The creation of Australian inventor Newton Roberts Gordon, the “Air Ship” was the subject to a public test at Chowder Bay, Sydney, on December 26, 1894. The machine was a tandem-wing monoplane with steam-powered flappers between the sail-like wings. It slid down its starting ramp and crashed down onto the beach in front of thousands of spectators.
In 1903, Donald H. Gordon built a glider which took off from the top of the family barn. The contraption collapsed, and plane-building was suspended for several years. Gordon’s second aeroplane was built during 1911-1912.
Donald H. Gordon grew up in the El Cajon Valley, California, and built and flew a glider and three powered planes on the family’s 160-acre ranch at Bostonia. His made one of the first power flights west of the Mississippi, within six years of the Wright Brothers’ first flight. Earlier, while the Wrights were making their first public flights in 1903, Gordon built a glider which took off from the top of the family barn. The contraption collapsed, and plane-building was suspended for several years.]
The original concept of an all-fabric inflatable aircraft was based on Taylor McDaniel inflatable rubber glider experiments in 1931. Designed and built in only 12 weeks, the Goodyear Inflatoplane was built in 1956, with the idea that it could be used by the military as a rescue plane to be dropped in a hardened container behind enemy lines. The 44 cubic ft (1.25 cubic meter) container could also be transported by truck, jeep trailer or aircraft.
The inflatable surface of this aircraft was actually a sandwich of two rubber-type materials connected by a mesh of nylon threads, forming an I-beam. When the nylon was exposed to air, it absorbed and repelled water as it stiffened, giving the aircraft its shape and rigidity. Structural integrity was retained in flight with forced air being continually circulated by the aircraft’s motor and guy wires.
There were at least two versions: The GA-468 was a single-seater. It took about five minutes to inflate to about 25 psi (170 kPa); at full size, it was 19 ft 7 in (5.97 m) long, with a 22 ft (6.7 m) wingspan. A pilot would then hand-start the two-stroke cycle, 40 horsepower (30 kW) Nelson engine, and takeoff with a maximum load of 240 pounds (110 kg). On 20 US gallons (76 L) of fuel, the aircraft could fly 390 miles (630 km), with an endurance of 6.5 hours. Maximum speed was 72 miles per hour (116 km/h), with a cruise speed of 60 mph. Later, a 42 horsepower (31 kW) engine was used in the aircraft.
Takeoff from turf was in 250 feet with 575 feet needed to clear a 50 foot obstacle. It landed in 350 feet. Rate of climb was 550 feet per minute. Its service ceiling was estimated at 10,000 ft.
The GA-466 was the two-seater version, 2 in (51 mm) shorter, but with a 6 ft (1.8 m) longer wingspan than the GA-468. A more powerful 60 horsepower (45 kW) McCulloch 4318 engine could power the 740 pounds (340 kg) of plane and passenger to 70 miles per hour (110 km/h), although the range of the plane was limited to 275 miles (443 km).
The test program at Goodyear’s facilities near Wingfoot Lake, Akron, Ohio showed that the inflation could be accomplished with as little as 8 psi (544 mbar), less than a car tire. The flight test program had a fatal crash when Army aviator Lt. “Pug” Wallace was killed. The aircraft was in a descending turn when one of the control cables under the wing came off the pulley and was wedged in the pulley bracket, locking the stick. The turn tightened until one of the wings folded up over the prop and was chopped up. With the wings flapping because of loss of air, one of the aluminum wing tip skids hit the pilot alongside the head, as was clear from marks on his helmet. Wallace was pitched out over the nose of the aircraft and fell into the shallow lake. His chute never opened. He may have been knocked unconscious and rendered unable to open it.
Only 12 Goodyear Inflatoplanes were built, but development continued until the project was cancelled in 1973. The US Army was not ready for blow up aircraft, however, and civilian certification standards prevented Goodyear from offering their Inflatobird to the public.
Goodyear donated two Inflatoplanes for museum display at the end of the project, one to the Franklin Institute in Philadelphia and one to the Smithsonian Institution in Washington, D.C.
