| 28-92 | |
|---|---|
 | |
| General information | |
| Type | Racing aircraft |
| Manufacturer | Bellanca |
| Number built | 1 |
| History | |
| First flight | 1937 |
TheBellanca 28-92 Trimotor was a racing aircraft built to compete in the Istres-Damascus-Paris Air Race of 1937, and was paid for by popular subscription inRomania. ChristenedAlba Iulia ("White Julia", registrationYR-AHA) it was piloted by CaptainAlexander Papana of theRomanian Air Force .
The aircraft was a low-wingcantilevermonoplane with a similarfuselage to theBellanca 28-70 and28-90, but was fitted with threeengines, one in the nose, and one in each of two underwingnacelles. The nacelles also housed the mainundercarriage units when retracted.
The fuselage was of tubular steel construction and covered by aluminum back to the cockpit. Aft of the cockpit, the fuselage was covered with fabric. The wings and tail were plywood-covered, and the control surfaces were covered by fabric. The main undercarriage partially retracted into the rear of the wing engine nacelles, but the tailwheel did not retract.
Installed in each wing of the aircraft was a 250-HP (186 kW)MenascoC6S4 Super Buccaneer engine. The C6S4 was a direct drive, air-cooled, inverted, straight-six aircraft engine. The C6S4 was supercharged and displaced 544 cu. in. (8.9 L). Each C6S4 engine drove a 6-ft. 6 in (0.15 m) diameter, two-blade, adjustable-pitch propeller.
A 420-HP (313 kW)Ranger SGV-770 engine was in the nose of the 28–92. The SGV-770 was an air-cooled, inverted, V-12 engine. The engine was supercharged, displaced 773 cu. in. (12.7 L), and had gear reduction for the 8-ft. 3 in (0.076 m) diameter, two-blade, adjustable-pitch propeller.
All of the trimotor's engines were hand cranked to start. The 28-92 had a fuel capacity of around 715 gallons (2,707 L). The aircraft had a span of 46-ft. 4 in (0.10 m), a length of 28 ft 4 in (8.64 m), and weighed 4,700 pounds (2,100 kg) empty. The 28-92 had a top speed of 285 mph (459 km/h) and a 3,000 miles (4,800 km) range at 250 mph (400 km/h) or a 4,160 miles (6,690 km) range at 200 mph (320 km/h). Landing speed was 75 mph (121 km/h).
In 1938, Bellanca re-registered the aircraft in the United States as NX2433 and entered it in theBendix Trophy cross-country race.Frank Cordova was the pilot for the race, and the trimotor flew as race number 99. Unfortunately, because of engine trouble, the aircraft did not finish the cross-country race.
The aircraft competed in the 1939 Bendix Trophy race, placing second, piloted byArthur Bussy. After being sold in South America, the 28-92 ended its days rotting in a small field inEcuador.
Data fromJane's Encyclopedia of Aviation,[1]Aerofiles[2]
General characteristics
Performance
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