Travel Air Model 1000

1925 GOLDEN AGE X-PLANE

• 1 Travel Air Type 1000 History
• 2 Travel Air Model 1000 Specification
  • 2.1 Basics
  • 2.2 Roles
  • 2.3 Distinctive Features
  • 2.4 Dimensions and Weight
  • 2.5 Main surface structure
  • 2.6 Performance

Travel Air Type 1000 History

The Travel Air "Type 1000" was a high-performance biplane developed in the 1920s for civilian use. It had a traditional biplane design with two crew members sitting in a tandem cockpit, and it used non-retractable landing gear. Only one aircraft was built, which is now preserved at the Beechcraft Heritage Museum in Tullahoma, Tennessee.

The plane was created by Lloyd Stearman, Walter Beech, William Snook, and Clyde Cessna, who formed the Travel Air Manufacturing Company. The first prototype was assembled in Wichita and successfully flew for the first time on March 13, 1925. It had a top speed of 96.5 mph and could climb to 1,000 feet in 1 minute and 6 seconds. The plane was powered by a 90-horsepower Curtiss OX-5 engine.

The dimensions of the aircraft were 23.5 feet in length and 33 feet in wingspan. It weighed 1,300 lbs and had a total weight of 2,050 lbs. The plane had a range of up to 450 miles and carried 35 gallons of fuel.

Later, Walter Beech flew a Model 1000 to St. Louis to showcase it to potential buyers. The plane impressed O.E. Scott, who purchased the only example of the Type 1000.

The Type 1000 design was further developed into the "Type B/2000" in 1927, and approximately 600 of these aircraft were produced. Variants of the Type 1000 included the "BH/3000" powered by the Hispano-Suiza V-8 engine and the "BW/4000/4" powered by the Wright J-6-7 "Cyclone" engine.

Curtiss-Wright acquired the Travel Air Manufacturing Company in 1930, and the Travel Air series ended in 1931 with the "Model 16," a three-seat biplane. Only 23 of the Model 16 were completed.

Travel Air Model 1000 Specification

Basics

Years of Service: 1925

Origins: United States

Status: Retirement. does not work.

Crew: 2

Production: 1

Manufacturer: Travel Air Manufacturing Company, Incorporated United States

Carrier: United States

Roles

X-Plane (development, prototype, tech demo)

Aircraft designed for prototyping, technology demonstration, or research/data collection.

Distinctive Features

Multi-wing

Added more main aircraft to improve inherent agility and provide tactical advantage in close combat.

Sturdy aircraft frame

The inherent ability of the airframe to take significant damage.

High-speed performance

Can accelerate to higher speeds than the average aircraft at the time.

Extended range performance

Ability to travel long distances using on-board fuel supplies.

Rating Process

A manual process to allow the pilot and/or crew to exit in the event of an onboard emergency.

Dimensions and Weight

Length: 23. 6 feet (7.19m)

Width/span: 33. 0 feet (10.06m)

Cured weight: 1,301 lbs (590kg)

MTOW: 2,050 lbs (930kg)

Wgt Difference: +750 lbs (+340 kg)

Main surface structure

Biplane

The design features a biplane wing arrangement with one main plane element on top of the other. Biplanes have improved agility at the expense of increased drag.

Up and down

Two main aircraft configurations where elements are stacked and positioned at different points on the fuselage.

Straight

Floor plans involve the use of simple, straight main plan elements.

Performance

Installed: 1 x 90hp Curtiss OX-5 engine driving a twin-blade propeller unit in the nose.

Maximum speed: 96 km/h (155 km/h | 84 knots)

Cruising speed: 77 km/h (124 km/h | 67 knots)

Maximum speed difference: +19 km/h (+31 km/h | 17 kn)

Area: 450 km (725 km | 1,343 nautical miles)

Rate of climb: 1,000 ft/min (305 m/min)