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==Operational History==
==Operational History==
The Owl was first flown at [[Mitchel Field]], [[Long Island]], New York, on 22 May 1920, piloted by [[Ernest Emery Harmon|Ernest Harmon]].<ref>http://aerofiles.com/_lo.html</ref> Its performance was described as “adequate but not impressive.”<ref>Spearman, M. Leroy, “Some Comparisons of US and USSR Aircraft Design Developments,” NASA Technical Memorandum 87611. Langley Research Center, Hampton, Virginia 23665, December 1985, page 5.</ref><ref>http://ntrs.nasa.gov/archive/nasa/casi.ntrs.nasa.gov/19860006738.pdf</ref> Although built as a potential design for air mail service, the Post Office Department showed no interest in it.
The Owl was first flown at [[Mitchel Field]], [[Long Island]], New York, on 22 May 1920, piloted by [[Ernest Emery Harmon|Ernest Harmon]].<ref>http://aerofiles.com/_lo.html</ref> Its performance was described as “adequate but not impressive.”<ref>Spearman, M. Leroy, “Some Comparisons of US and USSR Aircraft Design Developments,” NASA Technical Memorandum 87611. Langley Research Center, Hampton, Virginia 23665, December 1985, page 5.</ref><ref>http://ntrs.nasa.gov/archive/nasa/casi.ntrs.nasa.gov/19860006738.pdf</ref> Although built as a potential design for night air mail service, the Post Office Department showed no interest in it.


The manufacturer then attempted to market it to the U. S. Army as a bomber during 1921 and 1922.<ref>http://www.buehlfield.info/aircraft-aviators/l-w-f-model-h-owl</ref> It was allocated Army Air Service serial number ''64012''.<ref>http://www.joebaugher.com/usaf_serials/1908-1920.html</ref> Photographs show that “A.S. 64012” was painted on the sides of the tailbooms and that it received the vertical red, white and blue rudder stripes, and roundels were applied to the upper wing. General [[Billy Mitchell]] had plans to test the design during the bombing tests to sink the [[USS New Jersey (BB-16)|USS ''New Jersey'']] and the [[USS Virginia (BB-13)|USS ''Virginia'']] in September 1923, but it does not appear that this actually occurred.<ref>Maurer Maurer, “Aviation in the U.S. Army, 1919-1939,” Office of Air Force History, United States Air Force, U.S. Government Printing Office, Washington, D.C., 1987, Library of Congress card number 87-12257, {{ISBN|0-912799-38-2}}, pages 124-126.</ref> With no potential customers, the sole prototype was scrapped in 1923. Two prototypes of the [[Lowe-Willard-Fowler XNBS-2]], a scaled-down variant of the Owl, were ordered in 1923, but production was cancelled before construction began. The L-W-F firm declared bankruptcy in 1924.
The manufacturer then attempted to market it to the U. S. Army as a bomber during 1921 and 1922,<ref>http://www.buehlfield.info/aircraft-aviators/l-w-f-model-h-owl</ref> and it was evaluated at [[Langley Field]], Virginia.<ref>Spearman, M. Leroy, “Some Comparisons of US and USSR Aircraft Design Developments,” NASA Technical Memorandum 87611. Langley Research Center, Hampton, Virginia 23665, December 1985, page 5.</ref><ref>http://ntrs.nasa.gov/archive/nasa/casi.ntrs.nasa.gov/19860006738.pdf</ref> It was allocated Army Air Service serial number ''64012''.<ref>http://www.joebaugher.com/usaf_serials/1908-1920.html</ref> Photographs show that “A.S. 64012” was painted on the sides of the tailbooms and that it received the vertical red, white and blue rudder stripes, and roundels were applied to the upper wing. General [[Billy Mitchell]] had plans to test the design during the bombing tests to sink the [[USS New Jersey (BB-16)|USS ''New Jersey'']] and the [[USS Virginia (BB-13)|USS ''Virginia'']] in September 1923, but it does not appear that this actually occurred.<ref>Maurer Maurer, “Aviation in the U.S. Army, 1919-1939,” Office of Air Force History, United States Air Force, U.S. Government Printing Office, Washington, D.C., 1987, Library of Congress card number 87-12257, {{ISBN|0-912799-38-2}}, pages 124-126.</ref> With no potential customers, the sole prototype was scrapped in 1923. Two prototypes of the [[Lowe-Willard-Fowler XNBS-2]], a scaled-down variant of the Owl, were ordered in 1923, but production was cancelled before construction began. The L-W-F firm declared bankruptcy in 1924.


