This monoplane was the first of its type in the world, and made many successful flights when towed by a horse or a Ford car. The inventor knew his aerodynamics, and his plane embodied principles of safety that have been generally adopted in plane construction.
On January 12, 1909, snow covered the fields back of the Martin farm, Canton, Ohio, and the device was hauled out and taken to the top of a hill. Old Billy, the farm horse, was hitched to the front of the plane by a long rope. Mr. Martin took his seat in the plane, son George whistled to Billy. The horse started down the hill pulling the plane behind him. It rose from the ground, reached a height of 25 feet and traveled 200 feet before the horse slackened its pace and the plane settled gently back to earth.
Mrs. Martin then took her seat in the plane and made several successful flights, being the first woman ever to fly in a heavier than air machine. Another son, Charles C. Martin, also went up and said that it came down like a feather. When he shut his eyes, he didn’t know when it struck snow.
Mr. Martin’s experiments had been kept secret, but the trial flights could not be hidden. Neighbors flocked to the field to see for the first time in their lives a human being sustained in the air by a heavier than air machine. Cousin Glenn L. Martin had not yet built the first plane in California.
A photographer came out to take pictures of the flights but became so excited that he failed to operate his photographic apparatus properly and all the plates were ruined!
During successive days more than 100 flights were made. All the members of the family, including the pet dog enjoyed the novel experience. One day one of the sled runners struck a bare spot on the ground and swerved the plane against a fence, damaging it slightly. The flights were suspended for a time.
William H. Martin had his eye on more than the local scene and wanted to get his plane demonstrated in the East, but was handicapped by lack of funds. William A. Hoberdier, who, with his brother, L.A. Hoberdier operated Lyric Amusement Co. of Canton, is credited with having helped finance trips to New York in the Spring of 1909.
Another milestone was established September 21, 1909, when Mr. Martin’s eight-year-old granddaughter, Blanche Martin, made several solo flights in the machine, thus demonstrating its safety. Her hops were 75 feet in length, and it was the first time a child of such age had ever taken to the air in a “heavier than air” machine. Mr. Martin sought to obtain a motor for his plane and wrote to F.S. Lahm, noted Canton balloonist, then living in Paris. In a letter from Paris, dated March 15, 1909, Mr. Lahm told him that the only successful motor then on the market was exorbitantly priced and advised that a smaller one was to be produced soon. Some used motors were obtainable, but were unreliable.
Twenty years after the plane was built, patented and successfully flown, Mr. Martin offered it to the Smithsonian Institution. After long and careful investigation the Smithsonian institution accepted it as being the first plane of its type, and put it on display next to Lindbergh’s “Spirit of St. Louis.”
In 1936 Dennis R. Smith, when returning from a marble tournament, stopped in at the Smithsonian Institution and saw the Martin plane on display beside Lindbergh’s Spirit of St. Louis.
When he returned to Canton he met William H. Martin on the street and reported seeing his plane at the Smithsonian. Mr. Martin, then an old man of 81, with long white whiskers, and gentle and quiet spoken in manner, had the happiest moment of his life when he knew that his contributions to air pioneering had been memorialized by the preservation of his machine. His patent had run out in 1926, and he took additional satisfaction in knowing that the invention which he had patented was free for the use of all mankind.
When Harry Renkert organized the Canton Aviation Co. in 1938, and acquired the land for the airport, he named it Martin Field in honor of William H. Martin, whose farm adjoined the field.
The McKinley Presidential Library & Museum has graciously put the Martin Glider on indefinite loan to MAPS Air Museum as of February 16, 2002.
William H. Martin of Canton, Ohio, died in March, 1937. Mr. Martin’s funeral had to be postponed, as international travelers wished to pay their respects to this gentleman who had the courage to stay with his convictions…
William H. Martin’s funeral caravan stretched for five miles…
With the experience gained from the conversion of Motor Cadet PFA.1385, P.J.Martin began building a definitive motor glider which he call the Martin Slug.
It was given the PFA number 1388 and was to be powered by a VW engine.
A piloted, three-eighths scale model of PBM flying boat; single-seat test aircraft built to generate aerodynamic data to design and build full-scale Martin PBM flying boat.
The construction was fabric-covered spruce plywood and aluminum.
In 1987, a dedicated and enthusiastic team of volunteers, many of whom were former Martin employees, began an exhaustive restoration of the 162A. After more than 10,000 man-hours of labor, the 162 was ready for display while on loan to the Museum of Industry in Baltimore, not far from where the “Tadpole Clipper” had been built and flown. Portions of the rear fuselage under-surface were left uncovered to illustrate some of the modifications made in the 162A’s hull during the course of its testing.
