Was Bellanca CF one of the best planes in starting 19s?

The Bellanca CF was created by Giuseppe Mario Bellanca, an early enclosed high-wing monoplane that served as the prototype for a popular line of Bellanca aircraft. Bellanca's CF design garnered her a nomination for the 1922 Collier Trophy.

History

Previously, in Sicily, Bellanca had designed his own parasol aircraft, which he brought to New York to test fly. In Mineola, Long Island, New York, Bellanca founded the Bellanca Aeroplane Company and Flying School in 1911. Bellanca trained Mayor Fiorello LaGuardia there. Bellanca constructed a number of biplanes for the Maryland Pressed Steel Company, which went out of business not long after the Great War. 

Bellanca relocated to Omaha, Nebraska, in the west in order to establish the Roos-Bellanca Aircraft Company alongside A.H. Fetters and Victor H. Roos. Only one Bellanca CF was constructed by the short-lived business, but it was a significant step toward a string of record-breaking aircraft that Bellanca later developed. The enclosed cabin aircraft was ahead of its time, even before postal contracts made aircraft production profitable.

Design

In 1921, Bellanca began work on the CF design. The CF's fuselage was made of plywood made of mahogany, while its tail, wings, and strut surfaces were covered in cloth. It has a length of 23 feet, 10 inches, and a 40-foot wingspan. It is 7 feet, 3 inches tall. The aeroplane had a modest number of windows and a completely enclosed cabin. 

Steel wires were used to brace the fuselage. Ash wood laminate with birch veneer made up the landing gear. The Port Orford cedar wing struts included useful airfoil designs to help with lift. Its wing area is 26.10 m2, or 280.9 sq ft. It has a total weight of 903 kg and 50 US gal of fuel capacity.

Specifications

Engine and Propeller

It has an air-cooled radial piston engine producing 95 horsepower. It has two-bladed Bellanca propellers with an 8-foot diameter. Four people can fit inside it. 

 

Performance

The maximum speed is 180 km/h. 64 km/h is the stall speed. Climbing at a rate of 1,100 feet per minute (5.6 meters per second). Wing loading: 33.4 kg/m^2 or 6.85 lb/sq foot

 

Price

Bellanca CF was simply too costly, with a price of Rs. 41,45,465, and manufacturing of the aircraft was never completed. Following the CF's debacle, Bellanca created wings for the Post Office Department's DH-4 aircraft.