Loening Model 23

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Model 23 Air Yacht, S-1
Loening S-1.jpg
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[]

 United States

Specifications (S-1)[]

A civilian Air Yacht

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

References[]

Notes
  1. ^ Taylor 1989, 609
  2. ^ a b c "The Loening Model 23 Flying Boat"
  3. ^ Collier 1920-1929 winners
  4. ^ "The Loening Claim for the Collier Trophy." Aviation, January 30, 1922.
  5. ^ "Loening tests new type of flight control for airplanes." Automotive Industries, December 14, 1922.
  6. ^ a b Johnson 2009[page needed]
  7. ^ Aviation, February 20, 1922, p. 234.
  8. ^ "The Founding Father." Flying Magazine, August 1976, p. 76.
  9. ^ Aviation, January 2, 1922, p. 8.
  10. ^ a b Taylor 1989, 610
  11. ^ "Newport-New York Air Service Ready
  12. ^ FAI Record File
  13. ^ Stoff 2010, p. 26.
  14. ^ Flight 3 April 1922, p. 392.
  15. ^ Nicolaou 1998[page needed]
  16. ^ 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[]

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