The Bach Air Yacht was a trimotor airliner produced in the United States in the 1920s. Typical of its day, it was a high-wing braced monoplane, with fixed tailwheel undercarriage. Unusual for airliners of the late 1920s (due to legislation that forbade carrying passengers in wooden aircraft), the Air Yachts were constructed almost entirely of wood with steel fittings, undercarriage, and struts. Different models were powered by varying combinations of

Wright Wright is an occupational surname originating in England. The term 'Wright' comes from the circa 700 AD Old English word 'wryhta' or 'wyrhta', meaning worker or shaper of wood. Later it became any occupational worker (for example, a shipwright is ...

, Ryan-Siemens,

Kinner Kinner Airplane & Motor Corp was an airplane and engine manufacturer, founded, in the mid-1920s, in Glendale, California, United States, by Bert Kinner, the manager of Kinner Field. Kinner's chief engineer was Max B. Harlow who later founded the ...

Comet A comet is an icy, small Solar System body that, when passing close to the Sun, warms and begins to release gases, a process that is called outgassing. This produces a visible atmosphere or coma, and sometimes also a tail. These phenomena ar ...

, and

Pratt & Whitney Pratt & Whitney is an American aerospace manufacturer with global service operations. It is a subsidiary of Raytheon Technologies. Pratt & Whitney's aircraft engines are widely used in both civil aviation (especially airlines) and military aviat ...

engines, a large engine in the nose of the aircraft, and two smaller "helpers" under the wings in nacelles supported by struts. As with so many aircraft companies of the late 1920s, the Bach Aircraft Company succumbed to the

Great Depression The Great Depression (19291939) was an economic shock that impacted most countries across the world. It was a period of economic depression that became evident after a major fall in stock prices in the United States. The economic contagio ...

, thus further development of the Air Yacht was abandoned after the 3-CT-9. On 26 July 1929, a 3-CT-9 model piloted by

Waldo Waterman image:Waldo Waterman.jpg, 200px, Waldo Waterman in 1920 Waldo Dean Waterman (June 16, 1894 – December 8, 1976) was an inventor and aviation pioneer from San Diego, California, San Diego, California. He developed a series of tailless swept-wing ai ...

set a new altitude record, lifting a 1,000 kg payload to 20,820 ft (6,347 m).

Variants

;3-CT-2 :Variant with one

Wright J-5 The Wright R-790 Whirlwind was a series of nine-cylinder air-cooled radial aircraft engines built by Wright Aeronautical Corporation, with a total displacement of about and around . These engines were the earliest members of the Wright Whirlwin ...

and two Ryan-Siemens 9 engines. ;3-CT-3 :Variant with one

Pratt & Whitney Wasp The Pratt & Whitney Wasp was the civilian name of a family of air-cooled radial piston engines developed in the 1930s, 1940s, and 1950s.Gunston 1989, p.114. The Pratt & Whitney Aircraft Company (P&W) was founded in 1925 by Frederick B. Rentsch ...

and two Ryan-Siemens 9 engines, one built. ;3-CT-4 :Variant with one

and two Ryan-Siemens 9 engines, two built. ;3-CT-5 :Variant with one

and two

Comet 100hp A comet is an icy, small Solar System body that, when passing close to the Sun, warms and begins to release gases, a process that is called outgassing. This produces a visible atmosphere or Coma (cometary), coma, and sometimes also a Comet ta ...

engines, one built. ;3-CT-6 :Variant with one

Pratt & Whitney Hornet The Pratt & Whitney R-1690 Hornet was a widely used American aircraft engine. Developed by Pratt & Whitney, 2,944 were produced from 1926 through 1942. It first flew in 1927. It was a single-row, 9-cylinder air-cooled radial design. Displacemen ...

and two

engines, five built. ;3-CT-8 :Variant with one

and two

Wright J-6 The Wright Whirlwind was a family of air-cooled radial aircraft engines built by Wright Aeronautical (originally an independent company, later a division of Curtiss-Wright). The family began with nine-cylinder engines, and later expanded to inc ...

engines, four or five built. ;3-CT-9 :Variant with one

and two

engines, three built. ;3-CT-9K :Variant of the 3-CT-9 with one

and two

Kinner C-5 The Kinner C-5 was an American five cylinder radial engine for small general and sport aircraft of the 1930s. Design and development The C-5 was a development of the earlier R-5 with greater power and dimensions. The main change was the increas ...

engines, ten built. ;3-CT-9S :Deluxe variant of the 3-CT-9 with engine cowls, wheel spats, and custom interior, one built. ;3-CTS :Variant with one 3-CT-8 modified with a

and two

engines, one built. ;T-11P :Three aircraft, being single-engined conversions (formerly NC219H, NC53M, and 34998 built from spare parts) ;Note: :As it was common practice to upgrade airframes as improvements became available, some 'N' numbers and/or serial numbered airframes were redesignated as different or new models. Total number of Bach Air Yachts built verified by Air Commerce Bureau and FAA records is 21.

Specifications (3-CT-6)

Bach_Air_Yacht_3-view_Aero_Digest_January_1928

References

* * * *

External links

The Bach Air Yacht, ''Flight'', 9 August 1928
{{Bach Aircraft 1920s United States airliners Trimotors High-wing aircraft

Variants

Specifications (3-CT-6)

See also

References

External links