60-801: The Martin B-10 was the first all-metal monoplane bomber to be regularly used by the United States Army Air Corps , having entered service in June 1934. It was also the first mass-produced bomber whose performance was superior to that of the Army's pursuit aircraft of the time. The B-10 served as the airframe for the B-12 , B-13 , B-14 , A-15 and O-45 designations using Pratt & Whitney engines instead of Wright Cyclones. A total of 348 of all versions were built. The largest users were
120-786: A Group of three squadrons. In December 1937, an order was placed for 39 Martin 139 WH-3s, followed by an order for 40 Martin 139 WH-3As in November 1938. Two more Martin 139 WH-3As were ordered in July 1939 to replace aircraft lost during delivery. The last of these attrition replacement aircraft was delivered in March 1940, including the last Martin B-10/139 built. On the outbreak of war with Japan in December 1941, about 58 Martins (WH-3 and WH-3As) were operational with six squadrons, with about 20 more of
180-502: A few specialist types. Jet and rocket engines have even more power and all modern high-speed aircraft, especially supersonic types, have been monoplanes. Goodyear Blimp The Goodyear Blimp is any one of a fleet of airships (or dirigibles) operated by the Goodyear Tire and Rubber Company , used mainly for advertising purposes and capturing aerial views of live sporting events for television . The term blimp itself
240-640: A lack of coordination, British AA mistook the Dutch Martins for enemy aircraft and engaged them as they neared Singapore. The Martins were then stationed at Sembawang . In early January 1942, Dutch Martins along with British Blenheim bombers sortied over the west coast of Malaya to halt the Japanese advance. On 8 January, nine Martin and four Australian Hudson attacked a suspected Japanese seaplane tender anchored offshore in South China Sea, but
300-627: A light aircraft, the configuration is significant because it offers superior visibility to the pilot. On light aircraft, shoulder-wings tend to be mounted further aft than a high wing, and so may need to be swept forward to maintain correct center of gravity . Examples of light aircraft with shoulder wings include the ARV Super2 , the Bölkow Junior , Saab Safari and the Barber Snark . A high wing has its upper surface on or above
360-592: A non-renewable resource. The helium is maintained under low pressure , so small punctures do not pose serious consequences for the blimp. One inspection element of the blimps is to look into the envelope for pinpoints of light which are indicative of small holes. Prior to the Zeppelin NT, the Goodyear blimps were non-rigid (meaning their shape is not maintained by a rigid internal structure) dirigibles (directable/steerable airships). Inside their exterior envelope,
420-407: A pendulous fuselage which requires no wing dihedral for stability; and, by comparison with a low-wing, a shoulder-wing's limited ground effect reduces float on landing. Compared to a low-wing, shoulder-wing and high-wing configurations give increased propeller clearance on multi-engined aircraft. On a large aircraft, there is little practical difference between a shoulder wing and a high wing; but on
480-470: A popular configuration for amphibians and small homebuilt and ultralight aircraft . Although the first successful aircraft were biplanes, the first attempts at heavier-than-air flying machines were monoplanes, and many pioneers continued to develop monoplane designs. For example, the first aeroplane to be put into production was the 1907 Santos-Dumont Demoiselle , while the Blériot XI flew across
540-686: A reference to the Goodyear Blimp ("... it'd float up over the Greater L.A. downtown area like the Goodyear blimp..."). In 1983, the city of Redondo Beach, California , near the blimp base airport in Carson, California , adopted resolution number 6252 recognizing the Goodyear Airship Columbia (since retired) as the "Official Bird of Redondo Beach". On a 2001 episode of That 70's Show , Leo recalls seeing what he thought
600-803: A rigid internal frame. Although technically incorrect, Goodyear continues to use "blimp" in reference to these new semi-rigid airships. Wingfoot One , the first such model in Goodyear's U.S. fleet, was christened on August 23, 2014, at the Wingfoot Lake Airship Hangar , near the company's headquarters in Akron, Ohio . In May 2011, Goodyear announced it was replacing its fleet of non-rigid airships with three semi-rigid airships built by Luftschiffbau Zeppelin . Goodyear's U.S. fleet consists of three semi-rigid airships (model LZ N07-101 ): The new airships are 246 feet (75 meters) long, 52 feet (16 meters) longer than Goodyear's old model,
