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Travel Air 2000

The Travel Air 2000/3000/4000 (originally, the Model A, Model B and Model BH[1] were open-cockpit biplane aircraft produced in the United States in the late 1920s by the Travel Air Manufacturing Company. During the period from 1924–1929, Travel Air produced more aircraft than any other American manufacturer, including over 1,000 biplanes. While an exact number is almost impossible to ascertain due to the number of conversions and rebuilds, some estimates for Travel Air as a whole range from 1,200 to nearly 2,000 aircraft.[2][3][4][5]

Travel Air 2000, 3000 and 4000
Travel Air 4000
Role Biplane aircraft
Manufacturer Travel Air, Curtiss-Wright
Designer Lloyd Stearman
First flight 13 March 1925[1]
Introduction 1925
Status Retired
Primary user Private owners, aerial sightseeing businesses
Produced 1925–1930
Number built approx 1,300[1]

Design and development edit

Design and development edit

The Travel Air Model A was engineered chiefly by Lloyd Stearman, with input from Travel Air co-founders Walter Beech, Clyde Cessna, and Bill Snook and could trace its ancestry back to the Swallow New Swallow biplane. The Travel Air, however, replaced the New Swallow's wooden fuselage structure with a welded steel tube. An interim design, the Winstead Special, was developed by the Winstead brothers from a metal fuselage frame developed at Swallow by Stearman and Walter Beech, but subsequently rejected by Swallow president Jake Moellendick, a decision which triggered the departure of both Stearman and Beech, and the creation of Travel Air.[2][3] Until the appearance of the all new 12/14/16 series, all subsequent Travel Air biplanes would be derived from the Model A.[2][3]

The Travel Air biplanes were conventional single-bay biplanes with staggered wings braced by N-struts. The fuselage was fabric-covered welded chromium-molybdenum alloy steel tubes, faired with wooden battens and they had two open cockpits in tandem, with the forward cockpit carrying two passengers side by side.

In common with the Fokker D.VII that they resembled, the rudder and ailerons of the first Travel Air biplanes had an overhanging "horns" to counterbalance the aerodynamic loads on the controls, helping to reduce control forces and making for a more responsive aircraft. These were the distinctive Travel Air "elephant ear" ailerons which led to the airplane's popular nicknames of Old Elephant Ears and Wichita Fokker. Some subsequent models were offered without the counterbalance, providing a cleaner, more conventional appearance with less drag. Pitch forces could be trimmed out with an inflight-adjustable horizontal stabilizer.[2][3][4]

Different, interchangeable wings were offered, including a shorter and thinner wing known as the "Speedwing" which improved speed.

A considerable number of engines were installed, including nearly every mass-produced engine in the 90–300 hp (67–224 kW) range available at the time, and a number of more obscure prototype engines, as can be seen in the list of designation prefixes.

Travel Air entered the specially-modified Model 4000-T in the Guggenheim Safe Aircraft Competition of 1930, but it was disqualified, as were all production aircraft entered during the qualification trials. The Travel Air biplanes were noted for their good flying qualities which may have helped Travel Air outsell all rivals by 1929.[3]

Steam-powered edit

In 1933, George and William Besler replaced the usual gasoline powered piston engine in a Travel Air 2000 with an oil-fired, reversible V-twin compounding steam engine, which would become the first airplane to successfully fly using a steam engine.[6]

Operational history edit

In addition to a wide range of normal aircraft applications, the Travel Air biplanes saw extensive use in early motion pictures, where they often stood in for the increasingly scarce Fokker D.VII.

Aside from surplus military aircraft such as the Curtiss JN-4 Jenny and along with their chief competitor WACO, Travel Air biplanes were the most widely used civilian biplanes during the late 1920s and very early 1930s in America.[2][3]

Travel Air biplanes were popular as executive transports, and many were purchased by wealthy-sportsmen adventurers who entered them in the competitions and air races that were frequently held during that era.[2][3] Like many aircraft of the period, they also operated as air taxis and provided air charter services, carrying passengers and light air cargo, and some would find their way north where they worked as bushplanes.[2][3] As the supply of war-surplus aircraft declined and they became available on the used aircraft market, many were also used for barnstorming, which included exhibition and stunt flying, and selling rides.[2][3] Commercial operators found the Travel Air biplanes to be versatile, owing to their useful payload, rugged construction and (for the times) speed and efficiency.[2]

Towards the end of their career elsewhere, from the late-1930s through the early 1960s, they were increasingly used for the harsh work of bush flying and cropdusting, and Travel Air biplanes were among the most commonly used cropdusters, perhaps second only to surplus Stearman Kaydet biplanes.[2][5]

Most remaining Travel Air biplanes have been restored, and are in museums, while a small number continue to be used for personal recreation or selling rides and flying at airshows.[2][4][7] A 1929 Travel Air normally based in the San Diego area is the oldest regularly flying aircraft tracked by FlightRadar24, an aviation tracking website.[8] A 1927 Travel Air is regularly used to give sightseeing rides from Orcas Island, Washington.[9]

As the 2000/3000/4000 series was nearing the end of its development cycle, a pair of new designs, the Travel Air 12 and 14 were developed to replace it - the 12 as a slightly smaller two-seat trainer, and the larger 14 as a direct replacement, even to continuing some of the marketing names. Both would fly while Travel Air retained its identity, but would be incorporated into the Curtiss-Wright line with the same numbers.