A single-seat biplane with a 90 hp Gnôme rotary engine. It was built for daredevil pilot Lincoln Beachey, but he rejected it on the grounds that it lacked necessary performance.
In 1910 Glenn L. Martin built another biplane machine with a slightly larger upper wing, interplane ailerons, a triangular stabilizer at the front rudder and a 50 hp Hall-Scott engine with which he set a few flight records of distance, duration and altitude in 1910 with flights from Newport-Beach to Catalina Island.
To meet a US Navy requirement for a high-performance multi-role flying-boat, Martin offered its Model 275 design. This had an all-metal hull of high length/beam ratio, mounting a cantilever high-set sharply-swept wing incorporating so much anhedral that the stabilising floats at the wing-tips could be attached permanently; the tail unit was of T-tail configuration with all-swept surfaces. Above the wing, to minimise spray ingestion, were mounted four Allison turbojet engines, and pressurised accommodation was provided for a crew of five. A beaching cradle allowed the SeaMaster to taxi in and out of the water under its own power. The P6M used a rotary bomb bay (as used on Martin’s licence-built Canberras and the XB-51). This permitted weapons release at high speeds without the drag of conventional bomb doors.
The first XP6M-1 prototype was flown on 14 July 1955, the second following on 18 May 1956. Ejection seats were fitted to the second and subsequent aircraft. These proved useful when the second SeaMaster pitched up, went into a loop and disintegrated. The original position of the engine exhausts caused stress on the rear fuselage which resulted in structural damage. The angle of the exhausts was adjusted after testing.
Martin received orders for six pre-production YP6M-1 boats powered by Allison J71 turbojets each developing a maximum 5897kg afterburning thrust. Successful flight testing led to an order for 24 production P6M-2 aircraft named SeaMaster, which differed primarily by having 7711kg thrust non-afterburning Pratt & Whitney J75-P-2 turbojet engines. The cockpit glazing was modified on later models to give a much better overhead and side view. However, the contract was cancelled on 21 August 1959 after only three had been built and these, together with the YP6M-1s, were scrapped at a later date. They were the fastest flying-boats ever built.
YP6M-1 Engines: 4 x J71 turbojet. Speed: 600 mph.
P6M Engines: 4 x Pratt & Whitney J75-P-2 turbojets, 7938kg Wingspan: 30.48 m / 100 ft 0 in Length: 40.84 m / 133 ft 12 in Height: 9.45 m / 31 ft 0 in Max take-off weight: 72575 kg / 160001 lb Payload: 13600kg / 29983 lb Max. speed: 965 km/h / 600 mph Ceiling: 12200 m / 40050 ft Range: 4830 km / 3001 miles Armament: 6 x 12.7mm machine-guns, 1800kg of weapons Crew: 4
The beginning of the Korean conflict on 25 June 1950 and the shortcomings of the Douglas B-26 / A-26, accounted for the urgent procurement of a light tactical bomber.
The new bomber had to be capable of operating from unimproved airfields, at night and in every kind of weather, with conventional or atomic weapons. High altitude reconnaissance was another must. For such purposes, the B-45 was too heavy; the Navy AJ-1, too slow; and the Martin experimental B-51’s range too short.
As a result of the outbreak in Korea, the Air Force reached a final decision. The desire for a night intruder was so strong that it took just a few days to set in motion the informal production endorsement of February 1951. Because of its experience with the XB-51, the Glenn L. Martin Company was recognized as the most qualified contractor to assume the domestic production of the British aircraft and to deal with the likely engineering difficulties involved in manufacturing a high-performance tactical bomber.
The new bomber became the Martin B-57, a by-product of the English Electric Canberra, the first British-built jet bomber, initially flown in 1949. Adaptation of a foreign-made aircraft to American mass production methods, as well as the use of different materials and tools, could present many difficulties. Another problem, perhaps more critical, centered on the Wright J65 turbojets, due to replace the Canberra’s two Rolls Royce Avon turbojet engines. The J65 was the U.S. version of the Sapphire, a British hand-tooled production currently scheduled for manufacturing by the U.S. Curtiss-Wright Corporation. The Air Force was fully aware of these potential pitfalls, but had no better option. It had an immediate requirement for a light jet bomber, with a 40,000-foot service ceiling, a 1,000-nautical mile range, and a maximum speed of 550 knots.