Variants:
GA-33 Inflatoplane
The initial single-seat version, with open cockpit, based on the Taylor McDaniel inflatable rubber glider experiments from the early 1930’s. One built.
GA-447 Inflatoplane
An enclosed cockpit and new wing, used for undercarriage experiments (tricycle, uniwheel, and hydroskid). One built.
GA-466 Inflatoplane
Company designation for the AO-2 Inflatoplane
GA-468 Inflatoplane
Company designation for the AO-2 Inflatoplane
XAO-2-GI Inflatoplane
Military designation for the GA-466. One built.
XAO-3-GI Inflatoplane
Military designation for the GA-468. Five built.
General characteristics
Engine: 1 × McCulloch 4318 air-cooled, 60 hp (45 kW)
Length: 19 ft 2 in (m)
Wingspan: 28 ft (8.53 m)
Height: 4 ft (1.22 m)
Loaded weight: 740 lb (336 kg)
Maximum speed: 70 mph (113 km/h)
Range: 275 mi (440 km)
Service ceiling: 6,500 ft (1,981 m)
Rate of climb: 500 ft/min (152 m/min)
Crew: 1
Capacity: 1 passenger
Airship work started at the Akron, Ohio, plant of the company in 1910, when engineer P. W. Litchfield began developing the specialised techniques required for the manufacture of rubberised fabric. After visiting Europe to see the latest airships flying at the time, he returned to America to start the construction of the company’s first envelope, which was completed in July 1911. With a total capacity of 375,000 cu ft, it was made for Melvin Vaniman’s ill fated airship “Akron” which attempted to fly across the Atlantic in July 1912.
As a result of negotiations, which began in 1922 between Goodyear and Luftschiffbau Zeppelin, the Goodyear-Zeppelin Corporation was formed on December 14, 1923. From then on, Goodyear’s major effort was directed towards the design of rigid airships for naval and commercial use, but it was to be several years before an airship of this type was laid down by the, new company.
“GZ” stands for Goodyear-Zeppelin, stemming from the partnership Goodyear had with the German company when both were building airships together. However these models came many years after this partnership had dissolved during the start of World War II. The GZ-1 was the USS Akron (ZRS-4), the U.S. Navy’s fourth rigid airship used for several tests including as a flying “aircraft carrier”.
Total airship production by the company up to 1923 was 37, of which 26 were for the U.S. Navy, 7 for the U.S. Army, and 4 commercial.
On December 5, 1939, to reflect the company’s growing interest in other fields of aeronautical work, the corporate name was changed again, this time to the Goodyear Air¬craft Corporation. With America’s entry into WW II, a great expansion began of the U.S. Navy’s airship service, with 200 airships being authorised in June, 1942. Between September, 1941 and April, 1944, Goodyear delivered 130 K Class, 10 L Class, 7 G Class, and 4 M Class airships to the Navy. These joined 4 K, 3 L, 1 G, and two ex Army ships already in service, plus five Goodyear fleet ships, to make the largest airship fleet ever assembled by any nation. They were used extensively along the eastern and western seaboards of the United States, in Central and South American waters, and from 1944 in the Mediterranean area. The ZP squadrons, the first being commissioned at Lakehurst on January 2, 1942, (ZP 12), were organised into Fleet Airship Wings, of which there were five.
As recently as 1967, Goodyear carried out an evaluation programme for the U.S. Naval Air Development Center in which a series of rigid and non rigid designs were examined for operational cost and performance potential. Amongst the designs considered were 45 million cubic feet rigids operating at speeds up to 210 m.p.h., which were found to be totally practical from a technical point of view.
As a further reflection of Goodyear’s expanding interest in aeronautics and space research, the company name was changed once more on July 1, 1963, to become the Goodyear Aerospace Corporation. With this change, airship operations were transferred to Goodyear Tire & Rubber public relations, with Aerospace being responsible for engineering, maintenance and development of the fleet. During this period the company were operating two airships, namely, the Type GZ 19As “Mayflower”, based at Miami, Florida, and “Columbia” at Los Angeles, California, during the winter months, both airships going on nationwide tour each summer. These ships were of 147,000 cu.ft. capacity and powered by two 175 h.p. Continental engines.
