Elias AJE Air Express

AJE Air Express
Role	Mail plane
National origin	United States
Manufacturer	Elias
First flight	c.1927
Number built	1
Developed from	Elias M-1 Mailplane

The Elias AJE Air Express was a prototype mailplane built in the United States around 1927 by G. Elias and Brother. ^{[1] [2]} The design was intended to be adaptable to a number of other roles, ^{[1] [2]} but failed to attract any orders and did not progress beyond its single prototype. ^[1]

Design

The AJE Air Express was a development of the company's Elias M-1 Mailplane, ^[3] with which it was marketed side-by-side in 1926. ^[4] It was a single-bay, equal-span, unstaggered biplane of conventional configuration. ^[5] Its fuselage incorporated a 65-cubic-foot (1.8 m³) duralumin-lined mail compartment ^{[2] [3]} and an open cockpit for the pilot. ^{[2] [5]} The tail was of conventional design, and it was equipped with fixed, tailskid undercarriage. ^{[2] [5]} Power was supplied by a piston engine in the nose driving a tractor propeller. ^{[2] [5]} The ends of the wings were braced with N-struts, and in place of bracing wire, interplane bracing was achieved with steel tube. ^[2]

The fuselage and tail were built from welded steel tube, and the wings from wood. ^[2] The whole aircraft was covered in fabric. ^[2]

From the outset, Elias hoped that the mail compartment could also be fitted with cameras for aerial survey work, or be used as a chemical hopper for crop-dusting. ^{[1] [2]} Despite this forward thinking, the aircraft failed to find a market. ^[1]

Specifications

Three-view drawing of Elias AJE Air Express. Note dimensions slightly different from those published in Jane's

Data from Grey & Bridgman 1928, p.219

General characteristics

• Crew: 1 pilot
• Capacity: mail compartment of 65 cubic feet (1.8 m³) with normal load of 1,200 pounds (540 kg)
• Length: 29 ft 2 in (8.89 m)
• Wingspan: 44 ft (13 m)
• Height: 11 ft 8 in (3.56 m)
• Wing area: 540 sq ft (50 m²)
• Empty weight: 2,890 lb (1,311 kg)
• Gross weight: 4,960 lb (2,250 kg)
• Powerplant: 1 × Liberty L-12 water-cooled, 12-cylinder V engine

Performance

• Maximum speed: 126 mph (203 km/h, 109 kn)
• Range: 550 mi (890 km, 480 nmi)
• Service ceiling: 15,800 ft (4,800 m)

Notes

References

1. The Illustrated Encyclopedia of Aircraft, p.1600
2. Grey & Bridgman 1928, p.219
3. Aircraft Year Book 1926, p.197
4. McLaughlin 1926, p.93
5. Aircraft Year Book 1926, p.238

Bibliography

• Aircraft Year Book 1926. New York: Aeronautical Chamber of Commerce of America. 1926.
• The Illustrated Encyclopedia of Aircraft. London: Aerospace Publishing.
• Grey, C.G.; Bridgman, Leonard (1928). Jane's All the World's Aircraft 1928. London: Sampson Low Marston.
• McLaughlin, George F. (August 1926). "American Commercial Airplanes". Aero Digest. Vol. 9, no. 2. New York: Aeronautical Digest Publishing. pp. 90–94.