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McDonnell Doodlebug

23.6k SteveMoneyMan  6.8 years ago

This is the first of its kind on Simpleplanes (I hope)


Brief History
In 1929 McDonnell manufactured their first plane the DoodleBug was built in response to a 1927 safety contest sponsored by the Daniel Guggenhiem Fund for the Promotion of Aeronautics with a prize of $100,000. The aircraft was built at the Hamilton Aero Manufacturing factory in Milwaukee, Wisconsin.[1] l The Doodlebug is a tandem-seat low wing taildragger with a fabric covered steel tube fuselage. The landing gear featured widely spaced main wheels. The wings featured full length leading-edge slats.

The Doodlebug was produced too late to compete, but was granted an exemption. The aircraft's tail folded upward in initial demonstrations at Mitchel Field in New York, and allowed more extensions to repair damages.[2] After a forced landing due to engine failure, the Doodlebug missed the opportunity to be judged in the competition. The winner of the competition was a Curtiss Tanager. The forced landing caused McDonnell a back injury, but the aircraft was demonstrated throughout the start of the Great Depression.[3] In 1931 the Doodlebug was sold to the National Advisory Committee for Aeronautics (NACA) as a demonstrator for leading edge slats.[1]

More info here https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/McDonnell_Doodlebug

Features

-Spars
-Passengers
-Tailskid
-Radial Engine with no Cowling

Credits
-SimpleFlow for the Radial
-ForeverPie for flight performance

In Flight Problems
-Nose Heavy due to the Engine
Can be countered with trim

-Can do nose overs on landing
Can be countered by not applying brakes right after touchdown

Thanks for 10k

Spotlights

General Characteristics

  • Created On Windows
  • Wingspan 37.8ft (11.5m)
  • Length 28.9ft (8.8m)
  • Height 14.1ft (4.3m)
  • Empty Weight N/A
  • Loaded Weight 6,317lbs (2,865kg)

Performance

  • Horse Power/Weight Ratio 0.158
  • Wing Loading 23.7lbs/ft2 (115.6kg/m2)
  • Wing Area 266.8ft2 (24.8m2)
  • Drag Points 7246

Parts

  • Number of Parts 193
  • Control Surfaces 267
  • Performance Cost 854