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Ryan M-1

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M-1 and M-2
Original Ryan M-1 NC2073 in Pacific Air Transport markings in the Historic Aircraft Restoration Museum, Creve Coeur airport, Missouri.
Role MailplaneType of aircraft
National origin United States
Manufacturer Ryan
Designer Hawley Bowlus, W A Mankey, John Northrop
First flight 14 February 1926
Status two airworthy in 2009
Number built 36

The Ryan M-1 was a mail plane produced in the United States in the 1920s, the first original design built by Ryan. It was a conventional gear parasol-wing monoplane with two open cockpits in tandem and fixed, tailskid undercarriage.

Design and development

The follow-on M-2 was substantially the same as the M-1. The prototype M-1 was originally powered by a Hispano-Suiza 8A, but production examples featured a variety of engines in the same general power range, with the Wright J-4B chosen for nine of the sixteen M-1s built, and the prototype later refitted with this engine.

According to Cassagneres, "Dimensions allowed for a front cockpit that could accommodate two passengers side by side, or one passenger and a sack of mail, or just mail sacks and no passenger. Dual controls were provided, so a passenger flying up front could get in some 'stick time' if he wished. The M-1 cowling had a feature that was to become almost a trademark on all subsequent Ryan models up to the ST. This was the distinctive 'engine-turning' or 'jeweling' effect achieved by burnishing the aluminum.

Operational history

A M-1 was flown in the 1926 Ford National Reliability Air Tour.

Pacific Air Transport operated J-4B-powered M-1s and M-2s on their demanding Seattle–San Francisco–Los Angeles mail route, while Hispano-Suiza-powered machines flew with Colorado Airways between Cheyenne and Pueblo and Yukon Airways between Whitehorse and Dawson City.

One M-2 (named Bluebird) was built with a fully enclosed cabin for the pilot and four passengers, foreshadowing Ryan's highly successful Brougham series. The standard M-2, meanwhile, was Charles Lindbergh's first choice for his transatlantic flight. His list of requirements for the aircraft soon made it apparent, however, that rather than modifying an M-2, it would be more effective to build an all-new design along the same general lines, which resulted in the Ryan NYP Spirit of St Louis.

Operators

 United States

Aircraft on display

The M-1 prototype was restored to flying condition between 1980 and 1984 and is preserved in the Museum of Flight in Seattle. The seventh aircraft is preserved in airworthy condition in Pacific Air Transport markings at the Historic Aircraft Restoration Museum at Creve Coeur airport, Missouri. A replica of an M-1 using a small number of parts from serial number 11 was built by Andy King in 2001, powered by a Lycoming R-680 and also painted in Pacific Air Transport #7's scheme. Serial number 11 is owned and faces a full restoration by John Norman, who crafted the most accurate reproduction of the Spirit of St. Louis ever built. A replica M-1 is exhibited in the San Diego Air & Space Museum.

Specifications (M-1)

Data from "Ryan M-1"

General characteristics

  • Crew: One pilot
  • Capacity: 1-2 passengers
  • Length: 24 ft 0 in (7.30 m)
  • Wingspan: 36 ft 0 in (11.00 m)
  • Wing area: 228 sq ft (21 m)
  • Empty weight: 1,550 lb (705 kg)
  • Gross weight: 2,700 lb (1,230 kg)
  • Powerplant: 1 × Hispano-Suiza 8A , 150 hp (110 kW)

Performance

  • Maximum speed: 125 mph (200 km/h, 109 kn)
  • Range: 400 mi (640 km, 350 nmi)

References

Notes

  1. ^ "Ryan, Ryan-Douglas, Ryan-Flamingo, Ryan-Standard"
  2. ^ Taylor 1989, p. 774.
  3. ^ "Ryan M-1"
  4. Museum of Flight News
  5. Cassagneres, Ev (1982). The Spirit of Ryan. Blue Ridge Summit: TAB BOOKS Inc. pp. 26–27.
  6. Forden, Lesley. The Ford Air Tours: 1925-1931. New Brighton Minnesota: Aviation Foundation of America, 2003, First edition 1972. No ISBN.
  7. ^ Munson 1982, p. 128.
  8. ^ Hall 1927, p. 1.
  9. Ogden 2007, p. 331.
  10. "A New Ryan M-1 Mailplane". Skyways. October 2001.
  11. Podsada, Janice (2019-08-11). "This might be the best Spirit of St. Louis replica ever made". HeraldNet.com. Retrieved 2022-06-16.
  12. "Projects". JNE Aircraft, LLC. Retrieved 2022-06-16.
  13. "Collections"

Bibliography

External links

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