bellanca-28-92-front
johnbr

bellanca-28-92-front

A 420 hp Ranger SGV-770 engine was in the nose of the 28-92. The SGV-770 was an air-cooled, inverted, V-12 engine. The engine was supercharged, displaced 773 cu in, and had gear reduction for the propeller.

All of the trimotor’s engines were hand cranked to start and had adjustable two-blade propellers. The 28-92 had a fuel capacity of around 715 gallons. The aircraft had a span of 46 ft 4 in, a length of 28 ft 4 in, and weighed 4,700 lb empty. The 28-92 had a top speed of 285 mph and a 3,000 mile range at 250 mph or a 4,160 mile range at 200 mph. Landing speed was 75 mph.


Front view of the 28-92 trimotor illustrating the limited visibility from the cockpit while the aircraft was on the ground.

After problems during a test flight and a disagreement with Bellanca, Papana cancelled his order for the trimotor. Since the 28-92 was complete, and neither Papana nor the Romanian government paid for the aircraft, it remained at the Bellanca factory.

In 1938, Bellanca registered the aircraft in the United States as NX2433 and entered it in the Bendix Trophy cross-country race. Frank Cordova was the pilot for the race, and the trimotor flew as race number 99. Unfortunately, because of engine trouble, the aircraft did not finish the cross-country race. The Ranger engine in the nose quit, but Cordova continued to fly on the two Menasco engines for another 1,000 miles, landing in Bloomington, Illinois. A new rule for the 1938 races stated that no aircraft entered in the Bendix race could compete in the Thompson Trophy race, so the trimotor was returned to the Bellanca factory.
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