Boeing Model 2

Model 2

Picture - Model 3, construction number C-5

Role: Trainer
Manufacturer: Boeing
Designed by: Wong Tsu
First flight: 15 November 1916
Primary users: U.S. Navy U.S. Army Air Service
Number built: 56

The Boeing Model 2 and its derivatives were United States two-place training seaplanes, the first "all-Boeing" design and the company's first financial success.

Design and development

Pacific Aero-Products, the forerunner of the Boeing company, built its first all-original airplane, the Model C naval trainer. A total of 56 C-type trainers were built; 55 used twin pontoons. The Model C-1F had a single main pontoon and small auxiliary floats under each wing and was powered by a Curtiss OX-5 engine.

Operational history

The success of the Model C led to Boeing’s first military contract in April 1917 and prompted both its reincorporation as the Boeing Airplane Company and relocation from Lake Union, Washington to a former shipyard on the Duwamish River, also in Washington. The United States Navy bought 51 of the Model C trainers, including the C-1F, and the United States Army bought two landplane versions with side-by-side seating, designated the EA.

The final Model C was built for William Boeing and was called the C-700 (the last Navy plane had been Navy serial number 699). On March 3, 1919 Boeing and Eddie Hubbard flew the C-700 on the first international mail delivery, carrying 60 letters from Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada, to Seattle, Washington.

Variants

Model 2 - original design (1 built)
Model C-1F - Model 2 remanufactured with single pontoon
Model 3 - version with revised cabane struts (3 built)
Model 4 - aka EA landplane version for US Army (2 built)
Model 5 - revised Model 3 for US Navy (50 built)
Model C-700 - Model 5 outfitted as mailplane

Operators

United States

United States Army Air Service
United States Navy

Specifications (Model 3)

Data from Boeing: History

General characteristics

Crew: 2
Length: 27 ft 0 in (8.23 m)
Wingspan: 43 ft 10 in (13.36 m)
Height: 12 ft 7 in (3.84 m)
Wing area: 495 ft˛ (45.99 m˛)
Empty weight: 1,898 lb (861 kg)
Gross weight: 2,395 lb (1,086 kg)
Powerplant: 1 x— Hall-Scott A-7A engine, 100 hp (74.6 kW) each

Performance

Maximum speed: 72.7 mph (117 km/h)
Cruise speed: 65 mph (105 km/h)
Range: 200 miles (322 km)
Service ceiling: 6,500 ft (1,981 m)

Bowers, Peter M. Boeing aircraft since 1916. London: Putnam Aeronautical Books, 1989. ISBN 0-85177-804-6.
Pedigree of Champions: Boeing Since 1916, Third Edition. Seattle, WA: The Boeing Company, 1969.

Boeing Model 2 Pictures

Living Warbirds: The best warbirds DVD series.

Source: WikiPedia