660-632: A strong second place and was bested by only the Boeing B-17 in range and endurance. However, it had a higher ceiling of 28,500 ft (8,700 m), was only 2 mph (3 km/h) slower, and carried 313 lb (142 kg) less in bombs than the Boeing, at over half the cost. Nonetheless, the design was seen as a dead end, and the third-place contender, the Douglas B-18 , was selected instead. Private venture of Martin company, predecessor of
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#1732786764660720-489: A wing of a given size, the weight reduction allows it to fly slower and with a lower-powered and more economical engine. For this reason, all monoplane wings in the pioneer era were braced and most were up until the early 1930s. However, the exposed struts or wires create additional drag, lowering aerodynamic efficiency and reducing the maximum speed. High-speed and long-range designs tend to be pure cantilevers, while low-speed short-range types are often given bracing. Besides
780-432: Is a fixed-wing aircraft configuration with a single mainplane, in contrast to a biplane or other types of multiplanes , which have multiple planes. A monoplane has inherently the highest efficiency and lowest drag of any wing configuration and is the simplest to build. However, during the early years of flight, these advantages were offset by its greater weight and lower manoeuvrability, making it relatively rare until
840-604: Is defined as a non-rigid airship —without any internal structure, the pressure of lifting gas within the airship envelope maintains the vessel's shape. From the launch of the Pilgrim in 1925 to the retiring of the Spirit of Innovation in 2017, Goodyear generally owned and operated non-rigid airships in its global public relations fleet. In 2014, Goodyear began to replace its three U.S. non-rigid airships (blimps) with three new semi-rigid airships , each of which have
900-591: Is operated by Deutsche Zeppelin-Reederei , a commercial passenger flight operator, and the Goodyear Zeppelin NT is regularly used for public flights around Germany outside of sport seasons. For years, Goodyear has fitted its blimps with a night sign. From neon tubes, to incandescent lamps to LEDs, these signs have helped the company advertise its products and also deliver public service messages from various organizations such as local governments. Philip K. Dick 's 1977 novel, A Scanner Darkly , contains
960-410: Is that the fuselage is closer to the ground which eases cargo loading, especially for aircraft with a rear-fuselage cargo door. Military cargo aircraft are predominantly high-wing designs with a rear cargo door. A parasol wing is not directly attached to the fuselage but held above it, supported by either cabane struts or a pylon. Additional bracing may be provided by struts or wires extending from
1020-662: The 6th Composite Group in the Panama Canal Zone , and the 4th Composite Group in the Philippines . In addition to conventional duties in the bomber role, some modified YB-10s and B-12As were operated for a time on large twin floats for coastal patrol. In February 1936, the US Army Air Corps used 13 B-10Bs of the 49th Bomb Squadron to drop supplies to the residents of Virginia 's Tangier Island and Maryland 's Smith Island ; with ships unable to reach
1080-705: The All American Soap Box Derby , the winners of the World Championship races held each July in Akron, Ohio were awarded a ride in the blimp. Typically these rides were given on the day following the annual race, but if weather prohibited the blimp from flying on that day, the champions were given an award letter from Goodyear. This letter was basically a lifetime ticket for one blimp ride to be taken whenever arrangements could be made between all parties involved. The European Goodyear blimp
1140-596: The Army Air Corps Mail Operation . The production model of the XB-10, the YB-10, was very similar to its prototype. In 1935, the Army ordered an additional 103 aircraft designated B-10B . These had only minor changes from the YB-10. Shipments began in July 1935 . B-10Bs served with the 2d Bomb Group at Langley Field , the 9th Bomb Group at Mitchel Field , the 19th Bomb Group at March Field ,
1200-571: The English Channel in 1909. Throughout 1909–1910, Hubert Latham set multiple altitude records in his Antoinette IV monoplane, eventually reaching 1,384 m (4,541 ft). The equivalent German language term is Eindecker , as in the mid-wing Fokker Eindecker fighter of 1915 which for a time dominated the skies in what became known as the " Fokker scourge ". The German military Idflieg aircraft designation system prior to 1918 prefixed monoplane type designations with an E , until
