The Lawson L-2 was a 1920s American biplane airliner, designed and built by the Lawson Air Line Company of Milwaukee, Wisconsin.
| L-2 | |
|---|---|
| |
| Lawson C.2 or T-2 | |
| Role | Biplane airliner |
| Manufacturer | Lawson Air Line Company |
| Designer | Alfred Lawson,[1] Vincent Burnelli[2] |
| First flight | 1920 |
| Primary user | Lawson Air Line Company |
| Number built | 1 |
Design and development
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The Lawson Air Line Company designed and built a series of large biplane airliners for use on its planned airline routes. The initial Lawson "Aerial Transport" Lawson C1 or T-1 was built early in 1919 to demonstrate that a large commercial passenger plane could be built. The L-1 was a single pilot, 10 passenger biplane with twin Liberty 400 hp pusher engines. It was followed by the Lawson C.2 or L-2. The L-2 was a tractor biplane also with 400 hp engines, capable of carrying 26 passengers, and piloted by two pilots, with differential controls.[3]
Mr. Lawson took it on a 2000-mile multi-city tour to advocate commercial air travel.[4]
Some sources state Mr. Lawson himself as the sole designer; others mention involvement of Vincent Burnelli.[5]
Operators
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Specifications (L-2)
editGeneral characteristics
- Capacity: 10
- Wingspan: 91 ft 0 in (27.74 m)
- Gross weight: 13,000 lb (5,897 kg)
- Powerplant: 2 × Liberty L-12 piston engine , 400 hp (298 kW) each
Performance
- Maximum speed: 100 mph (161 km/h, 87 kn)
See also
editAircraft of comparable role, configuration, and era
References
edit- ^ "Welcome to EAA Chapter 838". Archived from the original on 2012-07-08. Retrieved 2012-04-03.
- ^ "Vincent J. Burnelli Dead at 69; an Early Designer of Airplanes". The New York Times. 23 June 1964.
- ^ Air Progress: 16. November 1978.
{{cite journal}}: Missing or empty|title=(help) - ^ The Royal Aero Club of the UK (Sep 11, 1919). "The Lawson Aerial Transport". Flight- the Aircraft Engineer & Airship Weekly. 37. XI (559): 1220–1222.
- ^ "Vincent J. Burnelli Dead at 69; an Early Designer of Airplanes". The New York Times. 23 June 1964.
- The Illustrated Encyclopedia of Aircraft (Part Work 1982–1985). Orbis Publishing.
External links
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- "The "Lawson" Aerial Transport" (PDF). Flight. XI (37): 1220–1222. September 11, 1919. No. 559. Retrieved January 12, 2011. Contemporary technical description of the Lawson C-1 and C-2 (early versions of the L-2) with scale drawings of the C-1 and photographs of the C-2.