The Consolidated R2Y "Liberator Liner" (Consolidated Model 39) was an airliner derivative of the B-24 Liberator built for the United States Navy by Consolidated Aircraft.
| R2Y Liberator Liner | |
|---|---|
 A Consolidated R2Y-1 in Navy markings. | |
| General information | |
| Type | Prototype military transport aircraft and Prototype cargo aircraft |
| Manufacturer | Consolidated Aircraft |
| Status | Experimental |
| Primary users | United States Navy |
| Number built | 1 |
| History | |
| First flight | 15 April 1944 |
| Developed from | Consolidated B-24 Liberator |
Development and service
editThe XR2Y-1, as the single prototype was known in Navy service, used the high-aspect wing and tricycle landing gear of the Liberator. The fuselage was an entirely new design, and the vertical stabilizer was taken from the PB4Y Privateer.[1] The final design looked much like a smaller, high-wing Boeing B-29 Superfortress, but with windows for passengers.
The aircraft was meant to carry passengers or cargo to distant Navy bases, but after a brief evaluation the prototype was demilitarized in the mid-1940s, returned to Convair, and leased to American Airlines as a freighter with the name "City of Salinas".[2]
Specifications (R2Y-1)
edit
Data from Jane's Fighting Aircraft of World War II[1]
General characteristics
- Crew: unknown
- Capacity:
- 48 passengers
- Their baggage
- 1,200 lb (550 kg) of mail
- 12,000 lb (5,500 kg) of cargo (after refit)
- Length: 90 ft 0 in (27.45 m)
- Wingspan: 110 ft 0 in (33.55 m)
- Airfoil: Davis (22% at root to 9.3% at wingtip)
- Gross weight: 56,000 lb (25,000 kg)
- Max takeoff weight: 64,000 lb (29,000 kg)
- Powerplant: 4 × Pratt & Whitney R-1830-94 radial engines, 1,200 hp (900 kW) each
Performance
- Cruise speed: 240 mph (380 km/h, 210 kn)
- Range: 4,000 mi (6,400 km, 3,500 nmi) at 200 mph (322 km/h)
See also
editRelated development
Aircraft of comparable role, configuration, and era
Related lists
References
edit- ^ a b Bridgeman, Leonard. "The Consolidated Vultee Model 39." Jane's Fighting Aircraft of World War II. London: Studio, 1946. p. 217. ISBN 1 85170 493 0.
- ^ John Wegg, General Dynamics Corporation. General Dynamics aircraft and their predecessors.
External links
edit