The Stinson SM-1 Detroiter was a six-seat high-wing monoplane cabin airliner for passengers or freight designed and built by the Stinson Aircraft Company, later the Stinson Aircraft Corporation. It was based on Stinson's earlier SB-1 biplane.
Development
The first design from the Detroit-based Stinson Aircraft Syndicate was the Stinson SB-1 Detroiter, a cabin biplane with novel features such as cabin heating, individual wheel brakes and electric starter for the nose-mounted 220 hp (164 kW) Wright J-5 Whirlwind engine. It made its first flight on January 25, 1926, with 26 aircraft following the prototype.
Eddie Stinson believed that a monoplane would be more popular and efficient than a biplane and so tasked William C. Naylor to design a monoplane derivative of the SB-1. The resulting design, the Stinson SM-1 Detroiter, had a fuselage based on that of the SB-1, but stretched to accommodate six seats, and a high mounted monoplane wing, and first flew in April 1927. The SM-1 made a number of significant long-range flights.
Seventy-five of the Wright J-5-powered versions were built, followed by 30 Wright J-6-powered aircraft. From 1928, SM-1 aircraft were used on scheduled services by Paul Braniff's Braniff Air Lines and by Northwest Airways.
In 1930 a SM-1FS with a crew of three reached Bermuda from New York City, the first flight ever to the islands. Getting there the aircraft had to land twice, once because of darkness and later after running out of fuel. With a wing strut damaged, it was shipped back to New York.
E.L. Cord's personal SM-7 was operated for several years during/after World War II by Western Air Express with (illegally) a Pratt; subsequently restored in 1980âÂÂ2020 with a legal 300 hp Lycoming R-680.
In 1928 Stinson developed the smaller SM-2 Junior model to appeal to private owners.
Variants
Stinson SB-1 Detroiter
Biplane with a Wright J-4 Whirlwind engine or a J-5 Whirlwind. 26 built.
SM-1 and SM-1 Special (ATC 16, 2âÂÂ174)
1927 high-wing monoplane with a wingspan and powered by a Wright J-5 Whirlwind engine, seven built.
SM-1B (ATC 2-24, 2âÂÂ224)
1928 variant with higher allowable loads. 36 built, some converted from SM-1s.
SM-1D/SM-1D-300 (ATC 60, 2-60, 2âÂÂ142)
1929 conversion of SM-1D with Wright J-6 as NS6762. One conversion.
SM-1DA (ATC 74)
1928 SM-1D development with detail improvements and slightly increased range. Five built.
SM-1DB (ATC 76)
1928 SM-1D development with minor interior alterations and allowable load increased to from SM-1's . One built.
SM-1DC (ATC 77)
1928 SM-1D freighter with two seats and cargo-carrying interior.
SM-1DD (ATC 78)
1928 DC development but with greater load capacity for bush operations. One built.
SM-1DE
Freighter variant with two seats and cargo-carrying interior. One built.
SM-1DX (ATC 2âÂÂ228)
1928 variant powered with a Packard DR-980 Diesel engine, one built as NX7654 and first diesel powered aircraft to fly.
SM-1F (ATC 136)
1929 variant with a Wright J-6 engine and longer span wing. Around 26 were built.
SM-1FS (ATC 212)
Floatplane variant of the SM-1F.
SM-2 Junior (ATC 48)
1928 scaled down development for private use with a wingspan of , and various engines installed, including the Warner Scarab, and Wright J-6, and Kinner K-5.
SM-3
1927 retractable undercarriage development with new wing, one built, project cancelled due to poor flight characteristics.
SM-4 Junior
1929 retractable undercarriage development based on SM-1, one built as NX9696 Sally Sovereign and later rebuilt with fixed gear as K of New Haven.
SM-5
1929 SM-3 development with Wright J-5 and later a Wright J-6 engine, one built as NX9625.
SM-6A & SM-6B (ATC 217, 2-89)
Larger capacity 1929 six-seat variant with a longer wingspan, and a Pratt & Whitney Wasp C1 radial engine and a new fuselage, two were built followed by eight more with eight-seat interiors. Examples built in Peru as the Stinson-Faucett F-19. Also known as the Wasp Stinson
SM-7A Junior (ATC 329)
1930 development of SM-2 with a wingspan and a Wright J-6. Eight built, including 7AS sub-variants.
SM-7AS Junior (ATC 2âÂÂ313)
SM-7A fitted with Edo floats.
SM-7B (ATC 298, 2âÂÂ313)
SM-7 with a Pratt & Whitney R-985 Wasp Junior radial engine, Eight built.
SM-8A (ATC 295, 2âÂÂ301, 2âÂÂ461)
Five-seat wingspan model for 1930, originally powered by a Lycoming R-680 radial engine. Around 300 built.
SM-8B/SM-8B Special (ATC 294)
SM-8A with lower-powered Wright J-6. Five built, three of which were converted to SM-8B Special.
SM-8D (ATC 312)
SM-8 with a Packard DR-980 Diesel radial engine. Two built as NC200W and NC227W in 1930.
Operators
Specifications (SM-1F)
See also
References
Notes
Bibliography
External links