White Aircraft Co. Airplanes

[hesham]

Hi,

this company was formed in 1937 by Mr. G. Donald,and here is a picture
to its product,it was A-R amphibian,with high wing and three seat,powered
by one 165 Ranger engine.

There was also a Gull,it was modified from Argonaut,had a four-seat
and pusher engine also,so I am confuse in the picture,which one of
them ?.

Flying Magazine

books.google.com.eg

American airplanes: Wh - Wy

 

[Apophenia]

The White Gull amphibian was based on the longer-spanned 1934 Argonaut H-24 Pirate.

Work on the A-R amphibian began at LeRoy, NY's 'D.W.' airport in August 1938. Donald G. White hired Roscoe Turner to do publicity for his White Aircraft Corporation. "White acquired the assets of a few small aircraft companies". One of those was Ben Jones' S-125 (below).

Wings Over LeRoy: A History of the Donald Woodward Airport, LeRoy, New York, Brian J. Duddy, self-published, 2008, page 69

Could also include the 1937 Jones S-125 tandem 2-seat monoplane whose design Ben Jones sold to White Aircraft. The S-125 was Menasco C-4 powered and featured sliding canopies. There some speculation that the 'White S-125' prototype may have received a higher-powered Menasco engine.

Vintage Aviation vol 29, no 11, Nov 2001, page 6

Aerofiles also lists Jones Co's New Standard D-25, the Verville Sport Trainer AT biplane (which, as the White PT-7, was to be submitted to the CPTP as a primary trainer). Another was the Does anyone know if there were others?

 

[hesham]

Thank you my dear Apophenia,

about the Gull,it was never materialized.

Gull 1939 = 4pChwMAm; 160hp Menasco pusher. Design modified from Argonaut. POP: 1. Project was
shelved when a market failed to materialize.

 

[Apophenia]

hesham: Perhaps I misunderstood your question.

.. about the Gull,it was never materialized...

As a production aircraft, no. Aerofile's "POP: 1" refers to the Argonaut H-24 Pirate simply being rebranded as the White Gull. But was it really that simple? And did the Gull 'materialize' beyond a re-branding exercise?

There's plenty of confusion. Although not confirmed, White Aircraft may have acted on their plan to increased the Gull's power output. If Aerofiles is right, the H-24's original Menasco C-4 Pirate would be replaced in the Gull by a 160 hp 6-cylinder Menasco B6 [iBuccaneer[/i].

But the The Aircraft Yearbook 1939 has a photo caption (page 230, same image as yours) "powered by a Ranger engine" and text (page 413) mentioning a Ranger "6-410" for the White Gull. Beside your Flying Magazine ref, these are the only mentions that I've seen of a 'Ranger' powerplant for the Gull. How reliable the The Aircraft Yearbook series is as a source, I don't know.

Questions about the Howard Heindell-designed H-24 Pirate are another matter. Your image's caption notes "spruce, plywood, and fabric" construction For the record, E.R. Johnson's speculation in American Flying Boats and Amphibious Aircraft: An Illustrated History that the H-24 "structure appears to be a metal hull with fabric-covered wings and tail surfaces" is only partially correct. In fact, the entire structure was covered with doped fabric - including the H-24's plywood-covered, spruce-framed hull.


Images of the H-24 Pirate raise questions about just how close the relationship was between the Argonaut and the Gull. Have a glance at the attached photo and 3-view drawing purporting to show the sole H-24 prototype (reg. X15682). Now compare with that image of White Gull above. What are the differences?

I count the following:
- Tapered, cantilever wings versus H-24's parallel chord with bracing struts to pylon;
- Faired engine pylon versus engine-mounting struts;
- Reshaped cockpit canopy covering;
- Faired in tailfin (possibly with high-mounted stabilizers);
- Longer stabilizer bracing struts;
- Revised (or possibly just unfaired) main undercarriage legs; and
- Repositioned, more forward-placed tailwheel.

Source: Vintage Aircraft, vol 23, no 10, Oct 1995, page 8

That's quite a lot of changes for a simple 're-branding' exercise. (I note that the Gull is also missing its wing floats but presume those to be removable for purely land-based operations by this 'amphibion'.) What all of this signifies, I don't know. Any other opinions on connections between the H-24 and White Gull?