Travel Air 5000
| Travel Air 5000 | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Role | Light aircraft |
| National origin | United States of America |
| Manufacturer | Travel Air Manufacturing Company |
| Designer | Lloyd Stearman and Clyde Cessna |
| First flight | March 1926 |
| Number built | 10 |
| Unit cost |
$23,000 for Dole Race models in 1927 |
| Variants | Travel Air 6000 |
The Travel Air 5000 was an early monoplane design by Clyde Cessna
Design and development
Cessna broke away from traditional biplane development with a monoplane of his own design in 1926.[1] His first prototype was a 5 passenger aircraft with an 110 hp (82 kW) Anzani engine. The aircraft design was modified by Cessna and Lloyd Stearman that fall. The second plane was built that December, and featured a Wright J-4 Whirlwind. It became the model for the Travel Air 5000. National Air Transport awarded Travel air with a contract to produce the aircraft with an even larger Wright J-5C engine and seating for four passengers. Eight aircraft were built for air mail contract and passenger service.[2]
The Travel Air 5000 was a high-wing monoplane with conventional landing gear. The fuselage was constructed of welded steel tubing. The cockpit was configured to be fully enclosed, but at least one model was built with the pilot exposed above the wing. The Dole racers were modified with 425 gallon fuselage fuel tanks and earth inductor compasses.[3]
Operational history
National Air Transport, and Royal Airways used the model 5000 in revenue service. Production of the first four airliners was in the West Douglas plant. On 30 June 1927 production of two Modified model 5000's started in the newly constructed East Central factory.[4]
A single Travel Air 5000, sn160 "The Spirit of Oakland" was sold to Pacific Air Transport in April 1927 and resold to Ernest Smith for a 14 July flight from Oakland California to Molokai, Hawaii where it crashed on landing becoming the second aircraft ever to complete a trans-pacific flight.[5]
Two Travel Air model 5000 aircraft were custom-built for the Dole Air Race from Oakland, California to Honolulu, Hawaii with orders placed in June 1927. Two teams of pilots placed $5000 deposits, and were later backed by Frank Phillips of Phillips Petroleum to promote "Nu-Aviation" fuel. The "Oklahoma" was forced to return to land, while the "Woolaroc" was able to complete the flight and won.[6]
Aircraft on display
The Travel Air 5000 "Woolaroc" is on display at the Woolaroc Museum in Bartlesville, Oklahoma.[7]
Specifications (Travel Air 5000)
Data from Travel Air Restorers Association
General characteristics
- Capacity: 4 passengers
- Length: 30 ft 5 in (9.27 m)
- Wingspan: 51 ft 7 in (15.72 m)
- Height: 8 ft 5 in (2.57 m)
- Wing area: 312 sq ft (29.0 m2)
- Airfoil: M6
- Empty weight: 2,160 lb (980 kg)
- Gross weight: 3,600 lb (1,633 kg)
- Fuel capacity: 75 gal425 gal for Dole Racers
Performance
- Maximum speed: 107 kn; 198 km/h (123 mph)
- Cruise speed: 94 kn; 174 km/h (108 mph)
- Stall speed: 48 kn; 89 km/h (55 mph)
- Service ceiling: 13,600 ft (4,100 m)
- Rate of climb: 750 ft/min (3.8 m/s)
References
- ↑ "The Single Engine Cessna Fleet". Flying Magazine: 34. April 1962.
- ↑ "Travel Air". Retrieved 23 August 2011.
- ↑ "Travel Air 5000". Retrieved 23 August 2011.
- ↑ Ed Phillips (Spring 1985). "Woolarc!". AAHS Journal.
- ↑ "Travel Air 5000 "City of Oakland"". Retrieved 22 August 2011.
- ↑ Air and Space. September 2010. Missing or empty
|title=(help) - ↑ Woolaroc Museum (2011). "Museum and Art". Retrieved 14 August 2011.
External links
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Wikimedia Commons has media related to Travel Air 5000. |
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