The Peel Z-1 Glider Boat, also called the Peel Flying Boat, is an American

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 ...

, two-seats-in- tandem,

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 ...

glider Glider may refer to: Aircraft and transport Aircraft * Glider (aircraft), heavier-than-air aircraft primarily intended for unpowered flight ** Glider (sailplane), a rigid-winged glider aircraft with an undercarriage, used in the sport of glidin ...

that was designed and produced by the Peel Glider Boat Company, starting in about 1930.

Design and development

The Glider Boat was intended as a strictly recreational aircraft, to be towed from the water surface by a powered boat. The company intended to produce a very inexpensive aircraft to cash in on the sudden popularity of aviation following

Charles Lindbergh Charles Augustus Lindbergh (February 4, 1902 – August 26, 1974) was an American aviator, military officer, author, inventor, and activist. On May 20–21, 1927, Lindbergh made the first nonstop flight from New York City to Paris, a distance o ...

’s 1927 solo flight across the

Atlantic Ocean The Atlantic Ocean is the second-largest of the world's five oceans, with an area of about . It covers approximately 20% of Earth's surface and about 29% of its water surface area. It is known to separate the " Old World" of Africa, Europe ...

. The aircraft is of mixed construction. The span wing has a wooden spar, steel ribs and is covered in doped

aircraft fabric covering Aircraft fabric covering is a term used for both the material used and the process of covering aircraft open structures. It is also used for reinforcing closed plywood structures. The de Havilland Mosquito is an example of this technique, as ar ...

. The two wings have a large total area of and combined with the light gross weight of give a very light wing loading of just 2.2 lb/sq ft (11 kg/m²). The lower wing tips feature wingtip floats. The hull is made from

duralumin Duralumin (also called duraluminum, duraluminium, duralum, dural(l)ium, or dural) is a trade name for one of the earliest types of age-hardenable aluminium alloys. The term is a combination of '' Dürener'' and ''aluminium''. Its use as a tra ...

and features a stepped shape, similar to most powered flying boats. The aircraft has conventional aircraft controls and was delivered without instruments. The aircraft was normally launched by a tow rope attached to the glider by a "Y" shaped bridle, with release hooks on both sides of the front

cockpit A cockpit or flight deck is the area, usually near the front of an aircraft or spacecraft, from which a Pilot in command, pilot controls the aircraft. The cockpit of an aircraft contains flight instruments on an instrument panel, and the ...

. Climbing to a maximum height of as limited by the supplied tow rope, the glider would then release and glide to a landing on the water surface. The aircraft was placed in quantity production and sold for

US$ The United States dollar (symbol: $; code: USD; also abbreviated US$ or U.S. Dollar, to distinguish it from other dollar-denominated currencies; referred to as the dollar, U.S. dollar, American dollar, or colloquially buck) is the official ...

595 each. Thirty were built before the company went out of business in 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 ...

Operational history

In August 2011 there were no Peel Glider Boats left on the US

Federal Aviation Administration The Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) is the largest transportation agency of the U.S. government and regulates all aspects of civil aviation in the country as well as over surrounding international waters. Its powers include air traffic m ...

aircraft registry.

Aircraft on display

* Cradle of Aviation Museum * EAA AirVenture Museum * National Soaring Museum

Specifications (Glider Boat)

References

{{reflist

External links