Budd RB Conestoga

{{Short description|Aircraft for the US Navy in World War II}} {{Redirect|RB-1|the aircraft designed by Vincent Burnelli|Burnelli RB-1}} {{Use American English|date=February 2026}} {{Use dmy dates|date=February 2026}} {{Infobox aircraft | name=RB Conestoga | image=File:Budd RB-1 Conestoga in flight, circa in June 1944 (80-G-233489).jpg | caption= | type=[[Military transport aircraft]] | national_origin=United States | manufacturer=[[Budd Company]] | designer= | first_flight=31 October 1943 | introduction=1944 | retired= | status=Retired | primary_user=[[United States Navy]] | more_users=[[Flying Tiger Line]] | number_built=17 | developed_from= | variants= | developed_into= }}

The '''Budd RB-1 Conestoga''' was a twin-engine, [[stainless steel]] [[cargo aircraft]] designed for the [[United States Navy]] during [[World War II]] by the [[Budd Company]] of [[Philadelphia, Pennsylvania]]. Although it did not see service in a combat theater, it pioneered design innovations in American cargo aircraft, later incorporated in modern military cargo airlifters.

==Design and development== World War II created a great demand for military transport aircraft in the United States. Because of initial fears of a shortage of [[Aluminium|aluminum]], the [[United States Department of War|War Department]] explored the use of other materials for aircraft construction. Budd, the developer of the [[shotweld]] technique for welding stainless steel and a manufacturer of stainless steel railroad cars, automobile, bus, and truck bodies, hired an aeronautical engineering staff and worked with the [[United States Navy|U.S. Navy]] to develop a new twin-engine transport aircraft constructed primarily of stainless steel. The U.S. Navy accepted the proposal for the new aircraft, and placed an order for 200, to be designated '''RB-1'''. The [[U.S. Army Air Forces]] (USAAF) followed with an order for 600, designated '''C-93'''.

The Conestoga was a twin-engine high-wing [[monoplane]] with [[tricycle landing gear]]. The elevated flight deck was contained in a distinctive, almost hemispherical nose section. Its two {{convert|1200|hp|abbr=on}} [[Pratt & Whitney]] [[R-1830]]-92, "Twin Wasp" air-cooled, 14-cylinder, two-row [[radial engine]]s, the same engines fitted to the [[Douglas C-47 Skytrain|C-47]], drove three-bladed [[Hamilton Standard]] Hydromatic, constant-speed, full-feathering [[propeller]]s, and powered a 24-volt electrical system. While the fuselage was thin-gauge stainless steel, only a portion of the wing was made of the metal; the trailing section of the wing and all control surfaces were fabric-covered.

===Innovations=== [[File:Budd RB Conestoga on ground.jpg|thumb|An RB-1 demonstrates its loading ramp]] The RB-1/C-93 was radical for its day, introducing many of the features now standard in military transports. The flight deck could accommodate three crew members, pilot and copilot side-by-side, the navigator behind them. Stairs connected the flight deck to the cargo area, which was {{convert|25|ft|m}} long with an unobstructed cross-section of 8 × 8 feet (2.4m) throughout its length. Cargo loading and unloading could be accomplished in two ways: through 40 × 60 inch (102 × 152 cm) doors on both sides of the [[fuselage]] or by an electrically operated 10 × 8 foot (3.0 × 2.4 m) ramp at the aft end of the cargo area under the upswept [[Empennage|tail]], a similar development to what had been initially fitted to the Germans' own [[Junkers Ju 290#Design and development|Ju 290]] four-engined transport aircraft as their ''Trapoklappe'' ramp in 1939. The RB-1's loading ramp, accessed by manually operated clamshell doors, along with the tricycle landing gear, meant cargo could be loaded/unloaded at truck-bed height. A manually operated two-ton (1814 kg) hoist for unloading trucks and a one-ton winch for pulling cargo up the ramp were also provided in the cargo area. The aircraft could accommodate: * 24 [[paratroopers]], or * 24 stretchers and 16 sitting wounded, or * 9,600 pounds of cargo, or * a 1½ ton truck, or * The largest ambulance in use by the U.S. military.

