https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Naval_Aircraft_Factory_N3N
The Naval Aircraft Factory N3N was an American tandem-seat, open cockpit,
primary training biplane aircraft built by the Naval Aircraft Factory (NAF) in
Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, during the 1930s.
Built to replace the Consolidated NY-2 and NY-3, the N3N was successfully tested
as both a conventional airplane and a seaplane. The seaplane used a single float
under the fuselage and floats under the outer tips of the lower wing. The
conventional airplane used a fixed landing gear. The prototype XN3N-1 was
powered by a radial Wright designed Wright J-5 engine. An order for 179
production aircraft was received. Near the end of the first production run the
engine was replaced with the Wright R-760-2 Whirlwind radial. The aircraft is
constructed of metal using bolts and rivets rather than the more common welded
steel tubing fuselages. Early production models used aluminum stringers formed
for cancelled airship construction orders.
The N3N was the last biplane in US military service and was retired from the U S
Navy in 1961. The Army Air Forces Stearman aircraft were retired more than a
with plans to recreate the Naval Aircraft Factory assembly line circa 1936.
Role
Training aircraft
National origin
United States
Manufacturer
Naval Aircraft Factory
First flight
August 1935
Introduction
1936
Retired
1961
Primary user
United States Navy
Number built
997
The N.A.F. delivered 997 N3N aircraft beginning in 1935. They included 180
N3N-1s and 816 N3N-3s. Four N3N-3s were delivered to the United States Coast
Guard in 1941. Production ended in January 1942 but the type remained in use
through the rest of World War II. The N3N was the last biplane in US military
service - the last (used by the U.S. Naval Academy for aviation familiarization)
were retired in 1961. The N3N was also unique in that it was an aircraft
designed and manufactured by an aviation firm wholly owned and operated by the
U.S. government (the Navy, in this case) as opposed to private industry. For
this purpose, the U.S. Navy bought the rights and the tooling for the Wright
R-760 series engine and produced their own engines. These Navy built engines
were installed on Navy built airframes.
Postwar, many surviving aircraft were sold on the US civil aircraft market and
bought for operation by agricultural aerial spraying firms and private pilot
owners. A number are still (2014) active in the USA.
Specifications (N3N-3)
General characteristics
Crew: 2
Length: 25 ft 6 in (7.77 m)
Wingspan: 34 ft 0 in (10.36 m)
Height: 10 ft 10 in (3.3 m)
Wing area: 305 ft2 (28.3 m2)
Empty weight: 2,090 lb (948 kg)
Gross weight: 2,792 lb (1,266 kg)
Performance
Maximum speed: 126 mph (203 km/h)
Range: 470 miles (756 km)
Service ceiling: 15,200 ft (4,635 m)
Rate of climb: 900 ft/min ( m/s)
Communications were done by the instructor through a speaking tube to the
aft-seated student. Communications back were agreed-upon gestures.
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