| CBY-3 | |
|---|---|
 The Loadmaster at an airport in Virginia, USA (c. 1959) | |
| General information | |
| Type | Airliner |
| National origin | Canada |
| Manufacturer | Canada Car and Foundry |
| Designer | |
| Number built | 1 |
| History | |
| Developed from | Burnelli UB-14 |
TheBurnelli CBY-3 Loadmaster is an unconventional transport aircraft that was designed byAmerican engineerVincent Burnelli and built inCanada in 1944 byCanadian Car and Foundry.
The CBY-3 "lifting fuselage" was an evolution of the earlierBurnelli UB-14. Burnelli worked as a designer atCanadian Car and Foundry (CanCar) inMontreal, and the CBY-3 was intended forbush operations in northern Canada. The soleprototype was extensively tested but failed to gain a production contract.
Burnelli had a lifelong career devoted to exploiting the advantages of the lifting body airfoil concept that characterized many of his earlier aircraft designs. His last design, the CBY-3 was manufactured by CanCar inMontreal, but ownership reverted to Burnelli, when the CBY-3 was unable to gain a production contract. The name of the aircraft, CBY-3, was derived from the name of the three partners involved in its creation: CanCar, Burnelli andLowell Yerex and "3" from the number of partners involved. Lowell Yerex was aNew Zealander who had formedTACA –Transportes Aéreos Centroamericanos (Central American Air Transport) inHonduras in 1931, and joined the project when Burnelli convinced him that the CBY-3 could be used as both a cargo and passenger aircraft.
A follow-up design in 1942 for the CC&F B-1000, a bomber using the same lifting body principles, remained a "paper project".[1]
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Originally registeredCF-BEL-X while still in the experimental stage, this one-off,twin-boom, aerofoil-sectionfuselage, high-liftairliner garnered significant interest from the industry.CF-BEL-X underwent rigorous testing and proving flights designed to show off its potential. Despite a trouble-free test program and glowing accolades from the press and industry observers, no production orders resulted and the prototype was later sold in the United States asN17N.
Moving toSouthampton, New York, Burnelli continued to promote his airfoil-shaped fuselage transport aircraft. In 1955, he adapted the CBY-3 to carry an expedition of 20 passengers and 41 sled dogs, along with their equipment, to theNorth Pole, but the enterprise was canceled.
The Loadmaster continued to fly regularly as a commercial airliner both in northern Canada and South America; acquired with design rights by Airlifts Inc. inMiami, Florida, it went toVenezuela, and returned to Burnelli Avionics for refitting withWright R-2600 engines, finally ended its flying days atBaltimore's airport in Maryland.
In 1964, the CBY-3 air transport was retired to theNew England Air Museum inWindsor Locks, Connecticut, where it was displayed outside. In December 2020, after an eight-year restoration, the CBY-3 was moved into the Civil Aviation Hangar where it is now on display.[2]
Data from Jane's all the World's Aircraft 1947[3]
General characteristics
Performance
