flybywire wrote:


Subject: Oldest Boeing Aircraft



Oldest Boeing Airliner now In flying condition.



This was as it should be - passengers in closed cabin, pilot
in open cockpit so he will stay awake.

The airplane is in Spokane, WA , and is the oldest flying
Boeing Aircraft. After 8 years of repair and rebuilding and 8,000 hours
of toil the Boeing 40C rolled out last winter as a finished airplane.
They had to wait a few weeks for the snow to melt to fly this baby. They
received their Standard Airworthiness Certificate from the FAA and
completed the engine pre-oil and fuel flow tests for the first of the
taxi tests.

Facts for the Boeing 40 project:221 gallons of dope/reducer
and 120 yards of 102 ceconite fabric. 12 gallons of polyurethane paint
for the sheet metal. The wings have 33,000 individual parts in them. The
airplane weighs 4080 lbs empty, has a gross weight of 6075 lbs. It is 34
ft long and 13 feet tall with a wing span of 44 feet.

Wing loading is 10 lbs per sq ft and power loading is 10
Pounds per HP. It should cruise at 115 mph using 28 GPH, and 32 GPH at
120 mph. It carries 120 gallons of fuel in three tanks.350 - 2 inch
brushes were used to apply 6 gallons of West Systems epoxy, and 181
rolls of paper towels for cleanup.

There were a total of 62 volunteers who worked on the project
to some degree. 21 of the volunteers did a significant amount of work,
and 9 of the volunteers worked continuously during the 8 year project.

Pictures?