft also had a new cowl chin scoop and a more comfortable cockpit. This version was available with either the six MGs or 4 canon and some were equipped with the right wing radar module. This model was used until the end of the war.

Probably the most interesting Corsair was produced by Goodyear late in the war. The Navy wanted a “Super Corsair” so the F2G was designed. The F2G-1 had hand cranked wings and the dash 2 had hydraulic wings for carrier use. The engine was a Pratt 7 Whitney R-4360 four row corn cob type engine of 3,000 hp. The F2G could climb to 30,000 feet in four minutes. Goodyear only produced 18 of this model before the contract was cancelled due to the war being over.  A number of these 18 became racing aircraft, with at least one still racing over 60 years later. In my opinion the Goodyear F2G-2 was the most beautiful of any World War II aircraft. I have a 1/5 scale version on my workbench at this time. NG

By Norm Goyer

The Cessna Corvalis has a 310 hp dual turbo six cylinder engine.

We were approaching the oil rigs and the small islands off the coast of California north of Los Angeles when I started to put the low-wing retractable composite aircraft into a rather tight turn when my passenger said, “Watch your airspeed. This airplane will accelerate rapidly, when you lower the nose in a bank.” My passenger, owner/designer of the plane, Lance Neibauer, was accompanying me while I flew the new Lancair IV homebuilt for an article in Sport Pilot. We had just taken off from the company’s digs in Santa Paula, California. This flight occurred about 20 years ago, way before the firm moved lock stock and retracts to Bend, Oregon.

This is a Cessna 400 Corvalis which is similar to the one alleged to have been stolen by the Barefoot Bandit.

I have always been impressed with the way Lancairs handled, on the ground and in the air, and I have flown them all including the barn-burning turboprop IV, now that is a piece of machinery. Why are we discussing Lancairs? Because the Cessna 400 Corvalis is a grandchild of the same Lancair IV I flew many years ago with Lance over the Pacific ocean. In fact, it is very closely related to the fixed gear Lancair ES homebuilt kit aircraft. Then I imagine the Barefoot Bandit, an inexperienced pilot, with only two short solo flights in an even more high performance aircraft and I have my doubts, maybe the kid is a genius as his mother claims or a damn prevaricator like many of us believe.

The Cessna 400 started as the Columbia 300 which was itself derived from the Lancair ES kit aircraft.  The Corvalis (named in honor of Corvallis, Oregon, but spelled differently)  is powered by a turbocharged Continental TSIO-550-C engine producing 310 horsepower at 2600 rpm. The Corvalis features a Garmin G1000 glass cockpit. The Cessna 350 also used the same Garmin Glass Cockpit. The Cessna 400’s Continental TSIO-550-C engine can be operated  lean of peak. At 11,000, 50 °F rich of peak turbine inlet temperature, maximum cruise yielded 199 knots true air speed and 24.7 US gallons per hour fuel flow. At the same operating settings and 50-75 °F lean of peak the 400 was measured at 189 knots TAS and 17.8 US gal/h, a great savings of fuel but very little airspeed loss.

The Columbia 400 has been sold with E-Vade, an optional ice protection system, which was not certified for flight into known icing. The system consists of heat-conducting graphite foil panels on the wing and tail leading edges. These panel areas are heated by 70 volt 100 amp electrical power delivered from a additional alternator. The system is controlled by a single switch. Due to its high performance the 400 features optional speed brakes mounted on the wing’s top surfaces.  The 400 nose wheel is non-steerable; the pilot maintains directional control while taxiing by using differential braking on the main wheels.

Cessna originally sold the Corvalis as the Cessna 400, the aircraft was given the marketing name Corvalis TT for twin turbocharged by Cessna on  January 14, 2009. The name is a derivation of the town of Corvallis, Oregon which is west of the Bend, Oregon location of the Cessna plant which originally built the aircraft. Cessna then closed the Bend facility and relocated production to Independence, Kansas in 2009. Production was resumed in October, 2009, at an old Cessna paint facility. The composite construction facility was moved to Mexico In April 2009.

The Cessna 400 is the fastest FAA-certified fixed-gear, single-engined piston aircraft in production today.

