Stinson SM-6000
| Stinson SM-6000 | |
|---|---|
|
|
| Type: | three-engine airliner |
| Design country: | |
| Manufacturer: | |
| First flight: |
Early 1930 |
| Commissioning: |
July 1930 |
| Production time: |
1930-1934 |
| Number of pieces: |
75 (Model T and U) |
The three-engine Stinson SM-6000 Air Liner , also known as the Stinson Model T and Stinson Trimotor , was the first airliner produced by the American manufacturer Stinson Aircraft Company . In 1932, the high-wing aircraft emerged as the three-engine Stinson Model U , which had two additional stub wings on which the landing gear and the side engines were mounted.
history
In 1929 the Holding Cord Corporation bought the aircraft manufacturer Stinson Aircraft Company, founded in Detroit in 1926, and merged its Corman Aircraft Company with this company. The merger gave Stinson Aircraft at least two prototypes, which were designated as Corman 3000 and Corman 6000 . Due to the increasing number of passengers in US air traffic, the company continued the development of the three-engine passenger aircraft, which Corman Aircraft had designed as a smaller but significantly cheaper competitor model to the Ford Trimotor and Fokker F.10 . The larger of the two prototypes was then modified.
The Stinson SM-6000 Air Liner , derived from the Corman 6000, completed its maiden flight in the spring of 1930. Series production began at the same time as the flight tests. The first seven series machines were sold to Ludington Airlines at a unit price of US $ 23,900 . The aircraft type received its official ATC approval ( A pproved T ype C ertificate) on July 10, 1930 . Shortly afterwards, Ludington Airlines put its machines into service on the liner route from New York via Philadelphia to Washington . At the same time, Stinson Aircraft lowered the already low retail price to $ 18,000 in order to attract more customers. However, initially only three more machines could be sold. One of the main reasons was that the SM-6000 lacked a cargo hold and therefore could not take airmail on passenger flights , which made it uninteresting for many companies.
From autumn 1930, Stinson Aircraft initially offered various conversion options for the machines that had already been delivered, which were given the designation SM-6000-A after the modifications . These included, among other things, the retrofitting of the cockpit for two pilots, new radio and navigation equipment, a modernized interior and the installation of a cargo compartment in the rear cabin section, which meant that the machine could only carry eight passengers. The customer was free to choose the scope and type of conversion. It cannot be ruled out that some SM-6000s have already been delivered with these improvements.
On April 23, 1931, the SM-6000-B received its type approval, which already had an improved interior at the factory and was optionally available with engine cowling made of metal and streamlined wheel covers. The basic versions SM-6000-B1 , a pure passenger aircraft for ten passengers with hand luggage, and the SM-6000-B2 , which had a cargo compartment and, depending on its size, eight or nine passenger seats. Orders were received from Boston-Maine Airways , Delta Air Lines and Pennsylvania Air Lines , among others .
The Model U , developed from the Stinson SM-6000-B and also designed for ten passengers, received type approval on May 12, 1932. She had a higher take-off weight , an extended wingspan , a slightly larger fuselage and more powerful engines that were mounted on new stub wings. The cargo compartments were also located in these stub wings. To create more storage space, two passenger seats behind the cockpit could be removed if necessary. The aircraft was offered with various cabin interiors, including a luxurious club version, and, unlike the SM-6000, had a washroom and toilet in the rear of the cabin. The Model U's main customer was American Airways , which took delivery of at least sixteen brand-new aircraft and operated the type until 1936. The production of the series ended in early 1934 after Stinson Aircraft presented the Model A as the successor to the Model U. National Airlines System then took over several decommissioned aircraft from American Airways and also acquired the prototype of the Model U directly from the Stinson Aircraft Company .
construction
.jpg)
The Stinson SM-6000 was designed as a high- wing aircraft with braced wings to carry ten passengers. It had a rigid, hydraulically sprung main landing gear with a tail spur. The aircraft was of three Neunzylinder- radial engines of the type R-680 Lycoming driven with an output of 160 kW (215 hp), two of which on both sides of nacelles underneath the wings and the third at the aircraft nose were mounted. The fuselage consisted of a welded tubular steel construction. The front part of the fuselage and the cockpit had cladding made of duralumin sheet , the other fuselage sections and the tail unit only had a fabric covering. The heated and wood-lined cabin offered space for ten passengers, whose individual seats were arranged in pairs in five rows along the aisle. The wings, in which the fuel tanks were also located, had steel tubes as wing spars and sheet metal cladding along the leading edge . The other areas of the wing were covered with fabric. The aircraft had very good slow flight characteristics and could therefore also be used on particularly short runways.
The Model U developed from the SM-6000 was largely based on the same basic construction, but for aerodynamic reasons received additional stub wings, on which the main landing gear was mounted and the side engines were located at the ends. By converting it into a one -and- a -half-decker , it was possible to shorten the landing gear girders and to dispense with the wing struts on the fuselage and the linkage of the engine nacelles. This improved the aircraft's flow profile.
Versions
.jpg)
- Corman 6000
- in 1929 taken over by the Corman Aircraft Company seven-seat prototype, which was subsequently converted.
