The Stearman-Hammond Y-1 is a 1930s

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utility

monoplane A monoplane is a fixed-wing aircraft configuration with a single mainplane, in contrast to a biplane or other types of multiplanes, which have multiple wings. A monoplane has inherently the highest efficiency and lowest drag of any wing con ...

built by the Stearman-Hammond Aircraft Corporation and evaluated by the

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and the

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Development

Stearman Hammond Y-1 at Langley May 1936 NACA 12107

In the early 1930s Dean Hammond designed the Hammond Model Y, a low-wing monoplane twin-boom pusher monoplane. Hammond cooperated with the aircraft designer

Lloyd Stearman Lloyd Carlton Stearman (October 26, 1898 – April 3, 1975) was an American aviator, aircraft designer, and early aviation entrepreneur. Biography Stearman was born in Wellsford, Kansas. From 1917 – 1918, he attended Kansas State Coll ...

to develop the type for production. They formed the Stearman-Hammond Aircraft Corporation in 1936 to build the aircraft as the Stearman-Hammond Y-1. The first aircraft was powered by a 125 hp (93 kW) Menasco C-4 piston engine driving a pusher propeller. The performance was not impressive so it was re-engined with a 150 hp (112 kW) Menasco C-4S and re-named the Y-1S. Although designed to be easy to fly the high price meant only 20 aircraft were produced. The aircraft had no rudder as such, the tailplane fins being adjustable but fixed in flight. Turning was by differential aileron and elevator alone.

Operational history

In 1934 the Bureau of Air Commerce held a competition for a safe and practical $700 aircraft. In 1936 the winner of the competition was the Stearman-Hammond Y-1, incorporating many of the safety features of the

Ercoupe The ERCO Ercoupe is an American low-wing monoplane aircraft that was first flown in 1937. It was originally manufactured by the Engineering and Research Corporation (ERCO) shortly before World War II; several other manufacturers continued its ...

W-1. Two other winners were the Waterman Aeroplane and a roadable autogyro from the

Autogiro Company of America The Pitcairn Aircraft Company was an American aircraft manufacturer of light utility aircraft. An early proponent of the autogyro, the company, later known as the Autogiro Company of America among other names, remained in business until 1948. ...

, the AC-35. Twenty-five examples were ordered by the bureau at a price of $3,190 each. The first delivery was considered unacceptable in finish, prompting the production of the re-engineered Y-S model. Two Y-1S, serial numbers 0908 and 0909,were used for radio controlled development trials by the United States Navy as the JH-1. A successful unmanned radio-controlled flight was made with a JH-1 drone on 23 December 1937 at the Coast Guard Air Station, Cape May, N.J. Take-off and landing was controlled via a land based radio set; for flight maneuvers, control was shifted to an airborne TG-2.

KLM KLM Royal Dutch Airlines, or simply KLM (an abbreviation for their official name Koninklijke Luchtvaart Maatschappij N.V. , ),

purchased a Y-1 (''PH-APY'') for use in training their pilots in tricycle undercarriage. The

also evaluated a former KLM Y-1S in the 1940s.

Variants

;Hammond Model Y :Prototype for the 1934 Bureau of Air Commerce safe airplane competition."Push Type Flivver Plane Easy To Control" ''Popular Mechanics'', October 1935
/ref> ;Stearman-Hammond Y-1 :Prototype aircraft with a 125hp (93kW) Menasco C-4 engine. ;Stearman-Hammond Y-1S :Production aircraft with a 150hp (112kW) Menasco C-4S engine. ;JH-1 :United States Navy designation for two Y-1S used for tests.

Operators

; :

KLM KLM Royal Dutch Airlines, or simply KLM (an abbreviation for their official name Koninklijke Luchtvaart Maatschappij N.V. , ),

; *

Aircraft on display

* NC15521, a Y-1S at the Netherlands Transport Museum, Nieuw Vennep, The Netherlands. * NC15522, a Y-1S at the

Hiller Aviation Museum The Hiller Aviation Museum is an aviation museum located at the San Carlos Airport in San Carlos, California, focused on Northern California aviation history, Hiller Aircraft and helicopter history. History Background As early as the late 1960 ...

, San Carlos, California, United States.

Specifications (Y-1S)

References

Notes

Bibliography

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External links

{{USN utility aircraft 1930s United States civil utility aircraft Low-wing aircraft Single-engined pusher aircraft Twin-boom aircraft Aircraft with fixed tricycle landing gear Single-engined piston aircraft