Movie industry edit

Travel Air biplanes were widely used in 1920s/1930s war movies, particularly to represent the airplanes they were patterned after: Germany's Fokker D-VII fighter, the top fighter of World War I. In the motion picture industry, they were known as "Wichita Fokkers." In fact, Hollywood's demand for Travel Air biplanes was so intense that Travel Air's California salesman, Fred Hoyt, coaxed Travel Air co-founder and principal airplane designer, Lloyd Stearman, to come to Venice, California in 1926 to exploit the movie industry demand for his aircraft by starting the short-lived independent Stearman Aircraft Company (re-opened back in Wichita in 1927).[2][4][10]

Some of the many movies using Travel Air biplanes (2000 and 4000, in particular) included:[10][11]

Variants edit

Date from Aerofiles[12]

 
Curtiss OX-5-powered Travel Air 2000 at the Historic Aircraft Restoration Museum, Dauster Field, Creve Coeur, Missouri
 
Travel Air 3000
 
Travel Air 4000 at Fantasy of Flight.
 
Travel Air E-4000

Early letter designations edit

Initially Travel Air assigned letters to each type, with a suffix denoting the engine.

Model A
1925 Prototype, with WW1 style straight axle. 90 hp (67 kW) Curtiss OX-5 water-cooled V-8 engine
Model B
Similar to Model A with a split axle undercarriage, also fitted with a 90 hp (67 kW) Curtiss OX-5. Redesignated as 2000.
Model BH
1926 Model B powered with a 150–180 hp (110–130 kW) Hispano-Suiza 8A or Wright model E water-cooled V-8 engine. Redesignated as 3000.
Model BW
1926 Model B with a 200 hp (150 kW) Wright J-4 9-cylinder radial engine. Redesignated CW-4000

Numerical designation sequences edit

Variants were distinguished with prefixes and suffixes in a particular order, and denoting different fittings. The prefix S, preceding all other prefixes meant it was a Seaplane and was fitted with floats. Next it was wings. B was the Standard wing, not to be confused with the original basic elephant ear wing, and D indicated the aircraft was fitted with a Speedwing. The engine code followed this, and due to the long service period when considerable experimentation occurred, a wide variety of engines were installed in production airplane as follows:

Following the engine code in a very small number of cases, M, indicated that it was a single seater configured as a Mailplane, and then the model number. The same system was also used with the later numerical desigation sequence. The sole example of the mailplane seems to have been the BM-4000, a Wright J-5 powered mailplane, of which 7 were built. Not all possible variations were built. Suffixes were also added that were specific to modifications made and often referred to conversions or post-production versions.

1000 series designations edit

1000
Formerly Model A with 90 hp (67 kW) Curtiss OX-5 water-cooled V-8 engine
2000
Improved Model B with 90 hp (67 kW) Curtiss OX-5 engine. First Travel Air to be Type Certified.[13]
C-2000 - 160 hp (120 kW) Curtiss C-6 6-cylinder inline engine[citation needed]
D-2000 - OX-5-powered racing aircraft with reduced-span wings and narrower fuselage. Later converted to Model 11.[13]
S-2000 - Unofficial designation for floatplane version of 2000. Also used for 2000 powered by 10 hp (7.5 kW) Curtiss OXX-6 (twin ignition version of OX-5).[13]
SC-2000 - 160 hp (120 kW) Curtiss C-6 powered landplane with undercarriage of B-4000. At least three converted.[13]
2000-T - 115 hp (86 kW) Milwaukee Tank V470 air-cooled derivative of OX-5. 15 built.[14]
3000
Improved Model BH with 150–180 hp (110–130 kW) Hispano-Suiza 8A or Wright model E water-cooled V-8 engine. Estimated 51 built.[15]
D-3000 - Reduced span wings - used for racing.[15]
4000
Three seat aircraft powered by 220 hp (160 kW) Wright J-5 or Wright J-4 radial engine.[15]
4000-T - 300 hp (220 kW) Wright J-6 Whirlwind radial engine, converted C-4000 for 1930 Safe Airplane competition, Curtiss-built wings
4000-CAM - 120 hp (89 kW) Fairchild-Caminez 447 four-cylinder radial engine, also designated 8000[16] and later Curtiss-Wright CW-8[17]
8000
Also designated 4000-CAM, 120 hp (89 kW) Fairchild-Caminez 447 X engine,[16] became Curtiss-Wright CW-8[17]
9000
125 hp (93 kW) Ryan-Siemens Sh 14 7-cylinder radial engine. Four converted from Travel Air 4000 or 3000.[18] Later designated Curtiss-Wright CW-9[17]

Late numerical sequence edit

4
originally 4000 series
4-B - 240 hp (180 kW) Wright J-6
4-D - 220 hp (160 kW) Wright J-5, E-4000.
4-P/PT - 140 hp (100 kW) ACE LA-1 (later became Jacobs LA-1)
4-S - 4000 with experimental Powell engine
4-U - 130–165 hp (97–123 kW) Comet 7-D or 7RA 7-cylinder air-cooled radial
W-4-B - Ted Wells Special Single seat competition aircraft modified from D-4000
Z-4-D - 4-D crop duster with 300 hp (220 kW) Wright J-6 Whirlwind
11
Modified D-2000 with Wright J-6 Whirlwind 9-cylinder radial engine and a narrower fuselage for competition
B-11D: 240 hp (180 kW) Wright J-6 Whirlwind, modified 4-D for competition in the National Air Races

Curtiss-Wright designations edit

CW-8
Curtiss-Wright designation for Travel Air 8000[17]
CW-9
Curtiss-Wright designation for Travel Air 9000[17]
CW-11
Curtiss-Wright designation for Travel Air 11[17]

Operators edit

  Peru
Peruvian Air Force - operated at least one Travel Air E-4000 at the start of the Leticia Incident in 1932.[19]

Surviving aircraft and aircraft on display edit

Specifications (OX-5 Travel Air 2000 (ATC 30)) edit

Data from U.S. Civil Aircraft Vol. 1 (ATC 1 - 100)[58]

