Historic Flight: The Hamilton H-47 Metalplane (photo diary)

by Ojibwa for Kossack Air Force

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Friday, Jul. 30, 2021 Friday, Jul. 30, 2021 at 7:08:48am PDT

Historic Flight in Spokane, Washington, has a collection of important aircraft produced between 1927 and 1957. All aircraft are fully restored and can be flown. In the collection is a 1929 Hamilton H-47 Metalplane.

At the age of 16, Thomas E. Hamilton formed Hamilton Aero Manufacturing Company which built more than two dozen designs based on his experiments with biplane gliders. Following World War I, his curiosity turned to the aerodynamics of propellers. The Metalplane was designed by James McDonnell, the legendary aviation pioneer and founder of the McDonnell Aircraft Corporation. McDonnell had previously worked for Ford and thus there is some similarity between the H-47 and the Ford Tri-Motor. The H-47 first flew in 1928 and a total of 21 were built.

According to the display:

“With a wing span of 54’ 5”, the Metalplane can fly at 105 miles-per-hour with a passenger complement of seven. The Pratt & Whitney 1,340 cubic inch WASP engine generates 525 horsepower at 1,900 RPM.