Last December Pan American Airways invited four makers of passenger air transports and four builders of war planes to submit plans of ocean aircraft to its unsalaried technical adviser, Charles Augustus Lindbergh. Left out of the bids was a ninth manufacturer, Major Alexander de Seversky, who promptly secured P. A. A.'s permission to submit drawings. The plane called for was to carry 100 passengers, a crew of 16, fly 5,000 miles nonstop up to 20,000 ft. at 200 m.p.h.
Lockheed, Curtiss-Wright, Martin, North American Aviation all withdrew from the competition for reasons...
To continue reading:
or
Log-In
