Neha Patil (Editor)

Bellanca 31 40

Updated on
Edit
Like
Comment
Share on FacebookTweet on TwitterShare on LinkedInShare on Reddit
Wingspan
  
15 m

Manufacturer
  
AviaBellanca Aircraft

Length
  
8.2 m

Bellanca 31-40 1000aircraftphotoscomContributionsGauthierDavid

The Bellanca 31-40 Senior Pacemaker and its derivatives were a family of a six- and eight-seat utility aircraft built in the United States in the late 1930s. They were the final revision of the original Wright WB-2 design Bellanca had bought in the late 1920s. The model numbers used by Bellanca in this period reflected the wing area (in this case, 310 square feet) and engine horsepower (400 and up in this series), each divided by ten. Like their predecessors, these were high-wing braced monoplanes with conventional tailwheel undercarriage.

Contents

A single Senior Skyrocket was bought by the United States Navy in 1938 for use as a utility transport, designated JE-1. Senior Skyrockets were also built under licence by Northwest Industries in Canada following World War II.

In 2007, a single example remains extant - the first Canadian-built aircraft (registration CF-DCH). It is preserved at the Reynolds-Alberta Museum.

Variants

  • 31-40 Senior Pacemaker - Wright Cyclone engine, 400 hp (298 kW)
  • 31-42 Senior Pacemaker - Fitted with a redesigned tail surface, accommodation for one pilot and five passengers, powered by a 550-hp (410-kW) Pratt & Whitney Wasp S3H1 radial piston engine.
  • 31-50 Senior Skyrocket - Pratt & Whitney Hornet engine, 550 hp (410 kW)
  • L-11 - One 31-50 impressed into service by the United States Army Air Forces in Alaska in 1942.
  • 31-55 Senior Skyrocket
  • JE-1 - Senior Skyrocket version for US Navy with 570 hp (425 kW) engine
  • de Luxe Senior Skyrocket - 31-55 with improved instrumentation and superior interior and exterior finishes, powered by a 525-hp (391-kW) Pratt & Whitney Wasp radial piston engine.
  • Model 31-55A - Built under licence in Canada by Northwest Industries.
  • Operators

     United States
  • United States Army Air Forces
  • United States Navy
  •  Norway
  • Widerøes Flyveselskap
  • Specifications (31-55 Senior Skyrocket)

    Data from American Planes and Engines for 1939

    General characteristics

  • Crew: 1
  • Capacity: 5 passengers
  • Length: 27 ft 11 in (8.51 m)
  • Wingspan: 50 ft 6 in (15.39 m)
  • Height: 8 ft 6 in (2.59 m)
  • Wing area: 359.0 sq ft (33.35 m2)
  • Empty weight: 3,440 lb (1,560 kg)
  • Gross weight: 5,600 lb (2,540 kg)
  • Fuel capacity: 200 US gal (170 imp gal; 760 L)
  • Powerplant: 1 × Pratt & Whitney Wasp air-cooled 9-cylinder radial engine, 550 hp (410 kW)
  • Performance

  • Maximum speed: 190 mph (306 km/h; 165 kn) at 5,000 ft (1,500 m)
  • Cruise speed: 180 mph (290 km/h; 156 kn) at 12,000 ft (3,700 m)
  • Stall speed: 64 mph (103 km/h; 56 kn)
  • Range: 600 mi (521 nmi; 966 km)
  • Service ceiling: 25,000 ft (7,600 m)
  • Rate of climb: 1,240 ft/min (6.3 m/s)
  • References

    Bellanca 31-40 Wikipedia


    Similar Topics