View source for Consolidated Commodore

{{Short description|American seaplane}}
<!-- This article is a part of [[Wikipedia:WikiProject Aircraft]]. Please see [[Wikipedia:WikiProject Aircraft/page content]] for recommended layout. -->
{{Use American English|date=January 2018}}
{{Use mdy dates|date=January 2018}}
{{Infobox aircraft
 | name= Commodore
 | image=File:CommodorePAA300dpi (4482563266).jpg
 | caption=Consolidated Commodore flying boat
 | type= Commercial transport flying-boat
 | national_origin= United States
 | manufacturer=[[Consolidated Aircraft]]
 | designer=
 | first_flight=28 September 1929
 | introduction=1930<ref>{{cite news |url=http://nla.gov.au/nla.news-article200399049 |title=Airship Show in New York |newspaper=[[The Evening News (Rockhampton)|The Evening News]] |issue=2761 |location=Queensland, Australia |date=7 July 1930 |access-date=8 December 2018 |page=11 |via=National Library of Australia}}</ref>
 | retired=
 | status=
 | primary_user=[[Pan American Airways]]
 | number_built=14
 | developed_from=
 | variants=[[Consolidated P2Y]]
}}

The '''Consolidated Commodore''' was an American [[flying boat]] built by [[Consolidated Aircraft]] and used for passenger travel in the 1930s, mostly in the [[Caribbean]], operated by companies like [[Pan American World Airways|Pan American Airways]].

== History ==
[[File:Consolidated_XPY-1_Aero_Digest_February_1929.jpg|thumb|Consolidated XPY-1 photo from Aero Digest February 1929]]
A pioneer of the 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 requirements, Consolidated produced the prototype '''XPY-1 Admiral,''' designed by [[Isaac M. Laddon]],<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.vectorsite.net/avmars.html|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20020124051154/http://www.vectorsite.net/avmars.html|url-status=usurped|archive-date=January 24, 2002|title=Welcome vectorsite.net - Justhost.com|first=just|last=host|website=www.Vectorsite.net|access-date=January 17, 2018}}</ref> in January 1929. Consolidated lost out on the contract to produce the airplanes for the navy to the [[Glenn L. Martin Company]]. Martin produced one prototype XP2M and nine production P3Ms. 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. A [[parasol wing]] [[monoplane]] with all-metal hull, it could accommodate 32 passengers and a crew of three. The full complement of passengers, located in three cabins, could be carried only 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 a metal frame structure covered with fabric, except for metal-covered leading edges. The Commodore had significant changes from the XPY-1. These included more powerful engines, fuselage shape and structural improvements.<ref>O'Neill "A Dream of Eagles" page 108, 136, 206–209, 286</ref>

== Operational service ==
[[File:Passenger cabin of a New York, Rio and Buenos Aires Line Consolidated Commodore (4011550200).jpg|thumb|Consolidated Commodore cabin]]

[[File:Consolidated commodore flying boat common history.jpg|thumb|Tourists with a Consolidated Commodore flying boat used by Pan Am to fly routes in the Caribbean in the 1930s.]]

With a first flight in 1929, a total of 14 Commodore boats were built. Starting February 18, 1930, Commodores were flown by the [[New York, Rio, and Buenos Aires Line|New York, Rio, Buenos Aires Line]] from the [[United States]] to [[South America]] where routes extended as far south as [[Buenos Aires]], a distance of 9000 miles from [[Miami]].<ref name="Gunston, Bill 1980, page 67">Gunston, Bill, The Illustrated Encyclopedia of Propeller Airliners, 1980, Windward, London, {{ISBN|0711200629}}, page 67</ref> One testimony to the Commodore in Pan Am service was made by a Pan Am pilot, Marius Lodeesen who wrote " . . . the good old Consolidated Commodore was the most reliable, trusty air craft of the Pan American fleet during the early 1930s. . . . She was hoisted aloft by two engines. They must have been Pratt and Whitneys because they never gave any trouble. . . Waterlooping the Commodore was impossible. Making a bad landing in her was hard work. She was the loveliest boat I ever flew."<ref>Lodeesen, Marius (1984) Captain Lodi Speaking</ref> 

As the 1930s progressed the Commodores were gradually superseded by more efficient aircraft such as the [[Sikorsky S-42]], [[Martin 130]], and [[Boeing 314]]. A number of Commodores went on to serve with other operators. 

The plane, in both its military and civilian configurations, may be considered a first step in the United States toward highly efficient monoplane-type patrol and transport flying boats later in the 1930s and 1940s, such as the famous [[Consolidated PBY Catalina]] of World War II.

