Boeing 40C

[PingDit]

I recently received an email from a friend in the USA. I thought it interesting and thought you may like to see the photo's. A bit of background first:

Subject: The Oldest Boeing Airliner in Flying Condition This is as it should be - passengers in closed cabin, pilot in open cockpit so he will stay awake. The airplane is in Spokane , WA , and is the oldest flying Boeing in the World.

After 8 years of repair and rebuilding and 8,000 hours of toil the Boeing 40C rolled out last winter as a finished airplane. They had to wait a few weeks for the snow to melt to fly this baby. They received their Standard Airworthiness Certificate from the FAA and completed the engine pre-oil and fuel flow tests for the first of the taxi tests.

Facts for the Boeing 40 project:
221½ gallons of dope/reducer and 120 yards of 102 ceconite fabric. 12 gallons of poly urethane paint for the sheet metal. The wings have 33,000 individual parts in them. The airplane weighs 4080 lbs empty, has a gross weight of 6075 lbs. It is 34 ft long and 13 feet tall with a wing span of 44½ feet.

Wing loading is 10 lbs per sq ft and power loading is 10 Pounds per HP. It should cruise at 115 mph using 28 GPH, and 32 GPH at 120 mph. It carries 120 gallons of fuel in three tanks.

350 2-inch brushes were used to apply 6 gallons of West Systems epoxy, and 181 rolls of paper towels for cleanup.

There were a total of 62 volunteers who worked on the project to some degree. 21 of the volunteers did a significant amount of work, and 9 of the volunteers worked continuously during the 8 year project.


http://bl120w.blu120.mail.live.com/att/GetAttachment.aspx?tnail=0&messageId=e18a45c6-4fd9-4681-b77a-38c9c3ece42e&Aux=44%7C0%7C8CB353B06654790%7C


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[treadigraph]

Hello PingDit, can't see your pics mate. :{

[PingDit]

Sorry about that! I can see them OK, so not quite sure what to do about it?
However, edited to add this link to a website covering the story:
2008 - 02/21 - Boeing 40C Flies For the First Time in 80 Years (http://www.vintageaircraft.org/news/2008%20-%2002_21%20-%20Boeing%2040C%20Flies%20For%20the%20First%20Time%20in%2080 %20Years.html)

Ping

[treadigraph]

Cheers! Now that's an airplane!