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Flying Aces magazine, which
was published in the middle of the last century, had for a while a monthly featured
entitled, "Down Memory's Runway," where vintage (at the time) aircraft were featured
in pictures and captions. Of course those same airplanes are practically prehistoric
today. By 1942 when this column was published, biplanes had been replace by monoplanes
as the standard commercial and military design. A 14-passenger Boeing 80-A passenger
biplane is included, along with the statement that it is believed to be the only
tri-motored biplane built in the U.S. Of course there was the famous
Ford Trimotor,
but it was a monoplane (see my
Ford Trimotor ride
video). Also included is a photo of Claude Ryan with his company's first M-1
monoplane. The swirled finish on the aluminum skin is very recognizable from Charles
Lindbergh's "Spirit of St. Louis," which was built by
Ryan Aeronautical Company.
Down Memory's Runway
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Pioneer pullman of the air! This 14-passenger Boeing 80-A was
the last word in airliners in 1929 and 1930. It was in service on the transcontinental
route of Boeing Air Transport and is believed to be the only tri-motored biplane
built in the U. S.
Young Claude Ryan with one of the first M-1 monoplanes turned
out by his infant company. The plane was built early in 1926 and was powered by
a Super Rhone engine.
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The first world flight was made by Douglas Army W.C.'s in 1924,
covering 26,345 miles in 363 hours and 7 minutes of flying. The trip was made in
5 months, 22 days.
Built for South American trade, this little known Stinson model
"O" was sold in some quantity to the Argentine government. It was constructed during
1935 and had very little success in this country. Power was supplied by a Lycoming
225.
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Posted October 5, 2019
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