Douglas Cloudster
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| Cloudster | |
|---|---|
| Type | two-seat long-range biplane |
| Manufacturer | Davis-Douglas Company |
| Designed by | Donald Douglas |
| Maiden flight | 1921 |
| Retired | 1926 |
| Status | Destroyed |
| Number built | 1 |
The Douglas Cloudster was a 1920s American biplane aircraft. It was the first (and only) product of the Davis-Douglas Company; it was designed to make the first non-stop flight coast-to-coast across the United States.
[edit] Development
The Davis-Douglas Company was formed in July 1920 to enable Donald Douglas to design and build an aircraft to make the first non-stop flight coast-to-coast across the United States. David R. Davis provided the finance for the company. The aircraft designed was the Cloudster, a single-bay equal-span biplane of wooden construction. It was fabric-covered except for the forward fuselage, which was covered with sheet metal. The aircraft was powered by a 400hp (298kW) Liberty V-12 piston engine.
The Cloudster first flew on the 24 February 1921 and attempted the coast-to-coast journey in June 1921. The aircraft failed to make a non-stop journey due to engine failure. In 1923 the Cloudster was sold as a passenger aircraft and was used by a number of operators before it made a forced landing in shallow water off the California coast in 1926. It was damaged beyond repair by the tide before it could be recovered.
Following failure of the coast-to-coast flight, Davis lost interest and Douglas went on to form the Douglas Company (later the Douglas Aircraft Company) in July 1921.
[edit] Specifications
General characteristics
- Crew: Two
- Length: 36 ft 9 in (11.20 m)
- Wingspan: 55 ft 11 in (17.04 m)
- Height: 12 ft 0 in (3.66 m)
- Gross weight: 9600 lb (4354 kg)
- Powerplant: 1 × Liberty V-12 piston engine, 400 hp (298 kW)
Performance
- Maximum speed: 120 mph (192 km/h)
- Range: 2800 (as designed) miles (4506 (as designed) km)
[edit] References
- The Illustrated Encyclopedia of Aircraft (Part Work 1982-1985), 1985, Orbis Publishing
[edit] See also
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