Specifications:

• Capacity: I pilot, 3 passengers
• Length: 25 ft 2 in
• Wingspan: 36 ft 1 in
• Height: 9 ft 0 in
• Wing area: 141 ft²
• Empty weight: 2,500 lb
• Max takeoff weight: 3,600 lb
• Power plant: Teledyne Continental TSIO-550-C flat-6 engine, 310 hp

Performance

• Maximum speed: 235 knots (270 mph,)
• Cruise speed: 235 knots (270 mph,) at 25,000 ft
• Range: 1,107 nm (1,274 mi,)
• Service ceiling: 25,000 ft
• Rate of climb: 1,500 ft/min or greater, below 16,000 ft
• Wing loading: 25.5 lb/ft²

By:       Norm Goyer

As part of our nation’s Birthday Celebration, I thought that I would honor, in my opinion, some of America’s most famous aircraft, not the most historical, as in the Wright Brothers Flyer, but in staying power. Let’s start our trip during World War I.

One of the first American designs that was a huge success was the Curtiss JN-4 Jenny. Many are still flying and in museums worldwide.

The most memorable aircraft during the World War I period was the Curtiss JN-4 Jenny. This aircraft taught almost all of our early pilots how to fly, when they became surplus they provided the motion picture industry, in its infancy, the means to showcase daredevil wing walkers, early parachute jumpers and of course the barnstormer’s great finale of crashing a Jenny into a flimsy barn. In 2010 the Curtiss can be seen in all of its restored glory at air shows around the country. Curtiss built thousands of them in upstate New York and powered them with a Curtiss OX-5 V-8 engine complete with exterior overhead valves which required almost hourly greasing to keep the engine from self-destructing. Most of sport flying needs, until the mid 1930s, were supplied by surplus Jennies and Standards.

The second all American airplane that is still almost number one in overall sales is the Piper J-3 Cub designed by Taylor and marketed as the Taylor Cub, then the Piper J-2 Cub then the Piper J-3, L-4 liaison Grasshopper and finally the Piper Super Cub. You can still buy various types of Cubs almost 80 years after the design first took the skies. What a great aircraft. This time period also produced the sensational Douglas DC-3 which rewrote the book on early airline travel.

The Vought Corsair is one of the most readily recognized aircraft ever, due to its unique inverted gull wing.

Before the days of World War II, the Thompson Trophy races produced another American aircraft icon, the Granville Brother’s Gee Bee R-2 which carried another American icon, Jimmy Doolittle, to victory in 1932. It is probably the most recognizable racing aircraft of all time.

World War II was the smorgasbord of single purpose aircraft design. The North American P-51 Mustang, Vought Corsair, Lockheed P-38 Lightning, Republic P-47 Thunderbolt, Douglas C-47 Dakota, North American B-25 Mitchell led us to victory in the skies.  Boeing B-17 and B-29 Fortresses, and many others, provided the world with long-distance bombing capability. World War II also provided sport aviation with thousands of surplus aircraft for pennies on the dollar. The best civilian flying of all times were during these post war years. Read this week’s Under the Radar for more on this subject. All of the above aircraft can be seen at air shows around the country and in many aviation museums.

Cessna produced the C-195 Businessliner complete with huge radial engine, cantilever wings and plush seating for five, one of the America's finest aircraft. It is still hugely popular with restorers. I owned one for many years and flew it all over North America.

Post World War II flying was dominated by two and four passenger training and family transportation aircraft. The Cessna 195 was one of the best aircraft ever produced for family and business transportation. Some may believe that this big radial engine tail dragger was too hard to land, wrong, this plane was light years ahead in design and quality. This was followed by the Beechcraft Bonanza with its distinctive “V” tail. The Cessna 180/185 four and five passenger utility aircraft are still in very high demand although they have been off the market for many years. Mooney aircraft have a huge following for those who like to go fast on thimbles of fuel. I found that the Mooney had a cabin that was too small for big people and routine engine maintenance was super hard due to very cramped engine quarters. Both Cessna and Piper had very popular heavy haulers with their 206 and Cherokee 6 offerings, both are outstanding aircraft, take your pick, low wing or high wing.

The overall most popular and useful aircraft ever designed for student training has to be the great American Cessna 150/152 series of two-place trainers, no other aircraft even came close to their rightfully earned popularity. The most popular family aircraft is the Cessna 172, which also possesses one of the best safety records of any aircraft. For larger families and small business owners, the Cessna 310 series and Piper’s Seneca light twins have taught more multi-engine pilots than any other. I earned my rating in a Seneca, great aircraft.

Piper's Cherokee 6, along with the Cessna 206, provided American aviation with aircraft capable of lifting huge loads, plus the ability to operate from primitive runways.

