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What's Presented Here?
Here's a diagram of the information presented with each of the
43 prints below.
The photos are not very high quality here, the real prints are clearer and more vibrant.
Every print
was issued with what I call a Spec Card and an Intro Letter, at least initially this was the case. Only a photo of the print is shown here. Go to the
Cards & Letters page to learn more about them. The bottom left corner of each print bears a copyright date. Many of the prints were issued numerous times with various copyright dates. If you have a print with a copyright date not listed, let me know and I'll add it. Besides the copyright date, each print contains artist Nixon Galloway's signature and his version of the aircraft's name. Sometime the name listed on the spec card varies slightly from Nick's version.
The United Airlines Collector Series Prints
Note: Do not copy, reprint or distribute any of the
content herein without first receiving written permission from Freestone Inc. This
information is copyrighted.
(Dom Quirk #1: Plane position. In 17 of the prints Galloway paints the aircraft heading to the right, in 26 they are heading to the left. Only one plane is on the ground (#21). Only one is landing (#25), only one is taking-off (#43).)
(Dom Quirk #2: Flight time/weather. One print clearly shows a night flight (#11), but many show dark stormy skies. It's snowing during only one flight (#30).)
#1 No Date, 1975,1976,1977
Boeing 40B-4 1929-1932
The green and grey fuselage Boeing 40B-4 of Pacific Air
Transport operated as a unit of United Air Lines and flew "The Friendly
Skies" from 1929 to 1932.
Power was supplied by the P&W Hornet, 525 hp engine. It could accommodate 1 pilot, 4 passengers and 500 lbs of mail. Range: 535
miles. Max speed: 137 mph.
#2 1973,1975,1976,1977
Ryan M-1 1926-1927
Pacific Air Transport (later, one of the carriers that was
to form United Air Lines) was the first commercial customer for Claude
Ryan's
mail/passenger Model 1. This new monoplane was designed specifically in anticipation of new airmail
routes to
be awarded. A triangle-shaped door allowed access to the front cockpit
where
two passengers (or one passenger and one sack of mail) sat side by side.
It
flew for PAT in 1926-27.
#3 1973,1975,1976,1977,1978
Curtiss Carrier Pigeon 1926-1929
Designed and built for N.A.T. only, and purely as a
mail/cargo carrier, the Carrier Pigeon flew from 1926 until 1929. The four wing
sections were interchangeable, as were all the symmetrical airfoil tail
surfaces. Though not a favorite of pilots, the Carrier Pigeon had a remarkable
safety record.
#4 1973,1975,1976,1977,1978
Boeing Model 80A 1929-1930
Comfort graced "The Friendly Skies" with the
introduction of Boeing's Model 80A. This grey, green and orange tri-motor, one
of 16 built between 1928 and 1930, flew with United until replaced by the Boeing
247 in the early 1930's. The Model 80A provided new comfort and luxury to
airline passengers, who were accompanied by a registered nurse, the first
United stewardess.
#5 1973,1975,1976,1977,1978
Ford Tri-Motor 1926-1933
The "Queen of the Airways" whose reign lasted
until 1933 when newer and faster twin-engined equipment replaced her, the
"tri-motor" instilled friendly confidence into passengers and pilots
alike. She proudly flew "The Friendly Skies" from 1926 to 1933. Power
was supplied by three 420 hp P&W "Wasps" and her cruise speed
was 122 mph.
#6 1973,1975,1976,1977,1979
Boeing 221A- "Monomail" 1930
Though the pilot was
exposed to the elements, eight passengers sat in comfort behind the 575 hp
P&W "Hornet" B, on the Cheyenne-Chicago route for United Air
Lines. The 221-A underwent many modifications in the short time it was in
service and for a period of time flew its route without United markings.
