Boeing 50 on:
[Wikipedia]
[Google]
[Amazon]
The Boeing XPB (company Model 50) was an American twin-engined
The Boeing Model 50, designated XPB-1 by the US Navy, made its maiden flight in August 1925.Yenne 2005, p. 15. It was intended to use it to lead a pair of Naval Aircraft Factory PN-9s in an attempt to fly to Hawaii on 31 August 1925, but engine trouble led to its participation in the flight being cancelled.Boeing C to Z, and hyphenates
. ''Aerofiles''. Retrieved 18 June 2010.
'' Flight'', 10 September 1925, p. 579. In 1928, the aircraft was modified by the Naval Aircraft Factory, its Packard engines were replaced by two 500 hp (370 kW) geared Pratt & Whitney R-1690 Hornet radial engines, leading to the new designation XPB-2.
The Story of the Boeing Company
'. St Paul, USA: Zenith Imprint, 2005. . {{USN patrol aircraft Flying boats 1920s United States patrol aircraft P1B Twin-engined push-pull aircraft Biplanes Aircraft first flown in 1925
biplane
A biplane is a fixed-wing aircraft with two main wings stacked one above the other. The first powered, controlled aeroplane to fly, the Wright Flyer, used a biplane wing arrangement, as did many aircraft in the early years of aviation. While ...
long-range patrol flying boat
A flying boat is a type of fixed-winged seaplane with a hull, allowing it to land on water. It differs from a floatplane in that a flying boat's fuselage is purpose-designed for floatation and contains a hull, while floatplanes rely on fusela ...
of the 1920s. A single example was built for the United States Navy.
Design and development
In September 1924, the Naval Aircraft Factory was tasked with designing a long-range twin-enginedflying boat
A flying boat is a type of fixed-winged seaplane with a hull, allowing it to land on water. It differs from a floatplane in that a flying boat's fuselage is purpose-designed for floatation and contains a hull, while floatplanes rely on fusela ...
, capable of flying the 2,400 mi (3,860 km) between San Francisco and Hawaii. The initial design was carried out by Isaac Laddon, an employee of Consolidated Aircraft, and then passed to Boeing for detailed design and construction. The new flying boat, the Boeing Model 50, was a two-bay biplane
A biplane is a fixed-wing aircraft with two main wings stacked one above the other. The first powered, controlled aeroplane to fly, the Wright Flyer, used a biplane wing arrangement, as did many aircraft in the early years of aviation. While ...
of very streamlined design for flying boats of the time. The wings were of metal construction, with wooden wingtips and leading edges. The fuselage had a metal lower part, with the upper half made of laminated wooden frames with a wood veneer covering. Two 800 hp (600 kW) Packard 2A-2500 V12 engines driving four-bladed propellers were mounted in tandem between the wings above the fuselage.
Operational history
The Boeing Model 50, designated XPB-1 by the US Navy, made its maiden flight in August 1925.Yenne 2005, p. 15. It was intended to use it to lead a pair of Naval Aircraft Factory PN-9s in an attempt to fly to Hawaii on 31 August 1925, but engine trouble led to its participation in the flight being cancelled.Boeing C to Z, and hyphenates. ''Aerofiles''. Retrieved 18 June 2010.
'' Flight'', 10 September 1925, p. 579. In 1928, the aircraft was modified by the Naval Aircraft Factory, its Packard engines were replaced by two 500 hp (370 kW) geared Pratt & Whitney R-1690 Hornet radial engines, leading to the new designation XPB-2.
Specifications (XPB-1)
See also
References
;Notes ;Bibliography * Bowers, Peter M. ''Boeing Aircraft since 1916''. London:Putnam, 1989. . * Yenne, Bill.The Story of the Boeing Company
'. St Paul, USA: Zenith Imprint, 2005. . {{USN patrol aircraft Flying boats 1920s United States patrol aircraft P1B Twin-engined push-pull aircraft Biplanes Aircraft first flown in 1925