The Budd BB-1 Pioneer was an experimental

United States The United States of America (U.S.A. or USA), commonly known as the United States (U.S. or US) or America, is a country primarily located in North America. It consists of 50 states, a federal district, five major unincorporated territori ...

flying boat of the 1930s utilizing the Savoia-Marchetti S.56 design. Its framework was constructed entirely of stainless steel, using a newly patented method of welding that alloy.

Development

By 1930 the Budd Company was a national leader in construction of railway vehicles containing considerable amounts of stainless steel. Anxious to expand this expertise into other areas, company founder Edward G. Budd hired

Enea Bossi Enea Bossi Sr. (March 29, 1888January 9, 1963) was an Italian-American aerospace engineer and aviation pioneer. He is best known for designing the Budd BB-1 ''Pioneer'', the first stainless steel aircraft; and the ''Pedaliante'' airplane, dispu ...

to design and construct a flying boat of shot-welded stainless steel sheet and strip. They contracted with the Italian aircraft company

Savoia-Marchetti SIAI-Marchetti was an Italian aircraft manufacturer primarily active during the interwar period. History The original company was founded during 1915 as SIAI (''Società Idrovolanti Alta Italia'' - Seaplane Company of Upper Italy). As suggested ...

for the use of the S.56 design. The S.56 was a single-engine three-seat flying boat.Pioneer page
/ref> The Italian company granted licenses for construction of three units in the US, one to Budd and the others to other companies. The resulting BB-1 was a biplane flying boat, with the lower wing attached near the top of the hull and the upper wing held high above, with a single Kinner C-5

radial engine The radial engine is a reciprocating type internal combustion engine configuration in which the cylinders "radiate" outward from a central crankcase like the spokes of a wheel. It resembles a stylized star when viewed from the front, and is ...

mounted on the aircraft centerline between the wings. Wheels mounted on the sides of the hull were retracted upwards during

water landing In aviation, a water landing is, in the broadest sense, an aircraft landing on a body of water. Seaplanes, such as floatplanes and flying boats, land on water as a normal operation. Ditching is a controlled emergency landing on the water s ...

s. The single tailwheel was not retractable. The pilot and two passengers rode in an open cockpit near the bow. The prototype BB-1 first flew from the Budd Factory airfield, a field northwest of Philadelphia (Latitude 40.11/West Longitude 75.04). The field is still visible, although not used as a landing strip. Although the Pioneer was the first American airplane to be made of stainless steel, it did not go into production. Another stainless steel amphibian, the

Fleetwings Sea Bird The Fleetwings Sea Bird (or Seabird) was an American-built amphibious aircraft of the 1930s. Design and production The Sea Bird was an amphibious utility aircraft designed in 1934–1935 by James C. Reddig for Fleetwings, Inc., of Bristol, Penn ...

was the first to go into production, with one prototype and five production units manufactured.

Operational history

The BB-1 Pioneer first flew in 1931. Flight tests showed it to be typical in performance and challenging to handle on the water.Savoia-Marchetti S.56
/ref> The aircraft logged about 1,000 flying hours on tours of the US and Italy. In 1935 its fabric and lower wing were removed, and it was placed on permanent display outside the

Franklin Institute The Franklin Institute is a science museum and the center of science education and research in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. It is named after the American scientist and statesman Benjamin Franklin. It houses the Benjamin Franklin National Memori ...

Philadelphia Philadelphia, often called Philly, is the List of municipalities in Pennsylvania#Municipalities, largest city in the Commonwealth (U.S. state), Commonwealth of Pennsylvania, the List of United States cities by population, sixth-largest city i ...

Pennsylvania Pennsylvania (; ( Pennsylvania Dutch: )), officially the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania, is a state spanning the Mid-Atlantic, Northeastern, Appalachian, and Great Lakes regions of the United States. It borders Delaware to its southeast, ...

Specifications

References

{{reflist
A "Shot Welded" Aircraft
BB-1 1930s United States experimental aircraft Flying boats Single-engined tractor aircraft Biplanes Franklin Institute Aircraft first flown in 1931