===References===
===References===

Revision as of 20:56, 11 February 2020

The L.W.F Model H Owl was a single prototype of a biplane mail plane design built by the Lowe, Willard & Fowler Engineering Company, reorganized as the L-W-F (Laminated Wood Fuselage) Engineering Company in 1917, which first flew on 22 May 1920. It was not successful and won no orders.

LWF Owl at Bolling Field, 1923.

Design

The L.W.F. Owl was a large unstaggered four-bay biplane design, begun by 1919,[1] with a three-place nacelle center fuselage, suspended on struts between the wings, flanked on either side by tubelike tail booms, all fabricated of laminated wood, and was reminiscent of the design of the Italian Caproni Ca.4 bombers of the Great War. It had triple tail fins and biplane stabilizers. Wingspan is listed as both 105 feet, or 106 feet, 8 inches. Length was 53 feet, 10 inches. A six-wheel undercarriage was later modified to four-wheel.[2] It was powered by three 400-horsepower Liberty 12 engines. It had a payload of 7,600 pounds, and with full load it could become airborne in only 400 feet. Its range was over 1,000 miles.[3]

Operational History

The Owl was first flown at Mitchel Field, Long Island, New York, on 22 May 1920, piloted by Ernest Harmon.[4] Its performance was described as “adequate but not impressive.”[5][6] Although built as a potential design for night air mail service, the Post Office Department showed no interest in it.

The manufacturer then attempted to market it to the U. S. Army as a bomber during 1921 and 1922,[7] and it was evaluated at Langley Field, Virginia.[8][9] It was allocated Army Air Service serial number 64012.[10] Photographs show that “A.S. 64012” was painted on the sides of the tailbooms and that it received the vertical red, white and blue rudder stripes, and roundels were applied to the upper wing. General Billy Mitchell had plans to test the design during the bombing tests to sink the USS New Jersey and the USS Virginia in September 1923, but it does not appear that this actually occurred.[11] With no potential customers, the sole prototype was scrapped in 1923. Two prototypes of the Lowe-Willard-Fowler XNBS-2, a scaled-down variant of the Owl, were ordered in 1923, but production was cancelled before construction began. The L-W-F firm declared bankruptcy in 1924.

References

  1. ^ http://www.earlyaviators.com/cowl1919.htm
  2. ^ http://aerofiles.com/_lo.html
  3. ^ http://www.buehlfield.info/aircraft-aviators/l-w-f-model-h-owl
  4. ^ http://aerofiles.com/_lo.html
  5. ^ Spearman, M. Leroy, “Some Comparisons of US and USSR Aircraft Design Developments,” NASA Technical Memorandum 87611. Langley Research Center, Hampton, Virginia 23665, December 1985, page 5.
  6. ^ http://ntrs.nasa.gov/archive/nasa/casi.ntrs.nasa.gov/19860006738.pdf
  7. ^ http://www.buehlfield.info/aircraft-aviators/l-w-f-model-h-owl
  8. ^ Spearman, M. Leroy, “Some Comparisons of US and USSR Aircraft Design Developments,” NASA Technical Memorandum 87611. Langley Research Center, Hampton, Virginia 23665, December 1985, page 5.
  9. ^ http://ntrs.nasa.gov/archive/nasa/casi.ntrs.nasa.gov/19860006738.pdf
  10. ^ http://www.joebaugher.com/usaf_serials/1908-1920.html
  11. ^ Maurer Maurer, “Aviation in the U.S. Army, 1919-1939,” Office of Air Force History, United States Air Force, U.S. Government Printing Office, Washington, D.C., 1987, Library of Congress card number 87-12257, ISBN 0-912799-38-2, pages 124-126.
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