HAWK 1/48 TRAVELAIRE TYPE R MYSTERY
SHIP GOLDEN AGE RACER Kit No.640-60 (1964)
OPEN BOX UNBUILT PLASTIC MODEL KIT � INVENTORIED
100% COMPLETE � INCLUDES ORIGINAL DECALS AND INSTRUCTIONS
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Additional Information from Internet Encyclopedia
The Type R "Mystery Ships" were a series of wire-braced,
low-wing racing airplanes built by the Travel Air company in the late 1920s and
early 1930s. They were so called, because the first three aircraft of the
series (R614K, R613K, B11D) were built entirely in secrecy.
In total, five Type Rs were built and flown by some of the most notable
flyers of the day, including Jimmy Doolittle, Doug Davis, Frank Hawks, and
Pancho Barnes, not only in races but also at air shows across the United
States, and most notably, by Hawks in Europe.
Design and development
The environment in air racing at the time was one of give and take with
the military. A civilian designer would take an existing aircraft design,
modify it for greater speed and enter it in the race. Since the military
already had access to the fastest and most advanced aircraft available, it was
simply a matter of upping the horsepower on whatever aircraft they were using
and the problem was solved. This led to the military completely dominating the
air racing scene. In an effort to combat this, two Travel Air designers; Herb
Rawdon and Walter Burnham undertook proving that a civilian aircraft built from
scratch and designed exclusively for racing (as opposed to combat or
passenger/mail service) could out-fly the military.
Under construction during 1928, the aircraft was kept under cover prior
to the 1929 Cleveland Air Races, with the builders even going so far painting
the windows on the factory to keep the curious press from getting a look at it.
The local Wichita paper picked up on the secret program, with one reporter even
going so far as to scale a ladder to try to peek into the vents in the factory
roof. The paper dubbed it the "Mystery Ship" and the name stuck with
R (for Rawdon) added.[2] Rawdon and Burnham both knew that to approach Travel
Air CEO Walter Beech would be fruitless, unless they hit him with the idea just
before the air racing season began, so they designed the aircraft in their
spare time, without pay until they could get Beech to agree to build the type.
During an era when biplanes were still common, the use of a monoplane
planform, a NACA engine cowl, and large wheel pants significantly reduced
aerodynamic drag, creating a streamlined design. Construction of the fuselage
and wings was based on a plywood structure with the thin wings braced with
wires. The sleek, polished fuselage continued the shape and width of the cowl
throughout, with the cockpit featuring a small windshield, set nearly flush
with the skin. A turtle deck extended from the cockpit to the vertical tail
creating a fairing for the helmeted head of the pilot.
The first "Mystery Ship", NR614K (Race No. 31), was designed
for both closed-course and long-distance racing. NR614K had two sets of wings,
a shorter set of racing wings, about one and one and a half feet (0.46 m)
shorter in span and three inches (7.6 cm) narrower in chord than the set used
for cross-country events. R614K was destroyed when it caught fire before the
1931 Thompson Trophy race. The plane has since undergone a complete restoration
and now resides at the Beechcraft Heritage Museum in Tullahoma, Tennessee.
The second Type R, NR-613K (Race No. 32) powered by a six-cylinder D-6
Chevrolair, manufactured by Arthur Chevrolet Aviation Motors Corporation of
Indianapolis, Indiana. The six-cylinder air-cooled, inverted inline engine
developed 165 hp at 2,175 rpm, and powered NR-613K to a win in the Experimental
class at the 1929 National Air Races. NR-613K was later converted back to a
radial-engined version by Florence "Pancho" Barnes. Paul Mantz later
purchased the aircraft and used it extensively in film work. Years later,
Barnes bought it back in an auction where other pilots made sure nobody bid
against her. It is currently undergoing restoration in the UK.
The third Mystery Ship, NR-482N (Race No. 35), was purchased by Shell
for the use of Jimmy Hazlip and Jimmy Doolittle. NR-614K's short wings were
later purchased by Shell and were used, as required, on Doolittle's Race No.
400. NR-482N also crashed and was a complete loss.
The fourth Type R, NR-1313, purchased by the Texaco Company for Frank
Hawks as "Texaco 13" became the most famous of the series, setting
numerous long distance records both in the United States and internationally.
"Texaco 13" is now displayed at the Museum of Science and Industry in
Chicago.
A fifth Type R, 11717/MM185, was built at the request of the Italian
government several years after the rest, after Hawks toured the European
continent. After factory construction and testing, it was subsequently
disassembled, shipped by boat to Italy and served as the basis for the Breda
Ba.27 fighter. It was later scrapped. The last Type R was built by Travel Air
after it had been absorbed by Curtiss-Wright.
Racing
The Model R series set numerous speed records for both pylon racing and
cross-country flying, and were the most advanced aircraft of the day, by far
outpacing anything that even the military could offer.[4] On September 2, 1929,
Doug Davis entered the "Mystery Ship" in the Thompson Cup Race. Davis
won at a speed of 194.9 mph (one lap flown at 208.69 mph), beating the military
entries, even recircling one of the pylons twice. Davis missed the second pylon
of the course, circled back and while circling it again blacked out
momentarily. Not knowing if he had missed the pylon again, Davis went around
one more time, then continued on to win the race.[5] This was the first time in
the history of air racing that a civilian racer had outperformed a military
aircraft.