1260-693: The Fokker D.VIII and Morane-Saulnier AI in the later part of the First World War. A parasol wing also provides a high mounting point for engines and during the interwar period was popular on flying boats, which need to lift the propellers clear of spray. Examples include the Martin M-130 , Dornier Do 18 and the Consolidated PBY Catalina . Compared to a biplane , a parasol wing has less bracing and lower drag. It remains
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#17327867646601320-625: The GZ-20 . The Zeppelin NT model is also slimmer, has a top speed of 70 miles per hour (110 kilometers per hour) (versus 50 miles per hour (80 kilometers per hour) for the blimp), and has a passenger gondola that seats 12 (compared to seven in the blimp). The gondola also contains a restroom. Both craft are outfitted with LED sign technology Goodyear calls "Eaglevision". This allows the aircraft to display bright, multi-colored, animated words and images. Goodyear has also leased blimps operating in other parts of
1380-451: The braced parasol wing became popular on fighter aircraft, although few arrived in time to see combat. It remained popular throughout the 1920s. On flying boats with a shallow hull, a parasol wing allows the engines to be mounted above the spray from the water when taking off and landing. This arrangement was popular on flying boats during the 1930s; a late example being the Consolidated PBY Catalina . It died out when taller hulls became
1440-831: The 139WC in 1936, When introduced, it was the fastest aircraft in China. The 139WC was primarily used for night bombing and maritime reconnaissance . On 25 August 1937, as the air battles intensified in the early part of the Second Sino-Japanese War , five Chinese Nationalist Air Force bombers of the 8th BG, 19th and 30th Squadrons consisting of three Heinkel He 111As and two Martin B-10s, flying from their base in Nanjing to Shanghai , successfully dropped their bombs on Japanese landing forces at Liuhe, Taicang , northwest of Shanghai. However, Japanese aircraft pursued
1500-725: The 1930s, the cantilever monoplane was fast becoming the standard configuration for a fixed-wing aircraft. Advanced monoplane fighter-aircraft designs were mass-produced for military services around the world in both the Soviet Union and the United States in the early–mid 1930s, with the Polikarpov I-16 and the Boeing P-26 Peashooter respectively. Most military aircraft of WWII were monoplanes, as have been virtually all aircraft since, except for
1560-457: The 1930s. Since then, the monoplane has been the most common form for a fixed-wing aircraft. The inherent efficiency of the monoplane is best achieved in the cantilever wing, which carries all structural forces internally. However, to fly at practical speeds the wing must be made thin, which requires a heavy structure to make it strong and stiff enough. External bracing can be used to improve structural efficiency, reducing weight and cost. For
1620-773: The 1932 Collier Trophy for designing the XB-10. The B-10 began as the Martin Model 123 , a private venture by the Glenn L. Martin Company of Baltimore, Maryland . It had a crew of four: pilot , copilot, nose gunner and fuselage gunner. As in previous bombers, the four crew compartments were open, but it had a number of design innovations as well. These innovations included a deep belly for an internal bomb bay and retractable main landing gear . Its 600 hp (450 kW) Wright SR-1820-E Cyclone engines provided sufficient power. The Model 123 first flew on 16 February 1932 and
1680-646: The 1990s: Europa , Spirit of Europe , Spirit of the South Pacific , Spirit of the Americas , Spirit of Safety , Ventura , Ling Hang Zhe (Navigator) . The only passengers that Goodyear will allow on the blimps are corporate guests of the company and members of the press; it has been Goodyear's long-standing policy that no public rides are offered. However, for over 50 years, it had to offer limited public rides at its Miami, Florida , winter base on Watson Island as part of its land-lease deal with
1740-595: The B-10 would flood in. The U.S. Army owned the rights to the Model 139 design. Once the Army's orders had been filled in 1936, Martin received permission to export Model 139s, and delivered versions to several air forces. These included six Model 139Ws sold to Siam in April 1937, powered by Wright R-1820 -G3 Cyclone engines, and 20 Model 139Ws sold to Turkey in September 1937, powered by R-1820-G2 engines. ROCAF purchased
