Travel Air 2000

Primary design and development

The original Travel Air Model A was engineered chiefly by Lloyd Stearman—with input from Travel Air co-founders Walter Beech, Clyde Cessna, and Bill Snook—largely as a metal-framed improvement of his immediately previous design of the wood-framed, metal-cowled Swallow New Swallow biplane, with elements of the best fighter aircraft of World War I, the metal-framed German Fokker D-VII. Most subsequent Travel Air biplanes were derived, directly or indirectly, from the original Model A.^[2][3][4]

(NOTE: An interim design, the Winstead Special was derived by the Winstead brothers from an initial metal fuselage frame developed at Swallow by Stearman and Walter Beech, and subsequently discarded by Swallow. The rejection of the metal frame concept, by Swallow president Jake Moellendick, triggered the departure of Stearman and Beech, and the creation of Travel Air.)^[2][4]

The types shared a common structure of a conventional single-bay biplane with staggered wings braced by N-struts. The fuselage was of fabric-covered steel tube and included two open cockpits in tandem, the forward of which could carry two passengers side-by-side.

In common with the Fokker D-VII, the rudder and ailerons of first Travel Air biplanes had an overhanging "horn" to partially aerodynamically counterbalance the aerodynamic resistance of the controls when deflected, to provide a lighter control feel, and a more responsive aircraft. This gave Travel Airs their distinctive "elephant ear" vertical tails, and the similarly counterbalanced ailerons were also referred to as "elephant ear" ailerons—leading to the airplane's popular nicknames "Old Elephant Ears" and "Wichita Fokker." Some subsequent models were offered without the counterbalance, providing a cleaner, more conventional appearance and less drag. Elevator forces were trimmed out by use of an inflight-adjustable horizontal stabilizer.^[2][4][5][7]

Like other aircraft in the Travel Air line, it was available with a variety of different, interchangeable wings, including a wing shorter and thinner than the rest known as the "Speedwing" designed, as the name suggests, for increased cruise speed. Travel Air entered a specially-modified Model 4000 (designated 4000-T) in the Guggenheim Safe Aircraft Competition of 1930, but it was disqualified.

Compared to other civilian ("commercial") open-cockpit biplanes of the era, Travel Airs were noted for their quality of construction, reliability, durability, speed, efficiency, payload and passenger capacity (two passengers in a small bench seat in the front cockpit, plus pilot in the rear cockpit—versus most biplanes of the era, which could only accommodate a single passenger in the front cockpit). They were also noted for superior comfort and easy flying. These various distinguishing characteristics led Travel Air to outsell all rivals by 1929.^[3][4][8]

Steam-powered

In 1933 a Travel Air 2000 was modified by George and William Besler where the usual inline or radial gasoline piston engine was replaced by an oil-fired, reversible 90° angle V-twin angle-compound engine of their own design, which became the first fixed-wing airplane to successful fly using a steam engine of any type.^[9][10] The Beslers are thought to have sold the plane to the Japanese in 1937.^[11]

Curtiss-Wright production

Following Travel Air Manufacturing Company purchase in August 1929^[12] by Curtiss-Wright, the Model 4000 continued in production into the early 1930s as the CW-14, and the range was expanded to include a military derivative dubbed the Osprey. This was fitted with bomb racks, a fixed, forward-firing machine gun, and a trainable tail gun. These aircraft were supplied to Bolivia and used during the Gran Chaco War, which eventually led to Curtiss-Wright's successful prosecution for supplying these aircraft in violation of a U.S. arms embargo.^[8][13][14]

Normal Operations

During the 1920s and very early 1930s, Travel Air biplanes were the most widely used civilian biplanes in America (not counting war-surplus military trainers re-purposed for civilian use) -- with the arguable exception of their chief competitors, WACO biplanes. (Travel Air production ended in the mid-1930s, under the Curtiss-Wright Corporation).^[2][3][4]

Initially, Travel Air biplanes were very widely used for executive transport, wealthy-sportsmen adventures, air taxi and air charter service, light air cargo transport, and some bush flying. Many were also used in barnstorming: exhibition and stunt flying, selling recreational rides, and early air racing.^[2][3][4][6]

