Stout Batwing
Encyclopedia
The Stout Batwing was a low aspect ratio flying wing aircraft designed by William Bushnell Stout. The aircraft was the first example of wood veneer
construction on American aircraft and an early practical example of "thick wing" or blended wing fuselage
design. The internally braced wing was also one of the first American aircraft designed without drag-producing struts. The "thick wing" design would later be applied to a series of Stout aircraft leading to the Ford Trimotor
.
, William Bushnell Stout
was employed by Packard
in 1917 when he was appointed as a technical advisor to the War production board. The board gave Stout a contract to develop a blended-wing body
aircraft. Funded by the Motor Products Corporation, Stout developed the "batwing" aircraft with the intent to market the aircraft to the United States Army Air Service
. Stout first experimented with an all-wood flying wing design with a glider design, the "Batwing Glider", tested at Ford Airport
in 1926. Stouts design was nicknamed "Bushnell's Turtle". (a reference to the unrelated David Bushnell
's Turtle submarine shape).
aircraft. The batwing differed slightly with the addition of a set of horizontal stabilizers
at the rear of the aircraft for stability.
The aircraft was an early example of wood-veneer aircraft construction. The wings were covered with a 3 ply wood veneer only 1/20th of an inch thick. The internal bracing consisted of hundreds of spruce struts. Nine spars tested to 1 ton of load each. Bill Stout developed the all-metal Ford Trimotor
shortly after Anthony Fokker
brought his all wood Fokker Trimotor
, "Josephine Ford" to Ford field. Stout went on to promote all-metal over wood construction, despite the batwing being a pioneer in veneer
aircraft construction.
To reduce drag, the aircraft employed a cantelever wing without support wires or struts. This required a "thick" wing to build a spar strong enough to support the aircraft. To maintain the shape of the wing, the chord also had to be longer as the wing became thicker. In the case of the batwing, the chord was the entire length of the aircraft. Since the spar did not need to be as thick toward the tips to support the load, the chord decreased further out along the wing, forming a oval shaped wing. As ideal as this was, it caused significant engineering challenges maintaining the center of pressure on the aircraft.
Further aerodynamic drag reductions came from having the water cooled engine embedded into the wing with retractable radiators.
The pilot sat in an open cockpit placed at the top of the aircraft. Visibility was restricted downward by the placement. The batwing was the first example of a cantilevered wing and veneer skin in the United States.
. The 150 hp engine was acquired from Charles Warren Nash who had a budding interest in the project.
The first flight was in Dayton, Ohio
in 1918. The pump shaft on the engine was broken, but the plane was flown anyway. Although the flight was successful, the test pilot Jimmie Johnson commented that the aircraft was too dangerous to fly because of the limited visibility. Stout later called the visibility "abominable". The test aircraft was put into storage. Soon afterward, Stout submitted British patent #149,708, with a batwing aircraft with the corners squared off rather than the oval design of the prototype. The updated aircraft was never produced. Stout went on to focus on more conventional aircraft featuring the advancement of all-metal construction, but continued to maintain the plane of the future will look like the batwing.
Stout also used the term "batwing" in the name of future aircraft that used cantilever wings.
Wood veneer
In woodworking, veneer refers to thin slices of wood, usually thinner than 3 mm , that are typically glued onto core panels to produce flat panels such as doors, tops and panels for cabinets, parquet floors and parts of furniture. They are also used in marquetry...
construction on American aircraft and an early practical example of "thick wing" or blended wing fuselage
Blended wing body
Blended Wing Body aircraft have a flattened and airfoil shaped body, which produces most of the lift, the wings contributing the balance. The body form is composed of distinct and separate wing structures, though the wings are smoothly blended into the body...
design. The internally braced wing was also one of the first American aircraft designed without drag-producing struts. The "thick wing" design would later be applied to a series of Stout aircraft leading to the Ford Trimotor
Ford Trimotor
The Ford Trimotor was an American three-engined transport plane that was first produced in 1925 by the companies of Henry Ford and that continued to be produced until June 7, 1933. Throughout its time in production, a total of 199 Ford Trimotors were produced...
.
Development
During World War IWorld War I
World War I , which was predominantly called the World War or the Great War from its occurrence until 1939, and the First World War or World War I thereafter, was a major war centred in Europe that began on 28 July 1914 and lasted until 11 November 1918...
, William Bushnell Stout
William Bushnell Stout
William Bushnell Stout was an inventor, designer whose work in automotive and aviation fields was notable. Stout designed an aircraft that eventually became the Ford Trimotor and was an executive at the Ford Motor Company.-Early years:William Bushnell Stout was born March 16, 1880 in Quincy,...
was employed by Packard
Packard
Packard was an American luxury-type automobile marque built by the Packard Motor Car Company of Detroit, Michigan, and later by the Studebaker-Packard Corporation of South Bend, Indiana...
in 1917 when he was appointed as a technical advisor to the War production board. The board gave Stout a contract to develop a blended-wing body
Blended wing body
Blended Wing Body aircraft have a flattened and airfoil shaped body, which produces most of the lift, the wings contributing the balance. The body form is composed of distinct and separate wing structures, though the wings are smoothly blended into the body...
aircraft. Funded by the Motor Products Corporation, Stout developed the "batwing" aircraft with the intent to market the aircraft to the United States Army Air Service
United States Army Air Service
The Air Service, United States Army was a forerunner of the United States Air Force during and after World War I. It was established as an independent but temporary wartime branch of the War Department by two executive orders of President Woodrow Wilson: on May 24, 1918, replacing the Aviation...
