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Meckler Allen 1912 Biplane

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Meckler-Allen 1912 Biplane


The Meckler-Allen airplane was an early biplane built by Allen Canton and John J. Meckler in 1912, for an attempt to make a transatlantic flight. At the time of its first flight it was the largest airplane in the world.

Contents

History

In 1912, Allen Canton and John J. Meckler, two young Bronx electricians, built a 76-foot (23 m) span hydro-biplane. The financing for the construction came from profits of their company Mechelectric which held forty-five patents for new electrical devices. The partners planned to make the first transatlantic flight to Europe.

Christened the New York, it carried twenty-two tanks of gasoline and had five engines, was 104 feet (32 m) long, had a 76-foot (23 m) span and contained 2,400 square feet (220 m2) of canvas, with an estimated lifting capacity of 20,000 pounds (9,100 kg) when only two of the five engines were running.

Specifications (Meckler-Allen Biplane)

General characteristics

  • Length: 104 ft (32 m)
  • Wingspan: 76 ft (23 m)
  • Powerplant: 4 × Flight engines , 125 hp (93 kW) each
  • Powerplant: 1 × Ground engine , 65 hp (48 kW)
  • Propellers: 2-bladed Meckler-Allen, 12 ft (3.7 m) diameter
  • Performance

  • Maximum speed: 109 kn; 201 km/h (125 mph)
  • Cruise speed: 65 kn; 121 km/h (75 mph)
  • References

    Meckler-Allen 1912 Biplane Wikipedia