Commercial operators found the Travel Air biplanes very versatile and useful, owing to their substantial payload, simple and reliable systems, rugged construction and (for the times) substantial speed and efficiency.^[2][15]

Towards the end of their useful lives (the late-1930s through the early 1970s), they were heavily used for the harsh work of bush flying and cropdusting, and Travel Air biplanes were among the most heavily used cropdusters in America—perhaps second only to the World War II surplus Stearman Kaydet biplanes (also designed by Lloyd Stearman).^{[2][6][16][17]}

Today, most remaining Travel Air biplanes are regarded as treasures, having been carefully restored at substantial cost, and are used sparingly and carefully for personal recreation and/or modern-day barnstorming (exhibition flying and selling rides).^{[2][5][7][18]}

Military Operations

The Osprey, a Travel Air biplane variant by Curtiss-Wright, was armed with bomb racks and machine guns, and supplied to Bolivia, who used them in the 1933 Gran Chaco War with Paraguay (in violation of a U.S. arms embargo, for which Curtiss-Wright's was eventually successfully prosecuted). Numerous plane-makers attempted to get their aircraft into the war, for publicity, and the Osprey initially benefitted the most from this international competition. Fitted with single machine guns fore (fixed) and aft (moveable), and bomb racks, the rugged, reliable Ospreys were the preferred mounts of the Bolivian pilots—of several competing aircraft supplied. The resulting heavy use led to high losses—half of the original 12 units being lost in accidents or action, another five or so were employed, though precise outcomes are unclear, owing in part to repairs on some of the "lost" aircraft, which were returned to service. However, the action brought favorable publicity and credibility to Curtiss-Wright aircraft.^[8][13][14]

Movie Industry

Travel Air biplanes were widely used in 1920s/1930s war movies, particularly to represent the airplanes they were patterned after: Germany's Fokker D-VII fighter, the top fighter of World War I. In the motion picture industry, they were known as "Wichita Fokkers." In fact, Hollywood's demand for Travel Air biplanes was so intense that Travel Air's California salesman, Fred Hoyt, coaxed Travel Air co-founder and principal airplane designer, Lloyd Stearman, to come to Venice, California in 1926 to exploit the movie industry demand for his aircraft by starting a short-lived independent Stearman Aircraft Company (re-opened back in Wichita in 1927).^{[2][5][5][7][19]}

Some of the many movies using Travel Air biplanes (2000 and 4000, in particular) included:^[19][20]

• Wings (1927) (Lauded for its technical accuracy, it won the first-ever Academy Award for Best Picture)
• Flying Fool (1929) (Pathè film, one of the early leading roles for William Boyd, later famous as "Hopalong Cassidy")
• Hell's Angels (1930) (Howard Hughes' extravagant war epic)^[5][5]
• The Dawn Patrol (1930)
• Heartbreak (1931)
• Ace Of Aces (1933) featured five Travel Air Model Bs, and numerous other planes.
• Hell in the Heavens (1933)
• Flying Devils (1933)
• Murder in the Clouds (1934) featured NC406N

Curtiss-Wright models built

CW-14C Sportsman

Version with 185 hp (138 kW) Curtiss Challenger engine (1 built).^[21]

CW-A14D Deluxe Sportsman

Three-seat version with 240 hp (180 kW) Wright J-6-7 engine and NACA cowling (5 built).^[21]

CW-B14B Speedwing Deluxe

Version with 300 hp (220 kW) Wright J-6-9 engine (2 built).^[21]

CW-B14R Special Speedwing Deluxe

Single-seat racer built for Casey Lambert with supercharged Wright R-975 engine (1 built)

CW-C14B Osprey

militarized version with Wright R-975E engine

CW-C14R Osprey

militarized version with Wright J-6-9 engine

CW-17R Pursuit Osprey

CW-B14B with uprated engine; possibly not built

Military operators

 Bolivia

20 purchased 1933–34.^[22]

 Colombia

3 from 1932.^[22]

 Ecuador

2 CW-14Rs purchased 1931.^[22]

 Panama

2 acquired 1931.^[22]

 El Salvador

3 from 1933.^[22]

 Venezuela

3 CW-14Rs purchased 1932.^[22]