General characteristics

  • Crew: One
  • Capacity: Two passengers
  • Length: 24 ft 2 in (7.37 m)
  • Upper wingspan: 34 ft 8 in (10.57 m)
  • Upper wing chord: 66.75 in (1.695 m)
  • Lower wingspan: 28 ft 8 in (8.74 m)
  • Lower wing chord: 55.75 in (1.416 m)
  • Height: 8 ft 11 in (2.72 m)
  • Wing area: 297 sq ft (27.6 m2)
  • Airfoil: Travel Air #1
  • Empty weight: 1,335 lb (606 kg)
  • Gross weight: 2,180 lb (989 kg)
  • Useful load: 845 lb (383 kg)
  • Fuel capacity: 42 US gal (160 L; 35 imp gal)
  • Oil capacity: 4 US gal (15 L; 3.3 imp gal)
  • Powerplant: 1 × Curtiss OX-5 water-cooled V8 engine, 90 hp (67 kW)
  • Propellers: 2-bladed wooden fixed-pitch propeller

Performance

  • Maximum speed: 100 mph (160 km/h, 87 kn)
  • Cruise speed: 85 mph (137 km/h, 74 kn)
  • Minimum control speed: 40 mph (64 km/h, 35 kn)
  • Range: 425 mi (684 km, 369 nmi)
  • Service ceiling: 10,000 ft (3,000 m) no load
  • Rate of climb: 550 ft/min (2.8 m/s)

See also edit

Aircraft of comparable role, configuration and era edit

(Partial listing, only covers most numerous types)

Related lists edit

References edit

Citations edit

  1. ^ a b c Simpson 2007, p. 553
  2. ^ a b c d e f g h i j k l Phillips 1982, pp. ?
  3. ^ a b c d e f g h i Bissionette 1999, pp. ?
  4. ^ a b c d e Wilkinson, 28 February 2014, pp.?
  5. ^ a b Cooper & Rajnus 2008, pp. ?
  6. ^ Fitzgerald, 1933, pp.9-11
  7. ^ "What's New," page, Travel Air Restorers Association website, retrieved January 28, 2017
  8. ^ Leigh, Gabriel (September 16, 2020). "Nothing but a number? Aircraft age explained".
  9. ^ "Orcas Biplane Rides".
  10. ^ a b Harris, 2017
  11. ^ Eckland, K. O. "Aviation Films". Aerofiles.com. Retrieved March 20, 2020.
  12. ^ Eckland, Aerofiles.com
  13. ^ a b c d Pelletier 1995, p. 29
  14. ^ Pelletier 1995, pp. 29–30
  15. ^ a b c Pelletier 1995, p. 31
  16. ^ a b Pelletier 1995, pp. 27–28
  17. ^ a b c d e f Bowers 1979, p. 399
  18. ^ Pelletier 1995, p. 28
  19. ^ Hagedorn 2006, p. 88
  20. ^ "MUSEUM COLLECTION". Golden Age Air Museum. Golden Age Air Museum. Retrieved June 6, 2018.
  21. ^ "FAA REGISTRY [N1081]". Federal Aviation Administration. U.S. Department of Transportation. Retrieved June 6, 2018.
  22. ^ "Museum Hangar 2". Historic Aircraft Restoration Museum. Historic Aircraft Restoration Museum. Retrieved June 4, 2018.
  23. ^ "FAA REGISTRY [N5290]". Federal Aviation Administration. U.S. Department of Transportation. Retrieved June 4, 2018.
  24. ^ "Museum Hangar 4". Historic Aircraft Restoration Museum. Historic Aircraft Restoration Museum. Retrieved June 4, 2018.
  25. ^ "FAA REGISTRY [N3947]". Federal Aviation Administration. U.S. Department of Transportation. Retrieved June 4, 2018.
  26. ^ "1927 Travel Air 4000". Kelch Aviation Museum. Kelch Aviation Museum. October 31, 2014. Retrieved June 6, 2018.
  27. ^ "FAA REGISTRY [N2709]". Federal Aviation Administration. U.S. Department of Transportation. Retrieved June 6, 2018.
  28. ^ "Travel Air 2000". Yanks Air Museum. Yanks Air Museum. Retrieved August 24, 2021.
  29. ^ "TRAVEL AIR 2000". Ingenium. Ingenium. Retrieved June 4, 2018.
  30. ^ "Airframe Dossier - Travel Air 2000, c/n 0720, c/r CF-AFG". Aerial Visuals. AerialVisuals.ca. Retrieved June 4, 2018.
  31. ^ (PDF). Virginia Aviation Museum. Archived from the original (PDF) on May 12, 2016. Retrieved June 4, 2018.
  32. ^ "Shannon's rebirth". AOPA Pilot Magazine. February 2018. Retrieved June 7, 2019.
  33. ^ "Aircraft". Cavanaugh Flight Museum. Retrieved June 6, 2018.
  34. ^ "FAA REGISTRY [N6425]". Federal Aviation Administration. U.S. Department of Transportation. Retrieved June 6, 2018.
  35. ^ "Travel Air Aircraft". Western Antique Aeroplane & Automobile Museum. Retrieved June 4, 2018.
  36. ^ "FAA REGISTRY [N9049]". Federal Aviation Administration. U.S. Department of Transportation. Retrieved June 4, 2018.
  37. ^ "Canadian Civil Aircraft Register: Aircraft Details [CF-JLW]". Transport Canada. Retrieved June 4, 2018.
  38. ^ Skaarup, Harold A. (2009). Canadian Warplanes. iUniverse. p. 450.
  39. ^ "Travel Air D4D". Smithsonian National Air and Space Museum. Smithsonian Institution. March 18, 2016. Retrieved June 4, 2018.
  40. ^ "1929 Travel Air 4000". Fantasy of Flight. Fantasy of Flight. September 17, 2013. Retrieved June 4, 2018.
  41. ^ "FAA REGISTRY [N174V]". Federal Aviation Administration. U.S. Department of Transportation. Retrieved June 4, 2018.
  42. ^ "1930 Curtiss-Wright Travel Air D-4000 Speedwing (Restoration)". Owls Head Transportation Museum. Owls Head Transportation Museum. Retrieved June 4, 2018.
  43. ^ "FAA REGISTRY [N477N]". Federal Aviation Administration. U.S. Department of Transportation. Retrieved June 4, 2018.
  44. ^ Stadler, Fred. "1929 Travel Air E-4000 - NC648H". EAA. EAA. Retrieved June 4, 2018.
  45. ^ "FAA REGISTRY [N648H]". Federal Aviation Administration. U.S. Department of Transportation.
  46. ^ "Civil Aircraft Register - United States". www.airhistory.org.uk. Retrieved January 21, 2023.
  47. ^ "Aircraft Inquiry". registry.faa.gov (inquiry result for "5427"). Retrieved January 21, 2023.
  48. ^ "Aircraft Query - Aviation Database - AviationDB". www.aviationdb.com (inquiry for "5427"). Retrieved January 21, 2023.
  49. ^ "N5427 Aircraft Registration - Travel Air 4000 - Southern Aircraft Consultancy Inc Trustee". www.aircraftone.com. Retrieved January 21, 2023.
  50. ^ "NC5427 | Travel Air 4000 | Private | Clive Weedon". JetPhotos. Retrieved January 21, 2023.
  51. ^ "NC5427 | Travel Air 4000 | Private | Jez-UK". JetPhotos. Retrieved January 21, 2023.
  52. ^ "NC5427 | Travel Air 4000 | Private | Jez-UK". JetPhotos. Retrieved January 21, 2023.
  53. ^ "Aircraft Photo of N5427 / NC5427 | Travel Air 4000 | Pacific Air Transport | AirHistory.net #155349". AirHistory.net. Retrieved January 21, 2023.
  54. ^ "Aircraft Photo of N5427 / NC5427 | Travel Air 4000 | Pacific Air Transport | AirHistory.net #5360". AirHistory.net. Retrieved January 21, 2023.
  55. ^ "Travel Air 4000 (NC5427) Aircraft Pictures & Photos - AirTeamImages.com". www.airteamimages.com. Retrieved January 21, 2023.
  56. ^ Rendle, Stephen (May 11, 2019), 2019-05-11-018FD NC5427, retrieved January 21, 2023
  57. ^ such-wiki, very-wow (August 21, 2022), Travel Air 4000, retrieved January 21, 2023
  58. ^ Juptner 1962, pp. 89–91