#7 1973,1975,1976,1977
Boeing 247-D 1933-1942
After its maiden flight in February, 1933, United Air Lines
accepted delivery in April for its eastern division. As the first low-winged,
all-metal, twin-engined air transport on the scheduled airlines, its speed,
comfort and safety created excitement in airline circles and was quickly
accepted by the public--making all other transports suddenly obsolete.
#8 1973,1975,1976,1978,1979,1980
Douglas DC-3 1936-1956
Probably the best known aircraft in the world for over 30
years, nearly 11,000 DC-3's were built as commercial and military models.
The DC-3 carried 21 passengers, 2 pilots and a stewardess. Cruising speed was
185 mph with a range of 1510 miles and the time coast to coast was 15 1/2
hours. Power was supplied by two P&W 1200 hp "Wasps."
#9 1975,1976,1978,1979
Travel Air 5000 1928-1929
National Air Transport brought the rugged Travelair to their
minimal fleet in 1927. NAT, a prime mail carrier, used the "5000" to
add passenger revenue to its Mid-West hops.
In the first year of service, the three-to-five place
Travelairs carried a total of 1560 passengers, adding handsomely to the
profitability of the fledgling airline.
#10 1975,1976,1978
Lockheed Lodestar 1941-1942
The Loadstar was an enlarged and improved Model 14--the
civilian version of the famed Lockheed Hudson. Featuring Fowler-Lockheed flaps and a pair of Wright R-1820
engines, the L-18 cruised at 200 mph. At the
outbreak of WWII United's Lodestars joined the U.S. Army and was adapted for
towing gliders, as a hospital plane, cargo and troop transport.
#11 1975,1976,1978,1979
Convair 340 1952-1968
The early postwar years brought changes rapidly to America's
airlines. New technology, learned quickly during the war years, brought about
new and faster aircraft almost quicker than the airlines could adjust to them. The Convair 340 carried 44 passengers in 2 abreast, 4 wide
seating. Cruise speed was 275 mph.
#12 1975,1976,1979
Douglas M-3 1927-1928
Douglas aircraft joined the United fleet in 1926 with
National Air Transport. The M-3 was chosen to replace the war-surplus
DeHavillands that were flying the mail routes and brought greater speed, a
greater load capacity, and more reliability and safety.
Power was derived from a 400 hp Liberty engine. Cruise
speed was 115 mph.
#13 1975,1976,1979
Boeing Stratocruiser 1950-1954
As in the case where the military-funded B-9 bomber led to
the innovative Boeing 247-D, the Stratocruiser came into being from Boeing's
research and development on the B-29 Stratofortress. Power was supplied by 4-3500 hp P&W "Wasp
Majors. "Cruise speed was 300 mph and range was 4,600 miles.
#14 1976, 1979
Ford 2-AT 1925
For all intents, the Stout designed "Pullman" was the
first all-metal commercial aircraft to be built in the U.S. Stout Metal
Airplane Company engineers, probably prompted by "Tony" Fokker's
tri-plane success of 1925, redesigned the "Pullman" and added three
200 hp Wright "Whirlwinds" in place of the single 400 hp Liberty
12.
#15 1976,1978,1979
Curtiss Falcon 1929-1930
Glenn Curtiss and his aerodynamic foresight brought many
superb aircraft to the skies, continuing through the years
of WWII. This 1929, one-of-a-kind "Falcon" had its roots in designs
created for the Army Air Service in 1925. Though most "Falcons" built
utilized the dependable Liberty 12 engine, the National Air Transport version
illustrated was the only "geared Conqueror" engine.
#16 1976,1979
Fokker "Universal" 1927-1928
The
"Universal" accommodated 1 pilot and 4-6 passengers. It featured a steel tube and fabric fuselage and empennage
with a wood rib and spar cantilevered wing, covered with veneer. Originally
powered by a 9 cylinder, 200 hp J-4 "Whirlwind," the 1928 version
featured the 220 hp J-5 and some "streamlining" modifications.
