McDonnell 119

The McDonnell 119/220 was a business jet produced by the McDonnell Aircraft Corporation in the mid-1950s. It had a configuration that was unique by bizjet standards, with four jet engines mounted in individual pods underneath a low wing; it could accommodate 10 passengers in a luxury executive configuration but could carry as many as 26.

The Model 119 was originally designed to compete for the U.S. Air Force's UTX/UCX (Utility-Trainer Experimental/Utility-Cargo Experimental) contract, but when it lost to the Lockheed L-1329 JetStar (called the C-140 in Air Force service) in the fall of 1959, the McDonnell corporation began efforts to market the type commercially. The company's first tactic was to draw up a deal with Pan American World Airways that would have involved the airline leasing 170 jets for five years, but when no other airline orders materialized, McDonnell decided that opening up a new assembly line for 170 leased aircraft was unfeasible. Instead, they renamed the plane the Model 220 (to commemorate the start of the company's second 20 years of existence) and commenced wide-ranging marketing efforts to sell the aircraft as a business jet, including contacting the 750 largest corporations in the United States. There were no takers, even for the single prototype that had already been constructed.

The McDonnell Corporation used the airplane as a VIP transport for a few years before donating it to the Flight Safety Foundation's research facility in Phoenix, Arizona. The commercial failure of the Model 220 is credited with being one of the reasons McDonnell never again attempted a commercial project before merging with the Douglas Aircraft Company in 1967.

The sole prototype McDonnell 220 remains in storage at War Eagles Air Museum in El Paso, TX. In October 2009, it was listed for sale by its current owner in Phoenix, AZ.^[2]

Specifications (McDonnell 220)

Data from McDonnell Douglas Aircraft since 1920^[3]

General characteristics

• Crew: two pilots and one flight attendant
• Capacity: 10 passengers (executive configuration); up to 26 in high-density layout
• Length: 66 ft 6 in (20.27 m)
• Wingspan: 57 ft 7¼ in (17.55 m)
• Height: 23 ft 7¾ in (7.21 m)
• Wing area: 550 sq ft (51.1 m²)
• Empty weight: 23,213 lb (10,529 kg)
• Loaded weight: 40,928 lb (18,565 kg)
• Max. takeoff weight: 45,328 lb (20,560 kg)
• Powerplant: 4 × Westinghouse J34-WE-22 turbojet, 2,980 lbf (13.3 kN)) each

Performance

• Maximum speed: 560 mph (487 knots, 901 km/h) at 38,000 ft (11,580 m)
• Cruise speed: 520 mph (452 knots, 837 km/h)
• Range: 2,340 mi (2,034 nmi, 3,765 km)
• Service ceiling: 44,900 ft (13,700 m)

See also

Aircraft of comparable role, configuration and era

• Lockheed JetStar
• North American Sabreliner

References

1. ↑ Green and Pollinger 1960, p. 168.
2. ↑ McDonnell 220 Listing on GlobalAir.com Retrieved 2009-10-01
3. ↑ Francillon 1079, pp. 600–601.

• Francillon, René J (1979). McDonnell Douglas Aircraft since 1920. London: Putnam. ISBN 0-370-00050-1. 
• Green, William; Pollinger, Gerald (1960). The Observer's Book of Aircraft: 1960 edition. London: Frederick Warne & Co. 
• Yenne, Bill (1988). McDonnell Douglas. Crescent. ISBN 978-0-517-44287-6

External links

Wikimedia Commons has media related to McDonnell 119.

• Pilot News, April 1982
• Model 119/220 (McDonnell 1959) Boeing site
• Video original McDonnell 220 Marketing Promo Video