McDonnell Model 119

History of the McDonnell Model 119

McDonnell Aircraft Company's last foray into commercial aviation (before its merger with Douglas Aircraft Company in 1967 to become "McDonald Douglas") was the "Type 119". Regardless of the target market, the completely forgotten jet engine failed to gain market interest, leaving only an airworthy prototype that required years of engineering, investment capital and time.

The Type 119 was originally developed to meet the requirements of the United States Air Force (USAF) hybrid "Utility Trainer Experiment/Utility Cargo Experiment" (UTX/UCX) in the late 1950s, and was eventually overcome by a competing design, supplied by Lockheed Defense Power Generation. Plant - L-1329 "Jetstar".

McDonnell engineers settled on a design that included four "pod" turbojets, two under each wing of the main aircraft. The main aircraft is swept back along its leading and trailing edges for aerodynamic efficiency, and is placed low near the midship for balance. As usual, the cockpit was positioned facing a short nose cone (two pilots seated side by side), while the rear wing consisted of a vertical fin with a low mounting level.

All fins have a pronounced swept back and truncated tips to complete the aircraft's design shape. A retractable tricycle landing gear is used for ground operation.

Power is provided by 4 Westinghouse J34-WE-22 series turbojet engines, each delivering 2,980 lbf of thrust. The research-oriented Douglas X-3 "Stiletto", McDonnell F2H "Banshee" fighter jets and McDonnell XF-88 "Voodoo" X-Plane all use the same engine family - all details on this website other places.

After losing the US Air Force contract, McDonnell Aircraft is trying to rebrand the Type 119 for the commercial transport market, which has gained interest from Pan American Airlines (PANAM), which is eyeing up to 170 jets aircraft. However, when this failed to materialize, the aircraft was again renamed the "Type 220" for the VIP/corporate industrial business jet market.

Despite attempts to revive the program, the aircraft did not generate much interest and ended up in the annals of aviation history. It completed its tenure at McDonald's (at the corporate level) before being handed over to the Flight Safety Foundation as a research platform.

When completed, the aircraft will have a barrel length of 66.5 feet, a wingspan of 57.7 feet, and a height of 23.7 feet. Empty weight reaches 23,215 lbs and maximum takeoff weight (MTOW) is 45,330 lbs. The aircraft has been tested to reach a top speed of 560 mph and fly at approximately 520 mph.

Range is 2,340 miles and service is capped at 45,000 feet.

Specification

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