The Beijing 1Gordon and Komissarov 2008, p. 194–195. (also known as the Beijing No 1
''China.org.cn''. 1 May 2005. Retrieved 20 August 2011. or Peking No 1Taylor 1961, p. 33. was a prototype twin-engined small

airliner An airliner is a type of aircraft for transporting passengers and air cargo. Such aircraft are most often operated by airlines. Although the definition of an airliner can vary from country to country, an airliner is typically defined as an ...

of the 1950s designed and built in the

People's Republic of China China, officially the People's Republic of China (PRC), is a country in East Asia. It is the world's most populous country, with a population exceeding 1.4 billion, slightly ahead of India. China spans the equivalent of five time zones and ...

. Only one example was built, the type not entering production.

Design and development

In 1958, the Beijing Aviation Institute (later to become known as the Beijing University of Aeronautics and Astronautics (BUAA) and now

Beihang University Beihang University, previously known as Beijing University of Aeronautics and Astronautics (), abbreviated as BUAA or Beihang ( zh, c=北航, p=), is a national public research university located in Beijing, China, specializing in engineering, t ...

) was instructed by Chinese

Premier Premier is a title for the head of government in central governments, state governments and local governments of some countries. A second in command to a premier is designated as a deputy premier. A premier will normally be a head of governm ...

Zhou Enlai Zhou Enlai (; 5 March 1898 – 8 January 1976) was a Chinese statesman and military officer who served as the first Premier of the People's Republic of China, premier of the People's Republic of China from 1 October 1949 until his death on 8 J ...

to design an airliner. The resulting design, the Beijing 1, was a small twin-engined low-wing

cantilever A cantilever is a rigid structural element that extends horizontally and is supported at only one end. Typically it extends from a flat vertical surface such as a wall, to which it must be firmly attached. Like other structural elements, a canti ...

monoplane A monoplane is a fixed-wing aircraft configuration with a single mainplane, in contrast to a biplane or other types of multiplanes, which have multiple planes. A monoplane has inherently the highest efficiency and lowest drag of any wing confi ...

with a retractable

tricycle landing gear Tricycle gear is a type of aircraft undercarriage, or ''landing gear'', arranged in a tricycle fashion. The tricycle arrangement has a single nose wheel in the front, and two or more main wheels slightly aft of the center of gravity. Tricycle g ...

and of all metal construction. It was powered by two

Ivchenko AI-14 The Ivchenko AI-14 is a nine-cylinder, air-cooled, radial piston engine designed in the Soviet Union to power aircraft. A variant known as the M462 was produced under license by Avia. Variants ;AI-14: ;AI-14R:Underwent state trials in Decembe ...

driving two-bladed wooden propellers, while its wings were fitted with

leading edge slats Slats are aerodynamic surfaces on the leading edge of the wing of a fixed-wing aircraft which, when deployed, allow the wing to operate at a higher angle of attack. A higher coefficient of lift is produced as a result of angle of attack and speed, ...

and trailing edge flaps to ease operations out of small airfields.''Flight International'' 26 July 1962, p. 135. A crew of two and 8 to 10 passengers were carried in the aircraft's fuselage. The Beijing 1 made its maiden flight on 24 September 1958, and was handed over to the Chinese civil aviation authorities on 1 October 1958, the 9th anniversary of the establishment of the

. It was the first passenger airliner designed and built in the People's Republic. Although contemporary reports suggested that the type entered service with

Civil Aviation Administration of China The Civil Aviation Administration of China (CAAC; ) is the Chinese civil aviation authority under the Ministry of Transport. It oversees civil aviation and investigates aviation accidents and incidents. As the aviation authority responsible f ...

,Harrison 1964, p. 839. no production followed, with only the single prototype being built. It is now preserved at the

Beijing Aviation Museum The Beijing Air and Space Museum is a museum in Haidian Qu, Beijing, China. The museum is part of the Beihang University, one of China's most prestigious engineering schools. It was founded in 1985 under its original name the Beijing Aviation M ...

Specifications

Notes

References

* Andersson, Lennart. ''A History of Chinese Aviation: Encyclopedia of Aircraft and Aviation in China until 1949''. Taipei, Republic of China: AHS of ROC, 2008. .
"Asia's Aircraft Industries"
''

Flight International ''Flight International'' is a monthly magazine focused on aerospace. Published in the United Kingdom and founded in 1909 as "A Journal devoted to the Interests, Practice, and Progress of Aerial Locomotion and Transport", it is the world's oldes ...

'', 26 July 1962. pp. 133–139. * Gordon, Yefim and Dmitry Komissarov. ''Chinese Aircraft: China's Aviation Industry since 1951''. Manchester, UK: Hikoki Publications, 2008. . * Harrison, Neil
" A Peep into China..."
''

'', 21 May 1964. pp. 838–840. * Taylor, John W. R. ''Jane's All the World's Aircraft 1961–62''. London: Sampson Low, Marston & Company, 1965. {{refend 1950s Chinese airliners