Northrop Alpha
| Northrop Alpha | |
|---|---|
.jpg) Northrop Alpha (Y1C-19) |
|
| Type: | Express airliner , mail plane |
| Design country: | |
| Manufacturer: | |
| First flight: |
1930 |
| Commissioning: |
April 20, 1931 |
| Production time: |
1930-1931 |
| Number of pieces: |
17th |
The Northrop Alpha was a single-engine, low- wing express transport and mail aircraft made by the US Northrop Aircraft Corporation in the early 1930s. It was the manufacturer's first series-produced model. Since it could not prevail against the two-engine competing models, production ended after just 17 copies. The three ordered copies of a military variant were given the designation YC-19 for the first and Y1C-19 for the other two machines.
history
In 1928 John Knudsen Northrop , the previous chief designer of Lockheed , founded the Avion Corporation (since 1929 part of the United Aircraft Corporation as Northrop Aircraft Corporation ) in Burbank , California . Based on the Lockheed Sirius he developed together with Jerry Vultee , he designed the Northrop Alpha, which was improved in many details and designed as an all-metal aircraft. The first flight of the prototype took place in 1930.
The airline TWA acquired the first five series models and started using them between New York City and San Francisco from 1931 . Despite numerous stopovers, the route could be covered in less than 24 hours. These aircraft, which were intended for the airmail service and therefore only had three passenger seats, were given the designation Model 3. In the same year, TWA acquired eight Model 2 machines for six passengers. Three identical aircraft entered service with the US Air Force as the Northrop C-19 and served as VIP transporters until 1939.
Very soon the airlines decided to use twin-engine commercial aircraft for safety reasons. Production of the Alpha came to an end when the competition models Boeing 247 and Douglas DC-2 entered the market . The machines that had already been delivered were then converted into cargo planes (Model 4 and 4a). The Northrop Gamma cargo aircraft, which is also single-engine, was then built on the basis of Alpha .
The last surviving alpha came into the possession of the TWA again in 1975 and is now in the National Air and Space Museum in Washington, DC
construction
The Alpha was one of the first all-metal airplanes in the USA and had some pioneering innovations in the fuselage and wing construction. The hull of the cantilevered low- wing aircraft was constructed in half-shell construction. The up to six passengers were in a closed cabin in the front part of the aircraft. The pilot's open cockpit was located behind the wings. The aircraft had a rigid tail wheel landing gear .
It was powered by the nine - cylinder Wasp radial engine from Pratt & Whitney , which gave the aircraft a high speed for the time. The high engine power also allowed the use of smaller airfields.
The Alpha was equipped with a radio navigation system and a de-icing system on the wings, which made the aircraft suitable for night flight and all weather conditions.
Technical data (Model 2)
| Parameter | Data |
|---|---|
| crew | 1 |
| Passengers | 6th |
| length | 8.70 m |
| span | 12.80 m |
| height | 2.70 m |
| Wing area | 27.4 m² |
| payload | 868 kg |
| Empty mass | 1177 kg |
| Takeoff mass | 2045 kg |
| Top speed | 285 km / h |
| Cruising speed | 233 km / h |
| Service ceiling | 5890 m |
| Range | 2650 km |
| Engine | a Pratt & Whitney Wasp radial engine with 313 kW (426 hp) |
