Ryan M-1

M-1 and M-2
Original Ryan M-1 NC2073 in Pacific Air Transport markings in the Historic Aircraft Restoration Museum, Creve Coeur airport, Missouri.
Role	Mailplane
National origin	United States
Manufacturer	Ryan
Designer	Hawley Bowlus, W A Mankey, John Northrop[1]
First flight	14 February 1926
Status	two airworthy in 2009
Number built	36

The Ryan M-1 was a mail plane produced in the United States in the 1920s, the first original design built by Ryan.^[2] It was a conventional gear parasol-wing monoplane with two open cockpits in tandem and fixed, tailskid undercarriage.^[3]

Design and development

The follow-on M-2 was substantially the same as the M-1.^[2] The prototype M-1 was originally powered by a Hispano-Suiza 8A, but production examples featured a variety of engines in the same general power range, with the Wright J-4B chosen for nine of the sixteen M-1s built,^[2] and the prototype later refitted with this engine.^[4]

According to Cassagneres, "Dimensions allowed for a front cockpit that could accommodate two passengers side by side, or one passenger and a sack of mail, or just mail sacks and no passenger. Dual controls were provided, so a passenger flying up front could get in some 'stick time' if he wished. The M-1 cowling had a feature that was to become almost a trademark on all subsequent Ryan models up to the ST. This was the distinctive 'engine-turning' or 'jeweling' effect achieved by burnishing the aluminum.^[5]

Operational history

A M-1 was flown in the 1926 Ford National Reliability Air Tour.^[6]

Pacific Air Transport operated J-4B-powered M-1s and M-2s on their demanding Seattle–San Francisco–Los Angeles mail route,^[7] while Hispano-Suiza-powered machines flew with Colorado Airways between Cheyenne and Pueblo^[2] and Yukon Airways between Whitehorse and Dawson City.^[7]

One M-2 (named Bluebird) was built with a fully enclosed cabin for the pilot and four passengers, foreshadowing Ryan's highly successful Brougham series.^[7] The standard M-2, meanwhile, was Charles Lindbergh's first choice for his transatlantic flight.^[8] His list of requirements for the aircraft soon made it apparent, however, that rather than modifying an M-2, it would be more effective to build an all-new design along the same general lines, which resulted in the Ryan NYP Spirit of St Louis.^[8]

Operators

 United States

• Pacific Air Transport

Aircraft on display

The M-1 prototype was restored to flying condition between 1980 and 1984 and is preserved in the Museum of Flight in Seattle.^[3] The seventh aircraft is preserved in airworthy condition in Pacific Air Transport markings at the Historic Aircraft Restoration Museum at Creve Coeur airport, Missouri.^[9] A replica of an M-1 using a small number of parts from serial number 11 was built by Andy King in 2001, powered by a Lycoming R-680 and also painted in Pacific Air Transport #7's scheme.^[10] Serial number 11 is owned and faces a full restoration by John Norman, who crafted the most accurate reproduction of the Spirit of St. Louis ever built.^[11][12] A replica M-1 is exhibited in the San Diego Air & Space Museum.^[13]

Specifications (M-1)

Data from "Ryan M-1"

General characteristics

• Crew: One pilot
• Capacity: 1-2 passengers ^[1]
• Length: 24 ft 0 in (7.30 m)
• Wingspan: 36 ft 0 in (11.00 m)
• Wing area: 228 sq ft (21 m²)
• Empty weight: 1,550 lb (705 kg)
• Gross weight: 2,700 lb (1,230 kg)
• Powerplant: 1 × Hispano-Suiza 8A , 150 hp (110 kW)

Performance

• Maximum speed: 125 mph (200 km/h, 109 kn)
• Range: 400 mi (640 km, 350 nmi)

References

Notes

1. "Ryan, Ryan-Douglas, Ryan-Flamingo, Ryan-Standard"
2. Taylor 1989, p. 774.
3. "Ryan M-1"
4. Museum of Flight News
5. Cassagneres, Ev (1982). The Spirit of Ryan. Blue Ridge Summit: TAB BOOKS Inc. pp. 26–27.
6. Forden, Lesley. The Ford Air Tours: 1925-1931. New Brighton Minnesota: Aviation Foundation of America, 2003, First edition 1972. No ISBN.
7. Munson 1982, p. 128.
8. Hall 1927, p. 1.
9. Ogden 2007, p. 331.
10. "A New Ryan M-1 Mailplane". Skyways. October 2001.
11. Podsada, Janice (2019-08-11). "This might be the best Spirit of St. Louis replica ever made". HeraldNet.com. Retrieved 2022-06-16.
12. "Projects". JNE Aircraft, LLC. Retrieved 2022-06-16.
13. "Collections"

Bibliography

• Hall, Donald A. "Technical Preparation of the Airplane 'Spirit of St Louis'." www.charleslindbergh.com, July 1927. Retrieved: 3 March 2009.
• The Illustrated Encyclopedia of Aircraft. London: Aerospace Publishing, 1985.
• Munson, Kenneth. Airliners from 1919 to the Present Day. London: Peerage Books, 1982. ISBN 0-907408-36-2.
• Museum of Flight News, January/February 1991.
• Ogden, Bob. Aviation Museums and Collections of North America. Tunbridge Wells, Kent, UK: Air-Britain (Historians) Ltd., 2007. ISBN 0-85130-385-4.
• "Ryan M-1." The Museum of Flight. Retrieved: 3 March 2009.
• "Ryan, Ryan-Douglas, Ryan-Flamingo, Ryan-Standard". Aerofiles. Retrieved: 3 March 2009.
• "Collection." San Diego Air & Space Museum. Retrieved: 3 March 2009.
• Taylor, Michael J.H. Jane's Encyclopedia of Aviation. London: Studio Editions, 1989. ISBN 0-517-10316-8.

External links

• Ryan M-1 - Holcomb's Aerodrome
• Dawn Patrol Aviation- Ryan M-1 archive