Benoist Land Tractor Type XII
Land Tractor Type XII | |
---|---|
A Benoist Land Tractor Type XII on display at the Steven F. Udvar-Hazy Center of the Smithsonian's National Air and Space Museum. | |
Role | Biplane |
National origin | United States of America
|
Manufacturer | Benoist Aircraft Company |
Designer | Thomas W. Benoist, Tony Jannus |
Introduction | 1912 |
Produced | 1912 |
Number built | 5 |
Developed from | Benoist Type XII headless |
The Benoist Land Tractor Type XII was one of the first enclosed cockpit, tractor configuration aircraft built.[1] Benoist used "Model XII" to several aircraft that shared the same basic engine and wing design, but differed in fuselage and control surfaces.
Design and development
The Type XII was a tractor-engined conversion of the model XII headless
The first tractor biplane used a wooden fuselage with a small seat on top. The wings were covered with a Goodyear rubberized cloth.[3]
Operational history
The first model XII was built in the spring of 1912.
On 1 March 1912, Albert Berry used a headless Type XII to complete the first parachute jump from an airplane.[4] Berry used a conical parachute with paper in between the folds to prevent entanglement. He climbed onto a trapeze like support on the front of the aircraft, cut the supporting cable and landed at Jefferson Barracks.
On 6 November 1912 Tony Jannus flew a model XII mounted with floats 1,973 mi down the Missouri and Mississippi rivers from Omaha, Nebraska to New Orleans arriving on 16 December.[5]
Variants
- Type XII Military Plane - A tractor biplane with a small square section covered fuselage.
Survivors
A Model XII, factory No.32 built by Edward and Milton Korn in Benoist's shop is on display at the Smithsonian's Steven F. Udvar-Hazy Center. The aircraft had been rebuilt with modifications in 1917 after a 13 August 1913 accident which killed one of its builders, Milton Korn. It was donated to the Air and Space museum in 1949, and restored in 1981.[6]
Specifications (Benoist Land Tractor Type XII)
Data from Smithsonian, Automotive Journal
General characteristics
- Capacity: 2
- Length: 23 ft 7 in (7.19 m)
- Wingspan: 55 ft (17 m)
- Height: 8 ft 2 in (2.49 m)
- Empty weight: 1,045 lb (474 kg)
- Gross weight: 1,750 lb (794 kg)
- Fuel capacity: 20 US gallons (76 L; 17 imp gal) or 50 US gallons (190 L; 42 imp gal) gallon tank
- Powerplant: 1 × Roberts six cylinder inline, 75 hp (56 kW)
Performance
- Cruise speed: 52 kn (60 mph, 97 km/h)
- Rate of climb: 200 ft/min (1.0 m/s)
Avionics
- Wind speed string
See also
- Walter E. Lees interview on the model XII. [1]
- Image of the Model XII [2]
References
- ^ "Benoist-Korn Type XII". Retrieved 13 October 2011.
- ^ "Benoist Paper". Archived from the original on 2010-12-21. Retrieved 13 October 2011.
- ^ Thomas Reilly. Jannus, an American flier.
- ^ "Tom Benoist". Retrieved 15 January 2013.
- ^ Automotive Journal. 34.
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(help) - ^ "Benoist-Korn Type XII". National Air and Space Museum. Smithsonian Institution. Retrieved 22 July 2021.
External links
Media related to Benoist Land Tractor Type XII at Wikimedia Commons