Bibliography edit

  • Bissionette, Bruce (1999). The Wichita 4: Cessna, Moellendick, Beech and Stearman. Destin, FL: Aviation Heritage. ISBN 0-943691508.
  • Bowers, Peter M. (1979). Curtiss Aircraft 1907–1947. London: Putnam. ISBN 0-370-10029-8.
  • Cooper, Ann Lewis; Rajnus, Sharon (2008). Stars of the Sky, Legends All. Zenith Imprint. ISBN 978-1610607520. Retrieved January 28, 2017.
  • Eckland, K. O. (December 28, 2008). "Travel Air". Aerofiles.com. Retrieved March 20, 2020.
  • Fitzgerald, H. J. (July 1933). "World's First Steam Driven Airplane". Popular Science. Vol. 123, no. 1. pp. 9–11. Retrieved March 16, 2020.
  • Hagedorn, Dan (2006). Latin American Air Wars and Aircraft 1912–1969. Crowborough, UK: Hikoki Publications. ISBN 1-902109-44-9.
  • Harris, Richard (January 2017). . The Wichita Aviation Centennial. Archived from the original on February 3, 2017. Retrieved March 16, 2020.
  • Juptner, Joseph P. (1962). U.S. Civil Aircraft Vol. 1 (ATC 1 - 100). Los Angeles, CA: Aero Publishers, Inc. LCCN 62-15967.
  • Ogden, Bob (2007). Aviation Museums and Collections of North America. Air-Britain (Historians) Ltd. ISBN 978-0-85130-385-7.
  • Pelletier, A. J. (1995). Beech Aircraft and their Predecessors. Annapolis, Maryland, USA: Naval Institute Press. ISBN 1-55750-062-2.
  • Simpson, Rod (2001). Airlife's World Aircraft. Shrewsbury: Airlife Publishing Ltd. ISBN 1-840371153.
  • Phillips, Edward H (1982). Travel Air: Wings Over the Prairie. Wind Canyon Books. ISBN 9780911139174.
  • Phillips, Edward H. (1994). Travel Air: Wings Over the Prairie (revised ed.). Eagan, MN: Flying Books International. ISBN 0-911139-17-6.
  • Virginia Aviation Museum. . Archived from the original on January 15, 2008.
  • Wilkinson, Stephan (February 28, 2014). ""Wichita Fokker" Takes Flight". Aviation History. Retrieved January 7, 2017.

