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The Budd BB-1 Pioneer was an experimental United States flying boat of the 1930s utilizing the Savoia-Marchetti S.56 design. Its framework was constructed entirely of stainless steel, using a newly patented method of welding that alloy.〔American Institute of Aeronautics and Astronautics, ''(Out of the Past )''〕 ==Development== By 1930 the Budd Company was a national leader in construction of railway vehicles containing considerable amounts of stainless steel. Anxious to expand this expertise into other areas, company founder Edward G. Budd hired Enea Bossi to design and construct a flying boat of shot-welded stainless steel sheet and strip. They contracted with the Italian aircraft company Savoia-Marchetti for the use of the SM.56 design. The SM.56 was a single-engine three-seat flying boat.〔(Pioneer page )〕 The Italian company granted licenses for construction of three units in the USA, one to Budd and the others to other companies.〔(Pioneer webpage of Aerofiles website )〕 The resulting BB-1 was a biplane flying boat, with the lower wing attached near the top of the hull and the upper wing held high above, with a single Kinner C-5 radial engine mounted on the aircraft centerline between the wings. Wheels mounted on the sides of the hull were retracted upwards during water landings. The single tailwheel was not retractable. The pilot and two passengers rode in an open cockpit near the bow. The prototype BB-1 first flew from the Budd Factory aerodrome, a field northwest of Philadelphia (Latitude 40.11/West Longitude 75.04). The field is still visible, although not used as a landing strip. Although the Pioneer was the first American airplane to be made of stainless steel, it was not the only one. The Fleetwings BT-12 was a later experiment by the United States Army Air Corps to develop stainless steel aircraft trainers.〔(Photo of Fleetwings Seabird )〕 抄文引用元・出典: フリー百科事典『 ウィキペディア（Wikipedia）』 ■ウィキペディアで「Budd BB-1 Pioneer」の詳細全文を読む スポンサード リンク
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