Keystone Patrician
K-78 Patrician | |
---|---|
K-78D Patrician | |
Role | Airliner |
National origin | United States |
Manufacturer | Keystone Aircraft |
First flight | 1929 |
Number built | 3 |
The Keystone K-78 Patrician was an airliner developed in the United States in the late 1920s, built only in prototype form.
Design & development
The Patrician was a high-wing, strut-braced monoplane following the then-standard trimotor layout, and was intended to be the largest and fastest aircraft of its type.[1] The fuselage was constructed from a chromoly tube framework with aluminum longerons and bulkheads, all skinned in fabric. The inner wings were built from steel-truss spars and metal ribs and fabric-covered, while the outer wings of wooden construction.
The flight test program included a much-publicized return flight across the United States and in another stunt, a successful attempt at a load-carrying record was set by lifting a 4,600 lb (2,090 kg) "payload" of "33 girls, two pilots, and a mechanic" to 10,200 ft (3,110 m) in 25 minutes.[2] Colonial Air Transport then flew the prototype (registered NX7962) on charter operations between New York City and Boston while a definitive version for the airlines was developed under the designation K-78D. This featured 18 seats, a lavatory, and a separate baggage compartment.
The first of these machines (NC98N) was purchased by
Certification was obtained on 30 October 1929,[3] but before the initial intended batch of ten Patricians could be produced, the Great Depression made itself felt, and the market disappeared. Keystone reduced the asking price from $90,000 to $65,000, but still found no buyers, and the three prototypes were the only Patricians ever built.
Operators
- Transcontinental Air Transport
- Wright Aeronautical Corporation
Specifications (K-78D)
General characteristics
- Crew: Three - two pilots and mechanic
- Capacity: 18 passengers plus 600 lb (270 kg) of cargo
- Length: 61 ft 7 in (18.77 m)
- Wingspan: 86 ft 5 in (26.34 m)
- Powerplant: 3 × Wright Cyclone, 525 hp (390 kW) each
Performance
- Maximum speed: 148 mph (236 km/h, 129 kn)
- Range: 550 mi (880 km, 480 nmi)
References
- Notes
- Taylor, Michael J. H. (1989). Jane's Encyclopedia of Aviation. London: Studio Editions. p. 560.
- "Pathfinders AND Patricians". Air Classics. August 2006. Retrieved 2008-09-04.[permanent dead link]
- aerofiles.com