- SM-6000
- Series version with three 215 HP (160 kW) Lycoming R-680 engines, designed for ten passengers and one pilot, ten aircraft built and some (probably four) pre-series aircraft.
- SM-6000-A
- the version was created from the subsequent modification of the already delivered SM-6000; Numerous improvements to the details selected by the customer were offered, including a new cabin design for the simultaneous transport of passengers and cargo.
- SM-6000-B
- Series version, which was delivered from spring 1931 with the improved standards of the SM-6000-A. The factory offered the SM-6000-B1 for the transport of ten passengers and the SM-6000-B2 with a cabin design for the simultaneous transport of passengers and cargo. In addition, Stinson Aircraft manufactured two machines with luxurious interiors as private aircraft. A total of 42 SM-6000-B were built.
- Model U
- Series version offered from 1932 on the basis of the SM-6000-B (or Model T), but with an extended wingspan, three 240 HP (176 kW) Lycoming R-680-BA engines and additional stub wings on which the main landing gear, the two side engines and the wing struts were attached. A total of 23 Model U's were built, including a business jet and a Wright- powered model U-1 that was received by Eastern Air Transport .
- C-91
- Name of the USAAF for an SM-6000-A, which was requisitioned in 1942 as a military transport plane.
Technical specifications
| Parameter | Stinson SM-6000-B (Model T) | Stinson Model U |
|---|---|---|
| crew | 1 (optional 2) | 2 |
| Passengers | 10 | 10 |
| length | 13.05 m | 13.79 m |
| span | 18.29 m | 20.17 m (wing) 4.34 m (stub wing ) |
| height | 3.65 m | 3.81 m |
| Wing area | 45.52 m² | 47.75 m² (wing) 5.01 m² (stub wing ) |
| Empty mass | 2572 kg | 2825 kg to 2857 kg (depending on cabin equipment) |
| Max. Takeoff mass | 3901 kg | 4218 kg to 4264 kg (depending on cabin equipment) |
| Max. Payload | 726 kg (with maximum tank filling) | 1392 kg to 1406 kg (depending on cabin equipment) |
| Cruising speed | 185 km / h (two engines covered, without wheel covers) 196 km / h (all engines and wheels covered) |
198 km / h |
| Top speed | 222 km / h (two engines covered, without wheel covers) 235 km / h (all engines and wheels covered) |
233 km / h |
| Rate of climb | 3.5 m / s (at sea level) | 4.5 m / s (at sea level) |
| Service ceiling | 4420 m | 4420 m |
| Range | 789 km | 708 km to 804 km (depending on cabin equipment) |
| Tank size | 605 l | 605 l |
| Engines | three nine-cylinder radial engines of the Lycoming R-680 type, each with an output of 160 kW (215 PS) |
three nine-cylinder radial engines of the Lycoming R-680-BA type, each with an output of 176 kW (240 PS) |
Preserved copies
.jpg)
None of the Model U remained, and two of the Stinson SM-6000:
- The seventh manufactured SM-6000-B (serial number: 5021), which was ordered on March 10, 1931 by the newly founded Century Air Lines and put into service by them with the registration number NC-11153. American Airways bought this company in early April 1932 and then operated the machine itself until around the end of 1934. After further changes of ownership and various modifications, including a conversion to a spray aircraft , the airworthy restoration of the aircraft, true to the original, began in 1965 . It now belongs to the Golden Wings Flying Museum in Blaine ( Minnesota ) and again carries the painting of the American Airways (see photo in the box).
- The ninth manufactured SM-6000-B (serial number: 5023, registration number: NC-11170), which was also delivered to Century Air Lines and later taken over by American Airways , is now part of the inventory of the private aviation museum Fantasy of Flight in Polk City ( Florida ). This aircraft, which was discovered parked in Alaska in 1970 , is again in an airworthy condition.
See also
Web links
Individual evidence
- ↑ Flying Magazin, September 1, 1960, page 39
- ↑ a b c d e f g Air Transport Certificate, ATC # 335 (7-10-30) STINSON "AIR LINER", SM-6000
- ↑ a b Air Transport Certificate, ATC # 367 (9-19-30) STINSON "TRI-MOTOR", SM-6000-A
- ↑ a b c d Air Transport Certificate, ATC # 420 (4-23-1931) Stinson Tri-Motor, SM-6000-B
- ^ A b c American Aviation Historical Society Journal, Al Hansen, The Stinson Model U Trimotor of 1932
- ↑ Ed Coates' Civil Aircraft Photograph Collection, National Airlines System, Stinson U Tri-Motor, NC432M (c / n 9000)
- ↑ a b Aero, edition 143, year 1985
- ↑ Converted values based on the source ATC # 420 (4-23-1931) Stinson Tri-Motor, SM-6000-B
- ↑ Converted values based on the source American Aviation Historical Society Journal, Al Hansen, The Stinson Model U Trimotor of 1932
- ^ Website of the Antique Airplane Association and the Airpower Museum, Stinson SM-6000-B, History of Stinson NC-11153
- ↑ Fantasy of Flight, List of Exhibits
- ^ The Ford Trimotors, Stinson Trimotors, NC11170
- ↑ Flying Magazin, January 1988