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The Winstead Special was certified in 1926 at the start of the Air Commerce
Act. The Act stated that all aircraft and airmen will be licensed. The
airplane was probably built between 1924 to 1925. The story is very historic.
Walter Beech and Lloyd Stearman were working for Jake Molendick at Swallow
Aircraft. Swallows were all wood construction up to this point, around 1924.
Stearman and Beech decided to design and build a steel tube airplane: after
all the Germans had done it during WWI. They built the fuselage with their
own time and money, then took it to Molendick. Molendick said, "No
way, our customers trust wood and that's what they will get." |
1926 Winstead Special (N2297) Specifications |
Year of certification |
1926 |
Engine |
90 hp Curtiss OX-5, with Berling magneto |
Wingspan |
29 ft 6 in (8.99 m) |
Length |
23 ft (7.01 m) |
Gross weight |
1,800 lb (816 kg) |
Construction |
Wood wings, steel tube and turnbuckle wire-braced fuselage |
Seats |
3 |
Cruise speed |
80 mph (129 kmh) |
Stall speed |
Aproximately 45-50 mph (72-80 kmh) |
Instrumentation |
4 in (10 cm) Zenith height meter, 4 in (10 cm) Consolidated tachometer, Dixie single ignition magneto switch, Bubble face compass, Consolidated oil pressure gauge, rim wind clock, and moto meter style water temperature gauge |
Wheels |
Brakeless 26x4 in (66x10 cm) wire wheels |