The Bellanca Aircruiser and Airbus were high-wing, single-engine aircraft built by
Bellanca Aircraft Corporation of
New Castle, Delaware
New Castle is a city in New Castle County, Delaware, United States. The city is located six miles (10 km) south of Wilmington and is situated on the Delaware River. As of the 2010 census, the city's population was 5,285.
History
New Castl ...
. The aircraft was built as a "workhorse" intended for use as a passenger or cargo aircraft. It was available with wheels, floats or skis. The aircraft was powered by either a
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 i ...
Cyclone or
Pratt and 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 av ...
Hornet engine. The Airbus and Aircruiser served as both commercial and military transports.
[Mondey 1978, p. 96.]
Design and development
The first Bellanca Airbus was built in 1930 as the P-100. An efficient design, it was capable of carrying 12 to 14 passengers depending on the cabin interior configuration, with later versions carrying up to 15. In 1931, test pilot George Haldeman flew the P-100 a distance of 4,400 miles in a time aloft of 35 hours. Although efficient, with a cost per mile figure of eight
cents per mile calculated for that flight, the first Airbus did not sell due to its water-cooled engine.
Operational history
The next model, the P-200 Airbus, was powered by a larger, more reliable air-cooled engine. One version (P-200-A) came with floats and operated as a ferry service in New York City, flying between Wall Street and the East River. Other versions included a P-200 Deluxe model, with custom interiors and seating for nine. The P-300 was designed to carry 15 passengers. The final model, the "Aircruiser," was the most efficient aircraft of its day, and would rank high amongst all aircraft designs. With a Wright Cyclone air-cooled supercharged radial engine rated at 715 hp, the Aircruiser could carry a useful load greater than its empty weight. In the mid-1930s, the Aircruiser could carry 4,000 lb payloads at a speed of between 145 and 155 mph, a performance that multi-engine Fokkers and
Ford Trimotor
The Ford Trimotor (also called the "Tri-Motor", and nicknamed the "Tin Goose") is an American three-engined transport aircraft. Production started in 1925 by the companies of Henry Ford and ended on June 7, 1933, after 199 had been made. It w ...
s could not come close to matching.
In 1934, United States federal regulations prohibited single-engine transports on United States airlines, virtually eliminating future markets for the Aircruiser. Where the workhorse capabilities of the Aircruiser stood out was in Canada. Several of "The Flying Ws", as it was commonly dubbed in Canada, were used in northern mining operations, ferrying ore, supplies and the occasional passenger, into the 1970s.
Variants
Airbus
;Bellanca P:Commercial version of
Bellanca K, powered by a
Pratt & Whitney R-1860 Hornet.
;P-100 Airbus
:
![Bellanca_P-100_Airbus_Aero_Digest_September,1930](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/d/d4/Bellanca_P-100_Airbus_Aero_Digest_September%2C1930.jpg)
14-passenger monoplane powered by a
Curtiss Conqueror
The Curtiss V-1570 Conqueror was a 12-cylinder vee liquid-cooled aircraft engine. Representing a more powerful version of the Curtiss D-12, the engine entered production in 1926 and flew in numerous aircraft.Gunston 1989, p. 46.
Design and de ...
engine, one built, later converted into a P-200.
;P-200 Airbus
:12-passenger monoplane, nine built and one converted from P-100.
;P-300 Airbus
:15-seater monoplane powered by a
Wright R-1820 Cyclone
The Wright R-1820 Cyclone 9 is an American radial engine developed by Curtiss-Wright, widely used on aircraft in the 1930s through 1950s. It was produced under license in France as the Hispano-Suiza 9V or Hispano-Wright 9V, and in the Soviet Uni ...
engine.
;Y1C-27
:United States Army Air Corps designation for four P-200 Airbuses powered by
Pratt & Whitney R-1860 Hornet B
The Pratt & Whitney R-1860 Hornet B was a relatively uncommon aircraft engine. It was a development of Pratt & Whitney's earlier R-1690 Hornet and was basically similar, but enlarged in capacity from 1,690 to .Connors, p.79 Cylinder bore was in ...
engine. All later converted to C-27C.
