28-90 Flash | |
---|---|
General information | |
Type | Military utility aircraft |
Manufacturer | Bellanca |
Designer | Albert W. Mooney |
Primary users | Chinese Nationalist Air Force, Mexican Air Force |
Number built | 43 |
History | |
First flight | 1937 |
Developed from | Bellanca 28-70 |
The Bellanca 28-90 Flash was an American military aircraft derived from an earlier air racer developed in the 1930s for export to Spain to take part in the Spanish Civil War. Although it never reached Spain, the order was diverted to China where the aircraft briefly saw service. Later, a new batch destined for Spain ended up in Mexico.
The Bellanca 28-70 air racer built by Giuseppe Mario Bellanca for the 1934 MacRobertson Race was shipped to Great Britain but was unable to participate in the race due to a lack of time to adequately prepare the aircraft. It went back to the US to finish its tests, but was badly damaged in a landing accident. In 1936 the aircraft was rebuilt with a 900 hp P&W "Twin Wasp" and redesignated the 28–90. After being purchased by British long-distance air racer James Mollison, he renamed the aircraft Dorothy after actress friend Dorothy Ward. Mollison used the Bellanca 28-90 for a new transatlantic speed record on 29–30 October 1936 and later in the year made an attempt to set a long-distance London-Cape Town record that was aborted. In 1937 Mollison flew to Madrid and sold the aircraft to the Republican government in Spain. [1]
The Spanish Republican government, in desperate need of modern military aircraft, placed an order for 20 aircraft in 1936 through an "arms length" deal with Air France. [1] In order to circumvent US government export restrictions in the Neutrality Acts aimed at stopping exports to combatants in Europe, the Bellanca 28-90s were marked with spurious Air France livery and declared by Bellanca to be mailplanes. [1] The truth was discovered, however, and export permission was denied. Nevertheless, the Chinese government managed to secure permission to buy the aircraft and they were shipped there instead. Fitted with bomb racks and machine guns mounted in the fuselage at Hangkow, this first batch of machines saw brief service, although seven of them were destroyed on the ground in Japanese raids without having seen combat. [2] The remainder were destroyed in testing.
Undaunted, the Spanish government tried again, ordering 22 examples as "trainers" with full payment in advance, with the aircraft this time being exported to a Greek civil reservist flying school. [3] Once again, however, the truth was found out and export permission denied. They were eventually successfully purchased for export to Mexico, but with their true destination again Spain. However, before the aircraft could be supplied, the Spanish Civil War was over. After languishing for over a year in a warehouse in Veracruz, they were indeed purchased by the Mexican Air Force, with which they served from 1939 to 1940 until grounded due to safety concerns.
In 1946, the surviving 19 airframes were acquired by the Charles E. Babb Company and shipped to Glendale, California. [3] A final sale of the Bellancas still in packing crates was made to the US Navy where the aircraft were distributed to US Navy Technical Centers as training aids. [3]
Data from Flying Equipment: Bellanca Mailplane [4]
General characteristics
Performance
The Shenyang J-5 is a Chinese-built single-seat jet interceptor and fighter aircraft derived from the Soviet Mikoyan-Gurevich MiG-17. The J-5 was exported as the F-5 and was originally designated Dongfeng-101 and also Type 56 before being designated J-5 in 1964.
The CASA C-101 Aviojet is a low-wing single engine jet-powered advanced trainer and light attack aircraft designed and manufactured by Spanish aircraft company Construcciones Aeronáuticas SA (CASA).
The Valmet L-90 Redigo is a turboprop-powered military basic trainer aircraft and liaison aircraft, a development of Valmet's earlier training aircraft for the Finnish Air Force. The L-90 was the last military aircraft designed and produced in Finland.
The Bellanca Aircruiser and Airbus were high-wing, single-engine aircraft built by Bellanca Aircraft Corporation of New Castle, Delaware. The aircraft was built as a "workhorse" intended for use as a passenger or cargo aircraft. It was available with wheels, floats or skis. The aircraft was powered by either a Wright Cyclone or Pratt and Whitney Hornet engine. The Airbus and Aircruiser served as both commercial and military transports.
The Martin Model 167 Maryland was an American light bomber that first flew in 1939. It saw action in World War II with France and the United Kingdom.
The de Havilland DH.91 Albatross was a four-engined British transport aircraft of the 1930s manufactured by de Havilland Aircraft Company Limited. Seven aircraft were built between 1938 and 1939.
The Vought O2U Corsair was a 1920s biplane scout and observation aircraft. Developed by Vought Corporation, the O2U was ordered by the United States Navy (USN) in 1927. Powered by a 400 hp (298 kW) Pratt & Whitney R-1340 engine, it incorporated a steel-tube fuselage structure and a wood wing structure with fabric covering. Many were seaplanes or amphibians.
The de Havilland DH.90 Dragonfly is a 1930s British twin-engined luxury touring biplane built by the de Havilland Aircraft Company at Hatfield Aerodrome.
The Spartan Cruiser was a 1930s British three-engined transport monoplane for 6 to 10 passengers built by Spartan Aircraft Limited at East Cowes, Isle of Wight. It was a development of the Saro-Percival Mailplane for passenger use.
The Douglas O-2 was a 1920s American observation aircraft built by the Douglas Aircraft Company, powered by the Liberty engine of WW1 fame, with some later variants using other engines. It was developed into several versions, with 879 being produced in total. It was used in combat by the Chinese Air Force in the 1930s and also was the basis for a successful mailplane version.
The Breda Ba.25 was an Italian two-seat biplane trainer designed and built by the Breda company. It was the most widely used Italian basic trainer of the 1930s.
The Avro 627 Mailplane was a British biplane developed in 1931 by Avro from the Avro Antelope bomber as a mail plane for use in Canada. Only one was built which ended up being used as a test bed.
The Bellanca CH-300 Pacemaker was a six-seat utility aircraft, built primarily in the United States in the 1920s and 1930s. It was a development of the Bellanca CH-200, fitted with a more powerful engine and, like the CH-200, soon became renowned for its long-distance endurance.
The Bellanca 19-25 Skyrocket II was a prototype light airplane built in the United States in the 1970s. Despite its advanced design and exceptionally good performance, it never achieved certification or entered production.
The Bellanca 28-70 was a long-range air racer designed for James Fitzmaurice, Irish pioneer aviator, who christened it Irish Swoop. Although it was built in time for the 1934 MacRobertson Race from England to Australia, it was never destined to be a competitive long-distance racer but it was ultimately reborn as a high-speed bomber.
The Savoia-Marchetti SM.62 was an Italian single-engine maritime patrol flying boat produced from 1926. It served with the Regia Aeronautica and with a number of foreign users, and was produced in Spain and the Soviet Union. Some of the Spanish aircraft were still in service during the Spanish Civil War.
The Fleet Model 1 and its derivatives were a family of two-seat trainer and sports biplanes produced in the United States and Canada in the 1920s and 1930s. They all shared the same basic design and varied mainly in their powerplants.
The Fairchild 82 and the 34-42 Niska were a family of utility aircraft produced in Canada in the mid-1930s, based on designs by Fairchild Aircraft Ltd. (Canada)'s parent company in the United States.
The Northrop Delta was an American single-engined passenger transport aircraft of the 1930s. Closely related to Northrop's Gamma mail plane, 13 were produced by the Northrop Corporation, followed by 19 aircraft built under license by Canadian Vickers Limited.
The Waco 10/GXE/Waco O series was a range of three-seat open-cockpit biplanes built by the Advance Aircraft Company, later the Waco Aircraft Company.