. Stout first experimented with an all-wood flying wing design with a glider design, the "Batwing Glider", tested at Ford Airport
Ford Airport (Dearborn)
Ford Airport in Dearborn, Michigan was one of the first modern airports in the world. The airport operated from 1924 to 1947, and the site is now part of Ford Motor Company's Dearborn Proving Ground. The airport is about 360 acres in size....
in 1926. Stouts design was nicknamed "Bushnell's Turtle". (a reference to the unrelated David Bushnell
David Bushnell
David Bushnell , of Westbrook, Connecticut, was an American inventor during the Revolutionary War. He is credited with creating the first submarine ever used in combat, while studying at Yale University in 1775. He called it the Turtle because of its look in the water...
's Turtle submarine shape).
Design
The blended-wing batwing was designed to have all surfaces of an aircraft used to provide lift, eliminating the added drag of a conventional fuselage. This concept is applied to all flying wingFlying wing
A flying wing is a tailless fixed-wing aircraft which has no definite fuselage, with most of the crew, payload and equipment being housed inside the main wing structure....
aircraft. The batwing differed slightly with the addition of a set of horizontal stabilizers
Tailplane
A tailplane, also known as horizontal stabilizer , is a small lifting surface located on the tail behind the main lifting surfaces of a fixed-wing aircraft as well as other non-fixed wing aircraft such as helicopters and gyroplanes...
at the rear of the aircraft for stability.
The aircraft was an early example of wood-veneer aircraft construction. The wings were covered with a 3 ply wood veneer only 1/20th of an inch thick. The internal bracing consisted of hundreds of spruce struts. Nine spars tested to 1 ton of load each. Bill Stout developed the all-metal Ford Trimotor
Ford Trimotor
The Ford Trimotor was an American three-engined transport plane that was first produced in 1925 by the companies of Henry Ford and that continued to be produced until June 7, 1933. Throughout its time in production, a total of 199 Ford Trimotors were produced...
shortly after Anthony Fokker
Anthony Fokker
Anton Herman Gerard "Anthony" Fokker was a Dutch aviation pioneer and an aircraft manufacturer. He is most famous for the fighter aircraft he produced in Germany during the First World War such as the Eindecker monoplanes, the Fokker Triplane the and the Fokker D.VII, but after the collapse of...
brought his all wood Fokker Trimotor
Fokker F.VII
The Fokker F.VII, also known as the Fokker Trimotor, was an airliner produced in the 1920s by the Dutch aircraft manufacturer Fokker, Fokker's American subsidiary Atlantic Aircraft Corporation, and other companies under licence....
, "Josephine Ford" to Ford field. Stout went on to promote all-metal over wood construction, despite the batwing being a pioneer in veneer
Wood veneer
In woodworking, veneer refers to thin slices of wood, usually thinner than 3 mm , that are typically glued onto core panels to produce flat panels such as doors, tops and panels for cabinets, parquet floors and parts of furniture. They are also used in marquetry...
aircraft construction.
To reduce drag, the aircraft employed a cantelever wing without support wires or struts. This required a "thick" wing to build a spar strong enough to support the aircraft. To maintain the shape of the wing, the chord also had to be longer as the wing became thicker. In the case of the batwing, the chord was the entire length of the aircraft. Since the spar did not need to be as thick toward the tips to support the load, the chord decreased further out along the wing, forming a oval shaped wing. As ideal as this was, it caused significant engineering challenges maintaining the center of pressure on the aircraft.
Further aerodynamic drag reductions came from having the water cooled engine embedded into the wing with retractable radiators.
The pilot sat in an open cockpit placed at the top of the aircraft. Visibility was restricted downward by the placement. The batwing was the first example of a cantilevered wing and veneer skin in the United States.
Operational history
The mockup of his first thick winged aircraft design was built at the Widman woodworking plant in Detroit, MichiganDetroit, Michigan
Detroit is the major city among the primary cultural, financial, and transportation centers in the Metro Detroit area, a region of 5.2 million people. As the seat of Wayne County, the city of Detroit is the largest city in the U.S. state of Michigan and serves as a major port on the Detroit River...
. The 150 hp engine was acquired from Charles Warren Nash who had a budding interest in the project.
The first flight was in Dayton, Ohio
Dayton, Ohio
Dayton is the 6th largest city in the U.S. state of Ohio and the county seat of Montgomery County, the fifth most populous county in the state. The population was 141,527 at the 2010 census. The Dayton Metropolitan Statistical Area had a population of 841,502 in the 2010 census...
in 1918. The pump shaft on the engine was broken, but the plane was flown anyway. Although the flight was successful, the test pilot Jimmie Johnson commented that the aircraft was too dangerous to fly because of the limited visibility. Stout later called the visibility "abominable". The test aircraft was put into storage. Soon afterward, Stout submitted British patent #149,708, with a batwing aircraft with the corners squared off rather than the oval design of the prototype. The updated aircraft was never produced. Stout went on to focus on more conventional aircraft featuring the advancement of all-metal construction, but continued to maintain the plane of the future will look like the batwing.
Variants
Stout drew up plans for a scaled-up version of the Batwing, with a 100 foot wingspan. The larger aircraft would have solved the visibility issues, but did not get past the planning stage.Stout also used the term "batwing" in the name of future aircraft that used cantilever wings.