1800-876: The Florida-based Stars & Stripes in 2005. In 2006, Goodyear began having the public participate in the naming of their airships; they dubbed this the "Name the Blimp" contest. Spirit of Innovation was the first airship to be named by the public. The America's Cup winners' names: Puritan , Reliance , Defender , Volunteer , Resolute , Vigilant , Mayflower , Ranger , Rainbow , Enterprise , Columbia , America , Stars & Stripes . Non-cup winners' names: Pilgrim , Neponset , Spirit of Akron , Spirit of Goodyear , Eagle , Spirit of America , Spirit of Innovation , Wingfoot One , Wingfoot Two . Foreign based blimps have been operated by The Lightship Group since
1860-628: The GZ-20/20A blimps were 192 feet (59 meters) long, 59.5 feet (18.1 meters) tall, and 50 feet (15 meters) wide. For comparison, the largest airships ever built, the Zeppelin company's Hindenburg , LZ-129, and the Graf Zeppelin II , LZ-130, were both 804 feet (245 meters) long and 135 feet (41 meters) in diameter. That is, over four times as long and over twice as wide as the current Goodyear blimps. The largest blimp ever made by Goodyear
Martin B-10 - Misplaced Pages Continue
1920-585: The Martin 139WTs served as backup aircraft until 1946, when twelve of the sixteen remaining aircraft were still operational. At the time of its creation, the B-10B was so advanced that General Henry H. Arnold described it as the airpower wonder of its day. It was half again as fast as any biplane bomber, and faster than any contemporary fighter. The B-10 began a revolution in bomber design, making existing bombers completely obsolete. Rapid advances in bomber design in
1980-623: The US, with 166, and the Netherlands, with 121. The B-10 began a revolution in bomber design. Its all-metal monoplane airframe, along with its features of closed cockpits, rotating gun turrets (almost simultaneously with the 1933 British Boulton & Paul Overstrand biplane bomber's own enclosed nose-turret), retractable landing gear, internal bomb bay, and full engine cowlings, became the standard for bomber designs worldwide for decades. It made all existing bombers completely obsolete. Martin received
2040-463: The XB-10, served as prototype for the series, one built. Army Air Corps versions, 165 built. The export versions, 100 built (182 including the Model 166, see below). Final version, a.k.a. 139WH-3 and 139WH-3A, 82 built. Data from United States Military Aircraft Since 1909. General characteristics Performance Armament Aircraft of comparable role, configuration, and era Related lists Monoplane A monoplane
2100-481: The aircraft more manoeuvrable, as on the Spitfire ; but aircraft that value stability over manoeuvrability may then need some dihedral . A feature of the low-wing position is its significant ground effect , giving the plane a tendency to float farther before landing. Conversely, this ground effect permits shorter takeoffs. A mid wing is mounted midway up the fuselage. The carry-through spar structure can reduce
2160-596: The airfield in Phrae as a part of Phayap Army to invade Shan state. After being delivered in September 1937, the Martin 139WTs were assigned to the 55th and 56th Tayyare Bölüğü (Aviation Squadrons) of the 9th Tayyare Taburu (Aviation Battalion). During the Second World War , the aircraft were extensively deployed for surveillance over the Black Sea . After being replaced by British Blenheims and Beauforts in 1944,
2220-525: The approval of the Fokker D.VIII fighter from its former "E.V" designation. However, the success of the Fokker was short-lived, and World War I was dominated by biplanes. Towards the end of the war, the parasol monoplane became popular and successful designs were produced into the 1920s. Nonetheless, relatively few monoplane types were built between 1914 and the late 1920s, compared with the number of biplanes. The reasons for this were primarily practical. With
2280-455: The blimps are fitted with air-filled ballonets . As the blimp ascends or descends, the internal ballonets expand or contract to compensate for density changes and to maintain uniform pressure in the envelope. The latest Goodyear airship, the Zeppelin NT, is a departure from this convention, as it is a semi-rigid airship that makes use of a truss inside the envelope to provide some of its strength. "GZ" stands for Goodyear–Zeppelin, stemming from
2340-624: The bomber force. The Martin 139 was chosen in preference to the Dutch Fokker T.V , as its all metal construction was considered more robust than the steel tube and fabric Fokker, while the Martin bomber was also already in production and therefore would be available sooner. Twelve Martin 139 WH-1s were ordered for the Royal Netherlands East Indies Army Air Force (ML-KNIL) in 1936, followed by 26 improved WH-2s in March 1937, sufficient bombers to equip