== Surviving aircraft ==
The only known Model 16 Commodore remaining has been located in a northern Canadian lake. There is currently an ongoing project to raise and restore this airframe for display at the [[San Diego Air & Space Museum]].<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.commodoreflyingboatrecovery.com|title=Commodore Flying Boat Recovery Project|website=www.CommodoreFlyingBoatRecovery.com|access-date=January 17, 2018}}</ref>
<!--==Development==-->
<!--==Operational history==-->

==Variants==
;Model 16
:Up to 18 passengers and three crew.<ref name="ab">{{cite journal|journal=Air-Britain Archive|title=The Consolidated Model 16 Commodore|editor=Martin Best|publisher=[[Air-Britain]]|volume=2008|issue=2|pages=84–88|issn=0262-4923}}</ref>
;Model 16-1
:Up to 22 passengers and three crew.<ref name="ab" />
;Model 16-2
:Up to 30 passengers and three crew.<ref name="ab" />

== Operators ==
;{{ARG}}
* NYRBA-Argentina (Trimotor Safety Airways, Inc.)<ref>{{cite web|url=http://loudandclearisnotenought.blogspot.com.ar/2011/06/r-acwz-consolidated-16-commodore-cn-1.html|title=Historias Individuales: R-ACWZ Consolidated 16 Commodore c/n 1|website=loudandclearisnotenought.Blogspot.com.ar|access-date=January 17, 2018}}</ref>
* SANA (Sociedad Argentina de Navegación Aérea)<ref name="auto">{{cite web|url=http://aviation-safety.net/database/record.php?id=19401214-0|title=ASN Aircraft accident Consolidated 16 Commodore LV-RAB Puerto Nuevo, BA|first=Harro|last=Ranter|website=Aviation-Safety.net|access-date=January 17, 2018}}</ref>
'''{{flag|Bahamas}}'''
* Bahamas Airways<ref>{{cite web|url=http://aviation-safety.net/database/types/Consolidated-16-Commodore/index|title=Aviation Safety Network > ASN Aviation Safety Database > Aircraft type index > Consolidated 16 Commodore|first=Harro|last=Ranter|website=Aviation-Safety.net|access-date=January 17, 2018}}</ref>
;{{BRA}}
* [[NYRBA do Brasil]]<ref>{{cite journal|journal=Popular Aviation|date=September 1930}}</ref>
* [[Panair do Brasil]]<ref>{{cite web|url=http://panairbr.blogspot.com/2012/08/consolidated-commodore-16-pp-pao.html|title=Panair do Brasil: Consolidated Commodore 16 - PP-PAO|first=Jose C. Silveira|last=Junior|date=August 19, 2012|website=panairbr.Blogspot.com|access-date=January 17, 2018}}</ref>
* [[Brazilian Air Force]] (Força Aérea Brasileira)<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.logbookmag.com/databases/articles.asp?ID=91&CatID=47 |title=Logbook Magazine |access-date=2015-05-12 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150729002331/http://www.logbookmag.com/databases/articles.asp?ID=91&CatID=47 |archive-date=2015-07-29 }}</ref><ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.airhistory.org.uk/gy/reg_PP-.htm|title=Civil Aircraft Register - Brasil|website=www.AirHistory.org.uk|access-date=January 17, 2018}}</ref>
;{{ROC}}
* [[China National Aviation Corporation]] (CNAC)<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.cnac.org/aircraft16.htm|title=CNAC Consolidated Commodore|website=www.CNAC.org|access-date=January 17, 2018}}</ref>
;{{USA}}
* [[New York, Rio, and Buenos Aires Line]] (NYRBA)
* [[Pan American World Airways|Pan American Airways]]
* Alaska Star Airlines<ref>http://www.ruudleeuw.com/qa.html{{dead link|date=August 2017 |bot=InternetArchiveBot |fix-attempted=yes }}</ref>
<!--==Units using this aircraft/Operators (choose)==-->

==Accidents and incidents==
* On April 16, 1935, a Pan Am Commodore, registration NC660M, burned out in a hangar fire at [[Miami]].<ref>{{cite web|url=http://aviation-safety.net/database/record.php?id=19350416-0|title=ASN Aircraft accident Consolidated 16 Commodore NC660M Miami, FL|first=Harro|last=Ranter|website=Aviation-Safety.net|access-date=January 17, 2018}}</ref>
* On December 14, 1940, a Sociedad Argentina de Navegación Aérea (SANA) Commodore, registration LV-RAB, crashed at Puerto Nuevo, Buenos Aires.<ref name="auto"/>
* On June 10, 1941, Brazilian Air Force C-12 Commodore ''Belem'' crashed at Belém, Brazil, while on an unauthorized joy ride. All 8 occupants were killed.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.baaa-acro.com/1941/archives/crash-of-a-consolidated-16-2-commodore-in-belem-8-killed/ |title=Archived copy |access-date=2017-10-17 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160304064328/http://www.baaa-acro.com/1941/archives/crash-of-a-consolidated-16-2-commodore-in-belem-8-killed/ |archive-date=March 4, 2016 |df=mdy-all }}</ref>
* On June 18, 1942, an Alaska Star Airlines Commodore, registration NC664M, burned on [[Takla Lake]], British Columbia following a fuel spill.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://aviation-safety.net/database/record.php?id=19420618-0|title=ASN Aircraft accident Consolidated 16 Commodore NC664M Takla Lake, BC|first=Harro|last=Ranter|website=Aviation-Safety.net|access-date=January 17, 2018}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.ruudleeuw.com/qa.htm|title=Questions and Answers|website=www.RuudLeeuw.com|access-date=January 17, 2018}}</ref>
* On September 24, 1943, a Pan Am Commodore, registration NC668M, crashed at [[Miami]] while on a test flight, killing one of three crew on board.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://aviation-safety.net/database/record.php?id=19430924-0|title=ASN Aircraft accident Consolidated 16 Commodore NC668M Miami, FL|first=Harro|last=Ranter|website=Aviation-Safety.net|access-date=January 17, 2018}}</ref>
* On December 24, 1948, an Aviacion del Litoral Fluvial Argentino (ALFA) Commodore, registration LV-AAL, burned out in a hangar fire at Puerto Nuevo, Argentina.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://aviation-safety.net/database/record.php?id=19481224-0|title=ASN Aircraft accident Consolidated 16 Commodore LV-AAL Puerto Nuevo, BA|first=Harro|last=Ranter|website=Aviation-Safety.net|access-date=January 17, 2018}}</ref>

