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Military Aircraft
Lockheed XR60 CONSTITUTION |
| Early in 1942, Lockheed began work on its model 89 design for an advanced long range airliner likely to meet the requirements of Pan American Airways, which was also considering three other types. No airliner could be developed during the Second World War, but as PAA was under contract to the Army Air Force and US Navy for a host of transport task, military sponsorship of the project was not a problem and the Model 89 was adopted by the navy. So vast a plane presented many structural problems, and was eventually finalized as a sleek low mid wing monoplane. This had a pressurized double deck fuselage and tricycle landing gear whose main units comprised, each side , a tandem arrangement of two twin wheel legs. The project enjoyed only a low priority, and the two XR60-1 prototype were completed only 15 months after the end of the war. The type had been planned with four 5,500-shp Wright Typhoon turboprops, but this type cancellation led to the use of a lower powered piston engines. The first plane flew in November 1946, and the planes saw only limited use up to 1953. |
TECHNICAL DATA
| Description | Specifications |
| Manufacturer: Lockheed | Length: 156 ft. 1 in. |
| First Flight: November 1946 | Height: 50 ft. 4.5 in. |
| Model: XR60-1 | Wing Span: 199 ft. 1.25 in. |
| Crew: Five / six. | Wing Area: 3,610.0 sq. ft. |
| Nickname: Constitution | Empty Weight: 114,575 lb. |
| Basic Role: Long range transport. | Max. Weight: 184,000 lb. |
| Other Versions: XR60-1 prototype redesigned XR6V-1 in 1950. | Payload: 204 passengers. |
| Principal User: USA. |
Propulsion |
|
Performance |
Power Plant: Pratt & Whitney R-4360-22W wasp Major radial piston engines. |
| Range: 6,300 miles. | Horsepower: 3,500-hp. |
| Max. Speed: 303 mph. | No. Of Engines: Four |
| Ceiling: 27,600 ft. | |
| Climb Rate: 1,010 ft. per minute. |