2400-875: The bombers and shot up two of the Heinkels, forcing them to crash land; two crew members were killed on the ground by Japanese aircraft strafing them. As the National Revolutionary Army of China fought desperately to hold onto their remaining positions in the Battle of Shanghai , the Chinese Air Force launched a major strike with a motley mix of aircraft against Japanese positions in Shanghai on 14 October 1937, consisting of three B-10s, two Heinkel He 111As, five Douglas O-2 MCs, five Northrop Gammas , and three Curtiss Hawk IIIs from Nanjing in
2460-459: The city in order to operate from the island. That practice ended in 1979 when the base was moved to Opa-locka, Florida . During the period in which Goodyear supplied tires for IndyCar , it was a tradition that the pole position winner at the Indianapolis 500 would get a ride in the blimp in the days leading up to the race. During the period in which Goodyear was a corporate sponsor of
Martin B-10 - Misplaced Pages Continue
2520-561: The conscience of the Japanese people against atrocities committed by the Japanese invasion and occupation of China", over the cities of Nagasaki, Fukuoka, Kurume, Saga, and others, while reconnoitering airbases, ports, warships and factories. In the mid-1930s, the Netherlands government adopted a doctrine for defense of the Netherlands East Indies , which relied on the use of land-based bombers against any attacking force, with orders for defensive fighters cancelled to pay for
2580-402: The fuselage sides. The first parasol monoplanes were adaptations of shoulder wing monoplanes, since raising a shoulder mounted wing above the fuselage greatly improved visibility downwards, which was useful for reconnaissance roles, as with the widely used Morane-Saulnier L . The parasol wing allows for an efficient design with good pilot visibility, and was adopted for some fighters such as
2640-433: The general variations in wing configuration such as tail position and use of bracing, the main distinction between types of monoplane is where the wing is mounted vertically on the fuselage . A low wing is one which is located on or near the bottom of the fuselage. Placing the wing low allows good visibility upwards and frees the central fuselage from the wing spar carry-through. By reducing pendulum stability, it makes
2700-545: The islands due to heavy ice in the Chesapeake Bay , the islanders faced starvation after a severe winter storm. The B-10B supply flights followed earlier supply flights to the islands by the Goodyear Blimp Enterprise on 2 February 1936 and by the squadron's Keystone B-6A bombers on 9 and 10 February 1936. With its advanced performance, the Martin company fully expected that export orders for
2760-470: The late 1930s meant that the B-10 was eclipsed by the time the United States entered World War II . The Model 139s in combat in China and South East Asia suffered the same disadvantages as the other early war medium bombers, i.e. not enough armor and guns, while it could not outrun the latest fighters. An abortive effort to modernize the design, the Martin Model 146 , was entered into a USAAC long-distance bomber design competition in 1934–5. The bomber came in
2820-416: The late afternoon; in the evening, one bomber was launched every hour from Nanjing to attack Japanese positions in Shanghai until 03:00 on 15 October. On 19 May 1938, two B-10s of the 2nd BG, 14th Squadron , led by Capt. Hsu Huan-sheng and Lt. Teng Yen-bo, successfully flew the first air raid on mainland Japan. During an unescorted nighttime raid over Japan, the B-10s dropped 2 million leaflets, "alerting
2880-415: The low engine powers and airspeeds available, the wings of a monoplane needed to be large in order to create enough lift while a biplane could have two smaller wings and so be made smaller and lighter. Towards the end of the First World War, the inherent high drag of the biplane was beginning to restrict performance. Engines were not yet powerful enough to make the heavy cantilever-wing monoplane viable, and
2940-545: The medium bomber force of the Royal Thai Air Force at the start of the 1940–1941 Franco-Thai War . They flew several bombing missions during the war, with their first mission against Xieng Khuang , Laos and a nearby airfield on 15 December 1940, with the last mission, against Sisophon in what is now Cambodia on 28 January at the very end of the Franco-Thai War. Later on, B-10s had been assigned to
3000-410: The norm during World War II, allowing a high wing to be attached directly to the hull. As ever-increasing engine powers made the weight of all-metal construction and the cantilever wing more practical — first pioneered together by the revolutionary German Junkers J 1 factory demonstrator in 1915–16 — they became common during the post–World War I period, the day of the braced wing passed, and by