In 1950, a revised four-seat variant of the Goodyear GA-2, the GA-22 Drake was flown, followed in 1953 by the GA-22A Drake (with a revised hull); only one of each was built.
The GA-22A Drake was powered by a 225 hp (167 kW) Continental E-225-8 and converted into a flying boat with a revised hull; first flight in 1953.
The last aircraft built, the GA-22A Drake registered N5516M, is stored by the EAA Air Venture Museum
The Goodyear Aircraft Corporation began to design a small light amphibian before the end of the Second World War. The prototype designated GA-1 first flew in September 1944. It was a cantilever high-wing monoplane with underwing stabilizing floats. The GA-1 had an all-metal fabric-covered wing, an all-metal single-step hull, and a cruciform tail unit. It had a retractable tail-wheel, accommodation for two, and a pylon-mounted piston engine with a pusher propeller.
After successful testing of the prototype, 18 demonstration aircraft were built. These differed from the prototype in that they had room for the pilot and two passengers. Two versions were built, the GA-2 with a 145 hp (108 kW) Franklin 6A4-145-A3 piston engine, and the GA-2B with a 165 hp (123 kW) Franklin 6A4-165-B3 flat-six piston engine.
Sixteen GA-2 Duck were built, some later modified as GA-2Bs. Six GA-2B Duck were modified from GA-2s in 1949. The GA-2B had improvements over the GA-2, not the least insignificant of which was the fitting of the patented Goodyear Cross-Wind Landing Gear.
GA-2B
Engine: 1 × Franklin 6A4-163-B3, 165 hp (123 kW)
Length: 26 ft 0 in (7.92 m)
Wingspan: 36 ft 0 in (10.97 m)
Height: 9 ft 6 (on wheels) in (2.90 (on wheels) m)
Wing area: 178.20 ft2 (16.55 m2)
Empty weight: 1600 lb (726 kg)
Gross weight: 2300 lb (1043 kg)
Maximum speed: 125 mph (201 km/h)
Range: 300 miles (483 km)
Service ceiling: 15,000 ft (4570 m)
Crew: One
Capacity: Two passengers
The Goodyear Aircraft Corporation began to design a small light amphibian before the end of the Second World War. The prototype designated GA-1 first flew in September 1944. It was a cantilever high-wing monoplane with underwing stabilizing floats. The GA-1 had an all-metal fabric-covered wing, an all-metal single-step hull, and a cruciform tail unit. It had a retractable tail-wheel, accommodation for two, and a pylon-mounted piston engine with a pusher propeller. Originally powered by a 107 hp (80 kW) Franklin 4ACG-100-H3 piston engine, later fitted with a 125 hp (93 kW) Franklin 6A engine.
After successful testing of the prototype, 18 demonstration aircraft were built. These differed from the prototype in that they had room for the pilot and two passengers. Two versions were built, the GA-2 with a 145 hp (108 kW) Franklin 6A4-145-A3 piston engine, and the GA-2B with a 165 hp (123 kW) Franklin 6A4-165-B3 flat-six piston engine.
Formed 1940 to take over the Goodyear Zeppelin Corporation. Served as aircraft manufacturer and subcontractor to numerous companies during Second World War, including complete construction of the FG-1 Corsair, a Chance Vought design. Reverted to lighter-than-air craft postwar, but built a few GA-2 Duck three-seat experimental amphibians in 1947-8. GA-400R light single-seat helicopter flown in May 1954. Produced the Goodyear Inflatable Aircraft with an inflatable wing in mid-1950s.
Gonzales Gil-Pazo GP II was built in Spain by Arturo Gil y Santibanez and Jose Pazo Montes. This special version was fitted with a single 130 hp engine. It took part in a record attempt from Barcelona to Senegal, piloted by Ramon Torres and Carlos Coll of the Aero Club Aero Popular de Barcelone, but landed in Morocco after cross winds affected its flight. It is photographed here at Madrid airport during test flights, where it proved it could average a speed of 250 kph with a range of 2000 km.
It was destroyed in an accident at Los Alcazares in January 1937.
