Bellanca jungle

Hi all,

can you bring light into the jungle of Bellanca firms and designation systems?

I know there is a series with letters and series with numbers.

Servus Maveric

Ha! Now that's a tough one! Bellanca is one of the very few US manufacturers I never took the time to list properly because it's a jungle, indeed! Here is just a rough listing of all found Bellanca designations. Not all correspond to built aircraft. Quite a few are projects, many are prototypes. Not included are the later Bellanca (Aeronca) models or later general aviation types such as the T-250 Aries.

Topic edited - better version posted further below

In Aerofiles the following has been written on Bellanca designations:

Bellanca model designations generally were based on specifications—e.g.: 14-9 defined a wing area of 14 sqft, and the 9 indicated horsepower, in this case 90hp.
Bellanca models appearing in gray type were specified in titles of NASM archival matter and their actual existence or degree of manufacture is unknown. Some were numbered design projects, some were variants and mods and test reports, some with vague titles (Three-Seater Super Fighter, 6 Seater Tandem, etc), many are up for speculation. It will require serious dedication on the part of some researcher who has the time (and NASM's permission) to go through c.100 boxes and bring into the light those mysteries.

Hi,

P-100 Airbus 14-seat commercial monoplane
T-250 four/five-set cabin monoplane
PM-300 Pacemaker freighter
50-210 triplane bomber
77-180 twin-float monoplane

An attempt to sort out the Bellanca mess...


LETTER SERIES
-------------------------

A Army Attack proposal
CD
CE SPORT
CF SPORT (Anzani engine), AIR SEDAN (1922)
CG some versions with Curtiss OX-OXX engines
CG (WB-1) Wright-Bellanca airplane, sometimes called the "Wright-Plane" (circa 1925)
WB-2 Wright-Bellanca airplane (circa 1926); became Columbia Aircraft Co. "Miss Columbia" (record: 4 June 1927)
CH also amphibian version
CH-200 PACEMAKER
CH-300 PACEMAKER, over 35 built (1929); one to X/RE-3 [BuAer 9341]
CH-300 PACEMAKER SPECIAL [ATC Group 2 #2-185]
CH-300W PACEMAKER [A.T.C. #328] (1931)
CH-400 SKYROCKET (1929); one to US Navy as XRE-1 [BuAer A8938] and one as XRE-2 [BuAer 9207]
CH-400W SKYROCKET
D SKYROCKET D
E PACEMAKER E
F SKYROCKET F
F-1 SKYROCKET F-1
F-2 SKYROCKET F-2
HC-57 Higgins-Bellanca twin-boom cargo transport project
I found as a Columbia Aircraft Co. type
J PATHFINDER, included "Liberty", "Miss Veedol" and "Green Flash"
J-300 PATHFINDER, included "Cape Cod" and "Leonardo da Vinci"
J-300 Special "American Legion" (also called 30-42 Special)
J-2 PACEMAKER; also TRADEWIND SPECIAL
J-3
J-3-500 Special long distance version "Santa Lucia"
K Transport, included "Roma"
M Transport
MP-901 Canadian mailplane
P-100 AIRBUS; first flight: May 1930 (P series was commercial version of K)
P-200/-A AIRBUS; 4 built (1931); two as USAAC Y1C-27 (possibly one first as XC-942)
P-300 AIRBUS; military version for USAAC as C-27A, C-27B and C-27C
PM-300 PACEMAKER FREIGHTER, cargo version of CH-300
P-2 Army project
TES TANDEM (Tandem Experimental Sesquiplane) "The Blue Streak"; push-pull prototype, 1 ex (1950) [X/NR855E]
T-250 ARIES


NUMERAL SERIES
----------------------------

NOTE: first part of designation refers to the wing area while second part refers to horsepower

