Northrop Alpha model airplane

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northrop alpha airplane model.

Northrop Alpha "first airliner" model airplane

Despite its fixed landing gear, the 1930 Northrop Alpha may truly be regarded as the first "modern airliner". In 1928 John K. Northrop and Ken Jay formed the Avion Corporation at Burbank, California. (Northrop had in the previous year designed Lockheed's first aircraft, the Vega. (He had begun his career with the Loughead Company, which collapsed in 1920 or 1921, then reappeared in late 1926 or early 1927 as the Lockheed Aircraft Company, which was how Loughead was actually pronounced.) In 1929 Avion Corporation became the Northrop Aircraft Corporation. The Northrop Alpha was an all-metal seven-seat single-engine low-wing monoplane. (Passenger seating was inside the fuselage.) Trans Continental and Western Air Inc. (later to become TWA) ordered five Alphas and began services on April 20, 1931 from San Francisco to New York, with 13 intermediate stops, the journey taking just over 23 hours. These Alphas were configured for three passengers and 465 lbs. of mail and cargo, for mail flying was a lucrative contract at that time, but regularity and reliability was required. To achieve all-weather and night-flying capability, the Alphas had the most modern radio and navigation equipment, and for winter operations became the first commercial type to be fitted with Goodrich rubber de-icer boots on wing and tail surface leading edges. The last surviving Alpha, the third built, served with the US Assistant Secretary of Commerce for Aeronautics, the Ford Motor Company, National Air Transport (part of United Airlines), and TWA. It was re-acquired by TWA in 1975 and superbly restored before being placed in Washington's Smithsonian Institution National Air and Space Museum.

All airplane models are Hand Carved, Hand Painted Mahogany and come fully assembled with removable desk stand.

Dimensions: Wingspan, 22" -Length, 14" -Scale, 1/24

Item #ESAG015W - Air Corps Price $134.95

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northrop alpha airplane models, model airplanes.
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