Modern military aircraft have to include the SR-71 Blackbird, F-4 Phantom and the single engine F-16, the Fighting Falcon. These are all true American proven fighting machines. We finish our tribute to all-time great American aircraft with the absolute greatest achievement, the Space Shuttle. Happy Birthday American Aviation, long may you dominate.

By:       Norm Goyer

In 1934 this aircraft broke all existing speed records with a sizzling 440 miles per hour flight. The overall record stood for years but the seaplane category still stands in 2010.

I have always loved seaplanes of any type and any size. I have had a seaplane rating since 1947 and have owned many float planes and flying boats, I love flying off water. Every chance I get I haul out my one quarter size Super Cub RC electric powered float plane for a day of fun on the water. Sometimes it turns into fun in the water, but a few hours in the sun and all is forgiven.  Other aviation favorites are the 1930 Thompson and Bendix Trophy races. I grew up very close to the Springfield, Massachusetts, airport where the Gee Bees were built and, thanks to an indulging father, saw them all fly. I even met James Doolittle when he was checking out his winning ride in 1932. His good luck logo on the cowl was a pair of dice and the numbers 7 & 11. Now that happens to be my birthday as well. For many years every giant scale aircraft I fly has this logo on the cowl. Jimmy Doolittle also won the Schneider Cub Trophy for seaplanes in the late 1920s flying an Army Air Force Curtiss biplane racer on floats. But the hero of this International racing event never proved itself until the races were over. This magnificent Italian aircraft was years ahead of anything every flown before. It was the Macchi M.C.72 designed by Castoldi and build by Macchi Aeronautica. The Schneider events came to a halt in 1932 when a Supermarine S-6 (the start of the Spitfire series) on floats won the event and retired the trophy. Everyone knew that luck was with the English that year when the Macchi M.C.72 had engine trouble and could not compete.

The M.C.72 was built by Macchi and designed by Castoldi. This three-view shows its conventional design.

Italians are very proud of their racing heritage, cars, boats, Sophia Loren and aircraft. Mussolini poured state funds into the M.C.72 project with the orders, “break the speed record or I breaka your legs”, which is how the Mafia probably got started. The aircraft that Macchi and Castoldi came up with was the record smashing M.C.72. The aircraft had standard lines but was loaded with engineering firsts, plus a 24 cylinder Fiat engine with contra rotating props. The power plant was basically two 12 cylinder Fiat engines installed in tandem, each swinging a huge prop in opposite directions. Thus the enormous torque was cancelled out. A huge supercharger unit was added to stuff the cylinders with high octane fuel. The design of the Macchi M.C. 72 was unique with a fuselage consisting mostly of metal to the cockpit and wood monocoque bolted to the front tubular portion by four bolts. (probably not from a local hardware store)  The streamlined nose contours enclosed an oil tank with its outside wall exposed to the airstream. The wing was all metal with flat tubular water radiators smoothly faired into the wings. The twin pontoons had three smoothly-faired radiators on the outer surfaces, the forward radiator for water and the center and rear radiators for oil cooling. The float struts also featured water radiators and another radiator was fitted during hot conditions under the fuselage running from cockpit to tail. ^[It was built in 1931 with the idea of competing for what turned out to be the final Schneider Trophy race, but due to engine problems, the plane was unable to compete.

The secret to the outstanding performance was the 24 cylinder Fiat engine swinging contra rotating props

Various problems continued through two years of testing which included several fatal crashes. Finally the problems were solved and after 35 test flights, the engines were overhauled in preparation for a record attempt. The aircraft finally lived up to expectations when it set a new world speed record (over water) on April 10, 1933, with a speed of 424 mph. It was piloted by Warrant Officer Francesco Agello (the last qualified test pilot). Not satisfied, development continued as the aircraft’s designers thought they could break 430 mph with the M.C. 72. This feat was in fact achieved on 23 October 1934, when Agello piloted the plane for an average speed of 440 mph over three passes. This record remains as of 2010 the fastest speed ever attained by a piston-engine seaplane. After this success, the M.C.72 was never flown again.

The huge engine was essentially two 12 cylinder Fiat engines, in tandem, each swinging a very high pitch prop in opposite directions.

Specifications:

• Crew: 1 pilot
• Length: 27 ft 3.5 in
• Wingspan: 31 ft 1.25 in
• Height: 10.83 ft
• Wing area: 151.46 ft²
• Empty weight: 5,512 lb
• Loaded weight: 6,409 lb
• Max takeoff weight: 6,669 lb
• Power plant:  Fiat AS.6 Liquid-cooled V24 engine, 2,850 hp

Performance

• Maximum speed:  440.681 mph, world speed record