Lockheed XC-35
XC-35 | |
---|---|
Lockheed XC-35 | |
Role | Experimental |
National origin | United States |
Manufacturer | Lockheed |
First flight | 9 May 1937 |
Introduction | 1937 |
Status | In storage at the Smithsonian Institution's National Air and Space Museum |
Primary user | United States Army Air Corps |
Number built | 1 |
Developed from | Lockheed Model 10 Electra |
The Lockheed XC-35 is a twin-engine, experimental pressurized airplane. It was the second American aircraft to feature cabin pressurization.
Design and development
The United States Air Corps wanted the aircraft to perform high altitude research and to test the feasibility of a pressurized cabin. The Corps contracted with Lockheed Aircraft Corporation to produce the aircraft at a total cost of $112,197. The requirements called for an aircraft capable of flying at no less than 25,000 ft (7,620 m) and having an endurance of ten hours with at least two hours above 25,000 ft (7,620 m).
The XC-35 was fitted with two
Operational history
The XC-35 was delivered to Wright Field, Ohio in May 1937, made its first performance flight on August 5, and was involved in an extensive flight testing program for which the Army Air Corps was awarded the
The Air Corps brass were so confident in the new technology that they allowed the XC-35 to be used as an executive transport for Louis Johnson, the Assistant Secretary of War and future Secretary of Defense.[4]
In 1943,
The XC-35 was donated to the Smithsonian Institution's National Air and Space Museum in 1948 and remains there in long term storage.[2]
Specifications (Lockheed XC-35)
Data from Lockheed aircraft since 1913[7]
General characteristics
- Crew: up to 6
- Length: 38 ft 7 in (11.76 m)
- Wingspan: 55 ft (17 m)
- Height: 10 ft 1 in (3.07 m)
- Wing area: 458.5 sq ft (42.60 m2)
- Airfoil: root: Clark Y (18%); tip: Clark Y (9%)[8]
- Empty weight: 7,940 lb (3,602 kg)
- Gross weight: 10,500 lb (4,763 kg)
- Powerplant: 2 × Pratt & Whitney R-1340-439-cylinder turbo-supercharged air-cooled radial piston engine2, 550 hp (410 kW) each
- Propellers: 2-bladed variable-pitch propellers
Performance
- Maximum speed: 236 mph (380 km/h, 205 kn) at 20,000 ft (6,096 m)
- Cruise speed: 214 mph (344 km/h, 186 kn)
- Service ceiling: 31,500 ft (9,600 m)
- Rate of climb: 1,125 ft/min (5.72 m/s)
- Wing loading: 22.9 lb/sq ft (112 kg/m2)
- Power/mass: 0.105 hp/lb (0.173 kW/kg)
See also
Related development
References
- ISBN 0160675995.
- ^ a b c Lockheed XC-35 Electra, Smithsonian Institution National Air and Space Museum.
- ^ a b Lockheed XC-35 Archived 2014-12-18 at the Wayback Machine, National Museum of the Air Force.
- ^ a b Airplanes that Transformed Aviation, Air & Space Magazine.
- ^ a b Van Patten, Robert E. Air Force Magazine Online, Vol.86, No.1 January 2003
- ^ Herbert H. Hoover & Lockheed XC-35, NASA Image eXchange Collection Archived May 21, 2009, at the Wayback Machine
- ISBN 0870218972.
- ^ Lednicer, David. "The Incomplete Guide to Airfoil Usage". m-selig.ae.illinois.edu. Retrieved 16 April 2019.
External links
- XC-35 in the collection of the National Air and Space Museum Archived 2016-03-04 at the Wayback Machine
- XC-35 from National Museum of the United States Air Force
- Lockheed XC-35 (10E) Electra
- Lockheed 10-E XC-35 (36-353 c/n 3501)
- XC-35 Photo Gallery from National Museum of the United States Air Force