travel, 2000, 3000, 4000, originally, model, model, model, were, open, cockpit, biplane, aircraft, produced, united, states, late, 1920s, travel, manufacturing, company, during, period, from, 1924, 1929, travel, produced, more, aircraft, than, other, american,. The Travel Air 2000 3000 4000 originally the Model A Model B and Model BH 1 were open cockpit biplane aircraft produced in the United States in the late 1920s by the Travel Air Manufacturing Company During the period from 1924 1929 Travel Air produced more aircraft than any other American manufacturer including over 1 000 biplanes While an exact number is almost impossible to ascertain due to the number of conversions and rebuilds some estimates for Travel Air as a whole range from 1 200 to nearly 2 000 aircraft 2 3 4 5 Travel Air 2000 3000 and 4000Travel Air 4000Role Biplane aircraftManufacturer Travel Air Curtiss WrightDesigner Lloyd StearmanFirst flight 13 March 1925 1 Introduction 1925Status RetiredPrimary user Private owners aerial sightseeing businessesProduced 1925 1930Number built approx 1 300 1 Contents 1 Design and development 1 1 Design and development 1 2 Steam powered 2 Operational history 2 1 Movie industry 3 Variants 3 1 Early letter designations 3 2 Numerical designation sequences 3 2 1 1000 series designations 3 2 2 Late numerical sequence 3 3 Curtiss Wright designations 4 Operators 5 Surviving aircraft and aircraft on display 6 Specifications OX 5 Travel Air 2000 ATC 30 7 See also 7 1 Aircraft of comparable role configuration and era 7 2 Related lists 8 References 8 1 Citations 8 2 BibliographyDesign and development editDesign and development edit The Travel Air Model A was engineered chiefly by Lloyd Stearman with input from Travel Air co founders Walter Beech Clyde Cessna and Bill Snook and could trace its ancestry back to the Swallow New Swallow biplane The Travel Air however replaced the New Swallow s wooden fuselage structure with a welded steel tube An interim design the Winstead Special was developed by the Winstead brothers from a metal fuselage frame developed at Swallow by Stearman and Walter Beech but subsequently rejected by Swallow president Jake Moellendick a decision which triggered the departure of both Stearman and Beech and the creation of Travel Air 2 3 Until the appearance of the all new 12 14 16 series all subsequent Travel Air biplanes would be derived from the Model A 2 3 The Travel Air biplanes were conventional single bay biplanes with staggered wings braced by N struts The fuselage was fabric covered welded chromium molybdenum alloy steel tubes faired with wooden battens and they had two open cockpits in tandem with the forward cockpit carrying two passengers side by side In common with the Fokker D VII that they resembled the rudder and ailerons of the first Travel Air biplanes had an overhanging horns to counterbalance the aerodynamic loads on the controls helping to reduce control forces and making for a more responsive aircraft These were the distinctive Travel Air elephant ear ailerons which led to the airplane s popular nicknames of Old Elephant Ears and Wichita Fokker Some subsequent models were offered without the counterbalance providing a cleaner more conventional appearance with less drag Pitch forces could be trimmed out with an inflight adjustable horizontal stabilizer 2 3 4 Different interchangeable wings were offered including a shorter and thinner wing known as the Speedwing which improved speed A considerable number of engines were installed including nearly every mass produced engine in the 90 300 hp 67 224 kW range available at the time and a number of more obscure prototype engines as can be seen in the list of designation prefixes Travel Air entered the specially modified Model 4000 T in the Guggenheim Safe Aircraft Competition of 1930 but it was disqualified as were all production aircraft entered during the qualification trials The Travel Air biplanes were noted for their good flying qualities which may have helped Travel Air outsell all rivals by 1929 3 Steam powered edit In 1933 George and William Besler replaced the usual gasoline powered piston engine in a Travel Air 2000 with an oil fired reversible V twin compounding steam engine which would become the first airplane to successfully fly using a steam engine 6 Operational history editIn addition to a wide range of normal aircraft applications the Travel Air biplanes saw extensive use in early motion pictures where they often stood in for the increasingly scarce Fokker D VII Aside from surplus military aircraft such as the Curtiss JN 4 Jenny and along with their chief competitor WACO Travel Air biplanes were the most widely used civilian biplanes during the late 1920s and very early 1930s in America 2 3 Travel Air biplanes were popular as executive transports and many were purchased by wealthy sportsmen adventurers who entered them in the competitions and air races that were frequently held during that era 2 3 Like many aircraft of the period they also operated as air taxis and provided air charter services carrying passengers and light air cargo and some would find their way north where they worked as bushplanes 2 3 As the supply of war surplus aircraft declined and they became available on the used aircraft market many were also used for barnstorming which included exhibition and stunt flying and selling rides 2 3 Commercial operators found the Travel Air biplanes to be versatile owing to their useful payload rugged construction and for the times speed and