#17 1976,1979
Stearman M-2 "Speedmail" 1929-1930
The "Speedmail" M-2 was typical Stearman design
except for its size--nearly twice as large as the usual biplane. Designed by
Lloyd Stearman and V.P. of Engineering, Mac Short at the Stearman plant in
Wichita, the "Speedmail" was built to the specifications of Walter
Varney of Varney Air Lines. Five of these big beauties flew the Varney routes
with outstanding dependability.
#18 1976
Pitcairn PA-5 "Mailwing" 1927-1928
When most aircraft being built in the mid-20's looked very
similar to the WW-1 trainers that were "barnstorming" every country
field across the U.S., one enterprising airplane enthusiast employed a top
designer to build a "new" kind of airplane.
In 1925 Agnew Larsen
began designing a series of biplanes that culminated in the beauty of Mr.
Pitcairn's 1927 PA-5 "Mailwing," used extensively on airmail routes
spanning the country.
#19 1976
Swallow Mailplane C-6 1926
On April 26, 1926, the first C.A.M. flight took place on a
desolate northwest air mail route won by the sole bidder, a California air taxi
and flying school operator, Walter T. Varney. From this austere beginning grew
the major U.S. airlines of today with the Varney flight, in essence, being the
origin of United Airlines. Max speed of 118 mph. Gas capacity of 56 gallons. Useful Load: 1,200 lbs.
#20 1977,1978,1979
Waco "Taperwing" 10T 1929
The Waco Taperwing was built by the Advance Aircraft Co, of
Troy, Ohio. The 10T was powered by the 220 hp Wright J-5, though the
entire
chrome-moly and spruce airframe structure was stressed to handle a 450
hp
engine. A hinged metal panel covered the two-place front cockpit area,
which
was utilized for mail and cargo. Pacific Air Transport, soon to become
part of
United Air Lines, used the speedy 10T to haul mail.
#21 1977,1978,1979
Curtiss
Carrier Pigeon, Model 2 1929-1930
The Carrier Pigeon Model II was indeed a "beauty"
when compared to the "beast" Model I. Except for the name and size,
the only point of resemblance was the fact that they were both biplanes
and
built by Curtiss. The big Model II was powered by a geared-down 12
cylinder
V-type "Conqueror" engine built by Curtiss - the same 600 hp engine
that powered the earlier Falcon.
#22 1977,1978,1979
Boeing 95 1929-1930
Unlike the earlier "40" series, the "95" featured rounded
wing-tips and a large degree of interplane wing stagger. The built-up spruce
wing outerpanels were fabric-covered, but ailerons, aft fuselage, and
tail-group were metal framed and covered with "Alclad" corrugated
sheeting. Formed aluminum panels covered the forward fuselage and mail/cargo
hatches. National Air Transport and the Boeing System flew the "Ninety
Five."
#23 1977,1978,1979
Breese 5 Monoplane 1927
This airplane is by far the rarest and least documented bird
in our collection. In 1926 or 1927 Walter Varney of Varney Airlines bought the
only Breese 5 to go into commercial service. We know the Breese 5 illustrated here was never registered, and little or no
record of its technical data was kept, except that it was powered originally by
a 200 hp Wright J-4 engine, and later by a 225 hp J-5.
#24 1977,1979
Vickers Viscount
1955-1968
In 1953-54 Capital Airlines, the country's fourth largest
airline, agreed to purchase 60 Viscounts from Vickers-Armstrong, Ltd. of
Surrey, England. The first Viscount of this $70.3 million purchase began flying
the Chicago-Washington, D.C. route in July 1955, and immediately found favor
with the traveling public. The Viscounts, powered by Rolls Royce Dart engines,
flew in United's fleet until 1968.
#25 1977,1979
Travel Air BM-4000 1929
The BM-4000 was powered by a nine cylinder Wright J-5 engine
and was originally designed as a sportcraft. When air mail was opened to
commercial interests, the plane was modified to carry cargo. Pacific Air
Transport, for example, adopted the 3 seater sport plane to carry mail and
cargo in the front cockpit, instead of passengers on its Los Angeles-Seattle
route.
