Ryan M-1
The Ryan M-1 was a mail plane produced in the United States in the 1920s, the first original design built by Ryan.[2] It was a conventional parasol-wing monoplane with two open cockpits in tandem and fixed, tailskid undercarriage.[3]
Design and development
The follow-on M-2 was substantially the same as the M-1.[2] The prototype M-1 was originally powered by a Hispano-Suiza 8A, but production examples featured a variety of engines in the same general power range, with the Wright J-4B chosen for nine of the sixteen M-1s built,[2] and the prototype later refitted with this engine.[4]
Operational history
A M-1 was flown in the 1926 Ford National Reliability Air Tour.[5]
Pacific Air Transport operated J-4B-powered M-1s and M-2s on their demanding Seattle–San Francisco–Los Angeles mail route,[6] while Hispano-Suiza-powered machines flew with Colorado Airways between Cheyenne and Pueblo[2] and Yukon Airways between Whitehorse and Dawson City.[6]
One M-2 (named Bluebird) was built with a fully enclosed cabin for the pilot and four passengers, foreshadowing Ryan's highly successful Brougham series.[6] The standard M-2, meanwhile, was Charles Lindbergh's first choice for his transatlantic flight.[7] His list of requirements for the aircraft soon made it apparent, however, that rather than modifying an M-2, it would be more effective to build an all-new design along the same general lines, which resulted in the Ryan NYP Spirit of St Louis.[7]
On Display
The M-1 prototype was restored to flying condition between 1980 and 1984 and is preserved in the Museum of Flight in Seattle,.[3] The seventh aircraft is preserved in airworthy condition in Pacific Air Transport markings at the Historic Aircraft Restoration Museum at Creve Coeur airport, Missouri.[8] A replica of an M-1 using a small amount of parts from serial number 11 was built by Andy King in 2001, powered by a Lycoming R-680 and also painted in Pacific Air Transport #7's scheme.[9] A replica M-1 is exhibited in the San Diego Air & Space Museum.[10]
Operators
- Yukon Airways[citation needed]
- Colorado Airways[citation needed]
- Pacific Air Transport[citation needed]
Specifications (M-1)
Data from "Ryan M-1"
General characteristics
- Crew: One pilot
- Capacity: 1-2 passengers [1]
- Length: 24 ft 0 in (7.30 m)
- Wingspan: 36 ft 0 in (11.00 m)
- Wing area: 228 ft2 (21 m2)
- Empty weight: 1,550 lb (705 kg)
- Gross weight: 2,700 lb (1,230 kg)
- Powerplant: 1 × Hispano-Suiza 8A, 150 hp (110 kW)
Performance
- Maximum speed: 125 mph (200 km/h)
- Range: 400 miles (640 km)
References
Notes
- ↑ 1.0 1.1 "Ryan, Ryan-Douglas, Ryan-Flamingo, Ryan-Standard"
- ↑ 2.0 2.1 2.2 2.3 Taylor 1989, p. 774.
- ↑ 3.0 3.1 "Ryan M-1"
- ↑ Museum of Flight News
- ↑ Forden, Lesley. The Ford Air Tours: 1925-1931. New Brighton Minnesota: Aviation Foundation of America, 2003, First edition 1972. No ISBN.
- ↑ 6.0 6.1 6.2 Munson 1982, p. 128.
- ↑ 7.0 7.1 Hall 1927, p. 1.
- ↑ Ogden 2007, p. 331.
- ↑ "A New Ryan M-1 Mailplane". Skyways. October 2001.
- ↑ "Collections"
Bibliography
- Hall, Donald A. "Technical Preparation of the Airplane 'Spirit of St Louis'." www.charleslindbergh.com, July 1927. Retrieved: 3 March 2009.
- The Illustrated Encyclopedia of Aircraft. London: Aerospace Publishing, 1985.
- Munson, Kenneth. Airliners from 1919 to the Present Day. London: Peerage Books, 1982. ISBN 0-907408-36-2.
- Museum of Flight News, January/February 1991.
- Ogden, Bob. Aviation Museums and Collections of North America. Tunbridge Wells, Kent, UK: Air-Britain (Historians) Ltd., 2007. ISBN 0-85130-385-4.
- "Ryan M-1." The Museum of Flight. Retrieved: 3 March 2009.
- "Ryan, Ryan-Douglas, Ryan-Flamingo, Ryan-Standard". Aerofiles. Retrieved: 3 March 2009.
- "Collection." San Diego Air & Space Museum. Retrieved: 3 March 2009.
- Taylor, Michael J.H. Jane's Encyclopedia of Aviation. London: Studio Editions, 1989. ISBN 0-517-10316-8.
External links
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