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Burnelli's Lifting Bodies
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1921 -
RB-1
1st Lifting-Body aircraft ever built U.S. Patent # 1,758,498 Filed: January 6, 1921 Issued: May 13, 1930 |
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1924 - RB-2
Vincent Justus Burnelli standing in front of the
RB-2, the world's largest air freighter at that time --
it was even used as a flying show-room carrying an automobile of the
time.
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1927 - CB-16
America's first executive airliner, built for P.W.
Chapman, Chairman of United States Lines. The all metal CB-16 was
the first multi-engine aircraft capable of single engine performance at
its design gross weight and the first American twin-engined plane to employ the
use of retractable landing gear.
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1929 - GX-3 The Burnelli GX-3 was an experimental aircraft which reduced to practice the use of the breakaway leading edge in combination with high lift trailing edge flaps (derivations of which appear in the most modern airplanes), wend plating of wing-tips to reduce drag (derivations of which appear on many transports but called "winglets") and four-wheel landing gear. |
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1930 - UB-20
First American aircraft to
employ the use of flat metal
stressed-skin
construction.
In 1934, for promotional
purpose, the Sun Oil Company employed the use of the Burnelli UB-20 to
carry the Ford automobile shown, to sub-zero temperatures at altitude to
prove the effectiveness of their petroleum products under extremely low
temperature conditions. A mechanic descended into the automobile and
started the engine at sub-zero temperatures. This stunt was used in
a national advertising campaign for the Sun Oil products.
What aircraft could do this
today?
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1934 - UB-14
Vincent Justus Burnelli and Clyde Pangborn
standing in front of UB-14 circa 1935.
It was this plane that dramatically
demonstrated the crashworthiness of this
type of design.[video]
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1941 - OA-1
The Cunliffe-Owen Clyde Clipper was
built in England under a license from and under the supervision of Vincent
Justus Burnelli. The aircraft was used by General Charles de Gaulle
during W.W.II.
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1946 - CBY-3
With over 400 sq. ft. of floor area
and over 2400 cu. ft. of internal volume, a very versatile aircraft --
seen here on final approach.
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