#26 1978,1979
Douglas DC-4 1946-1957
The DC-4's design was undertaken in 1936 at the
urging of United president Wm. A. "Pat" Patterson, who offered to
underwrite half of the engineering costs. In June 1938, the first airplane
rolled out of the Douglas plant in Santa Monica, California. Before Douglas
could begin production, the Secretary of War asked United to cancel its order,
so Douglas could concentrate its production on an unpressurized military version, the C-54.
#27 1978,1979
Fairchild C-82 1947
On October 1, 1947*, a
specially equipped Packet inaugurated in-flight mail sorting over the original
coast-to-coast air mail route from New York to San Francisco. Fitted out like a
"flying post office," the Packet's in-flight mail sorting experiment
proved to be unfeasible and was discontinued. The C-82 prototype flew in 1944
and over 200 were built before Fairchild began producing an improved model, the
C-119.
* The correct date is October 1, 1946. See Blog Entry 08/07/2011 for explanation.
#28 1978,1979
Lockheed L-049 Constellation 1950-1961
For many, the Lockheed Constellation, and its ultimate
development the Starliner, represent the pinnacle of propeller airliner design
- certainly its graceful lines are unrivaled by any other aircraft of its
type. The first "Connie" took off in January 1943. Although they were still active at the time of the United-Capital merger in 1961, the Connies were retired, never to fly the United colors.
#29 1978,1979
Stearman C-3B 1928-1929
Varney Air Lines was the first and one of the largest users
of Lloyd Stearman's excellent line of biplanes. His original design was
introduced at Clover Field in Santa Monica, California in 1927. The Varney Air
Lines version of the C3B was powered by a 200 hp, 9 cylinder, Wright J4.
Other powerplants included the original 180 hp "Hisso," the OX-5,
and in 1928, the big "Whirlwind" J5.
#30 1978
Douglas DC-6 1947-1969
Domestic flight of the Mainliner 300 began in April 1947,
following five months of training and proving flights. During the months of the
test flights, the DC-6's logged more than 600,000 miles. A March 29th flight
bested the existing Los Angeles-New York record, cutting it to 6 hours 47
minutes and 13 seconds.
With the introduction of the DC-6, pressurized high altitude
flight became a reality for United.
#31 1978
Ford 4-AT 1926
The Stout 4AT utilized a lengthened "Pullman" wing and
fuselage, plus 3-200 hp Wright "Whirlwind" J-4 engines. The
corrugated dura-clad covering was identical to the "Pullman" and was
to remain so throughout the production life of all future tri-motors.
Records are scarce as to the number of 4AT's built, but
sources show at least one flew with National Air Transport.
#32 1979
DeHavilland D.H.-4B 1926-1927
The DeHavilland DH-4B "Liberty Plane" was the
United States air offering to our World War 1 commitment. Built from British plans in three U.S. factories, the U.S. DH-4 did not see Axis territory until
Mid-1918. Of the nearly 5,000 DH-4s constructed, only 1,000 or so ever went to war. Both National
Air Transport and Pacific Air Transport flew mail in the DH-4.
#33 1979
Douglas DC-7 1954-1960
The Douglas DC-7 first flew on My 18, 1953 and entered airline service six
months later. A top speed of 410 mph made it the world's fastest piston-powered
commercial airliner, and its extended range allowed the DC-7 to span the United
States non-stop. United ordered 25 DC-7s for delivery beginning in April, 1954. Most DC-7s had
been removed from passenger service by 1964, with the few remaining in the
fleet relegated to pilot training, devoid of United's red, white and blue.