==Operational history== The prototype first flew from the Budd Red Lion Factory Airfield in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania on 31 October 1943, piloted by Guy Miller.<ref name="Juptner, Joseph P. 1993">Juptner, Joseph P. ''U.S. Civil Aircraft Series''. Blue Ridge Summit, Pennsylvania: TAB Aero, 1993. {{ISBN|0-8306-4373-7}}.</ref> The prototype had a takeoff run when empty of just {{convert|650|ft}}, and could carry a maximum payload of {{convert|10400|lb}} with a takeoff run of {{convert|920|ft}}.<ref name="Merriam, Ray 2000 p. 45">Merriam 2000, p. 45.</ref> However, the aircraft demonstrated greater than expected fuel consumption; the range with a standard payload was only {{convert|700|mi}}, {{convert|650|mi}} with a maximum payload.<ref name="Merriam, Ray 2000 p. 45"/> Three prototype aircraft: ''NX37097'', ''NX41810'', and ''NC45354'' were built; one was used for testing radio equipment, while the other two were used for flight test evaluations.<ref name="Juptner, Joseph P. 1993"/><ref>Freeman, Paul. [https://www.airfieldsfreeman.com/PA/Airfields_PA_Philly_NE.htm#budd "Budd Factory Airfield, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania."] ''airfields-freeman.com.'' Retrieved: 13 November 2010.</ref> During testing, a few aircraft had difficulty with the simultaneous deployment of the right and left landing gear. With the same engines as the C-47, but {{convert|3000|lb}} heavier (empty), the aircraft was relatively underpowered; it was reportedly said{{by whom|date=March 2021}} that, for an aircraft built by a railroad car company, it indeed handled like one.{{cn|date=March 2021}}

At the Budd factory and airfield in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, there were construction delays due to cost overruns and problems with stainless steel fabrication. By late 1943, aluminum production had been increased with the construction of new processing facilities, and other more conventional cargo aircraft (such as the [[Curtiss C-46 Commando]] and the [[Douglas C-47 Skytrain]]) were being produced in large numbers. This caused the Army to cancel its order for the C-93 and the Navy to reduce its RB-1 order from 200 to 25, of which 17 were delivered in March 1944.

On 13 April 1944, during a [[United States Navy shore activities during World War II|Naval Air Training Command]] (NATC) evaluation flight of RB-1 prototype U.S. Navy ''NX37097'' at [[Naval Air Station Patuxent River|Patuxent River NAS]], Maryland, the aircraft crashed, killing one of the crew.<ref>[http://aviation-safety.net/database/record.php?id=19440413-0 "Report of Aircraft Accident, U.S. Navy NX37097 (Budd RB-1 Conestoga), 13 April 1944."] ''Aviation-Safety.net.'' Retrieved: 13 November 2010.</ref> The aircraft was damaged beyond repair and written off, but the pilot reported that the stainless steel construction of the aircraft contributed to saving his life.

Production RB-1 aircraft never entered squadron service with the Navy, but a few were briefly used by [[Naval Air Station]]s as utility aircraft. With only 17 aircraft in inventory, the RB-1 was not feasible to maintain on the active list, and it was retired from U.S. Navy service in early 1945. The extant RB-1s were then transferred to the [[War Assets Administration]] (WAA) to be sold as war surplus. In 1945, the WAA sold 12 Conestogas to the [[National Skyway Freight Corp]]<ref name="Flying Tiger History - The 1940s">[http://www.flyingtigerline.org/History/1940s.htm "Flying Tiger History: The 1940s."] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20061005040521/http://www.flyingtigerline.org/History/1940s.htm |date=2006-10-05 }} ''flyingtigerline.org.'' Retrieved: 13 November 2010.</ref> for $28,642 each (equivalent to ${{Inflation|US-GDP|28642|1945 |fmt=c|r=-2}} in {{Inflation-year|US-GDP}} dollars) at a time when new C-47s were selling for approximately $100,000 each (equivalent to ${{Inflation|US-GDP|.100000|1945 |fmt=c|r=1}} million in {{Inflation-year|US-GDP}} dollars). The new company, founded by members of the [[American Volunteer Group|AVG]] [[Flying Tigers]] immediately sold four RB-1 aircraft to other buyers, which paid for the entire WAA contract.<ref name="Flying Tiger History - The 1940s"/>

