Another In A Series of United Airline Watercolors...

Kinda goofy cockpit design!

National Air Transport, an early member of the United Air Lines, brought the rugged Travelair to their minimal fleet in 1927. NAT, a prime mail carrier, used the "5000" to add passenger revenue to its Mid-West hops.

In the first year of service, the three-to-five place aircraft carried a total of 1560 passengers adding handsomely to the profitability of the fledgling airline.  The "5000" designed by Clyde Cessna, made aviation history by winning the famous Dole Derby in 1927. The MA/5000, although used commercially by NAT, never did qualify for an Approved Type Certificate. It received the lesser Memo Approval 2-27 in 1929.

The "5000,"a champion in a long line of Travelairs, lives today only in black and white photos...

 and the accompanying watercolor art from Nixon Galloway.

Copyright 2013/Ben Bensen III 

"Another Nixon Galloway United Airlines Collector Series Watercolor!"

A Hollywood Star...

Apparently, according to the informative card I attached to Nixon's watercolor, the Travel Air BM 4000 was a perfect actor in many World War One movies like, "Wings." It resembles a Fokker D-7 because of the extended "elephant ear" ailerons on the upper wing tips. The BM-4000 was powered by a nine cylinder Wright J-5. When air mail was opened to commercial interests, the plane was modified to carry cargo. Pacific Air Transport adopted the three seater sport version to carry mail and cargo in the front cockpit, instead of passengers on its Los Angeles-Seattle route.

The Travel Air series of planes owed its success to many designers, engineers, and entrepreneurs. Misters Beech, Stearman, and Cessna collectively added their best to help cast the die for the aircraft that today is incorporated into all aircraft. Pacific Air Transport, founded in January 1926 by Vern Gorst. purchased Claude Ryan's Model 2 to launch its CAM route. Two years later Pacific Air Transport and Boeing Air Transport joined and became United Airlines.

For further info on this aircraft, checkout: http://www.pilotfriend.com/photo_albums/timeline/between/Travel%20Air%204000.htm

Copyright 2013/Ben Bensen III

Number Eight in a Series of Collector Prints... Nixon Galloway!

Apparently, a big, bad ass Stearman!

The "Speedmail" M-2 was a typical Stearman except for the size of the plane which was twice the size of the typical biplane.Mail and other cargo were carried in two separate compartments totalling 90 cubic feet which were located ahead of the pilot. The engine was the 525 hp Wright R-1820 "Cyclone" with a front exhaust collector ring as used on the J-6 engines.

"Speedmail" was designed by Lloyd Stearman in his Wichita, KS plant for Walter Varney of Varney Air Lines. It was nicknamed "Bull Stearman" because of its size and power. It's upper wingspan measured 46 feet. Mr. Varney bought six of the M-2 design. Five as mail planes and one, with a two passenger front cockpit which replaced the mail compartment as a personal craft. They were equipped with a mail pit designed to carry a 1,000lb payload at a cruising speed of 125 mph with a range of 725 miles.

In researching this aircraft, I found an interesting website where a group dedicated biplanes fans restored the only flyable M-2 today. The url is: 

http://www.antiqueairfield.com/articles/show/156-alan-lopez-s-m-2-bull-stearman-running-up

The site has some photos of the restoration with colors that Nixon Galloway used in his rendering. Of note, Nixon's illustration doesn't show the unique half colored wing, which was painted orange is order to identify the aircraft if it should crash in the wooded and mountainous Northwest region. That alone is an indication of the danger flying mail from one site to another in the early 1930's.

Copyright 2013/Ben Bensen III

Number Two In A Series of Collector Prints... Nixon Galloway!

Second In A Series... Convair 340.

Here's a moody piece by Nixon Galloway of a Convair 340. It was a post war design that stretched the series"240". It had a cruising speed of 275 that was attained by two Pratt and Whitney R-2800's which if I'm not mistaken, powered the Hellcat, Thunderbolt and Corsair fighter aircraft. The plane carried about forty or so passengers in a pressurized fuselage which gave it the ability to fly higher over weather conditions... a big deal back in the fifties, ha!

 Maybe, that's why Nick decided to illustrate it this way. The wing reflections intimate a wet sky.

On a personal level, I actually got to fly from LA to Modesto and back on a Convair 340 when I was picked up to interview for a designer's job at Gallo. I am sure that there are those who'd say why not a corporate jet, but being an aviation freak, I was ecstatic to be flying in such a classic. I, also, was pretty impressed with company's professionalism which made me feel like the professional I am. In hindsight, it was a very nice visit as I was "wined and dined ( excuse the pun! ) and put up for two nights at a local bed and breakfast. Although I got the grand tour, I didn't take the job because I had illusions of becoming a great American illustrator and didn't want to be out there stranded in a town with just one client... Gallo!

Although the Gallo family was then, a bunch of loons and quite difficult to work for, looking back, I often wonder what could have been.

For me, in this case, hindsight isn't 20/20. It is "340!"

Copyright 2012-2013/ Ben Bensen III