Consolidated Commodore
The Consolidated Aircraft Commodore was a flying boat used for passenger travel in the 1930s, mostly in the Carribean operated by small companies like Pan American Airlines. A pioneer of long haul passenger aircraft industry, the Commodore "Clipper" grew out of a Navy design competition in the 1920s to create an aircraft capable of nonstop flights between the mainland of the United States and Panama, Alaska, and the [[Hawaii|Hawaiian Islands]. In response to these requirement Consolidated produced the prototype XPY-1 in January 1929 but lost the contract to the Martin aircraft company. The aircraft represented a marked change from earlier patrol boat designs such as the Curtiss NC.
In response to losing the Navy contract, Consolidated offered a passenger-carrying version of the XPY-1, which became known as the Commodore. The monoplane all-metal hull could accommodate 32 passengers and a crew of 3. The full complement of passengers, located in three cabins, could only be carried on relatively short-route segments. For a 1000-mile flight, the boat probably could accommodate no more than 14 people including the crew. Wing and tail construction consisted of metal-frame structure covered with fabric except for metal-covered leading edges.
With a first flight in 1931, a total of 14 Commodore boats were built. They were used in airline service from the United States to South America where routes extended as far south as Buenos Aires, a distance of 9000 miles from Miami. They were out of service by 1935, having been superseded by more efficient aircraft such as the Sikorsky S-42, Boeing 314, and Martin 156, (the China Clipper). The Commodore may be considered as a first step in the United States along a road that was to lead to the highly efficient monoplane-type patrol and transport flying boats later in the 1930's. The XPY-1 and its civil counterpart the Commodore may be considered as progenitors in a series of flying-boat developments that led to the famous Consolidated PBY Catalina of World War II fame.
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