3060-676: The older variants in reserve. B-10s of the ML-KNIL served in the defense of the Dutch East Indies . During the start of Pacific War , Dutch Martin units were as follows: In efforts to reinforce the British defense of the Malay Peninsula, the Dutch East Indies sent some ML-KNIL squadrons. Included were 22 Martin 139s from VLG-III that were organized into three squadrons, which arrived at Singapore on 9 December 1941. Due to
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#17327867646603120-593: The partnership Goodyear had with the German company when both were building airships together. However, these models came many years after this partnership had dissolved during the start of World War II. The GZ-1 was the USS Akron (ZRS-4) , the U.S. Navy's fourth rigid airship used for several tests including as a flying "aircraft carrier". According to the Goodyear website, the now retired GZ 19 and 19A blimps were 150 and 157 feet (46 and 48 meters) long respectively, and
3180-581: The results were inconclusive. In the next day, nine Martin "quite successfully" bombed several Japanese ships unloading cargo at Kuantan . Two Martins were shot down by the Japanese near Penang on 1 January, while a further four Martins were lost while attacking Japanese forces on the Muar River on 19 January. On the same day, Dutch fighter squadrons were withdrawn to Sumatra, while the Martins were also withdrawn to Java three days later. Six B-10s formed
3240-453: The top of the fuselage. It shares many advantages and disadvantages with the shoulder wing, but on a light aircraft, the high wing has poorer upwards visibility. On light aircraft such as the Cessna 152 , the wing is usually located above the cabin, so that the wing spar passes over the occupants' heads, leaving the wing in the ideal fore-aft position. An advantage of the high-wing configuration
3300-439: The useful fuselage volume near its centre of gravity, where space is often in most demand. A shoulder wing (a category between high-wing and mid-wing) is a configuration whereby the wing is mounted near the top of the fuselage but not on the very top. It is so called because it sits on the "shoulder" of the fuselage, rather than on the pilot's shoulder. Shoulder-wings and high-wings share some characteristics, namely: they support
3360-549: The wingspan, along with an enclosed nose turret. When the XB-10 flew during trials in June, it recorded a speed of 197 mph (317 km/h) at 6,000 ft (1,800 m). This was an impressive performance for 1932. Following the success of the XB-10, a number of changes were made, including reduction to a three-man crew and addition of canopies for all crew positions. The Army ordered 48 of these on 17 January 1933. The first 14 aircraft were designated YB-10 and delivered to Wright Field , starting in November 1933, and used in
3420-436: The world. These airships were built and operated by The Lightship Group of Orlando, Florida . In 2012, The Lightship Group was acquired (along with the American Blimp Corporation ) by Van Wagner Communications LLC, and operated as the Van Wagner Airship Group until November 17, 2017, when it was purchased by Airsign Inc. They currently operate an airship for Goodyear in China. The Goodyear blimps are inflated with helium ,
3480-401: Was a UFO at a football game, which displayed a message that he interpreted as a prediction of a "good year." The blimp appears in Cars . The blimp is mentioned in the song "It Was A Good Day" by Ice Cube . In January 2019, the College Football Hall of Fame inducted the Goodyear Blimp as its first-ever nonhuman inductee. The Aldrich Blimp in Thomas Harris ' 1975 novel Black Sunday
3540-459: Was delivered for testing to the U.S. Army on 20 March as the XB-907. After testing it was sent back to Martin for redesigning and was rebuilt as the XB-10 . The XB-10 delivered to the Army had major differences from the original aircraft. Where the Model 123 had Townend rings , the XB-10 had full NACA cowlings to decrease drag . It also sported a pair of 675 hp (503 kW) Wright R-1820 -19 engines, and an 8 feet (2.4 m) increase in
3600-410: Was the U.S. Navy 's ZPG-3, at 403 feet (123 meters) in length. Since 1928, Goodyear had traditionally named its blimps after the U.S. winners of the America's Cup yacht race. This naming method is attributed to then-Goodyear CEO P. W. Litchfield, who viewed the airships as "aerial yachts". Although that practice deviated with the introduction of the Spirit of Akron in 1987, the tradition ended with
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