Stout 2-AT Pullman
Stout 2 AT Pullman | |
---|---|
Stout AT-2 "Maiden Dearborn" | |
Role | |
National origin | United States |
Manufacturer | Stout Engineering Company |
Designer | William Bushnell Stout, George H. Prudden. |
First flight | April 23, 1924 |
Introduction | 1924 |
Retired | 1928 |
Status | All aircraft scrapped or destroyed. |
Primary user | Airline and Air mail transport |
Number built | 11 |
Developed from | Stout 1-AS Air Sedan |
Variants | Stout 3-AT |
The Stout 2-AT Pullman, or "Air Pullman", was a single engine all-metal monoplane that was used for early airline travel and air mail transport in America.
Development
The first use of the nickname "Tin Goose" was applied to this aircraft by the news media. The name was later attributed to the Ford Trimotor.[1]
Design
The 2-AT was a high-wing conventional gear monoplane. The original design featured an open cockpit for the pilots, followed by an enclosed cockpit with opening side windows. The aircraft featured wallpaper, padded seats, semi-circular opening windows, and a bathroom.
Stout's chief engineer, George H. Prudden, was credited for the new wing design using principles from Stout's earlier "thick wing" aircraft.[4] Each 2-AT was powered by a Liberty engine, one example was tested with a Pratt and Whitney Wasp radial engine.[5]
Operational history
The first flight was performed by
The United States Postal Office ordered one model for airmail service. The aircraft was modified with a 500 hp (370 kW) Packard engine.
The aircraft were put into service for the newly formed Ford Air Transport Service in 1925. The first 2-AT was built at the Stout factory in Dearborn and called the "Maiden Detroit". The aircraft was outfitted with a nickel-plated Liberty engine bought from a trophy case at the Marmon assembly plant.[9] The other aircraft in the fleet were also 2-AT's, named "Maiden Dearborn I, II, III and IV". Initially the aircraft were for Ford's company use. The first scheduled commercial flights in America were begun when The "Maiden Detroit" flew 1,000 pounds (450 kg) of freight between factories in Detroit and Chicago on April 14, 1925.[10] Ford Air Transport served routes between Chicago, Detroit and Cleveland.[11]
The "Maiden Detroit" entered
Four aircraft were sold to Florida Airways. The first three were given in exchange for a stake in the airline by Henry Ford.[14] One was used on CAM-10 (Atlanta to Jacksonville).
On May 18, 1926, at
In 1928, U.S. Commerce department declared the wings to be structurally unsafe. All remaining 2-AT's were scrapped.[5]
Variants
- Stout 3-AT - A trimotor 2-AT powered with Wright J-4 engines.
Specifications Stout 2-AT Pullman
Data from Aerofiles
General characteristics
- Crew: 1
- Capacity: 9
- Length: 45 ft 8 in (13.92 m) [16]
- Wingspan: 58 ft 4 in (17.78 m) [16]
- Height: 11 ft 10 in (3.61 m) [16]
- Wing area: 600 sq ft (56 m2) [16]
- Empty weight: 3,638 lb (1,650 kg) [16]
- Gross weight: 6,017 lb (2,729 kg) [16]
- Powerplant: 1 × Liberty V12 , 400 hp (300 kW)
Performance
- Maximum speed: 100 kn (120 mph, 190 km/h)
- Cruise speed: 87 kn (100 mph, 160 km/h)
- Endurance: 4 hr[16]
- Service ceiling: 12,000 ft (3,700 m) [16]
- Rate of climb: 500 ft/min (2.5 m/s) [16]
See also
Aircraft of comparable role, configuration, and era
- Focke-Wulf A 17
- Fokker F.XIV
- Kalinin K-5
- Latécoère 28
- Messerschmitt M 18
- Nieuport-Delage NiD 540
References
- ^ "Ford".
- ^ "Stout Air Services". 2 Feb 2011.
- ^ a b c Joseph P. Juptner. U.S. civil aircraft, Volume 1.
- ISBN 9780830624973.
- ^ a b Robert F. Pauley. Michigan Aircraft Manufacturers.
- ^ Flight - The Aircraft Engineer and Airships, "The Ford Reliability Tour" November 26, 1925
- ^ David L. Lewis. The Public Image of Henry Ford An American Folk Hero and His Company.
- ^ "Wanamaker Takes Ford's First Plane". Ludington Daily News. October 8, 1925.
- ^ So Away I Went. p. 178.
- ^ "AIR EXPRESS LINE OPENS Success Scored by Ford Plane Regular Service Connecting Chicago and Detroit is Inaugurated Half-Ton of Freight Carried Between Cities in Less Than Three Hours". Los Angeles Times. April 14, 1925.
- ISBN 9780840301703.
- ^ Owen Bombard. The Tin Goose.
- ^ Russ Banham. The Ford century Ford Motor Company and the innovations that shaped the world.
- ^ Roger D. Launius. Reconsidering a century of flight.
- ^ AAHS Journal. 39. American Aviation Historical Society.
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(help) - ^ a b c d e f g h i "The Stout "Air Pullman": America's First All Metal Commercial 'Plane". Flight. October 16, 1924. pp. 668–669.
External links
Media related to Stout 2-AT Pullman at Wikimedia Commons