==Specifications (Commodore 16-1)==
[[File:Consolidated_Commodore_3-view_L'Aerophile_April_1932.jpg|thumb|Consolidated Commodore 3-view drawing from L'Aerophile April 1932]]
{{Aircraft specs
|ref=<ref name = "JAWA 30">{{cite book|editor1-last=Grey|editor1-first=C. G.|editor2-last=Bridgman|editor2-first=Leonard|title=Jane's All the World's Aircraft|year=1930|publisher=Sampson Low, Marston & Co.|location=London}}</ref><ref name = "ATC 258">{{Citation|title=Type Certificate Data Sheet ATC 258|url=http://rgl.faa.gov/Regulatory_and_Guidance_Library%5CrgMakeModel.nsf/0/30FE701722987A5985256737005F6379?OpenDocument|last=Federal Aviation Administration|author-link=Federal Aviation Administration|access-date=December 3, 2013}}</ref>
|prime units? = imp
|crew=three
|capacity=22 passengers
|length m=18.75
|length ft=61
|length in=6
|span m=30.48
|span ft=100
|height m=4.78
|height ft=15
|height in=8
|wing area sqm=103
|wing area sqft=1,110
|empty weight kg=4,760
|empty weight lb=10,500
|gross weight kg=7,980
|gross weight lb=17,600
|eng1 number=2
|eng1 name=[[Pratt & Whitney R-1860 Hornet B]] radial piston
|eng1 kw=429
|eng1 hp=575
|max speed kmh=206
|max speed mph=128
|range km=1,600
|range miles=1,000
|ceiling m=3,050
|ceiling ft=10,000
|climb rate ms=3
|climb rate ftmin=600
}}

==See also==
{{aircontent
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|see also=
|related=<!-- related developments -->
|similar aircraft=<!-- similar or comparable aircraft -->
|lists=
*[[List of flying boats and floatplanes]]
}}

==References==
{{Reflist}}

==Sources==
* {{cite book |title=The Illustrated Encyclopedia of Aircraft |publisher=Aerospace Publishing|location=London }}
* {{cite book |last= Taylor |first= Michael J. H. |title=Jane's Encyclopedia of Aviation |year=1989 |publisher=Studio Editions |location=London }}
* {{cite book |title=World Aircraft Information Files |publisher=Bright Star Publishing|location=London }}
* {{cite book |last= O'Neill |first= Ralph A. |title=A Dream of Eagles |url= https://archive.org/details/dreamofeagles00onei |url-access= registration |year=1973 |publisher=San Francisco Book Company/Houghton Mifflin Company |location=Boston |isbn= 9780395166109 }}
* {{cite book |last= Lodeneesen |first= Marius |title=Captain Lodi Speaking |year=1984 |publisher=Argonaut Press |location=Boston ASIN: B0006EGX1U }}
* Simpich, Frederick, ''National Geographic'' – January 1931, Vol. 59, No. 1, SKYPATHS THROUGH LATIN AMERICA: Flying From Our Nation's Capital Southward Over Jungles, Remote Islands, and Great Cities on an Aerial Survey of the East Coast of South America, with 78 Illustrations

==External links==
{{commons category|Consolidated Commodore}}
* [https://archive.today/20130415163926/http://www.panamair.org/aircraft/consolidatedcommodore.htm Pan American's Commodore Clippers]

{{Consolidated aircraft}}
{{USN patrol aircraft}}

[[Category:1920s United States patrol aircraft]]
[[Category:Consolidated aircraft|Commodore]]
[[Category:Flying boats]]
[[Category:1930s United States airliners]]
[[Category:Parasol-wing aircraft]]
[[Category:Aircraft first flown in 1928]]
[[Category:Twin piston-engined tractor aircraft]]