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The
Seversky Super Clipper By Roy Didriksen, LIEFC From the Aug. 1938 issue of Model Airplane News By David C. Cooke  This article by David
Cooke describes the proposed Seversky
trans-oceanic super clipper, a design study of
which was submitted to Pan American Airways in
response to an invitation for bids for a
Transatlantic aircraft capable of a 5000 mi.
range, carry a payload of 25,000 lbs. And cruise
at 200 mph. At this time, Pan Am was about to
take delivery on the Boeing 314 boats which were
just being built.Col. Alexander P. deSeversky’s proposal was a gigantic 8 engine monstrosity that would be difficult to take seriously. Picture, if you will, a gigantic P-38 with a wingspan of 250 feet. The two booms have installed at their forward end two 2000 hp Allison engines geared to drive a single prop, one on each boom. These booms would also accommodate a number of passengers. They end in twin fins and rudders and are connected by a stabilizer-elevator. The center nacelle would contain the flight deck and crew quarters. The rear of the nacelle would mount two more Allisons again geared to drive a single pusher prop. The wing section between the booms would contain more passenger accommodations and staterooms. The outboard wing sections would carry more passengers and also mount two more 2000 hp Allisons each driving a pusher prop, for a total of eight engines. No mention of where all the fuel for these engines would be stored.  Mounted on the bottom of
the twin booms are two immense floats, which are
retractable into the bottom of the booms, (Bill
Barnes style) operated by a hydraulic system. The
floats also provide space for cargo.They were apparently quite serious about this thing, as the article states that 174 engineers were assigned to do a design study, and a photograph appearing with the piece shows Seversky with a scale model of the aircraft. Projected Performance Figures: Top speed: 300 mph Cruise: 200 mph Range: 5000 mi. Payload: 43,000 lb. Fuel Cap: 17,000 gal. Passengers: 200 Crew: 16 This giant was never built, of course, and as a matter of fact none of the bids were ever awarded by Pan Am. © 2004 The Long Island Early Fliers Club, P.O. Box 221, Bethpage, NY 11714-0221 • info@longislandearlyfliers.org |
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