The Stout 2-AT Pullman, or "Air Pullman", was a single engine all-metal monoplane that was used for early airline travel and air mail transport in America.

Development

William Bushnell Stout William Bushnell Stout (March 16, 1880 – March 20, 1956) was a pioneering American inventor, engineer, developer and designer whose works in the automotive and aviation fields were groundbreaking. Known by the nickname "Bill", Stout designed an ...

started in aviation working for

Packard Packard (formerly the Packard Motor Car Company) was an American luxury automobile company located in Detroit, Michigan. The first Packard automobiles were produced in 1899, and the last Packards were built in South Bend, Indiana, in 1958. One ...

on the

Liberty engine The Liberty L-12 is an American water-cooled 45° V-12 engine, displacing and making , designed for a high power-to-weight ratio and ease of mass production. It was designed principally as an aircraft engine and saw wide use in aero applicat ...

during

World War I World War I or the First World War (28 July 1914 – 11 November 1918), also known as the Great War, was a World war, global conflict between two coalitions: the Allies of World War I, Allies (or Entente) and the Central Powers. Fighting to ...

. He promoted early innovative designs, based on the 1915 innovations of German aviation engineer

Hugo Junkers Hugo Junkers (3 February 1859 – 3 February 1935) was a German aircraft engineer and aircraft designer who pioneered the design of all-metal airplanes and flying wings. His company, Junkers Flugzeug- und Motorenwerke AG (Junkers Aircraft and ...

, such as a blended wing concept, and pioneered all-metal aircraft construction in America using Junkers-devised concepts. The 2-AT was a more conventional layout using the familiar and plentiful Liberty engine of the time. The first use of the nickname "Tin Goose" was applied to this aircraft by the news media. The name was later attributed to the

Ford Trimotor The Ford Trimotor (also called the "Tri-Motor", and nicknamed the "Tin Goose") is an American Trimotor, three-engined transport plane, transport aircraft. Production started in 1925 by the companies of Henry Ford and ended on June 7, 1933, afte ...

Design

The 2-AT was a high-wing conventional gear monoplane. The original design featured an open cockpit for the pilots, followed by an enclosed cockpit with opening side windows. The aircraft featured wallpaper, padded seats, semi-circular opening windows, and a bathroom. It was the first all-metal aircraft certified in America. It was eventually redesigned to accommodate three engines, becoming the

Stout 3-AT The Stout 3-AT List of trimotor aircraft, trimotor was the first all-metal trimotor built in America. The poorly performing tri-motor led to an updated design which became the popular Ford Tri-Motor. Development As a friend of the Ford family, R ...

trimotor, and again redesigned to become the more well-known

. The aircraft was under development as a Stout aircraft when Ford bought all controlling interests, creating the

Stout Metal Airplane Division of the Ford Motor Company Stout Metal Airplane Division of the Ford Motor Company was an American aircraft manufacturer founded by William Bushnell Stout as the Stout Metal Airplane Co. in 1922. The company was purchased by Ford Motor Company in 1924 and later produced th ...

. Development hastened with the infusion of resources from Ford. Stout's chief engineer, George H. Prudden, was credited for the new wing design using principles from Stout's earlier "thick wing" aircraft. Each 2-AT was powered by a Liberty engine, one example was tested with a Pratt and Whitney Wasp radial engine.

Operational history

The first flight was performed by

Walter Edwin Lees Walter Edwin Lees (July 16, 1887 – May 16, 1957) was an early American aviator who set a flight endurance record in 1931. Biography He was born on July 16, 1887, in Janesville, Wisconsin, and attended the University of Wisconsin–Madison. He ...

at Selfridge Field. The windshield blew in locking the controls, forcing a landing on a frozen lake. In 1925 the 2-AT was demonstrated at the

Ford National Reliability Air Tour The Ford Reliability Tour, properly called "The National Air Tour for the Edsel B. Ford Reliability Trophy", was a series of aerial tours sponsored in part by Ford from 1925 to 1931 and re-created in 2003. Top prize was the Edsel Ford Reliabili ...

by E.G. Hamilton. While just completing the event would have won an award, the 2-AT completed it with a perfect score. At the Air Tour, the first aircraft sale was announced. It was sold to

John Wanamaker John Wanamaker (July 11, 1838December 12, 1922) was an American merchant and religious, civic and political figure, considered by some to be a proponent of advertising and a "pioneer in marketing". He served as United States Postmaster General ...

& Co. to haul passengers and freight between Philadelphia and New York. Wanamaker's was an early seller of Ford products, and in turn became the first reseller of Ford aircraft, displaying the aircraft in their New York showroom. The 2-AT was listed in their lineup for $25,000. The United States Postal Office ordered one model for airmail service. The aircraft was modified with a Packard engine. The aircraft were put into service for the newly formed Ford Air Transport Service in 1925. The first 2-AT was built at the Stout factory in Dearborn and called the "Maiden Detroit". The aircraft was outfitted with a nickel-plated Liberty engine bought from a trophy case at the Marmon assembly plant. The other aircraft in the fleet were also 2-AT's, named "Maiden Dearborn I, II, III and IV". Initially the aircraft were for Ford's company use. The first scheduled commercial flights in America were begun when The "Maiden Detroit" flew of freight between factories in Detroit and Chicago on April 14, 1925. Ford Air Transport served routes between Chicago, Detroit and Cleveland. The "Maiden Detroit" entered

Contract Air Mail A contract is an agreement that specifies certain legally enforceable rights and obligations pertaining to two or more parties. A contract typically involves consent to transfer of goods, services, money, or promise to transfer any of those at ...

service on February 15, 1926. The aircraft flew from Detroit to Cleveland with the first commercial transport of air mail. The routes would be known as CAM-6 (Detroit to Cleveland), and CAM-7 (Detroit to Chicago). Four aircraft were sold to

Florida Airways Florida Airways was an American airline. Founded in part by Eddie Rickenbacker and based in the state of Florida, the airline served the southeastern United States during the mid-1920s. History Florida Airways was founded by Eddie Rickenback ...

. The first three were given in exchange for a stake in the airline by Henry Ford. One was used on CAM-10 (Atlanta to Jacksonville). On May 18, 1926, at

Argo, Illinois Summit is a city in Cook County, Illinois, United States. The population was 11,161 at the 2020 census. The name Summit, in use since 1836, refers to the highest point on the Chicago Portage between the northeast-flowing Chicago River and the sou ...

, a Ford Air Transport 2-AT ''Maiden Deaborn I'' was involved in the first fatal accident for a commercial US aircraft. The Contract Air Mail pilot crashed and was killed due to flight into poor weather conditions. In 1928, U.S. Commerce department declared the wings to be structurally unsafe. All remaining 2-AT's were scrapped.

Variants

- A trimotor 2-AT powered with Wright J-4 engines.

Specifications Stout 2-AT Pullman

References

External links

{{Stout/Ford aircraft 1920s United States civil utility aircraft High-wing aircraft Single-engined tractor aircraft 1920s United States airliners Aircraft first flown in 1924 2-AT Aircraft with fixed conventional landing gear