The Bellanca 28-70 was a long-range air racer designed for James Fitzmaurice of Ireland, who christened it Irish Swoop. Although built for the 1934 MacRobertson Race from England to Australia, it never completed any long-distance race, but ultimately inspired a high-speed bomber.
Design and development
To prepare for the 1934 England-Australia race, Col. James “Fitz” [...]
from April, 1935 Aero Digest:
• Six-place high-wing monoplane. (Senior Skyrocket Model 31-50 and Senior Pacemaker Model 31-40 respectively; data on Senior Pacemaker indicated in brackets.) P. & W. Wasp “H” direct-drive engine, 550 horsepower. (Wright Whirlwind R-985-E2 engine, 420 horsepower.)
Span 50 ft. 6 in. Length overall 27 ft. 11 in. Height overall 8 ft. 6 [...]
from April, 1935 Aero Digest:
• Eighteen-place sesquiplane. Two Wright Cyclone geared engines, 710 horsepower each. Available as land plane, amphibian, seaplane.
(Specifications given for landplane; data on amphibion and seaplane in brackets in that order.)
Span 76 feet. Length overall 44 feet. Height overall 14 feet. Wing area 770 square feet.
Power loading 10 pounds per horsepower. Wing [...]
The Aircruiser was commissioned in 1928, by Italian WW I ace, Caesare Sabelli, who wanted a plane that could fly non-stop from New York to Rome. Giuseppe Bellanca’s original design, the Model K , never made the flight, but the design survived. The distinctive “W” silhouette of the plane is derived from [...]