14-7,-7L JUNIOR
14-9,-9L JUNIOR
14-10,-10L
14-12,-12-F3 CRUISAIR (1941)
14-13/-2,-3 CRUISAIR SENIOR
14-13-3W CRUISAIR SENIOR, stationwagon version
T 14-14 tandem-seat low-wing monoplane primary trainer
T 14-15,-15L TRAINER
14-19 CRUISEMASTER
14-19-3A BRAVO (marketed as the Model 260A, 260B and 260C)
T 14-22
17-20
17-30 VIKING
17-30A,-30B SUPER VIKING
17-31 VIKING 300
17-31A SUPER VIKING 300
17-31ATC TURBO SUPER VIKING
17-110 Interceptor Airplane, Single Engine Pursuit Type (Circular Proposal 39-770)
18-13
18-40
19-18
19-25 SKYROCKET II, SKYROCKET III
19-34
19-67
20-13 Preliminary design of liaison observation airplane (1946)
20-115 Interceptor Airplane, Single Engine Pursuit Type (Turbo-Supercharger) (Circular Proposal 39-770)
22-42
22-80 Low-wing US Navy fighter airplane project (1935); also alternative biplane proposal
23-55
23-80 High-wing US Navy fighter airplane project (1935); also alternative biplane proposal
23-100 Army Pursuit Airplane project with Allison Engine (1935)
23-140
24-19 Preliminary Design of Liaison Observation Airplane (1946)
24-45 Preliminary Specification, no details (1952)
C-24-100-P
26-100B Single-Seat Fighter-Bomber Landplane project
27-50
27-86 Two-Seater Fighter Landplane project
28-70 "Irish Swoop" transatlantic racer for a private pilot (1936)
28-73
28-90 Built for French airmail operations (20 ex); diverted to Spanish Civil War (1937)
28-90A FLASH
28-90B FLASH, former 28-70 re-engined with 900 hp Pratt & Whitney R-1830 Twin Wasp engine
28-92 Three-engined version of FLASH, "Papana racer", used for racing and records (1937)
28-100 FLASH
28-110 FLASH, version for Chinese Government with 1000 hp Pratt & Whitney R-1830 Twin Wasp engine (1938)
C 28-/28-140
30-42 Special PATHFINDER, also christened "Clevelander" for record attempts (same as the J-300 Special)
31-40 SENIOR PACEMAKER
31-42 SENIOR PACEMAKER, 9-place variant (1935); one modified as U.S. Navy JE-1 in 1938 [BuAer 0795]
31-45 SENIOR PACEMAKER landplane freighter project (1949)
31-50 SENIOR SKYROCKET (1934)
31-55 SENIOR SKYROCKET (1938)
31-55A SENIOR SKYROCKET / SKYROCKET (1945-46)
31-55B SENIOR SKYROCKET
33-220 Interceptor Airplane, Twin-Engine Pursuit Type (Circular Proposal 39-775)
39-60M
49-42 YO-50 Liaison Short Range Observation Airplane for US Army Air Corps, 3 ex (1940)
50-210 Trimotor Bomber Specification
60-120 Utility Airplane (1953)
60-160 Utility Airplane (1953)
66-67 AIRCRUISER (1936)
66-70 AIRCRUISER (1934); also seaplane version (1935)
66-75 AIRCRUISER (1938)
66-76 AIRCRUISER (1938)
66-85 AIRCRUISER
66-87 US Navy Patrol Utility Airplane proposal, Class VPJ (1939)
66-90 US Navy Patrol Utility Airplane proposal, Class VPJ (1940)
77-140 Bomber prototype submitted to US Army Air Corps (1935); to Colombia
77-143
77-147
77-160 Twin-float monoplane seaplane (1935)
77-170 Twin-float monoplane seaplane (1935)
77-320 JUNIOR (circa 1938)
115-200 BELLANCA BOMBER project (1935)



