Douglas C-1
| Douglas C-1 | |
|---|---|
 C-1 on April 28, 1926 (USAF serial number 25-433) |
|
| Type: | Transport plane |
| Design country: | |
| Manufacturer: | |
| First flight: |
May 2, 1925 |
| Production time: |
1925 to 1927 |
| Number of pieces: |
26th |
The Douglas C-1 was a transport aircraft made by the US American manufacturer Douglas Aircraft Company in the 1920s. The C-1 was the first aircraft in the designation system for military transport aircraft that was valid from 1925 to 1962. The sequence actually ended with the XC-142 has been continued since 2005.
history
Douglas received his first contract to build transport aircraft from the War Department in 1925 . The first C-1 made its maiden flight on May 2, 1925 in Santa Monica . By the end of the year, all nine machines ordered had been delivered to the United States Army Air Service (USAAS), one of which (25-426) was experimentally equipped with a Liberty V-1650-5 with planetary gear and renamed the C-1A. The C-1A completed a test program over a few months with different engine fairings, drives and skid undercarriages before it was upgraded back to the standard equipment. But she kept the modified enlarged vertical stabilizer.
In 1926 the USAAS ordered seven improved C-1Cs, which had an enlarged wingspan, a longer fuselage and a redesigned tail unit. In addition, noise-reducing exhaust manifolds were used and the previously wooden fuselage floor was replaced by a metal one. Four beds could be transported as an ambulance aircraft. Ten more C-1Cs were ordered in 1927 and delivered in the same year.
In use, none of the machines were assigned to the transport units, but rather distributed individually or in small groups to airfields. A C-1 (25-432) carried out aerial refueling tests together with a Fokker C-2 and a specially converted long-haul Boeing Model 95 (Boeing "Hornet Shuttle"). In 1927 the C-1 also received a type certificate, but it is not known whether copies were actually used for civilian purposes.
construction
The structure of the C-1 was very similar to the previous Douglas DWC and O-2 , but had significantly larger dimensions. It also had a welded fuselage structure with aluminum planking in the area in front of the leading edge of the wing. The rest of the body was covered with fabric. Pilot and co-pilot or flight mechanic sat next to each other in an open cockpit. The closed passenger cabin with a length of 3.05 m, a width of 1.17 m and 1.27 m height normally had six seats, in extreme cases eight people could be transported. The seats were removed for freight transport and bulky items of freight the size of a Liberty engine and a maximum weight of 1140 kg could also be loaded via a flap in the fuselage floor .
Technical specifications
| Parameter | C-1 | C-1C |
|---|---|---|
| crew | 2 | |
| Passengers | 6 - 8 | |
| length | 10.77 m | 10.97 m |
| span | 17.25 m | 18.29 m |
| height | 4.27 m | |
| Wing area | 74.8 m² | 74.3 m² |
| Empty mass | 1740 kg | 1769 kg |
| Takeoff mass | 2922 kg | 3362 kg |
| Cruising speed | 137 km / h | |
| Top speed | 187 km / h | 195 km / h |
| Service ceiling | 4525 m | 4860 m |
| Range | 620 km | ? |
| Engines | a Liberty V- 1650-1 with 435 hp | |
See also
literature
- René J. Francillon: McDonnell Douglas Aircraft since 1920 , Putnam & Company, 1979, ISBN 0-370-00050-1 , p. 96 ff.
Web links
- Factsheet on the C-1 on the website of the National Museum of the US Air Force ( Memento from March 28, 2014 in the Internet Archive ) (accessed February 1, 2016)
- Factsheet on the ambulance version of the C-1 from the National Museum of the US Air Force ( July 12, 2013 memento in the Internet Archive ) (accessed February 1, 2016)