Douglas M-2 Wallpapers

Douglas M-2 Aircraft - photo wallpapers; Megawallpapers.org :On April 17, 1926, Western Air Service, Inc., [br] [br] commenced operation on Contract Air Mail Route 4 (CAM-4) between Los Angeles [br] [br] and Salt Lake City. via Las Vegas. For service over this route, a distance of [br] [br] about 660 miles, Western selected the Douglas M-2 aircraft, a mailplane version [br] [br] of the 0-2 observation plane produced by the Douglas Company to replace the [br] [br] U.S. Army DH-4 aircraft. The Douglas M-2 was selected because it was far superior [br] [br] in strength, construction, performance, and flying characteristics to other [br] [br] aircraft entered in the Post Office Department�s competition for airmail [br] [br] airplanes. The M-2 was a single-bay biplane with the conventional form of axleless [br] [br] undercarriage. The fuselage, a truss of steel tubes and tie rods, was made in [br] [br] two detachable sections. The engine section was detachable at the station at [br] [br] the front wing beam and the engine cowling was hinged to facilitate inspection. [br] [br] The fuselage aft of the firewall was covered with fabric. The wings, vertical [br] [br] fin, and horizontal stabilizer were of standard wood beam and built-up rib construction, [br] [br] with the elevators and rudder made of Duralumin tubing. The power plant was [br] [br] a 400-hp, Liberty water-cooled engine, with nose radiator. Two main fuel tanks, [br] [br] each of sixty gallons capacity and made of sheet aluminum, were so mounted in [br] [br] the lower wing that they could be jettisoned by the pilot. A small 10-gallon [br] [br] gravity tank was located in the upper wing. A design detail of particular interest was the location [br] [br] and construction of the M-2 mail compartment. It was situated in front of the [br] [br] pilots cockpit, sealed from the engine by a fireproof bulkhead, and lined with [br] [br] reinforced Duralumin. It was six feet long, had a capacity of 58 cubic feet, [br] [br] and could carry up to 1,000 pounds of mail. A unique feature was the provision [br] [br] of two removable seats that permitted carrying passengers or reserve pilots [br] [br] from one field to another. The passengers were seated well down in the compartment [br] [br] and protected by suitable windshields. Access was provided by the use of aluminum [br] [br] covers over the top, arranged and constructed so that, with passengers aboard, [br] [br] the roof door could be folded down. providing a cockpit opening. Flights were scheduled daily in both directions on the [br] [br] Los Angeles-to-Salt Lake City run, with one-way flight time averaging slightly [br] [br] in excess of six hours. The record time for the route was 4 hours, 12 minutes. [br] [br] The schedule was maintained by four regular pilots, two reserve pilots, eight [br] [br] mechanics, and three radio operators at the fields. Although transporting the [br] [br] mail remained the airlines� chief concern, Western Air Express invited [br] [br] passenger traffic, and invaluable experience was gained flying passengers in [br] [br] the M-2 over the same rugged territory of eastern California. southern Nevada, [br] [br] and western Utah traveled many years before by the Mormons. The M-2 performed remarkably well during the early years [br] [br] on the CAM-4 route. Its load-carrying capability, remarkable stability, and [br] [br] rugged construction contributed to a perfect safety record and profitable operation. [br] [br] Government and airline experiences with the Douglas mailplanes and the 0-2 led [br] [br] to modifications of the basic design. Relatively minor changes in cockpit layout, [br] [br] engine accessories, and airframe construction led to the M-3 mailplane, which [br] [br] differed little in physical appearance from the M-2 version. A subsequent addition [br] [br] of five feet to the wingspan resulted in the final version, the M-4, which realized [br] [br] considerable gain in payload at a negligible loss in performance. While Western [br] [br] eventually added two M-4s to its fleet of six M-2s, the M-4 saw more extensive [br] [br] service with National Air Transport (later United Air Lines) from 1927 to 1930 [br] [br] on the Chicago-New York route. National Air Transport modified all of its M-3s [br] [br] into the M-4 configuration and eventually had twenty-four Douglas mailplanes [br] [br] on its roster, to become the largest operator of this type in commercial service. The M-2 of the National Air and Space Museum is believed [br] [br] to be the last Douglas mailplane in existence. This machine is actually an M-4 [br] [br] model originally purchased by Western from the Post Office Department in June [br] [br] 1927 and registered as NC 1475, serial number 338. The aircraft saw considerable [br] [br] service on Western�s mail route until 1930. when it crashed and was sold [br] [br] to Continental Air Map Company of Los Angeles. The airplane had a series of [br] [br] corporate and private owners until it was reacquired by Western Air Lines in [br] [br] April 1940 and subsequently registered with the Federal Aviation Administration [br] [br] as M-2 NC15O, Western�s first M-2. The first substantial restoration took [br] [br] place in 1946, although no attempt was made to make it flyable. For the next [br] [br] twenty two years, the M-2 made its home in a corner of Western�s hangar [br] [br] at Los Angeles International Airport. In 1974 an intensive, large-scale restoration [br] [br] effort commenced, under the impetus of retired Western Captain Ted Homan. Volunteers from Western Air Lines, McDonnell-Douglas [br] [br] Corporation, Goodyear Tire Company, and many other organizations completely [br] [br] rebuilt the aircraft and its Liberty engine, returning the machine to flyable [br] [br] condition. The M-2 flew for the first time in thirty-six years on June 2,1976, [br] [br] and after a series of test flights was recertified airworthy by the Federal [br] [br] Aviation Administration. After a successful transcontinental journey in May [br] [br] 1977, the venerable M-2, resplendent in the silver and red colors in which it [br] [br] flew the old Mormon Trail, is displayed as a lasting tribute to the men and [br] [br] women who pioneered the mail-passenger service during the formative years of [br] [br] commercial aviation in the United States. Country of origin: USA [br]_________________________________________________________________________________________________ [br]Engines: one 420hp Liberty V-1650-1 V-12 12-cylinder V-type [br]_________________________________________________________________________________________________ [br]Wingspan: 13.56 m (44ft 6in) [br]_________________________________________________________________________________________________ [br]Lenght: 8.81 m (28ft 11in) [br]_________________________________________________________________________________________________ [br]Height: 3.07 m (10ft 1in) [br]_________________________________________________________________________________________________ [br]Weight loaded: 2223 kg (4900lb) [br]_________________________________________________________________________________________________ [br]Cruising speed: 190 km/h (118mph) [br]_________________________________________________________________________________________________ [br]Service celling: 5030 m (16,500ft) [br]_________________________________________________________________________________________________ [br]Range: 1127 km (700 miles) [br]_________________________________________________________________________________________________ [br]Crew: 1 [br]_________________________________________________________________________________________________

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