Loening Model 23
Model 23 Air Yacht, S-1 | |
---|---|
S-1 of the USAAS | |
Role | Flying boat airliner |
National origin | United States |
Manufacturer | Loening |
First flight | 1921 |
Number built | 16 |
The Loening S-1 Flying Yacht, also called the Loening Model 23, was an early light monoplane flying boat designed in the United States by Grover Loening in the early 1920s.[1] The aircraft won the 1921 Collier Trophy.
Design and development[]
The S-1 Flying Yacht was a high-wing, strut-braced monoplane with the engine mounted pusher-fashion in a nacelle atop the wing. The cabin was semi-enclosed, featuring side windows but no roof, and was located immediately ahead of the wing.
Twin tails were fitted, carrying a common stabiliser in a high position. The construction was unusual, in that rather than the flying boat hull being integral with the fuselage, the Model 23's hull was a large, separate pontoon mounted directly underneath a fuselage that was a separate structure.[2] This was intended to combine the safety of a floatplane design with the low parasitic drag of a conventional flying boat[2] Grover Loening was awarded the 1921 Aero Club of America Trophy for the design.[3]
The fuel tank was located under the rear passenger seat.[4] The prototype was tested with a new roll-control mechanism to replace ailerons using a small leading edge that extended and retracted outboard of the wing tips.[5]
Operational history[]
The S-1 was the second seaplane in monoplane configuration ever to go into production.[6] It was one of the fastest seaplanes in production in 1921.[7] The S-1 set a world seaplane record of 141 mph (227 km/h) in 1921 winning the Collier trophy for the year.[8] An S-1 set a world record for altitude with four passengers flying to a height of 19,500 ft (5,944 m) over Long Island, New York in August 1921.[9]
Three of the Air Yachts were purchased by the ,[10][11] and nine by the United States Army Air Service which operated them under the designation S-1.[10]
On a test-flight on 16 August 1921, an Air Yacht piloted by David McCulloch reached an altitude of 19,500 ft (5,900 m) carrying three passengers (Grover Loening, Leroy Grumman, and ) in what was believed to be a record at the time.[2] On 7 November 1924, set a world airspeed record for a seaplane over a 1000-km course, with a speed of 103 mph (164 km/h) in an Army S-1.[12]
Variants[]
- S-1
- Nine delivered to the United States Army
- Model 23
- Three delivered to and flown until 1923.[6][13]
- Type 23
- One custom Type 23 was ordered by Vincent Astor, and a second 400 hp (298 kW) Curtiss powered variant was also ordered.[14]
- Custom 300 hp
- Wright Aeronautical ordered a 300 hp (224 kW) Wright powered variant for a corporate aircraft named "Wilbur Wright".[15]
Operators[]
- New York-Newport Air Service
- United States Army Air Service (Nine with the military designation S-1)
Specifications (S-1)[]
Data from American Flying Boats and Amphibious Aircraft: An Illustrated History;[16]
General characteristics
- Crew: 1
- Capacity: 4
- Length: 30 ft (9.1 m)
- Wingspan: 45 ft (14 m)
- Height: 8 ft (2.4 m)
- Wing area: 330 sq ft (31 m2)
- Empty weight: 2,200 lb (998 kg)
- Gross weight: 3,550 lb (1,610 kg)
- Powerplant: 1 × Liberty L-12 , 400 hp (300 kW)
- Propellers: 4-bladed Hartzell
Performance
- Maximum speed: 123 kn (141 mph, 227 km/h)
- Cruise speed: 96 kn (110 mph, 180 km/h)
- Service ceiling: 19,500 ft (5,900 m)
- Rate of climb: 950 ft/min (4.8 m/s)
- Time to altitude: 10 mins. to 9,500ft.
- Wing loading: 10.7 lb/sq ft (52 kg/m2)
- Power/mass: 8.9lbs/hp
See also[]
Aircraft of comparable role, configuration, and era
- Spencer Air Car
- Republic Seabee
- Kirkham Air Yacht
References[]
- Notes
- ^ Taylor 1989, 609
- ^ a b c "The Loening Model 23 Flying Boat"
- ^ Collier 1920-1929 winners
- ^ "The Loening Claim for the Collier Trophy." Aviation, January 30, 1922.
- ^ "Loening tests new type of flight control for airplanes." Automotive Industries, December 14, 1922.
- ^ a b Johnson 2009[page needed]
- ^ Aviation, February 20, 1922, p. 234.
- ^ "The Founding Father." Flying Magazine, August 1976, p. 76.
- ^ Aviation, January 2, 1922, p. 8.
- ^ a b Taylor 1989, 610
- ^ "Newport-New York Air Service Ready
- ^ FAI Record File
- ^ Stoff 2010, p. 26.
- ^ Flight 3 April 1922, p. 392.
- ^ Nicolaou 1998[page needed]
- ^ Flight October 27, 1921, p. 699 et seq.
- Bibliography
- "The Loening Model 23 Flying Boat". Flight: 699–701. 27 October 1921. Retrieved 2008-10-15.
- Taylor, Michael J. H. (1989). Jane's Encyclopedia of Aviation. London: Studio Editions.
- "Collier 1920-1929 Winners". National Aeronautic Association website. Archived from the original on 2011-05-31. Retrieved 2008-10-15.
- "New York-Newport Air Service Ready". New York Times. 26 March 1923. p. 30. Retrieved 2008-10-15.
- "Record File". Fédération Aéronautique Internationale website. Retrieved 2008-10-15.[permanent dead link]
- Johnson, E.R. American Flying Boats and Amphibious Aircraft: An Illustrated History. Jefferson, North Carolina: McFarland, 2009. ISBN 978-0-7864-3974-4.
- Nicolaou, Stéphane. Flying Boats & Seaplanes: A History from 1905. St. Paul, Minnesota: MBI, 1998. ISBN 978-0-7603-0621-5.
- Stoff, Joshua. Long Island Aircraft Manufacturers (Images of Aviation). Mount Pleasant, South Carolina: Arcadia Publishing, 2010. ISBN 978-0-7385-7336-6.
External links[]
Wikimedia Commons has media related to Loening Model 23. |
- 1920s United States airliners
- Flying boats
- Loening aircraft
- High-wing aircraft
- Single-engined pusher aircraft
- Aircraft first flown in 1921