Harman Patil (Editor)

Towle WC

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First flight
  
November 1928

Manufacturer
  
Towle Marine Aircraft Engineering

The Towle WC, aka Towle TA-1, was a custom built aircraft for a 1929 round-the world flight.

Contents

Design and development

Thomas Towle was an engineer who had been involved with many early aircraft designs. Having just co-designed the Eastman-E2 Sea Rover, Towle was commissioned by Henry McCarroll to promote Detroit's aviation production capabilities.

The WC was a flying boat with an aluminum hull. The strut braced parasol wing was fabric covered.

Operational history

The prototype WC flew as far as Brazil before engine reliability issues forced the cancellation of the round-the-world flight attempt.

Variants

  • Towle TA-2 Was built as a successor to the WC model

    • Specifications (Towle WC)

    Data from Flight

    General characteristics

  • Capacity: 4
  • Length: 35 ft (11 m)
  • Wingspan: 52 ft (16 m)
  • Empty weight: 2,750 lb (1,247 kg)
  • Gross weight: 4,420 lb (2,005 kg)
  • Powerplant: 2 × Comet R-612 Seven cylinder radial, 150 hp (110 kW) each

    • Performance

  • Maximum speed: 100 kn; 185 km/h (115 mph)
  • Minimum control speed: 39 kn; 72 km/h (45 mph)
    • Aircraft of comparable role, configuration and era
  • Fairchild FB-3

    • References

    Towle WC Wikipedia
    (Text) CC BY-SA