L-W-F Model H Owl
| Model H Owl | |
|---|---|
| |
| The sole LWF Owl at Bolling Field, 1923. | |
| Role | Mailplane / bomber |
| National origin | Unites States |
| Manufacturer | L-W-F Engineering Co Inc. |
| First flight | 22 May 1920 |
| Number built | 1 |
The L-W-F Model H Owl was a single prototype of a biplane mail plane design built by the L-W-F Engineering Company, begun by 1919, (L-W-F Laminated Wood Fuselage) which first flew on 22 May 1920. It was not successful and won no orders. L-W-F originated as the Lowe, Willard & Fowler Engineering Company, becoming L-W-F Engineering Company Inc. after Lowe, Willard & Fowler left the business.[1]
Design and development
The L-W-F Owl was a large unstaggered four-bay biplane design, begun by 1919,[2] with a three-place nacelle center fuselage, suspended on struts between the wings, flanked on either side by tubelike tail booms, all fabricated of laminated wood, reminiscent of the Caproni Ca.4 bombers of the Great War. It had triple tail fins and biplane stabilizers and a six-wheel undercarriage, later modified to four-wheels.[1]
Operational History
The Owl was first flown at Mitchel Field, Long Island, New York, on 22 May 1920, piloted by Ernest Harmon.[1] Its performance was described as “adequate but not impressive.”[3] Although built as a potential design for night air mail service (hence the “Owl” name), the Post Office Department showed no interest in it.[4]
The manufacturer then attempted to market it to the U. S. Army as a bomber during 1921 and 1922,[5] and it was evaluated at Langley Field, Virginia.[3] It was allocated Army Air Service serial number 64012.[6] Photographs show that “A.S. 64012” was painted on the sides of the tailbooms and that it received the vertical red, white and blue rudder stripes, and roundels were applied to the upper wing. General Billy Mitchell had plans to test the design during the bombing tests to sink the USS New Jersey and the USS Virginia in September 1923, but it does not appear that this actually occurred.[7] With no potential customers, the sole prototype was scrapped in 1923. Two prototypes of the L-W-F XNBS-2, a scaled-down variant of the Owl, were ordered in 1923, but production was cancelled before construction began. The L-W-F firm declared bankruptcy in 1924.
Variants
- Model H Owl
- Large bi-plane mailplane proposed as a bomber to the USAAC ; one built.[1]
- L-W-F NBS-2
- Smaller twin-engined production version of the Model H bomber. Two ordered but later cancelled ; none built.[1]
Specifications (Model H Owl)
Data from Aerofiles[1]
General characteristics
- Crew: 3
- Length: 53 ft 10 in (16.41 m)
- Wingspan: 105 ft 0 in (32.00 m)
- Gross weight: 7,600 lb (3,447 kg)
- Powerplant: 3 × Liberty L-12 V-12 water-cooled piston engines, 400 hp (300 kW) each
- Propellers: 2-bladed fixed-pitch propellers
Performance
- Maximum speed: 110 mph (180 km/h, 96 kn)
- Stall speed: 57 mph (92 km/h, 50 kn)
- Range: 1,100 mi (1,800 km, 960 nmi)
- Take-off run: 400 ft (122 m) fully loaded
References
- ^ a b c d e f Eckland, K.O. "American airplanes: Lo - Lu". aerofiles.com. Retrieved 12 February 2020.
- ^ http://www.earlyaviators.com/cowl1919.htm
- ^ a b Spearman, M. Leroy (December 1985). NASA Technical Memorandum 87611 : Some Comparisons of US and USSR Aircraft Design Developments (PDF). Hampton, Virginia 23665: Langley Research Center. p. 5.
{{cite book}}: CS1 maint: location (link) - ^ "L-W-F Model H "OWL" - The Flying Dutchman". www.buehlfield.info. Retrieved 12 February 2020.
- ^ http://www.buehlfield.info/aircraft-aviators/l-w-f-model-h-owl
- ^ Baugher, Joe. "1908-1921 USASC-USAAS Serial Numbers". www.joebaugher.com. Retrieved 12 February 2020.
- ^ Maurer, Maurer (10 June 2004). Aviation in the U.S. Army, 1919-1939. Washington D.C.: Office of Air Force History, U.S. Air Force. pp. 124–126. ISBN 0-912799-38-2.