DESIGNATIONS UNKNOWN
------------------------------------------

nd 1912 type
nd conversion of Wright Mailplane (itself based on DH-4)
nd TANDEM four-seater derivative project
nd US Navy XSE-1 carrier based scout, ordered 19 Oct 1931, 1 ex (1932) [BuAer A9186]
nd US Navy XSE-2 two-seater carrier based scout (1932)
nd US Navy XSOE-1 cruiser-based scout-observation biplane seaplane prototype (VSO Class) (1936) [BuAer 9728]



TARGETS
---------------
2-12 Class KD target drone for US Navy (1948)
3-12P,3-12W Type KD-300 target drone for US Navy (1954)
nd US Army Tow Target Model XM-24 (1953)
TW Aerial High Speed Towed Target, Triangular Configuration (1951)
CM, CM-1 Aerial High Speed Towed Target, Circular Configuration (1951)
CP-2 Aerial High Speed Towed Target, Circular Configuration, Fibreglass Plastic (1952)
CP-3 Aerial High Speed Towed Target, Circular Configuration, Fibreglass Plastic (1952)
nd Tow Aerial Aero X31A; Dart Configuration, Collapsible Dart Configuration and Body of Revolution Configuration (1954)
CF-1 Towed Radar Reflector - Aerial, Circular - Body or Revolution Configuration (1955)



AERONCA CHAMPION DERIVATIVES
---------------------------------------------------------

7ACA CHAMP
7ECA CITABRIA ("Airbatic" wrote the wrong way)
7GCBC CITABRIA
7KCAB CITABRIA
8GCBC SCOUT
8KCAB DECATHLON
8KCAB-180 SUPER DECATHLON
11AC CHIEF

Though the designation is not Bellanca's, but the U.S. Army's, I have found no better place for now to feature the XM-24 Sonic Speed Aerial Tow Target.

The XM-24 was designed and built by Bellanca after WW2 for the U. S. Army Ordnance Corp. The Army trained their radar and gun crews to track high speed, high altitude targets by towing the XM-24 with an Air Force B-47 at speeds above 400 MPH.

It is thirty feet long, made of fiberglass with a hole in the nose for the towing cable. Several hatches give access to the inside and to the electronic gear fitted there.

Total number built is unknown, but the Bellanca Collection has a document that mentions "Serial #0006 and Up", suggesting at least a small production run.

The tow target in the photos below is displayed in the hangar of the Bellanca Museum, at Bellanca Airfield, New Castle, Delaware, and was found on the nearby Quigley Farm.

See: www.friendsofbellanca.org

Great find Stargazer.

Forgive me for raising the subject from the dead

I'm looking for some good accurate 3-view line drawings for the above aircraft, and picture, the Bellanca models.

AviaBellanca Aircraft Corporation 26-10B fighter - probably project y-1-22
Bellanca Model 27-86 bomber - probably project cccy-1 bomber

Thanks in advance,

Hi Robertino,

unfortunately,all of them we have nothing,and what was y-1-22 ?.

hesham said:

Hi Robertino,

unfortunately,all of them we have nothing,and what was y-1-22 ?.

Click to expand...

y-1-22 and cccy-1 probably the code of designer labels, I think the true mark is 26-10B and 27-86

robertino said:

hesham said:

Hi Robertino,

unfortunately,all of them we have nothing,and what was y-1-22 ?.

Click to expand...

y-1-22 and cccy-1 probably the code of designer labels, I think the true mark is 26-10B and 27-86

Click to expand...

OK Robertino.

hesham said:

...

OK Robertino.

Click to expand...

I got an interesting answer from Bellanca Museum:

We don’t have any information or knowledge of Bellanca aircraft with the model numbers 26-10B or 27-86. ... In 1934 Bellanca built the 28-70 racing plane “Irish Swoop”. A similar model the 28-90 Flash was built around 1937 and could carry bombs and a couple of machine guns. About 40 of these were built....
...
We do not have any information that a 27-86 was built for Yugoslavia. It probably was a version of the 28-90 offered for sale to Yugoslavia.

Click to expand...

Thank you Robertino.

Here is an Info about Bellanca XC-942;