The seven remaining National Skyways aircraft were used to transport a variety of cargo, shipping fruit and furniture from its base in [[Long Beach, California]].{{#tag:ref|The company lost one RB-1 on its initial flight at a crash in Fort Worth, Texas; it was sold for $500 and used as a hamburger stand.<ref name="Flying Tiger History - The 1940s"/> |group=N}} Pilots reported that the Budd transports were temperamental; in particular, exhaust stacks kept falling off and causing engine fires.<ref name="Flying Tiger History - The 1940s"/>There were three more crashes of Conestogas while in service with National Skyway Freight, one each in [[Virginia]], [[New Mexico]], and [[Michigan]].<ref name="Flying Tiger History - The 1940s"/>{{#tag:ref|The Michigan crash occurred when a National Skyways RB-1 was forced to make a [[belly landing]] in a Detroit graveyard. There were no casualties.|group=N}} The crash in Virginia was a belly landing at a country club brought on by fuel exhaustion following weather-related problems. The Albuquerque, New Mexico crash was due to a downdraft during a snow storm, {{convert|80|mi}} from Albuquerque.<Widow of Lawrence Molloy Feemster, Ruth Mae (Feemster) Hill & preserved newspaper clippings>{{Better source|date=September 2018}} Pilot and copilot were killed when they were thrown through the windshield and the aircraft skidded over them; the flight engineer survived.<ref name="Flying Tiger History - The 1940s"/>

In 1947, the U.S. Army (and later the U.S. Air Force) gave National Skyway Freight a large contract for trans-Pacific freight, for which it leased military aircraft. The company changed its name to [[Flying Tiger Line|Flying Tiger]] and replaced the RB-1s with C-47s for its U.S. freight routes; the RB-1s were sold off to other buyers. One of these aircraft, a prototype RB-1, "NC45354" was sold to the [[Preston Tucker|Tucker Motor Company]] to transport its demonstration [[1948 Tucker Sedan]] to auto shows around the U.S.; it was reportedly later abandoned at an airfield in Oakland, California after repeated mechanical troubles.<ref name="Flying Tiger History - The 1940s"/>

===Brazil=== A Brazilian regional airline, VASD (Viação Aérea Santos Dumont), which commenced operations on 18 January 1944, with a Budd RB.1 Conestoga and two [[PBY Catalina|Catalina]]s – all formerly owned by a rubber corporation.

The Conestoga (civil registration PP-SDC), was named ''Tio Sam'' ("Uncle Sam"). After a crash landing on 4 January 1947, with the undercarriage partially lowered, at [[Afonsos Air Force Base|Campo dos Afonsos]], it was written off and scrapped.{{citation needed|date=September 2018}}

==Surviving aircraft== [[File:Budd conestoga.jpeg|thumb|RB-1 at the Pima Air Museum]] A single unrestored Budd RB-1, BuNo 39307, is on display at the [[Pima Air & Space Museum]] in [[Tucson]], [[Arizona]].<ref>{{cite web |title=CONESTOGA |url=http://www.pimaair.org/aircraft-by-name/item/budd-rb-1-conestoga |website=Pima Air & Space Museum |access-date=27 September 2018 |archive-date=28 September 2018 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180928044014/http://www.pimaair.org/aircraft-by-name/item/budd-rb-1-conestoga |url-status=dead }}</ref>

==Specifications (RB-1)== [[File:Budd RB-1 Conestoga 3-view line drawing.png|frameless|right|3-view line drawing of the Budd RB-1 Conestoga]]