Testing of two imported Canberras revealed design faults that could affect the safety, utility, and maintenance of the future B-57. Then, one of the British planes crashed; Martin’s subcontractors could not meet their commitments; and the J65 prototype engines consistently failed to satisfy USAF requirements. In June 1952, further test flights had to be postponed for a year because of continuing engine and cockpit troubles. As a result, the Korea-bound B-57 did not fly before 20 July 1953, just 7 days before the conflict ended. Production of the crucial RB-57 was also delayed. The reconnaissance version entered service in mid-1954, after testing again confirmed that the more powerful J65 engines, added equipment, and other improvements had increased the aircraft’s weight, in turn reducing the speed, distance, and altitude of both the B-57 and the RB-57.
The program was reduced, but there was no talk of cancellation. In 1955, the B/RB-57s justified their costs when they served overseas pending the B/RB-66 deliveries which, as predicted, had fallen behind schedule. The first Martin B‑57A (the name Canberra was retained, though Night Intruder was also used) flew on 20 July 1953. In 1956, much-needed RB-57Ds joined the Strategic Air Command, and various configurations of this model satisfied important special purposes.
RB-57D
The main model (202 built) was the B 57B with a redesigned forward fuselage with a crew of only two seated in tandem under a giant rear hinged canopy. This attack version introduced a heavier bombload in a rotary door weapon bay, plus eight pylons under the outer wings and forward firing guns. The B 57B equipped two wings in Tactical Air Command and a wing of PACAF (Pacific Air Forces) but had mainly been passed to Air National Guard units by the early 1960s. Vietnam requirements then demanded aircraft in this class and all available B 57Bs (many had been re built into other models) were rushed to South Vietnam and used very success¬fully in the attack role and in particular as FAC (Forward Air Control) aircraft.
Martin B-57B
Delivered too late for combat in Korea, the RB-57 in May 1963 and the B-57 in February 1965 began to demonstrate under fire in Southeast Asia the basic qualities justifying the Canberra’s original selection.
The original B-57A differed little externally from the English Canberra B2. The RB-57A was similar, with reconnaissance equipment.
The B-57B, with eight 0.50 in or four 20mm guns in the wings, bombs in an internal bomb bay, and underwing racks, served with the Chinese Nationalist and Pakistani air forces.
Variants include the RB-57D(A) and (B) with cameras, the RB-57D(C) and (D) electronics reconnaissance aircraft with radomes at the nose and tail and under the fuselage, and the RB-57(C) with wingtip radomes.
In 1970, other reactivated and newly equipped B-57s, known as Tropic Moon III B-57Gs, were deployed to Southeast Asia, where they made valuable contributions until April 1972. A total of 16 B 57Bs was rebuilt as B-57G (Tropic Moon) all weather and night attack aircraft with APQ 139 radar, a FLIR (forward looking infra-red), low light TV and laser ranger. The most capable aircraft of its day, the B 57G remained a mere study programme despite brilliant combat results.
B-57E
The last new-built version was the B 57E multi role attack/bomber and target tug, all 68 of which were later modified for other tasks.
Martin B-57 modified to test the Boeing Bomarc interceptor missile
Finally, WB-57Fs, either modified RB-57Fs or former B-57Bs, were still flying high-altitude radiation sampling missions in 1973. Concurrently, EB-57Es, and related adaptations of the versatile B-57, continued to play significant roles, with no immediate phaseout in sight.
RB-57F
403 were built under licence by Martin (in six variants) as the B-57 and served with the US Air Force from August 1953 until 1982 in various marks and guises. At a later date a number of these were converted by General Dynamics to serve as ultra high-altitude strategic reconnaissance aircraft. These were provided with a wing span of 37.19m, two 80kN Pratt & Whitney TF33-P-11 turbofan engines (replacing the conventional power plant), plus two 14.68kN Pratt & Whitney J60-P-9 turbojets in underwing pods, and many equipment and avionics changes to fit them for their specialised role. The B-57 saw combat over Vietnam beside other Canberras from Australia.
The USAF bought 21 WB-57F aircraft, which were built by General Dynamics from existing B-57Bs and RB-57Ds. The airplanes’ ability to reach altitudes over 65,000 feet, carry payloads in excess of 4,000 lbs, and its triple spar wings made it a very capable high-altitude platform. Missions included everything from weather reconnaissance for Apollo space launches to sampling radiation in nuclear weapon test plumes.
