Retractable Undercarriage

[Ricky]

I was wondering - which was the first aircraft with retractable undercarriage? And, as a follow-on, which was the first aircraft in military service with retractable undercarriage?

[Romantic Technofreak]

Ricky, I only can tell aircraft that are well known, so they are:

Civil: Boeing Monomail (May 1930) and Lockheed Sirius (September 1930).

Military: Grumman XFF-1 (December 1931, despite its otherwise old-fashioned look).

Looks like these being the first aircraft of this style that went into serial production, but I am not completely sure.

The trouble is: there must have been earlier trials. I have a picture of a German WWI prototype floatplane - with retractable float, but nothing about aircraft of that time using retractable wheels.

Regards, RT

[Kutscha]

from wiki

A design for retractable landing gear was first seen in 1876 in plans for an amphibious monoplane designed by Frenchmen Alphonse Pénaud and Paul Gauchot. Aircraft with at least partially retractable landing gear did not appear until 1917, and it was not until the late 1920s and early 1930s that such aircraft became common.

[Wuzak]

from wiki

A design for retractable landing gear was first seen in 1876 in plans for an amphibious monoplane designed by Frenchmen Alphonse Pénaud and Paul Gauchot. Aircraft with at least partially retractable landing gear did not appear until 1917, and it was not until the late 1920s and early 1930s that such aircraft became common.

So Pénaud and Gauchot had decided to put retracting undercarriage on their plane before they knew it would fly?

[Kutscha]

It would seem so. ;)

[Groggy]

Hi.
This is of interest what was it please?
I have a picture of a German WWI prototype floatplane - with retractable float, but nothing about aircraft of that time using retractable wheels.

[ChrisMcD]

Hi Groggy,

The earliest I know of is the Dayton Wright racer of 1920

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dayton-Wright_Racer

http://www.aerofiles.com/dayton-xps1.jpg

and I think this was the earliest

http://www.aerofiles.com/daywright-rb1.jpg

[Romantic Technofreak]

I made a request on airwarfareforum.com and repeat the pictures here because it is there they are not visible for non-members and becoming a member is time-costly.

Some people answered and their informations are really worthwile.

First aircraft with retractable undercarriage at all seems to be a German one, the Wiencziers Renneindecker (=racing monoplane) from 1911. It reportedly flew:
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v475/Coridano/WiencziersRenneindecker.jpg

Followed by the French Donnet-Leveque amphibium from 1912. Its wheels were not really retractable, but could be lowered and lifted.
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v475/Coridano/Donnet-Leveque.jpg

The Gotha WD-10 prototype was already mentioned by myself and Groggy. It flew and the retraction mechanism worked, but the aircraft crashed. People from AWF submitted the first three pictures, the third is the one from my collection:
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v475/Coridano/Gotha1.gif
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v475/Coridano/Gotha2.jpg

[Romantic Technofreak]

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v475/Coridano/Gotha3.jpg
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v475/Coridano/GothaWD-10.jpg

One from AWF mentioned the Cherbakov-Villish VM-6 fighter prototyp from Russia, early 1918, although the picture given shows nothing about a retraction mechanism.
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v475/Coridano/Cherbakov-VillishVM-6.gif

The Dayton-Wright RB-1 from 1920 was already mentioned by Chris McD:
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v475/Coridano/Dayton-WrightRB-1.jpg

[Romantic Technofreak]

First time here? Scroll up please!

The first serial aircraft using a retractable undercarriage was the Loening "Flying Shoehorn" series, starting in the first half of the 20s of last century, the retraction mechanism being as peculiar as the aircraft in general. See here the Loening OL-8:
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v475/Coridano/LoeningOL-8.jpg

The first multiengined aircraft with the wheels retracting backward into an engine nacelle obviously was the Curtiss Condor in January 1933, followed by the Douglas DC-1 in June 1933.

Regards, RT

[Groggy]

Hi,

Wonderful! and the Gotha! But How does it work???

[Ricky]

First time here? Scroll up please!

The first serial aircraft using a retractable undercarriage was the Loening "Flying Shoehorn" series, starting in the first half of the 20s of last century, the retraction mechanism being as peculiar as the aircraft in general. See here the Loening OL-8:
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v475/Coridano/LoeningOL-8.jpg


Regards, RT

I think we have a winner for 'ugliest aircraft' :D

Thanks RT, comprehensive as ever.:)

[Romantic Technofreak]

I would like to mention two more samples:

#1: The Short Gurnard:
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v475/Coridano/f1553717.jpg

A British contemporary to the Loening flying boat, it is an amphibium too. I don't know if the retraction mechanism deserves its designation, as the wheels are not retracted into some part of the aircraft, but just rotated upwards.

#2: The (J.V, not Glenn L.) Martin Kitten K-III:
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v475/Coridano/5bb95f87.jpg

Designed during WWI as airship destructor, it is so small that it rather could function as boardplane of one. You see that its undercarriage is half-retractable. This sample survives in the Garber Facility.

Regards, RT