{{Aircraft specs |ref=Jane's fighting aircraft of World War II<ref name=JFAoWWII>{{cite book |title=Jane's fighting aircraft of World War II |editor-last1=Bridgman |editor-first1=Leonard |date=1989 |publisher=Military Press|location=New York |isbn=0517679647 |edition=1995 |page=212}}</ref> |prime units?=imp  |crew=3 |capacity= {{cvt|9600|lb}} of payload with {{cvt|390|USgal|impgal l}} of fuel |length ft=68 |length in= |length note= |span ft=100 |span in= |span note= |height ft=31 |height in=9 |height note= |wing area sqft=1400 |wing area note= |airfoil= |empty weight lb=20156 |empty weight note= |gross weight lb=33860 |gross weight note= |max takeoff weight lb= |max takeoff weight note= |fuel capacity= {{cvt|994|USgal|impgal l}} in three wing tanks |more general=  |eng1 number=2 |eng1 name=[[Pratt & Whitney R-1830 Twin Wasp|Pratt & Whitney R-1830-92 Twin Wasp]] |eng1 type=14-cylinder air-cooled [[radial engine]]s |eng1 hp=1200

|prop blade number=3 |prop name=[[Hamilton Standard Hydromatic]] |prop dia ft=11 |prop dia in=7 |prop dia note=constant-speed fully feathering propellers  |max speed mph=197 |max speed note=at {{cvt|7500|ft}} |cruise speed mph=165 |cruise speed note= |stall speed mph=78 |stall speed note=fully loaded |never exceed speed mph= |never exceed speed note= |minimum control speed mph= |minimum control speed note= |range miles=700 |range note=normal * '''Maximum economical range:''' {{cvt|1620|mi|nmi km}} |combat range miles= |combat range note= |ferry range miles= |ferry range note= |endurance= |ceiling ft= |ceiling note= |g limits= |roll rate= |climb rate ftmin= |climb rate note= |time to altitude= |wing loading lb/sqft= |wing loading note= |fuel consumption lb/mi= |power/mass= |thrust/weight=

|more performance= }}

==See also== * [[Fleetwings BT-12 Sophomore]] also a stainless steel design * [[Curtiss-Wright C-76 Caravan]] * [[List of aircraft of World War II]] * [[List of military aircraft of the United States]] * [[List of United States Navy aircraft designations (pre-1962)]]

==References==

===Notes=== {{Reflist|group=N}}

===Citations=== {{Reflist|30em}}

===Bibliography=== {{Refbegin}} * Bridgeman, Leonard. “The Budd Conestoga.” ''Jane's Fighting Aircraft of World War II.'' London: Studio, 1946. {{ISBN|1-85170-493-0}}. * Merriam, Ray. ''U. S. Warplanes of World War II.'' Bennington Vermont: Merriam Press, 2000. {{ISBN|978-1-57638-167-0}}. {{Refend}}

==External links== {{Commons category|Budd RB Conestoga}} * [https://web.archive.org/web/20061005040521/http://www.flyingtigerline.org/History/1940s.htm Flying Tiger Line] * [https://web.archive.org/web/20060902012106/http://www.generalaviationnews.com/editorial/articledetail.lasso?-token.key=10168&-token.src=column&-nothing General Aviation News editorial] * [http://www.microworks.net/pacific/aviation/rb_conestoga.htm Pacific Aviation] * [http://www.nhahistoricalsociety.org/wp-content/uploads/2017/10/1945-C93-Budd-Heslop-4-AAHS-1.pdf A Story of the Budd RB-1 Conestoga] * [http://books.google.com/books?id=bCEDAAAAMBAJ&pg=PA79 Trucking Anywhere by Air – Popular Science]

{{DEFAULTSORT:Budd Rb Conestoga}} [[Category:Budd aircraft|R1B]] [[Category:1940s United States military transport aircraft]] [[Category:High-wing aircraft]] [[Category:Aircraft first flown in 1943]] [[Category:Twin piston-engined tractor aircraft]]