Don't sell these old prop planes short! There is a niche for them! Catalinas make excellent forest fire fighters (so i'm told) They can swoop down on a lake and fill their tanks without too much loss in airspeed, Bill Stout, who was Ford's designer of the Trimotor, in 1958 (IIRC) produced one. It was called "One More Tri". Stout was of a pretty advanced age by then and the project went nowhere. But now we have the Russian Antonov AN 2 Colt which parallels the Ford's go slow, but anywhere ability. The Antonov is a real throwback! It is a bi plane with a huge 1000 HP Shvetsov Radial engine. It looks like something out of the 1920s, but the first one was produced in 1947 and they were still cranking them out in the 1980s, Many east bloc countries produced them under license. this airplane was the "Farm Truck" of Russia, hauling cattle and supplies to remote areas. There is one in NJ.It's painted red and white with the name of Lithuanian Air Force. I've been on this plane but not up in it. The FAA was on the field and the US Govt considers it an experimental and won't allow him to take passengers up. Getting back to the Ford's, To produce this plane today would require a good source of new Radial engines. Even HF used Curtis Wright
"Whirlwind" engines. The Russians and the Poles are the only ones making them today.
Terry
Quote:
Originally Posted by marty in Ohio
Island Airlines in Port Clinton flew trimotors for many years and we used to go to Put-in-Bay on them. Quite a thrill! They wouldn't fly very fast and when they got over the island they just sort of plopped down out of the sky. Island had a few planes and they used some for parts. When they ran out of parts they retired the rest of the fleet. Victory Air Museum in Port Clinton is building a brand new trimotor from the original plans. I don't know if it's done yet, but they've been working on it for years.
Marty
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