Country of origin:

United States of America

Description:

Three-engine commercial airliner

Power Plant:

Three 194 kw (260 hp) Lycoming R-680-5 nine-cylinder air-cooled radial engines

Specifications:

History:

The Stinson Model A first appeared in 1934 and was advertised as “America’s fastest and most economical Tri-Motor”. It was built to compete against the Boeing 247 and the Douglas DC-2, but was less costly to purchase and operate, and had better short-field ability.  Seating a crew of one or two pilots, a stewardess and up to eight passengers, the prototype (X-14141) made its maiden flight on 27 April 1934, and was shown at the Detroit Air Show in Michigan in 1935, the Company at this time working on a batch of 15 aircraft to the order of American Airlines.

The type also operated with Delta Air Lines and Central Airlines.  However, production ceased in 1937 after about 35 had been built.  In the United States it was known as a dependable, stable and quiet aircraft; pilots enjoyed it, and it could maintain altitude on two engines.  It was designed by Robert W Ayer and built by the Stinson Aircraft Corporation at its Wayne, Michigan facility.  A few were supplied to China and, after retirement in the USA, a few found their way to airlines in South America.

The fuselage framework was of welded steel tube contoured to shape with formers and fairing strips, and fabric covered.  The forward section was covered in metal and the cabin was sound-proofed, ventilated and equipped with cabin heating.  Baggage capacity was 1.16 m³ (41 cub ft) and it could hold 227 kg (500 lb) to the rear of the cabin.  A mail or baggage compartment was located behind each engine and had a capacity of 0.42 m³ (15 cub ft) or 68 kg (150 lb).  If required an extra fuel tank could be located in the latter position with a capacity of 112 litres (25 Imp gals).

The wing was of sesqui-spar design and was built of steel tubing with a girder-type spar beam with truss-type rib, fabric covered and braced to the fuselage by two struts on each side.  Trailing edge wing flaps were installed, and it had a retractable tailwheel type undercarriage.  The tail was also built of metal tubing and was fabric covered.  Each engine had an electric starter and Lycoming-Smith or Hamilton-Standard propellers were fitted.

Four came to Australia and operated with Airlines of Australia Ltd on the inter-capital and provincial routes. The first (c/n 9122) was completed at the Stinson facility at Wayne on 28 January 1936 . It was registered as VH-UGG on 16 April 1936 and named City of Lismore.  It made its first flight in Australia at Mascot, NSW in mid-April 1936 and on 19 April that year commenced a goodwill tour of centres between Cairns, QLD  and Melbourne, VIC covering three States over a period of seven days.  It then entered service and served cities on Australia’s east coast but at the time was not fitted with radio. On 28 March 1937 it had an engine failure at dawn on take-off for Townsville, QLD in foggy weather at Archerfield airport, Brisbane, QLD, crashed, and was destroyed by fire.  On board was the pilot and one passenger, a load of mail, newspapers and freight.

The second (c/n 9126) was completed on 27 April 1936 and registered VH-UHH City of Brisbane on 27 June 1936.  It, like VH-UGG, was expected to be fitted with radio equipment in March 1937.  On 19 February 1937 it left Archerfield for Sydney on a scheduled flight and disappeared, crashing in the Queensland MacPherson Ranges.  Five died and two survived and were rescued.  Extensive searches were made along the route to locate the aircraft.  Subsequently, eight days later, the wreckage was located by Bernard O’Reilly, proprietor of a guest-house on the Lamington Plateau, the story of which has become well known through a number of books and articles, and a television special called “The Riddle of the Stinson” made in 1987.

For this television special a full size fibreglass replica was built, fitted with small Honda engines to turn the propellers. After completion of the movie the replica was stored at Camden, NSW for some time and later displayed as part of the collection at Airworld at Wangaratta, VIC. However, after the closure of Airworld in 2002 it was sold and is now displayed outside the vineyard and café restaurant at O’Reilly’s Rainforest Retreat in the Lamington National Park in Queensland.

The next registered (c/n 9128) was VH-UKK City of Townsville, and was the only one of the four to survive to retirement.  First registered on 30 July 1936 it served the airline until 1941 when it was used on charter to the Allied Air Forces in the South West Pacific area.  However, spares for the engines became scarce and it, with the other survivor, VH-UYY, was fitted with two 336 kw (450 hp) Pratt & Whitney Wasp R-1340-AN1 radial engines, this work being carried out in the workshops of Australian National Airways at Essendon, VIC.  It then became known on the Civil Register as a model A-2W.

Ownership was transferred to Australian National Airways on 15 June 1943.  Due to the increase in power, payload had been increased by 454 kw (1,000 lb).  It was renamed Binana and resumed services in Queensland.  However, following an accident to VH-UYY the Certificate of Airworthiness was suspended on 10 February 1945.  It was then used for test purposes by the CSIRO at Fishermen’s Bend, VIC, until it fell derelict and was scrapped, the registration being cancelled on 27 June 1945.

The last (c/n 9130) VH-UYY  City of Grafton was completed on 17 October 1936 and was registered on 29 December 1936. It differed from the other three in having radio but, due to the weight of the equipment, had to carry less fuel or freight, or one less passenger.  Its life was similar to VH-UKK. After service with Airlines of Australia it was placed into service with the Allied Air Forces, the seating being changed to military style along the sides when in military use.  It too was re-engined with two Pratt & Whitney Wasp engines in 1943.

Ownership was transferred to Australian National Airways on 15 June 1943 and it became Tokana, making its first flight with two engines as a Model A-2W on 1 October 1943.  However, on 31 January 1945, whilst in service with ANA, it was destroyed in a crash near Mia Mia, VIC, breaking up in the air due to metal fatigue, the crew of two and eight passengers being killed.  At the time its total flying hours were 13,763, of which 2,797 were with the Wasp engines.

One example (c/n 9125 – NC15165) survives in the United States.  Restored to airworthiness some years ago, it was at one stage placed in a museum.  This aircraft was built in 1936 for American Airlines, later going to Lavery Airways in Fairbanks, Alaska.  Whilst operated by Northern Consolidated Airlines it suffered a forced landing in remote bush in Alaska in 1947 on a flight from Fairbanks to Bethel.  Over a period of eight years, commencing from 1966, it was recovered, restored and sold to the Alaska Heritage Museum at Anchorage International Airport.  In 1998 it was again sold and has been returned to airworthiness at Anoka near Minneapolis in Minnesota as part of the Golden Wings Flying Museum.  In 2007 it was flown to and placed on display at the EAA convention at Oshkosh in Wisconsin, making further appearances in later years at various aviation events.