imported>NiD.29: unlinked avlink/year in aviation - deprecated link per project guidelines

2021-04-16T21:31:48Z

unlinked avlink/year in aviation - deprecated link per project guidelines

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{{short description|1920s US mail plane design}}

{|{{Infobox Aircraft Begin
| name=K-55 Pronto
| image=Keystone Pronto Aero Digest April 1928.jpg
| caption=
}}{{Infobox Aircraft Type
| type=[[Mail plane]]
| national origin=United States
| manufacturer=[[Keystone Aircraft]]
| designer=
| first flight=1927
| introduced=
| retired=
| status=
| primary user=[[Peruvian Navy]]
| number built=
| developed from=
| variants with their own articles=
}}
|}

The '''Keystone K-55 Pronto''' was a [[mail plane]] developed in the United States in the late 1920s.

==Design and development==
The Pronto was a conventional single-bay, unequal-span biplane design with slightly staggered wings. The pilot sat in an open cockpit, in tandem with a second cockpit that could carry two passengers side-by-side. The fixed, tailskid undercarriage had divided main units.

A number of these aircraft were purchased by the government of Peru. Operated by the aviation arm of the [[Peruvian Navy]], these aircraft initiated the first airmail service into the Peruvian Amazon. The first flight of this service was made by two Prontos, piloted by [[Leonardo Alvariño Herr]] and [[Harold B. Grow]] from [[Lima]] to [[San Ramón, Peru|San Ramón]] on 26 October 1927.

At least one Peruvian Pronto was fitted with pontoons and used to survey the Amazon River for locations suitable for seaplane operations.

In the [[Colombia-Peru War]] one Peruvian K-55 flown by Lieutenant Suero was captured by the Colombian Army.

==Operators==
;{{flag|Peru}}
*[[Peruvian Navy]]

==Specifications==
[[File:Keystone_K-55_Pronto_3-view_Le_Document_aéronautique_April,1928.png|thumb|Keystone K-55 Pronto 3-view drawing from Le Document aéronautique April,1928]]
{{Aircraft specs
|ref=Jane's all the World's Aircraft 1928<ref name=JAWA1928>{{cite book |title=Jane's all the World's Aircraft 1928 |editor1-last=Grey |editor1-first=C.G. |year=1928 |publisher=Sampson Low, Marston & company, ltd |location=London |page=232c}}</ref>
|prime units?=imp

|crew=1
|capacity=2 pax
|length m=8.15
|span m=11.8
|height m=
|height ft=
|height in=
|height note=
|wing area sqft=365
|aspect ratio=
|airfoil=Göttingen 398
|empty weight lb=1975
|empty weight note=landplane; {{cvt|2375|lb}} floatplane
|gross weight lb=3285
|gross weight note=landplane; {{cvt|3685|lb}} floatplane
|max takeoff weight kg=
|max takeoff weight lb=
|max takeoff weight note=
|fuel capacity={{cvt|72|USgal|impgal l}} in two upper wing tanks
|more general=

|eng1 number=1
|eng1 name=[[Wright J-5 Whirlwind]]
|eng1 type=9-cylinder air-cooled radial piston engine
|eng1 hp=220

|prop blade number=2
|prop dia m=
|prop dia ft=
|prop dia in=
|prop dia note=

|max speed mph=112
|max speed note=landplane at {{cvt|3204|lb}}; {{cvt|106|mph|kn km/h}} floatplane at {{cvt|3204|lb}}
|cruise speed kmh=
|cruise speed mph=
|cruise speed kts=
|cruise speed note=
|stall speed mph=37
|stall speed note=landplane
|never exceed speed kmh=
|never exceed speed mph=
|never exceed speed kts=
|never exceed speed note=
|range miles=500
|ferry range km=
|ferry range miles=
|ferry range nmi=
|ferry range note=
|endurance=
|ceiling m=
|ceiling ft=
|ceiling note=
|g limits=
|roll rate=
|climb rate ftmin=800
|time to altitude={{cvt|10000|ft}} in 16 minutes 30 seconds landplane; {{cvt|10000|ft}} in 40 minutes floatplane;
|wing loading lb/sqft=9
|wing loading note=landplane; {{cvt|10.1|lb/sqft|kg/m2}} floatplane
|fuel consumption kg/km=
|fuel consumption lb/mi=
|power/mass={{cvt|0.0685|hp/lb|kW/kg}} landplane; {{cvt|0.0625|hp/lb|kW/kg}} floatplane

|more performance=
}}

==References==
{{reflist}}

==Further reading==
* {{cite book |last= Taylor |first= Michael J. H. |title=Jane's Encyclopedia of Aviation |year=1989 |publisher=Studio Editions |location=London |page=560 }}

==External links==
{{commons category|Keystone K.55 Pronto}}
* [http://aerofiles.com/_keys.html aerofiles.com]

{{Keystone aircraft}}

[[Category:1920s United States mailplanes]]
[[Category:Keystone aircraft|Pronto]]
[[Category:Biplanes]]
[[Category:Aircraft first flown in 1927]]

Keystone Pronto - Revision history

imported>NiD.29: unlinked avlink/year in aviation - deprecated link per project guidelines