#34 1979
Fokker F-TEN-A 1931
Fokker tri-motors were
newsmakers and record setters in the
late '20s and early '30s. Commander Byrd's "Over the Pole" flight and
the first West Coast to Honolulu passage were successful in Fokkers, as
was a
1929 flight endurance record of 150 hours, 40 minutes and 15 seconds
established by three young Air Corps officers: Major Carl Spatz, Captain
Ira
Eaker and Lieutenant Elwood Quesada.
#35 1979
SUD Caravelle 1961-1971
The fuselage-mounted twin-jet Caravelle was designed and
built at the SUD aviation plant in Toulouse, France. With original orders
committed to Air France, the Caravelle first flew in May of 1955. In February of 1960, United Airlines announced the $60 million purchase of 20
Caravelles. Seating 64 in First Class-only service, the new jet Mainliner was a pleasant
time-saving experience between the Chicago and New York business hubs.
#36 1979,1981
Northrop "Alpha" 2 1931
The racy, high-performance "Alpha" 2 was the first
of a line of Northrop transports that pioneered modern all-metal construction.
So light and strong,
the same 3-section wing construction was specified on the prototype Douglas
DC-1 and was retained throughout the years of DC-2 and DC-3 construction.
#37 1979,1980
Douglas DC-8 1959-
The DC-8 inaugurated jet service with United in September of
1959, sixteen months after its maiden flight. The DC-8 became the backbone of the United fleet. Power was supplied by 4 P&W
JT 3/4 jet engines. Cruise speed was 545 mph and she carried 129 passengers.
Payload was 35-45,000 lbs and range was 4-7,000 miles.
#38 1980
Aerial Mercury 1926
Designed and built by the Aerial Service Corporation of
Hammondsport, New York, the Mercury was a 3-place commercial biplane that was
available with either a Wright radial or Curtiss liquid-cooled engine. National Air Transport added Mercury number 15
to its inventory in 1926. There is no history of its use or serviceability, but
it remained in NAT service for nearly 2 1/2 years.
#39 1980
Boeing 720 1960-1972
After introducing 5-hour continental jet flight with the
707, Boeing engineers "stretched" the 707 airframe to produce the
707-320 "Intercontinental."
When some of the major
airlines started looking around for a shorter range jet than the 707, Boeing
engineers "shrunk" the airframe this time and created the 720. With a max cruising speed was 600 mph she carried 149 passengers.
#40 1980
Douglas Super DC-3 1950-1953
The early post-World War II era brought rapid changes to air
transport technology, and new aircraft designs were making the DC-3 look and
act "old." Douglas engineers began to look at modernizing the bird
that had grown from the 1933 plans of the DC-1. Despite a hard-sell sales blitz led by Donald
Douglas Sr and Jr., only Capital Airlines purchased the "Super DC-3."
#41 1980,1981
Boeing 727-100 1964
The Boeing 727 tri-jet
flew first in February of 1963. Powered by three fuselage-mounted P&W JT8D-1 turbofans with thrust reverses, the 727 featured a unique wing
with 2-part full-span leading edge retractable slats on each wing;
triple-slotted trailing edge flaps; hydraulically powered ailerons, inboard
(high speed) and outboard (low speed) in conjunction with spoilers on the upper
wing surface.
#42 (?) 1981
Stinson SM-8A 1931-1933
The Stinson "Junior" SM-8A was introduced in 1930
when most other aircraft manufacturers were cutting their staffs and slowing
production as the economic conditions in the U.S. worsened.
Constructed of
chrome-moly steel tube fuselage and built-up wooden wings, the entire frame was
fabric covered. Safe and easy to fly, the "Junior" was a
popular personal and business plane.
#43 (?) 1981
Boeing 747 1970
The Super Jet was a billion dollar undertaking. It first
flew in February of 1969. Majestic, spacious and comfortable, the 747 was
designed to seat up to 450 passengers and cruise at more that 600 m.p.h., at
35,000 feet, with a range up to 6,000 miles. The 747 weighs in at 350 tons, 40 times the weight of a DC-3, and
can hold 48,000 gallons of fuel.
