Hamilton H-47
H-45 and H-47 | |
---|---|
The sole surviving Hamilton H-47 in Northwest Airways markings exhibited at EAA Oshkosh Wisconsin in 2010 | |
Role | Civil passenger and mail carrier |
National origin | United States |
Manufacturer | Hamilton Metalplane Company
|
Designer | James McDonnell[1] |
First flight | 1928 |
Number built | 46[citation needed] |
The Hamilton H-45 and H-47 were six-passenger-seat, all-metal, high-wing
Design and development
The
Both types were corrugated-aluminium-skinned in the
Both the H-45 and the H-47 were powered by a single, uncowled, Pratt & Whitney 9-cylinder radial: the H-45 had a 450 hp (335 kW)
Both types first flew in 1928. Both could be mounted on floats. In all, about 25 H-45s and 21 H-47s were built.[2]
Operational history
The H-45 and H-47 were used from 1928 to operate passenger and mail services within the US.
During 1930, Isthmian Airways used Hamilton floatplanes for their service linking the Atlantic to the Pacific between respectively Cristóbal, Colón and Balboa in the Panama Canal Zone. The airline impudently claimed the 30-minute flight as the "fastest transcontinental service in North America".[7]
One H-47 (originally built as an H-45) was impressed by the United States Army as a UC-89 in 1942.[8] It was found unsuitable for Army work and was struck off charge in August 1943.[9]
It was a featured aircraft in Howard Hawk's 1939 "Only Angels Have Wings" flying mail for "Barranca". The flying scenes were fake; however, the aircraft was used in ground scenes. The movie prop model (or one of them) survives.[citation needed]
Variants
H-45 Wasp powered, ~25 built.
H-47 Hornet powered, 20 built.
H-47 Special 525 hp (390 kW)
UC-89 Single impressed aircraft.
Surviving aircraft
One H-47 remains flyable. N879H was auctioned after restoration in January 2010 and flew at the Oshkosh meeting in the Summer of 2010.[10]
It is now held in active flight condition for viewing, at the Historic Flight Foundation in Spokane, WA.
Operators
- Condor Air Lines
- Alaskan Airways
- Coastal Air Freight
- Isthmian Airways
- Northwest Airways
- Wien Alaska Airways
- Colombia-Peru War
Specifications (H-47)
Data from American Landplane Specifications[11] aerofiles[2]
General characteristics
- Crew: two
- Capacity: six passengers
- Length: 34 ft 2 in (10.41 m)
- Wingspan: 54 ft 5 in (16.59 m)
- Height: 9 ft 4 in (2.84 m)
- Wing area: 390 sq ft (36 m2)
- Empty weight: 3,699 lb (1,678 kg)
- Gross weight: 5,750 lb (2,608 kg)
- Fuel capacity: 140 US gal (120 imp gal; 530 L)
- Powerplant: 1 × Pratt and Whitney R-1690 Hornet9-cylinder air cooled radial, 525 hp (391 kW)
Performance
- Maximum speed: 145 mph (233 km/h, 126 kn)
- Cruise speed: 125 mph (201 km/h, 109 kn)
- Stall speed: 55 mph (89 km/h, 48 kn)
- Range: 600 mi (970 km, 520 nmi)
- Service ceiling: 15,000 ft (4,600 m)
- Rate of climb: 900 ft/min (4.6 m/s)
References
- ^ Joe Christy, LeRoy Cook. American Aviation. p. 110.
- ^ a b c d e H-45 & H-47 in aerofiles
- ^ Davies, 1998, p.127
- ^ Davies, 1998, p.126.
- ^ "H-47 Metalplane". Historic Flight. Retrieved 25 April 2020.
- ^ Wien Alaska Airways H-45
- ^ Davies, 1998, p. 151
- ^ Fahey, James C.,US Army Aircraft 1908-1946, 1946. Ships and Aircraft. New York. p.27
- ^ UC-89
- ^ H-47 at Oshkosh 2010
- ^ Aviation March 1931, pp. 180, 183.
Bibliography
- "Courrier des Lecteurs" [Readers' Letters]. Avions: Toute l'Aéronautique et son histoire (in French) (103): 5. October 2001. ISSN 1243-8650.
- Davies, R.E.G., Airlines of the United States since 1914, reprinted 1998. Smithsonian Institution Press, Washington DC, ISBN 1-888962-08-9.
- "Table 2: American Landplane Specifications: Single-Engined Planes With Seats For More Than Three Persons". Aviation. Vol. 30, no. 3. March 1931. pp. 180, 183.