;C-27A Airbus
:Production version of the Y1C-27 powered by a
Pratt & Whitney R-1860 Hornet B
The Pratt & Whitney R-1860 Hornet B was a relatively uncommon aircraft engine. It was a development of Pratt & Whitney's earlier R-1690 Hornet and was basically similar, but enlarged in capacity from 1,690 to .Connors, p.79 Cylinder bore was in ...
engine, ten built. One converted to a C-27B the rest converted to C-27Cs.
;C-27B Airbus
:One C-27A re-engined with a
Wright R-1820-17 Cyclone engine.
;C-27C Airbus
:Four Y1C-27s and nine of the C-27A re-engined with a
Wright R-1820-25 Cyclone
The Wright R-1820 Cyclone 9 is an American radial engine developed by Curtiss-Wright, widely used on aircraft in the 1930s through 1950s. It was produced under license in France as the Hispano-Suiza 9V or Hispano-Wright 9V, and in the Soviet Uni ...
engine.
Aircruiser
;Aircruiser 66-67
:Improved structure modified from a P-200 with a
Wright SR-1820 Cyclone
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 ...
engine
;Aircruiser 66-70
:An Aircruiser with a
Wright SGR-1820 Cyclone engine, five built - exported to Canada.
;Aircruiser 66-75
:An Aircruiser with a Wright Cyclone engine, three built.
;Aircruiser 66-76
:A cargo-version of the Aircruiser with a Wright Cyclone.
;Aircruiser 66-80
:An Aircruiser with an Wright Cyclone engine.
Operators
;
*
Canadian Pacific Airlines
Canadian Pacific Air Lines was a Canadian airline that operated from 1942 to 1987. It operated under the name CP Air from 1968 to 1986. Headquartered at Vancouver International Airport in Richmond, British Columbia, it served domestic Canadian a ...
(Aircruiser)
*
Central Northern Airways
Transair was an airline based in Canada. It was purchased by Pacific Western Airlines in 1979. Transair's operational headquarters was located at the Winnipeg International Airport in Manitoba.
History
Transair had its origins as Central No ...
(Aircruiser)
*Mackenzie Air Service (Aircruiser)
;
*New York and Suburban Airlines (Airbus)
*
United States Army Air Corps
The United States Army Air Corps (USAAC) was the aerial warfare service component of the United States Army between 1926 and 1941. After World War I, as early aviation became an increasingly important part of modern warfare, a philosophical r ...
(Airbus)
;
;
Surviving aircraft
![Bellanca Aircruiser](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/8/8e/Bellanca_Aircruiser.JPG)
The last flying Aircruiser, "CF-BTW," a 1938 model, after serving in Manitoba, is now on display at the Erickson Aircraft Collection in
Madras, Oregon
Madras ( ) is a city in and the county seat of Jefferson County, Oregon, United States. Originally called "The Basin" after the circular valley the city is in, it is unclear whether Madras was named in 1903 for the cotton fabric called " Madras" ...
.
Another Bellanca Aircruiser, "CF-AWR" named the "
Eldorado Radium Silver Express", built in 1935, is under restoration at the
Western Canada Aviation Museum
The Royal Aviation Museum of Western Canada (formerly the Western Canada Aviation Museum) is a museum in Winnipeg, Manitoba, Canada. The museum opened to the public in its new location on 21 May 2022.
History
The Western Canada Aviation Museum w ...
in
Winnipeg, Manitoba
Winnipeg () is the capital and largest city of the province of Manitoba in Canada. It is centred on the confluence of the Red and Assiniboine rivers, near the longitudinal centre of North America. , Winnipeg had a city population of 749,6 ...
.
Specifications (66-70 Aircruiser)
See also
References
Notes
Bibliography
* Green, William and Gerald Pollinger. ''The Aircraft of the World''. London: Macdonald, 1955.
* Gurling, Christian, Curator
"Bellanca Aircruiser."Tillamook, Oregon: Tillamook Air Museum, 2012.
* Mondey, David. ''The Complete Illustrated Encyclopedia of the World's Aircraft''. Secaucus, New Jersey: Chartwell Books Inc, 1978. .
External links
{{Wright Field project numbers
1930s United States airliners
Aircruiser
Single-engined tractor aircraft
Aircraft first flown in 1930