Flight, October 1922

THE 1922 PULITZER TROPHY RACE

   The Loening Racers. - The two Loening Racers, entered by the Army, are of a similar type, possessing several outstanding features. They are cantilever monoplanes, with the wings low down on the fuselage. The heavy continuous wing spars of the main wing structure carry the landing chassis, whilst the engine is also mounted directly on them. This engine, the new 600-630 h.p. 12-cylinder Packard, specially developed for the Army Air Service, is relatively so large in comparison with the machine that the engine itself extends over a third the distance of the fuselage back to the rear spar of the wings. The petrol tank, with a capacity for 1 1/2 hrs., is mounted immediately behind the engine, and behind the tank, at the rear of the wings, is the pilot's cockpit, from which an excellent range of vision is obtained. The wings, fuselage, landing chassis and tail weigh only 500 lbs., or one-third the weight of the power plant, including engine, radiator, water, etc. As the gross weight of the machine is 2,700 lbs., the loading per horse-power is as low as 4-3 lbs., whilst the loading per square foot is 15-5, so that the claim for high speed together with extreme manoeuvrability is not unreasonable. Further particulars, as regards construction, etc., are not yet available, but the principal characteristics are as follows :- Span, 27 ft; length, 21 ft.; height, 7 ft.; total wing area, 174 sq. ft.; weight (laden), 2,700 lbs.; loading/h.p., 4-3 lbs.; loading/sq. ft., 15-5 lbs.; speed range, 72-190 m.p.h.