The Topeka state journal. [volume] (Topeka, Kansas) 1892-1980, 1919-03-08
Commercial Airplane Now I'm
der Construction in East.
~NiIl Garry Twelve Passengers
and Crew of Three Men.
SHIP BUILT ON SPECIAL PLAN
Expect To Maintain Regular
Route Between n. Y, Chi.
Passenger Craft May Even
Have Berths for Sleepy.

The first commercial airplane of
the freight and passenger carrying
type to be developed since the signing
of the armistice is under construction
at the plant of the L-W-F Engineer
ing corporation, College Point, Long
Island
Specifications of Ship.
The great ship is of the biplane
type. Its wing span is 100 feet. Over
all it measures So feet in length 1t
Is 8 feet high. The chord or breadth
of the wings is IL y feet and the gap
s-,r distance between the planes is the
same. The craft has two fuselages
and an enclosed naceIle and this twin
construction gives a strength and car
rying capacity far greater than any
ship yet proposed. IL is declared, for
commercial purposes.
In the new commercial airplane now
fuselages. At the nose of each there
is a 400 horsepower Liberty motor
and behind each motor is tank hold
ing ESQ gallons of gasoline. Around
each motor is 4 platform to allow ad-
justments in flight. This platform IS
protected by a railing Between the
fuseIages and with one-plane above
and the other beneath is the passenger
boat or nacelle, the lower part or
which is Of nacelle construction and
the other of what is technically known
as longeron The nacelle is enclosed
The front half is glazed. At the rear
is a third 400 horsepower Liberty mo-
tor and with it a third $50 gallon
gasoline tank These three motors
provide a total of 1900 horsepower,
there being two tractor propellers and
one ppsher.
By distributing the weight of the
motors and placing the passengers and
freight in the center nacelle the de-
signers have so distributed the burden
that the great ship can be flown on
one or two or three motors. This
means that when the vessel is sailing
high above the clouds and one or even
swo engines go bad. the mechanician
may leave the passenger nacelle and
walk over to either fuselage and re-
pair the motor while the vessel keeps
on it's regular course.
. Crew of Three Men.
The ship requires a crew of at least
three. Two pilots sit side by side in
the nose of the nacelie. Back of them
are chairs for four passengers This
pilot and chair space occupies nine
feet The second compartment is
seven feet long and is used for either
passengers or merchandise. The rear
compartment is five feet long and is
known as the engine room. From
nose to center motor this nacelle is
twenty-five feet long. 1t is six feet
wide and eleven feet high and is of
streamIiae construction.
The design Of the LIVE engineers
was to produce a plane for long dis
lance commercial flying. The con-
struction has been worked out on the
peace time commercial basis The
motors are of sufficient strength to
drive the plane al speed in excess of
100 miles an hour for twelve Spnsecu-
tive hours. If nothing but freight is
carried more than one ton may be
transported from New York to Chi
cage, three men being utilized to
operate the ship. The vessel has a
total gas capacity of 750 gallons but
"a the New YOrk-Chicago run only
coo would be used normally. This
gives a leeway Of $50 gallons for ad-
verse weather conditions or other
a crew of three are carried between
1000 and $500 pounds Of freight may
be placed in the freight compartment
and Chicago reached without a stop.
If no freight is carried comfortable
accommodation may be provided for
twelve passengers
Plan Regular Trips.
The builders are figuring on a nom
stop overnight service between the
two cities but if it is decided to stop
at Cleveland, the gasoline supply can
be cut in half and two tons of freight
carried. The ship now under con-
struction will be suitable especially for
the carriage of light merchandise, ex-
are being made to care for passenger
traffic as It develops.
New York to Chicago-$2OO.
The plane now building will cost
approximately $4,000. but under
quantity production such as was
achieved during the war. others may
be built for half this amount. The
builders have worked out a freight
schedule and it is freight or light mer-
Chandise which they expect to carry,
with Il profit Passenger service is
expected also, and can be provided at
a rate exceeding but little the fares
charged by the railroads a number OF
years ago when steam engineering was
In a pioneering stage. AS at present
contemplated, the fare for one pas
senger from New York to Chicago
would work out at about 5000. As
building and operating costs are low
cred thru development and expert
ence, freight and passenger traffic
also would be lowered.
The plan is to construct the naceIle
so that the freight compartment may
be utilized for passengers or the -four
passeng ger compartment for freight
the shift depending only on interior
work such as the installation or re-
moval of the necessary berths OF
freight compartments.