Kreider-Reisner XC-31
XC-31 | |
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Role | Single-engine transport |
National origin | United States |
Manufacturer | Fairchild Aircraft |
First flight | September 22, 1934 |
Primary user | United States Army Air Corps |
Number built | 1 |
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The Kreider-Reisner XC-31 or Fairchild XC-31 was an American single-engined monoplane transport aircraft of the 1930s designed and built by Kreider-Reisner. It was the largest single-engine aircraft built to that time,[1] as well as one of the last fabric-covered aircraft tested by the U.S. Army Air Corps.[2] Designed as an alternative to the emerging twin-engined transports of the time such as the Douglas DC-2, it was evaluated by the Air Corps at Wright Field, Ohio, under the test designation XC-941,[2] but rejected in favor of all-metal twin-engined designs.
The XC-31 was built with an aluminum alloy framework covered by fabric, and featured strut-braced wing and a fully retractable landing gear, the main gear units mounted on small wing-like stubs and retracting inwards. An additional novel feature was the provision of main cargo doors that were parallel with the ground to facilitate loading.
![](../I/m/Kreider-Reisner_XC-31_at_NASA_Langley_March_1943.jpg)
Following evaluation by the USAAC, the XC-31 was transferred to NACA, which used it for icing studies at its Langley Research Center.[3]
Specifications
General characteristics
- Crew: 1 (Pilot)
- Capacity: 15 passengers or 3,500 pounds (1,600 kg) of cargo
- Length: 55 ft 5 in (16.89 m)
- Wingspan: 75 ft in (22.86 m)
- Height: 15 ft 10 in (4.83 m)
- Wing area: 802 ft2 (74.5 m2)
- Empty weight: 7322 lb (3321 kg)
- Gross weight: 12750 lb (5783 kg)
- Powerplant: 1 × Wright R-1820--25 radial, 750 hp (559 kW)
Performance
- Maximum speed: 154 mph (248 km/h)
- Cruise speed: 143 mph (230 km/h)
- Range: 775 miles (1247 km)
- Service ceiling: 15,000 ft (4570 m)
See also
- Aircraft of comparable role, configuration and era
- Related lists
References
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Wikimedia Commons has media related to Kreider-Reisner XC-31. |
- ↑ Pattillo, Donald M. (1998). Pushing the Envelope: The American Aircraft Industry. University of Michigan: University of Michigan Press. pp. 79–80. ISBN 978-0472086719. Retrieved 2 April 2010.
- 1 2 3 "Kreider-Reisner XC-31 Fact Sheet". Online Aircraft Features. National Museum of the US Air Force. Retrieved 2 April 2010.
- 1 2 "Fairchild Model XC-31 Cargo Transport". History of Airplanes. acepilots.com. Retrieved 2 April 2010.
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