Bellanca Facts, History & Trivia
Updated: July 5, 2000
This Viking, N6586V, was used by NASA as a testbed for lightning detection and photography systems used on the early Space Shuttles. Note the extended wing span.
Did you know that...
...Giuseppe Bellanca built his first airplane in 1912. It contradicted the popular designs of the day because its engine was in front and its tail was in the back! And, although this is the norm today, at the time people questioned whether it would fly. Bellanca said, "The experts gave me 15 days to live. But this was hopeful for it gave me the impression they thought the machine could get off the ground." And the legend began!
...Bellanca completed the C.F. model in 1922, it was a state of the art five place monoplane that had a top speed of 110 mph. Typical for the day, the passengers rode in the cabin while the pilot sat in an open cockpit. The initial rate of climb was 1100 f.p.m. when solo, and with full fuel and 5 souls it still did 600 f.p.m., all on 90 hp! It was the first design to use 'lifting struts' to support the wings. It won numerous first place trophies and now resides at the Smithsonian Institution.
...In 1927, the Wright-Bellanca WB-2 named "Columbia" set a world endurance record of 51 hours, 11 minutes and 20 seconds in the air. At the time Charles Lindbergh was looking for a plane and a navigator to make the first trans Atlantic flight when he said, "Well, if I can get a Bellanca, I'll fly alone." Quite a testimonial to the reliability of the Bellanca!
...Giuseppe Mario Bellanca was on the cover of
TIME
Magazine's July 4, 1927 issue.
...Two weeks after Lindbergh's trans Atlantic flight, "Columbia" departed Roosevelt Field and flew non-stop to Eisleben, Germany in only 42 hours and 45 minutes. The pilot was Clarence Chamberlin and he took along the plane's owner, Charles A. Levine. The flight distance surpassed that of Lindbergh's, setting a new record, and Levine became the first trans Atlantic airplane passenger!
...In May of 1931 Walter Lees and Frederic Brossy stayed aloft over Jacksonville Florida for 84 hour and 32 minutes, setting a record that stood until 1986 when it was surpassed by the around the world flight of the Voyager! Their Bellanca Pacemaker was specially built with extra large wings and control surfaces, and it was powered by a 225 hp Packard diesel engine. Packard was trying to show the world that their durable and efficient diesel was the wave of the future, and in fact it consumed just slightly more than 5 gph during the record setting flight, and the actual fuel cost for the flight was a mere 50 cents an hour!
...On July 28, 1931 a black-and-yellow Bellanca Pacemaker named "Cape Cod" departed Floyd Bennet Field in Brooklyn, NY. Piloted by Russell Boardman and John Polando it flew nonstop to Istanbul, Turkey establishing another new distance record of 5,012 miles. It became the sixth Bellanca to cross the Atlantic.
...Clyde Pangborn and Hugh Herndon, Jr. made the first non-stop flight across the Pacific Ocean in the Bellanca "Miss Veedol", taking off from Samishiro Beach, 280 miles north of Tokyo, on October 3, 1931. The 300 lb. landing gear was dropped to decrease weight and extend the range, and the belly of the plane was reinforced to withstand the landing. When the fliers landed in Wenatchee, Washington, 41 hours later, they had covered 4,558 miles without incident. "Miss Veedol" was a Bellanca CH-400 powered by a 425 hp Pratt & Whitney Wasp engine.
...Through the years more than 80 various models of Bellancas have been produced. This year the factory expects to complete and deliver three or four aircraft, all powered by the Continental IO-550 engine, this being the latest improvement to the breed!
More Items of Interest!
Lindbergh could have flown the "Spirit of Mariners Harbor"!
Click Here to read more!
And, be sure to read all about the evolution and development of the prototype Viking in Bob Humphrey's article. Mr. Humphreys is a former General Manager of Bellanca and relates a very interesting history lesson!
"A Viking History"
Some info on the short lived Aries T-250...
also...The Bellanca Dealers Convention---1971
To view photos of these historic aircraft, click below:
Historic Photos
More to come. Contributions are welcome, just e-mail:
Vikingdrvr@att.net
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