Forgotten aircraft: The Abrams Explorer

The Abrams Explorer is a unique aircraft specifically designed for aerial survey and mapping functions. Built in 1937, the aircraft was designed by Kenneth Ronan, former chief designer for Stinson, and Edward Kunzl, also of Stinson. Dr. Talbert Abrams, founder and CEO of the then newly-formed Abrams Air Craft Corporation and the established Abrams Aerial Survey Corporation of Lansing, Michigan, envisioned the aircraft as an obstruction-free camera platform for survey and mapping businesses, a design in which the U.S. Army showed interest. The initial requirement was to provide the capability for aerial photography, aerial survey, and mapping from near sea level up to an operating altitude of 20,000 feet. It was to provide an unobstructed field of view for the several cameras which meant displacing the usual struts, wing panels, engine cowls, and propeller arc away from the cameraman's normal line of sight. The aircraft was to have an endurance of at least eight hours, climb quickly to altitude, and cruise at a speed of 180 to 200 knots.

The resulting configuration was a specially designed two-place non-conventional mid-wing pusher monoplane which had twin booms extending back from the wing trailing edge to support the tail assembly. The-two place crew nacelle was located entirely forward of the wing leading edge and included clear safety glass windows over most of area above the cockpit floor. This is similar to the bombardier's nose section of a World War II medium bomber. The placement of the crew nacelle permitted an almost unobstructed view for photography except for a direct rear view past the engine, propeller and tail structure. The nacelle was pressurized and carried oxygen for crew comfort and operating efficiency at the 20,000 foot operating altitude. The nacelle was faired back over the wing center section to the engine compartment where the Wright R975-E.1 330 hp radial engine, equipped with a NACA cowl and Hamilton Standard controllable pitch propeller, were mounted just aft of the wing's trailing edge. The engine assembly was located between the two fuselage booms that extended back to support the horizontal tail with two vertical tail assemblies.

Hermetically-sealed camera ports were provided to permit unobstructed camera operation at those higher operating altitudes while still maintaining proper cabin pressure. The airplane has a fixed tricycle landing gear with low drag streamlined wheel fairings. The structure is of welded steel tubing and the combined crew nacelle and wing center section are covered with sheet aluminum panels. The twin tail booms are of semi-monocoque sheet aluminum construction and the tail assembly and outer wing panels are covered with fabric. The structure is stressed to handle engines of up to 1,000 hp for possible future production models.

The first flight was made in November 1937 and the Abrams company flew the airplane, with a full array of cameras, for government contract survey work until the beginning of World War II. The first Wright engine was replaced by a Wright Whirlwind 450 hp engine that raised the maximum speed to more than 200 mph and the performance ceiling to 25,000 feet. It had a rate of climb of 1,500 feet per minute. Unfortunately, Dr. Abrams' plans to produce and sell the airplane to the armed forces and to civilian aerial mapping companies were not successful. His timing was bad for the civilian applications because of the war and the military opted for the more survivable, converted high-speed fighter aircraft for photo reconnaissance. The good performance figures of 1938 were not enough for wartime reconnaissance and a single-purpose aircraft was no longer desirable. As a result, the airplane currently in the possession of the Smithsonian was the only example built.

Dr. Abrams lent the Explorer to the National Air Museum in 1948 and, although it was accessioned at that time, the "official" donation was not until 1973. It was acquired as one of the few aircraft designed and used specifically for aerial photography, and it was one of the first U.S. aircraft to employ a tricycle landing gear and the twin boom pusher concept. The aircraft was received with the Wright R-975-E3 450 hp engine and a plastic-covered cabin nacelle. It was transported by military air to Washington and was stored for several years at the Paul E. Garber Restoration and Preservation Facility in Suitland, Maryland. In 1975, the Museum lent the Explorer to the Michigan Aerospace Education Association in Lansing, Michigan, for restoration by students at the Lansing Community College, but, unfortunately, the restoration was not fully completed. In 1981 the airplane was returned to the Garber Facility where it awaits further restoration.

Category:

Entertainment

Tags:

• Abrams
• Explorer
• P-1
• pusher
• aircraft
• aviation
• history

[redbrackets]

I think there was a British aeroplane inspired by this Abrams design, built during the early 80's and i think called an "Optica" ?

[redbrackets]

Don't i remember the mustang having to have a ROLLS ROYCE merlin to achieve the range and performance you are talking about ?

[binaway]

@athaidream Rolls Royce inline 12 cylinder aircraft engines form a family dating back to WW1. In 1915 the RAF required an engine of a certain size and power and no such engine was in production or development in the UK at that time. There was only one engine in the country that fitted the requirement and that was in the front of the German ambassadors Mercedes limousine which had been seized. The car was driven to the Rolls Royce design offices.The engine removed & reverse engineered

[mister60066]

the movies of yours I've seen are alsolutely marvelous! i wonder, where do you get those old promotional video's?

[MrPloopy]

@redbrackets The PZL M15 "Belphegor," a jet bi-plane built in Poland had a similar design concept albeit as a bi-plane.

[Silverdollar55]

The cabin looks like a Sikorsky R4

[GrigoriZhukov]

@adauto3000 oh really and just what pray tell makes you so sure? Hmmm? sure ain't as Fugly as an IL-2 oh I know you using a an L-4 or maybe the FW-190 as the comparison. If so you fail.

[scifyjunkie]

what a neat looking airplane, it reminds you of something from the buck rogers comic strip.

[oiseautempete]

@avpisback

The Mustang P51 use a Packard Merlin (under license built RR Merlin) , only the experimental P51G use a Merlin 145 (1500hp)

The first engine on P51 A36 and A was the Allison  V1710 (in version 39,87 and 81) same engine as the P40, but this engine, good at low altitude was bad at hight altitude...

[Ibringthetruth1]

too bad wings was taken off the air.

everything on tv now = CSI and fake reality shows.

[shopunit]

Hey you shut your mouth @adauto3000 with the smartass ugly Betty comments. For one, I think it's a very handsome plane, and for two, my wife's name is Betty- and I don't care HOW fat or ugly she is, I still have to sleep with her god dammit.

[willystuff]

it' looks like a helicopter front, with a airplane behind