An unusual biplane airliner, capable of carrying 18 passengers.
photo probably taken at East Boston airport, c. 1936
Curtiss-Wright Condor, NC12396
On the Curtiss-Wright Condor aircraft (which had no galleys) American Airlines (Airways) hostesses served their eighteen passengers coffee, tea, Coca-Cola, biscuits and coffeecake from a picnic hamper.
From Aero Digest, April, 1935:
Curtiss-Wright Airplane Company, Robertson, Missouri
• Fifteen- or nineteen-place biplane. A TC 534. (Models Day Plane T -32 and Sleeplane AT -32 respectively; data on AT -32 indicated in brackets). Two Wright Cyclone SGR1820-F3 engines 715 h.p. each (Two Wright Cyclone engines, each 710 h.p. at 7000 ft.).
Span 82 ft. Length overall 49 ft. 6.375 in. Height overall 16 ft. 4 in. Wing area 1208 sq. ft. Power loading 12.2 Ibs.jh.p. Wing loading 14.5 Ibs./sq. ft.
Empty weight 11,465 (12,235) Ibs. Useful load 6035 (5265) Ibs. Payload 3200 (2600) Ibs. Gross weight 17,500 Ibs. Fuel capacity 350 gal. Oil capacity 30 gal.
Maximum speed at 8000 ft. 190 m.p.h. Cruising speed at 8000 ft. 167 m.p.h. Landing speed 62 m.p.h. Service ceiling 23,000 ft. Rate of climb 1200 ft. per min. Cruising range 650 miles.
Fuselage; fabric covered; welded chrome moly steel tubing; sleep lane has facilities for converting seats into twelve berths. Wings: fabric covered; beams built up Warren truss type of chrome moly steel tubing; ribs duralumin tubular construction. Tail group: welded chrome moly steel tubing, fabric covered; ribs of bulb section flanges and round tube diagonal web members. Fully retractable landing gear equipped with Bendix wheels and brakes, Cleveland Pneumatic shock absorbers.
Standard equipment includes three-bladed Curtiss electric controllable-pitch propellers, Exide batteries, Lux fire extinguishing system, Pyrene hand extinguisher, landing lights, navigation lights, switches for utility control, instrument lights, navigation lights, fog light, landing lights.
Instrument: Sperry gyro-horizon, Sperry directional gyro, bank and turn indicator, climb indicator, air speed indicator, sensitive altimeter, standard altimeter, compass, clock, tachometers, fuel gauges, oil pressure gauges, instrument vacuum gauge, and other engine and flight instruments. Also see data in February and November, 1933, August, 1934, AERO DIGEST.