efficiency 2 Towards the end of their career elsewhere from the late 1930s through the early 1960s they were increasingly used for the harsh work of bush flying and cropdusting and Travel Air biplanes were among the most commonly used cropdusters perhaps second only to surplus Stearman Kaydet biplanes 2 5 Most remaining Travel Air biplanes have been restored and are in museums while a small number continue to be used for personal recreation or selling rides and flying at airshows 2 4 7 A 1929 Travel Air normally based in the San Diego area is the oldest regularly flying aircraft tracked by FlightRadar24 an aviation tracking website 8 A 1927 Travel Air is regularly used to give sightseeing rides from Orcas Island Washington 9 As the 2000 3000 4000 series was nearing the end of its development cycle a pair of new designs the Travel Air 12 and 14 were developed to replace it the 12 as a slightly smaller two seat trainer and the larger 14 as a direct replacement even to continuing some of the marketing names Both would fly while Travel Air retained its identity but would be incorporated into the Curtiss Wright line with the same numbers Movie industry edit Travel Air biplanes were widely used in 1920s 1930s war movies particularly to represent the airplanes they were patterned after Germany s Fokker D VII fighter the top fighter of World War I In the motion picture industry they were known as Wichita Fokkers In fact Hollywood s demand for Travel Air biplanes was so intense that Travel Air s California salesman Fred Hoyt coaxed Travel Air co founder and principal airplane designer Lloyd Stearman to come to Venice California in 1926 to exploit the movie industry demand for his aircraft by starting the short lived independent Stearman Aircraft Company re opened back in Wichita in 1927 2 4 10 Some of the many movies using Travel Air biplanes 2000 and 4000 in particular included 10 11 Wings 1927 won the first ever Academy Award for Best Picture for its technical accuracy Flying Fool 1929 early leading roles for William Boyd later famous as Hopalong Cassidy Hell s Angels 1930 extravagant war epic by Howard Hughes 4 The Dawn Patrol 1930 Heartbreak 1931 Ace of Aces 1933 featured five Travel Air Model Bs and numerous other aircraft Hell in the Heavens 1933 Flying Devils 1933 Murder in the Clouds 1934 Variants editDate from Aerofiles 12 nbsp Curtiss OX 5 powered Travel Air 2000 at the Historic Aircraft Restoration Museum Dauster Field Creve Coeur Missouri nbsp Travel Air 3000 nbsp Travel Air 4000 at Fantasy of Flight nbsp Travel Air E 4000Early letter designations edit Initially Travel Air assigned letters to each type with a suffix denoting the engine Model A 1925 Prototype with WW1 style straight axle 90 hp 67 kW Curtiss OX 5 water cooled V 8 engine Model B Similar to Model A with a split axle undercarriage also fitted with a 90 hp 67 kW Curtiss OX 5 Redesignated as 2000 Model BH 1926 Model B powered with a 150 180 hp 110 130 kW Hispano Suiza 8A or Wright model E water cooled V 8 engine Redesignated as 3000 Model BW 1926 Model B with a 200 hp 150 kW Wright J 4 9 cylinder radial engine Redesignated CW 4000 dd Numerical designation sequences edit Variants were distinguished with prefixes and suffixes in a particular order and denoting different fittings The prefix S preceding all other prefixes meant it was a Seaplane and was fitted with floats Next it was wings B was the Standard wing not to be confused with the original basic elephant ear wing and D indicated the aircraft was fitted with a Speedwing The engine code followed this and due to the long service period when considerable experimentation occurred a wide variety of engines were installed in production airplane as follows A 150 hp 110 kW Axelson B engine 7 cylinder radial engine B 220 hp 160 kW Wright J 5 Whirlwind 9 cylinder radial engine C 170 185 hp 127 138 kW Curtiss Challenger 6 cylinder radial or Curtiss C 6 inline engine D 150 hp 110 kW Aeromarine B 6 cylinder inline engine E 165 hp 123 kW Wright J 6 5 Whirlwind 5 cylinder radial engine J4 200 hp 150 kW Wright J 4 Whirlwind 9 cylinder radial engine K 100 hp 75 kW Kinner K 5 5 cylinder radial engine W 110 hp 82 kW Warner Scarab 7 cylinder radial engine L 225 hp 168 kW Lycoming R 680 9 cylinder radial engine V 180 hp 130 kW Velie ML 9 9 cylinder radial engine W 125 hp 93 kW Warner Scarab S 50 radial 7 cylinder engine 9 300 hp 220 kW Wright J 6 9 Whirlwind 9 cylinder radial engineFollowing the engine code in a very small number of cases M indicated that it was a single seater configured as a Mailplane and then the model number The same system was also used with the later numerical desigation sequence The sole example of the mailplane seems to have been the BM 4000 a Wright J 5 powered mailplane of which 7 were built Not all possible variations were built Suffixes were also added that were specific to modifications made and often referred to conversions or post production versions 1000 series designations edit 1000 Formerly Model A with 90 hp 67 kW Curtiss OX 5 water cooled V 8 engine 2000 Improved Model B with 90 hp 67 kW Curtiss OX 5 engine First Travel Air to be Type Certified 13 C 2000 160 hp 120 kW Curtiss C 6 6 cylinder inline engine citation needed D 2000 OX 5 powered racing aircraft with reduced span wings and narrower fuselage Later converted to Model 11 13 S 2000 Unofficial designation for floatplane version of 2000 Also used for 2000 powered by 10 hp 7 5 kW Curtiss OXX 6 twin ignition version of OX 5 13 SC 2000 160 hp 120 kW Curtiss C 