Evening star., 1941-05-21
Fleet Of Giant Planes
Weighed as Possible
Troop Transports
A-Posseneer AirIiner
Being Built; Priority
Status Considered
By JOSEPH s. EDGERTON.

DIV JoSEfH .. luN.
Granting of aluminium priorities
for a fleet Of giant 64-passenger
commercial airliners of radically
new design, which would make pos
sible the transportation by air of
the entire man power of stream
lined division to Alaska or the Canal
Zone within less than two days is
being studied by the Office of Pro-
duction Management.
Although the question of aerial
troop transportation and parachute
troop developments in the United
States has been shrouded in off,
cial secrecy, it has become pretty
well known that there is intensive
activity along these lines.
One of the most striking of these
developments has been the design
and construction of what is said
to be the largest and fastest air
transport plane in the world, TO
designs developed largely by Howard
Hughes, former motion picture
director, round -the-World flyer and
president of his own aviation tool
company. and Jack Frye. president
of Transcontinental and Western
Air.
2S5 Miles Per Hour.
The big plane is being built by
the Lockheed Aircraft Corp. at Bur-
bank, Calf. Known as Model 49
or the constellation" 1t is one of
several big new cargo and transport
types in which the Army and
o. P. M. are interested. With "a
passengers, crew of seven, cargo and
full fuel load, 1t is expected to
develop a cruising speed of 285 miles
per hour with a nonstop range of
nearly 5000 miles.
According to American Aviation,
40 of the giants have been ordered
for Transcontinental and Western
Air and a like number for Pan
American AirWays under a con-
struction program involving $15,-
100000.
Whether this vast commercial
program will be permitted as an
adjunct to the national defense
program will depend upon priorities
allocations by o. P. NJ, and this in
turn will depend upon decision Of
the Army Air Corps as to the
emergency value of the airliners for
military purposes.
Two Years in the Making.
Lockheed, it is said, has been en-
eaged for two years on development
of model 49 with the greatest
secrecy. Dealing with the COM
mercial possibilities of the big planes
for domestic and foreign airline
service by T. w. A. and P. A. A.,
American Aviation pointed out that
nonstop flights across the United
States in 8l2 hours will be easily
possible and that 10-hour to IL
hour trip from New York to Lon
don or a 24-hour transatlantic
round trip will be within the range
of the new transports. Rio de
Janiero would be brought within 20
to "a hours flying time from Miami.
The air giant has been made pos
sible by the development OF the new
1900 O-horsepower Wright air-cooled
engine. A special model expected
to step up power delivery TO 2,5oO
horsepower has been developed Tor
The plane and one of these engines
is said to have been delivered to
the Iockheed plant. With 10000
horsepower, the model 49 would
have greater horsepower than any
other airplane. including the huge
Douglas Bio 82-ton Army bomber
now nearing fight test stage at
Santa Monica, Calf. Many ocean
liners carry less power.
Special propellers are being built
bv Hamilton standard propeller dl-
vision of United Aircraft Corp. at
Hartford. Conn. They are of new
ast-feathering type required for ef-
ficient performance OF the 37-ton
airplane.
For Substratosphere Operation.
tricycle. landing gear is employed,
and the plane, in keeping with the
most modern practice, Is being de-
veloped with cabin supercharglng
for substratosphere operation-ln
this case at attitudes said to be up
to 10000 feet, or more than 5 miles,
With a useful load of $4,000
hounds, the feet of 80 of these
Giants could carry more than 2,500.-
900 pounds of cargo to the Canal
Zone, Alaska, Hawaii or any other
threatened point in the hemisphere
in a single load at attitudes out OF
range of present effective anti-air-
craft fire or pursuit-plane attack.
In its annual report Pan American
Airways characterized the new air.
planes as being "of advanced de-
sign" and said that they provide
speed. range and carrying capacity
superior to any transport aircraft
known to be planned for production,
either in this country or abroad"