Martin S

Model S
Role Observation seaplane
National origin United States
Manufacturer Martin
Designer Donald Douglas
First flight 1915
Primary user Aviation Section, U.S. Signal Corps
Number built 6 or 16[1]
Developed from Martin T

The Martin S was a two-seat observation seaplane produced in the United States in 1915.[2] Designed along the same general lines as the preceding Model T,[3] it was a largely conventional two-bay biplane with unstaggered wings of equal span. The fuselage was not directly attached to the lower wings, but was carried on struts in the interplane gap. The undercarriage consisted of a single large pontoon below the fuselage and outrigger floats near the wingtips.[2] The Model S was 23-year-old Donald Douglas' first and only design for the Martin company, and it set three world altitude records and a flight duration record that stood for three years.[4]

Six, possibly fourteen, of these aircraft were operated by the Aviation Section, U.S. Signal Corps,[1] and another two by the United States Navy.[2][3] All of the Army aircraft, S.C. 56-59 and 94-95, were assigned to the first U.S. aviation unit based overseas, the 1st Company, 2d Aero Squadron at Fort Mills, Corregidor, in March and April 1916, where they used a radio transmitter with a range of 29 miles to adjust battery fire for the Coast Artillery.[5]


Operators

 United States

Specifications

Data from aerofiles.com

General characteristics

  • Crew: two, pilot and observer
  • Length: 29 ft 7 in (9.02 m)
  • Wingspan: 46 ft 5 in (14.15 m)
  • Powerplant: 1 × Hall-Scott A-5, 125 hp (93 kW)

Performance

  • Maximum speed: 85 mph (136 km/h)

References

Notes
  1. 1 2 Aero Files states six, and Baugher corroborates their serial numbers (S.C. 56-59, 94-95), while Taylor states fourteen. No additional serials for Martin S are given in Baugher. Aero Files does not list any aircraft for the Navy.
  2. 1 2 3 Taylor 1989, 635
  3. 1 2 The Illustrated Encyclopedia of Aircraft, 2432
  4. ↑ "The Early Years of Douglas Aircraft, the 1920s"
  5. ↑ Hennessey, Juliette (1958). "The United States Army Air Arm, April 1861 to April 1917" (PDF). USAF Historical Study No. 98. AFHRA (USAF). Archived from the original (PDF) on 2011-07-22. Retrieved 6 Mar 2011. , pp. 152 and 165.
Bibliography
  • "Martin, Martin-Willard". aerofiles.com. Retrieved 2008-10-21.
  • "The Early Years of Douglas Aircraft, the 1920s". U.S. Centennial of Flight Commission website. Archived from the original on 2008-10-11. Retrieved 2008-10-21.
  • The Illustrated Encyclopedia of Aircraft. London: Aerospace Publishing.
  • Taylor, Michael J. H. (1989). Jane's Encyclopedia of Aviation. London: Studio Editions.
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