Stratoliner

In 1936 the "Big Five" U. S. airlines-- Pan American, United, American, Eastern, Transcontinental & Western Air-- hatched a plan for a Douglas four-engined super-airplane. They agreed to pool their knowledge and to share the expense of development. Meanwhile, they also agreed to a limitation of airliners: pending the result of the joint effort none of the lines would put in service ships of the projected size (43,000 Ib. to 75,000 lb.). While they had their heads together, T. W. A.'s Captain Daniel W. Tomlinson was working on plans for substratosphere flying for T. W. A.'s President Jack Frye. At the same time Seattle's Boeing Aircraft Co. was building the great high-altitude Air Corps' B-17 bombers which last month jauntily flew 10,000 miles around South America. Dissatisfied with Douglas' progress and convinced by Tomlinson's tests that upper-air flight was feasible, T. W. A. became sold on Boeing's idea of a big passenger fuselage for the well-tested wings and tail of the Air Corps' B-17 bomber, ordered six. Its weight, too, would be just within the "Big Five" agreement--42,672 lb. When this order became known T. W. A.'s competitors howled that the "spirit" of the agreement had been broken.

Under the registered trademark name Stratoliner, Boeing last week announced it was ready for additional orders from all comers, and among the first to be interested was American Airlines. The new ship will cost $340,500, have four 900 h.p. Wright Cyclone engines, wing span of 107 ft., length of 74 ft. The fuselage, 11 ft. wide, seats 33 daytime passengers, has berths for 16, reclining chairs for nine night travelers, accommodation for three flying officers, hostess and Filipino house boy. Its normal speed is around 200 m.p.h., range, with full 9,750-lb. load, about 1,000 miles. For $50,000 more* cabins can be sealed against varying outside air pressures but the Stratoliner, despite its impressive name, goes nowhere near the stratosphere, 32,000 ft. up. Service ceiling is 23,300 ft.

* Pan American Airways purchased two of these.

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