1935 convertible sedan and 35 plane

[danliveshere]

I don’t have any information on this photo but what a great picture. I’ll have one of each thanks!

[mfirth]

What kind of plane? Bellanca ? Unusual for sure. Thanks !!!

[petehoovie]

Originally Posted by danliveshere

I don’t have any information on this photo but what a great picture. I’ll have one of each thanks!

[ford38v8]

Clue: The grille on the plane.

[38bill]

Av8

[petehoovie]

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[V8COOPMAN]

Originally Posted by danliveshere

I don’t have any information on this photo but what a great picture. I’ll have one of each thanks!

The airplane is the one and only "McGaffey Aviate". The McGaffey Aviate—was an effort to meet the American public's hope that flying an airplane could be as easy and inexpensive as driving a car.




Not only did the aviation public wish to have an airplane as easy to buy as an automobile (the rock bottom price on a Model T was only $295), the manufacturers of private aircraft were equally eager to have their products perceived as airborne automobiles, with equal utility and even greater social cachet. Piper, Taylorcraft, Aeronca, and others dolled their airplanes up with phony grills, wheels instead of sticks, and interiors as much like cars as possible. Even upscale aircraft like Loening Amphibians were decorated and spoken of in limousine terms.

The lust for the best of both possible worlds also resulted in several attempts to combine the two in one vehicle, as best exemplified by the Fulton Airphibian and Molt Taylor's jewel, the Aerocar.

This infectious passion overcame even the director of the U.S. Bureau of Air Commerce, Eugene L. Vidal, a very experienced pilot trained in the Army Air Service, with a strong background in commercial air transportation. In a fit of enthusiasm, Vidal called for a national competition for an aircraft that would be in the $700 price range: FAPD (Fly-Away Pipe Dream). It was also to be "foolproof —an achievement that still eludes all manufacturers. Vidal probably knew that, while what he was asking for was unachievable, he was certain to reap a harvest of interest in aviation. The winner of the competition was the twin-boom pusher Stearman Hammond using a Menasco engine, but it was considerably over the target price.

A more realistic competitor was the McGaffey Airplane Development Company's neat little Aviate, which used a converted Ford V-8. Neil McGaffey built the airplane in Pasadena, and Vance Breese flight-tested it at Mines Field in Los Angeles.

The announced price on the Aviate was a mere $1625. McGaffey planned to sell the engine, nominally rated at 100 horsepower but more likely generating about 95, for $350. The pod-like cabin, which featured a 1935-Ford-style grill forward and twin booms aft, carried two people. I've been told that Claire Vance had a hand in the design, and the aircraft is similar in outline to his famous Bendix entry.

The announced performance for the Aviate was creditable, with a top speed of 115 miles per hour, a cruise of 100, and a landing speed of only 38. The 34-foot-span, fabric-covered wing was built of solid spruce spars and metal ribs, with the rest of the aircraft almost all metal. The automobile motif was carried further with the use of a standard automobile radio, Ford brake drums, and other smaller components.

The Aviate appeared in mid-1935, and was in existence at least through August 1938. It would be interesting to learn of its ultimate disposition.
For the buffs, the darker sections in the picture are battleship grey and the lighter are ivory grey, all trimmed in "green—for McGaffey—green."

Capt. Charles Spencer (Pan Am) wrote to say that his father, Capt. C. C. Spencer (Pan Am, Ret.), was a partner in the design. The senior Spencer is still flying actively with the California Forest Service. Other automobile-engined aircraft during the period included the Fahlin Plymocoupe, with a six-banger Plymouth engine; the Ford Arrow; the Campbell F (a really sleek airplane); the Horace Keene Ace; and others; but none caught on. "
__________________________________________________

I wrote more about this aircraft back in 2016, where you can read more by clicking the link BELOW!


https://www.fordbarn.com/forum/showt...+ford+airplane

Coop/AMERICAN

.

[v8nut]

Interesting that the pace car at Indianapolis in 1935 was a Ford Convertible Sedan and Amelia Earhart was photographed in it. That may be part of the airplane story. Jim in San Jose.

[danliveshere]

Thanks V8 Coopman for the story around this plane.
Dan.

[mfirth]

THANKS Coopman for sure! I would think the V8 would make it a touch nose heavy ??
More than a Lycomming ...... Aw shucks, let go luxury with a Stager Wing Beech !

[V8COOPMAN]

Originally Posted by mfirth

THANKS Coopman for sure! I would think the V8 would make it a touch nose heavy ??
More than a Lycomming ...... Aw shucks, let go luxury with a Stager Wing Beech !

Ooh, oooh! THE legendary Beech "Staggerwing", or the Beech Model 17 as they are officially known. Although Beechcraft made early attempts to nickname this airplane the "Negative Stagger Beech", the public decided otherwise by forever naming the prestigious Model 17 as just ....the "Beech Staggerwing". As can be clearly seen in the picture below, the NEGATIVE STAGGER refers to the un-common placement of the upper wing BEHIND the lower wing. These Model 17s were so far ahead of their time that during the 1930s, they were faster than many U.S. military fighters. They were so well-thought-of that the last 20 Staggerwings rolled out the Wichita factory door as late as 1949 at a price of $29,000, vs the then-current $8,000 price tag for a new Beech V-tail "Bonanza", which was introduced in 1947. With well over 200 Staggerwings still airworthy today, becoming a new owner will easily set you back six figures, with a few examples approaching a half million bucks! Notice the roll-down window cranks, just one luxurious appointment in these art-deco era masterpieces.

Coop/AMERICAN