|
|
The Aircraft
"Stanley" - 1930 New Standard D-25
After World War I,
the American public fell in love with aviation. In fields
across the country, pilots were eager to sell airplane rides.
They often used war surplus “Jennys" and Standard J-1
airplanes, which were cheap to buy, but carried only one
passenger. A then-famous showman, Ivan Gates, wanted to expand
his “Gates Flying Circus” with as many passenger rides as
possible. He teamed with Charles Healy Day, designer of the
original Standard J-1 biplanes, to build new airplanes capable
of carrying four passengers and using readily available 180
hp. water-cooled Hisso engines. The result
While the D-24
models flew well, a more reliable and powerful engine was
needed. Day’s next design used the newer 220 hp. Wright
“Whirlwind” J5 engine and was called the New Standard D-25.
Its improved performance was a hit with barnstormers, who
could now carry as many as 40 paying passengers per hour.
Doors on each side allowed one set of
Operating from unimproved farming fields was hard on an airplane, so the D-25 was designed to be rugged and easily repaired. Its construction featured simple duralumin angles, bolted and riveted into a sturdy structure. A very large fabric-covered upper wing was used to lift the passenger load, leading to the nickname “Canvas Cloud.”
"Stanley" was built in 1929 and licensed in January of 1930. Its first owner was a WWI ace named Ken Unger, who was a test pilot for the New Standard Company, of Unger Aircraft, Inc. based in Hadley Field New Brunswick, New Jersey. During the early 30's the New Standard Company went out of business during the depression and Mr. Unger ended up with two airplanes, of which this was one. Mr. Unger used the plane to hop rides and at one point had a contract to spray for mosquitoes.
"Stanley" is one of the only New Standards that seems to have survived the crop dust era, which basically wore out or destroyed all the others. Initially this airplane had the same owner for 37 years, then it was sold and rebuilt several times until it was purchased by the EAA who refurbished the entire airplane. We were fortunate enough to acquire "Stanley" from the EAA and are excited to return this plane to its original purpose, bringing open-cockpit flight to excited passengers across the country!
Specifications Upper Wingspan: 45 ft. 0 in. Lower Wingspan: 32 ft. 6 in. Length: 26 ft. 6 in. . Gross Weight: 3,400 lbs. Landing Speed: 37 mph Empty Weight: 2,010 lbs. Normal Cruise: 98 mph Engine: Wright J-6-7, R-760-8, 235 hp Fuel: 64 gal. Oil capacity: 5 gal.
For Reservations 800-991-2473 info@nostalgicwarbirdrides.com
|
|
|
The Aircraft |
Flight Options
| Your Pilot |
Schedule |
Book Your Flight | |
Our
New Standard D-25 "Stanley" is among the few remaining
examples of aircraft built specifically for barnstorming. It
is a rugged, simple airplane, not designed for transportation,
but just for the fun of flying.
was the Gates-Day
D-24, named as Day’s 24th successful aircraft
design. Their 1928 prototype put the pilot and four passengers
in a single open cockpit and was called “five men in a tub.”
The production design was changed to have two separate
cockpits; the business was renamed the New Standard Company,
and six D-24’s were built in the Patterson, New Jersey
facility.
riders’ to board
as the previous riders’ disembarked. The rides weren’t long,
but thousands of delighted passengers took first flights this
way.