6 powered landplane with undercarriage of B 4000 At least three converted 13 2000 T 115 hp 86 kW Milwaukee Tank V470 air cooled derivative of OX 5 15 built 14 dd 3000 Improved Model BH with 150 180 hp 110 130 kW Hispano Suiza 8A or Wright model E water cooled V 8 engine Estimated 51 built 15 D 3000 Reduced span wings used for racing 15 dd 4000 Three seat aircraft powered by 220 hp 160 kW Wright J 5 or Wright J 4 radial engine 15 4000 T 300 hp 220 kW Wright J 6 Whirlwind radial engine converted C 4000 for 1930 Safe Airplane competition Curtiss built wings 4000 CAM 120 hp 89 kW Fairchild Caminez 447 four cylinder radial engine also designated 8000 16 and later Curtiss Wright CW 8 17 dd 8000 Also designated 4000 CAM 120 hp 89 kW Fairchild Caminez 447 X engine 16 became Curtiss Wright CW 8 17 9000 125 hp 93 kW Ryan Siemens Sh 14 7 cylinder radial engine Four converted from Travel Air 4000 or 3000 18 Later designated Curtiss Wright CW 9 17 dd Late numerical sequence edit 4 originally 4000 series4 B 240 hp 180 kW Wright J 6 4 D 220 hp 160 kW Wright J 5 E 4000 4 P PT 140 hp 100 kW ACE LA 1 later became Jacobs LA 1 4 S 4000 with experimental Powell engine 4 U 130 165 hp 97 123 kW Comet 7 D or 7RA 7 cylinder air cooled radial W 4 B Ted Wells Special Single seat competition aircraft modified from D 4000 Z 4 D 4 D crop duster with 300 hp 220 kW Wright J 6 Whirlwind dd 11 Modified D 2000 with Wright J 6 Whirlwind 9 cylinder radial engine and a narrower fuselage for competitionB 11D 240 hp 180 kW Wright J 6 Whirlwind modified 4 D for competition in the National Air Races dd dd Curtiss Wright designations edit CW 8 Curtiss Wright designation for Travel Air 8000 17 CW 9 Curtiss Wright designation for Travel Air 9000 17 CW 11 Curtiss Wright designation for Travel Air 11 17 dd Operators edit nbsp Peru Peruvian Air Force operated at least one Travel Air E 4000 at the start of the Leticia Incident in 1932 19 Surviving aircraft and aircraft on display edit206 NC1081 2000 at the Golden Age Air Museum in Bethel Pennsylvania 20 21 nbsp Travel Air 4000 NC5427 at Bicester Aerodrome490 NC5290 2000 airworthy at the Historic Aircraft Restoration Museum in Maryland Heights Missouri 22 23 321 NC3947 3000 airworthy at the Historic Aircraft Restoration Museum in Maryland Heights Missouri 24 25 475 NC2709 4000 airworthy at the Kelch Aviation Museum in Brodhead Wisconsin 26 27 669 NC6217 2000 static display at the Yanks Air Museum in Chino California 28 720 CF AFG 2000 on static display at the Canada Aviation and Space Museum in Ottawa Ontario 29 30 721 NC6282 2000 on static display at the Shannon Air Museum in Fredericksburg Virginia 31 32 766 NC6425 4000 airworthy at the Cavanaugh Flight Museum in Addison Texas 33 34 850 NC9049 4000 airworthy with the Western Antique Aeroplane amp Automobile Museum in Hood River Oregon 35 36 1151 CF JLW D 4D at the Reynolds Alberta Museum in Wetaskiwin Alberta 37 38 1340 NC434N D 4D ex E 4000 on static display at the National Air and Space Museum in Washington D C 39 1365 NC174V 4000 airworthy at the Fantasy of Flight in Polk City Florida 40 41 1379 NC477N D 4000 airworthy at the Owls Head Transportation Museum in Owls Head Maine 42 43 1224 NC648H E 4000 airworthy at the EAA Aviation Museum in Oshkosh Wisconsin 44 45 516 NC5427 4000 airworthy in the United Kingdom 46 47 48 49 50 51 52 53 54 55 56 57 Specifications OX 5 Travel Air 2000 ATC 30 editData from U S Civil Aircraft Vol 1 ATC 1 100 58 General characteristicsCrew One Capacity Two passengers Length 24 ft 2 in 7 37 m Upper wingspan 34 ft 8 in 10 57 m Upper wing chord 66 75 in 1 695 m Lower wingspan 28 ft 8 in 8 74 m Lower wing chord 55 75 in 1 416 m Height 8 ft 11 in 2 72 m Wing area 297 sq ft 27 6 m2 Airfoil Travel Air 1 Empty weight 1 335 lb 606 kg Gross weight 2 180 lb 989 kg Useful load 845 lb 383 kg Fuel capacity 42 US gal 160 L 35 imp gal Oil capacity 4 US gal 15 L 3 3 imp gal Powerplant 1 Curtiss OX 5 water cooled V8 engine 90 hp 67 kW Propellers 2 bladed wooden fixed pitch propellerPerformance Maximum speed 100 mph 160 km h 87 kn Cruise speed 85 mph 137 km h 74 kn Minimum control speed 40 mph 64 km h 35 kn Range 425 mi 684 km 369 nmi Service ceiling 10 000 ft 3 000 m no load Rate of climb 550 ft min 2 8 m s See also edit nbsp Aviation portal nbsp US portalDeland Travel Air 2000 a modern replica of the aircraftAircraft of comparable role configuration and era edit Partial listing only covers most numerous types Alexander Eaglerock American Eagle A 101 Brunner Winkle Bird Buhl Verville CA 3 Airster Command Aire 3C3 Parks P 1 Pitcairn Mailwing Spartan C3 Stearman C2 and C3 Swallow New Swallow Waco 10Related lists edit List of aircraft List of civil aircraftReferences editCitations edit a b c Simpson 2007 p 553harvnb error no target CITEREFSimpson2007 help a b c d e f g h i j k l Phillips 1982 pp a b c d e f g h i Bissionette 1999 pp a b c d e Wilkinson 28 February 2014 pp a b Cooper amp Rajnus 2008 pp Fitzgerald 1933 pp 9 11 What s New page Travel Air Restorers Association website retrieved January 28 2017 Leigh Gabriel September 16 2020 Nothing but a number Aircraft age explained Orcas Biplane Rides a b Harris 2017 Eckland K O Aviation Films Aerofiles com Retrieved March 20 2020 Eckland Aerofiles com a b c d Pelletier 1995 p 29 Pelletier 1995 pp 29 30 a b c Pelletier 1995 p 31 a b Pelletier 1995 pp 27 28 a b c d e f Bowers 1979 p 399 Pelletier 1995 p 28 Hagedorn 2006 p 88 MUSEUM COLLECTION Golden Age Air Museum Golden Age Air Museum Retrieved June 6 2018 FAA REGISTRY N1081 Federal