Consolidated P1Y1 "Admiral" Flying Boat
Model Airplane News Cover Art for February, 1934
by Jo Kotula
Click to Enlarge

Captain Dick Richardson and Isaac M. 'Mac' Laddon, who were to occupy a significant place in the history of Flying Boats) designed a large parasol-wing flying boat for a Navy contract competition in 1928. Initially, the plane was powered by three engines. It was designated the "P1Y" and had the popular name "Admiral".

The first version had a single tail. With the availabilty of more powerful engines, the "Admiral" evolved into a two-engine airplane. A twin-tail was necessary to maintain appropriate controls. This aircraft, designated the P1Y2 was also called the "Admiral". The essential characteristics of this model are the open cockpit and un-cowled engines.

     

Real Plane

Click to Enlarge

The prototype made its first flight in 1929. Although Consolidated won the design contest, the production contract was opened to other bidders. This was a byproduct of standard naval procurement methods of the 1920s, whereby rights to a particular aircraft design became the property of the Navy and could ultimately be produced by any of its airframe contractors. based on cost considerations, the Navy Bureau of Aeronautics (BuAer) directed Martin to slightly reconfigure the design and ordered it into limited production in 1931-32 as the P3M, with three delivered as the P3M-1 and six as the P3M-2. The Glenn L. Martin Company submitted the low bid and was awarded the contract to construct the plane as the Martin P3M-1 and P3M-2.

Martin P3M
The low bidder....
Click to Enlarge

In 1931, the Navy conracted with Consolidated for an improved version, designated the Model 22 P2Y Ranger. It incorporated features such as an enclosed flight deck and cowlings on the motors. The Navy ordered 23 of these aircraft. The P3Ms operated alongside Consolidated's analogous P2Y production series, marking the beginning of a heated rivalry between Martin and Consolidated over various flying boat contracts during the 1930s.

  

Patent Diagrams for the Consolidated P2Y Flying Boat
Design Patent D-93,230
Click to Enlarge
Click Here to learn how to get free patent diagrams

Click Here for more information about the Consolidated P1Y1 and P2Y Flying Boats.

Click to go back and select another cover.

Counter for the Entire Site (not just this page..)