In the late 1960s and early 1970s the Air Force decided to ground the WB-57F and depend exclusively on the U-2 for high-altitude support. The mission of monitoring nuclear test bans was better done by the WB-57F than the U-2, however. That mission was important enough that three aircraft were given to NASA to keep that capability alive, which were designated N925N, N926NA, and N928NA.
When N925N was retired and put on display at Pima Air & Space Museum in Tucson, Arizona, it that left NASA with two WB-57Fs. Another airframe joined the fleet in 2011 after been taken out of the 309th Aerospace Maintenance and Regeneration Group, (AMARG), better known as the “Bone Yard,” at Davis-Monthan Air Force Base, Arizona. The aircraft, designated N927NA, began as a B-57B, and then was one of 21 aircraft rebuilt as an RB-57F in 1964. As an RB-57F the aircraft had its wingspan increased to 122 feet and the original Wright J65 turbojets were replaced by Pratt & Whitney TF-33 turbofans, doubling both the wingspan and thrust.
N927 had been retired in June 1972 and remained on “celebrity row” at the Bone Yard until May 2011 when it was dismantled and trucked to Sierra Nevada Corporation at Centennial Airport, Colorado. After being refurbished to flying condition it was flown to Ellington AFB in August 2013.
The aircraft had been in storage for over 40 years and made its first flight in 41 years in the summer of 2013, setting a record for the longest an aircraft had sat in the Bone Yard before returning to flying status.
NASA’s WB-57F
Based at Ellington Field near NASA’s Johnson Space Center in Houston, Texas, the WB-57F operates in NASA’s High Altitude Research Program. The aircraft provides unique, high-altitude (up to 70,000 feet MSL) airborne platforms to United States government agencies and other customers for scientific research, advanced technology development, and testing around the world.
Since 2000, the unique performance capabilities of the WB-57F aircraft and increasing costs associated with the ER-2 program have resulted in NASA allowing multiple customers to use the WB-57Fs for atmospheric and satellite sensor research. The DOD programs have gotten much broader, and N928 (and sometimes N926) have multiple customers asking us to help them develop satellite sensors.
Both aircraft were enjoying multiple customers. By June 2014, both aircraft were upgraded with global positioning satellite navigation systems, F-15 main landing gear and brakes, and the gross weight capability of both aircraft was certified from 63,000 pounds to 72,000 pounds. Ongoing upgrades to the aircraft include installation of the ACES II ejection seat system and installation of an improved, modern autopilot.
B-57B Night intruder bomber Engines: 2 x Wright J65-W-3 Sapphire turbojets, 7,500lb thrust Wingspan: 64 ft Length: 65 ft. 6 in Loaded weight: 46,000 lb. Max speed: over 600 m.p.h. Ceiling: over 45,000 ft. Max range: 3,000 miles. Armament: 8x.50 in. machine-guns Bombload: 6,000 lb; 8×5-in. rockets Hardpoints: 4 Crew: 2
B 57B Engines: two 3,275 kg (7,220 lb) thrust Wright J65 W 5 turbojets. Maximum speed 937 km/h (582 mph) at 12190 m (40,000 ft). Service ceiling 14630 m (48,000 ft). Range 3700 km (2,300 miles). Weights: empty 11793 kg (26,000 lb) Maximum take off 24948 kg (55,000 lb) Wing span 19.51 m (64 ft 0 in) Length 19.96 m (65 ft 6 in) Height: 4.75 m (15 ft 7 in) Wing area: 89.18 m (960 sq ft). Armament: eight 12.7 mm (0, 5 in) or four 20 mm guns; up to 2722 kg (6,000 lb), 16 underwing rockets or mixed rocket/ bomb/napalm loads.
RB-57D Engines: 2 x Pratt & Whitney J57C, 11,000 lb Wingspan: 106 ft Length: 65 ft 6 in Height: 14 ft 10 in Max speed: 632 mph at 40,000 ft Service ceiling: 60,000 ft
RB 57F Engines: 2 x Pratt & Whitney TF33 P 11 turbofan, 18,000 lb (8,165 kg) st, and 2 x P&W J60 P 9 auxiliary turbojets, 3,300 lb (1,500 kg) st. Wing span: 122 ft 5 in (37.32 m) Length: 69 ft 0 in (21.03 m). Height: 5.8 m / 19 ft 0 in Max take-off weight: 20360 kg / 44886 lb Empty weight: 13600 kg / 29983 lb Max. speed: 880 km/h / 547 mph Ceiling: 25000 m / 82000 ft Range w/max.fuel: 6440 km / 4002 miles Typical endurance: Over 10 hr Crew: 2 Armament: None