Aviation Administration U S Department of Transportation Retrieved June 6 2018 Museum Hangar 2 Historic Aircraft Restoration Museum Historic Aircraft Restoration Museum Retrieved June 4 2018 FAA REGISTRY N5290 Federal Aviation Administration U S Department of Transportation Retrieved June 4 2018 Museum Hangar 4 Historic Aircraft Restoration Museum Historic Aircraft Restoration Museum Retrieved June 4 2018 FAA REGISTRY N3947 Federal Aviation Administration U S Department of Transportation Retrieved June 4 2018 1927 Travel Air 4000 Kelch Aviation Museum Kelch Aviation Museum October 31 2014 Retrieved June 6 2018 FAA REGISTRY N2709 Federal Aviation Administration U S Department of Transportation Retrieved June 6 2018 Travel Air 2000 Yanks Air Museum Yanks Air Museum Retrieved August 24 2021 TRAVEL AIR 2000 Ingenium Ingenium Retrieved June 4 2018 Airframe Dossier Travel Air 2000 c n 0720 c r CF AFG Aerial Visuals AerialVisuals ca Retrieved June 4 2018 HISTORIC AIRCRAFT PDF Virginia Aviation Museum Archived from the original PDF on May 12 2016 Retrieved June 4 2018 Shannon s rebirth AOPA Pilot Magazine February 2018 Retrieved June 7 2019 Aircraft Cavanaugh Flight Museum Retrieved June 6 2018 FAA REGISTRY N6425 Federal Aviation Administration U S Department of Transportation Retrieved June 6 2018 Travel Air Aircraft Western Antique Aeroplane amp Automobile Museum Retrieved June 4 2018 FAA REGISTRY N9049 Federal Aviation Administration U S Department of Transportation Retrieved June 4 2018 Canadian Civil Aircraft Register Aircraft Details CF JLW Transport Canada Retrieved June 4 2018 Skaarup Harold A 2009 Canadian Warplanes iUniverse p 450 Travel Air D4D Smithsonian National Air and Space Museum Smithsonian Institution March 18 2016 Retrieved June 4 2018 1929 Travel Air 4000 Fantasy of Flight Fantasy of Flight September 17 2013 Retrieved June 4 2018 FAA REGISTRY N174V Federal Aviation Administration U S Department of Transportation Retrieved June 4 2018 1930 Curtiss Wright Travel Air D 4000 Speedwing Restoration Owls Head Transportation Museum Owls Head Transportation Museum Retrieved June 4 2018 FAA REGISTRY N477N Federal Aviation Administration U S Department of Transportation Retrieved June 4 2018 Stadler Fred 1929 Travel Air E 4000 NC648H EAA EAA Retrieved June 4 2018 FAA REGISTRY N648H Federal Aviation Administration U S Department of Transportation Civil Aircraft Register United States www airhistory org uk Retrieved January 21 2023 Aircraft Inquiry registry faa gov inquiry result for 5427 Retrieved January 21 2023 Aircraft Query Aviation Database AviationDB www aviationdb com inquiry for 5427 Retrieved January 21 2023 N5427 Aircraft Registration Travel Air 4000 Southern Aircraft Consultancy Inc Trustee www aircraftone com Retrieved January 21 2023 NC5427 Travel Air 4000 Private Clive Weedon JetPhotos Retrieved January 21 2023 NC5427 Travel Air 4000 Private Jez UK JetPhotos Retrieved January 21 2023 NC5427 Travel Air 4000 Private Jez UK JetPhotos Retrieved January 21 2023 Aircraft Photo of N5427 NC5427 Travel Air 4000 Pacific Air Transport AirHistory net 155349 AirHistory net Retrieved January 21 2023 Aircraft Photo of N5427 NC5427 Travel Air 4000 Pacific Air Transport AirHistory net 5360 AirHistory net Retrieved January 21 2023 Travel Air 4000 NC5427 Aircraft Pictures amp Photos AirTeamImages com www airteamimages com Retrieved January 21 2023 Rendle Stephen May 11 2019 2019 05 11 018FD NC5427 retrieved January 21 2023 such wiki very wow August 21 2022 Travel Air 4000 retrieved January 21 2023 Juptner 1962 pp 89 91 Bibliography edit nbsp Wikimedia Commons has media related to Travel Air 2000 Bissionette Bruce 1999 The Wichita 4 Cessna Moellendick Beech and Stearman Destin FL Aviation Heritage ISBN 0 943691508 Bowers Peter M 1979 Curtiss Aircraft 1907 1947 London Putnam ISBN 0 370 10029 8 Cooper Ann Lewis Rajnus Sharon 2008 Stars of the Sky Legends All Zenith Imprint ISBN 978 1610607520 Retrieved January 28 2017 Eckland K O December 28 2008 Travel Air Aerofiles com Retrieved March 20 2020 Fitzgerald H J July 1933 World s First Steam Driven Airplane Popular Science Vol 123 no 1 pp 9 11 Retrieved March 16 2020 Hagedorn Dan 2006 Latin American Air Wars and Aircraft 1912 1969 Crowborough UK Hikoki Publications ISBN 1 902109 44 9 Harris Richard January 2017 Wichita Aircraft in TV Video amp Film The Wichita Aviation Centennial Archived from the original on February 3 2017 Retrieved March 16 2020 Juptner Joseph P 1962 U S Civil Aircraft Vol 1 ATC 1 100 Los Angeles CA Aero Publishers Inc LCCN 62 15967 Ogden Bob 2007 Aviation Museums and Collections of North America Air Britain Historians Ltd ISBN 978 0 85130 385 7 Pelletier A J 1995 Beech Aircraft and their Predecessors Annapolis Maryland USA Naval Institute Press ISBN 1 55750 062 2 Simpson Rod 2001 Airlife s World Aircraft Shrewsbury Airlife Publishing Ltd ISBN 1 840371153 Phillips Edward H 1982 Travel Air Wings Over the Prairie Wind Canyon Books ISBN 9780911139174 Phillips Edward H 1994 Travel Air Wings Over the Prairie revised ed Eagan MN Flying Books International ISBN 0 911139 17 6 Virginia Aviation Museum Virginia Aviation Museum Civilian Aircraft Collection Archived from the original on January 15 2008 Wilkinson Stephan February 28 2014 Wichita Fokker Takes Flight Aviation History Retrieved January 7 2017 Retrieved from https en wikipedia org w index php title Travel Air 2000 amp oldid 1177270442, wikipedia, wiki, book, books, library,

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