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Cranston Fine Arts  Aviation Art and Artists Civilian Aviation Aircraft  Stratocruiser |
[UP] - Airbus A319 - Airbus A380 - BAC111 - Beaver - Boeing 707 - Boeing 737 - Boeing 747 - Boeing 767 - Britannia - Comet - Concorde - DC3 - DC6 - Solent 2 - Staggerwing - Stratocruiser - Tigermoth - Trident - Vanguard - VC10 - Vega - Viscount |
| Stratocruiser Aviation Prints |
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| Text for the above items : |
Outward Bound by Stan Stokes. The Boeing Model 377 Stratocruiser was the commercial version of Boeings C-97 military transport. The first 377 was test flown on July 8, 1947. Stratocruisers were delivered to airlines in 1949 and 1950. Pan American, Northwest Orient, BOAC, United, and American Overseas Airlines were all customers. They sold for approximately $1.5 million each. Stratocruisers could accommodate anywhere from 55 to 100 passengers depending on configuration. With a pressurized cabin, Stratocruisers had a ceiling of 32,000 feet, thus permitting fights above the weather. Many were equipped with sleepers for long distance flights. The 377 had a large flight deck, and a lower passenger deck which was typically used as a lounge. With a wingspan of more than 141 feet, and a gross take off weight of 120,000 pounds, the Statocruiser was a big airplane. Powered by four Pratt and Whitney R-4360 engines, Statocruisers had a maximum speed of 375-MPH, and a range of more than 4,000 miles at a cruising speed of 340-MPH. Northwest Orient Airlines took delivery of ten Statocruisers. They differed from other Model 377s because they utilized rectangular windows. Later Northwest further modified these aircraft by adding a radar dome to the nose. Northwest flew the 377s for about ten years, and eventually traded them to Lockheed which sold some of them to Aero Space Lines. The latter company extensively modified these aircraft into what was one of the most unusual appearing aircraft which was nicknamed the pregnant guppy. In addition to lengthening the aircraft, a huge new upper hull section was added. A unique feature was the ability to detach the entire rear section of the fuselage to assist in cargo loading. These bulbous aircraft were utilized to transport very large spacecraft sections from various manufacturing plants to Cape Canaveral. By the early 1960s many of the 377s were being sold off by the primary airlines to secondary carriers, cargo airlines, or charter operators. Transocean Airlines of Oakland California obtained a large number of these aircraft which they modified to high density seating for charter operations. In Stan Stokes dramatic painting a Northwest Orient Airlines Stratocruiser departs the New York area in 1952. |
| Stratocruiser Pilot and aircrew signature details |
Capt Spencer L Marsh NWA Our estimated value of this signature : £20 | Capt Spencer L Marsh NWA Spencer Marsh was born in Glencoe, Minnesota in 1918. He was interested in aviation as a child, and Spence remembers in 1923 that C.A. Lindbergh, Sr. (who was running for Congress) visited Glencoe in a Curtis Jenny. Lindbergh's landing in Glencoe was a bit rough, and Lindbergh borrowed $300 from the local townspeople to rebuild his damaged aircraft. Spence joined a 'cow pasture' aviation operation in 1938. He barnstormed and gave flight instructions. In 1941 Spence attained an instructors rating in acrobatics at Grand Forks, North Dakota. With the outbreak of WW II Spence was hired as an instructor/ supervisor at a military flight training school in Grand Forks. His organization trained over 1,000 pilots with no fatalities. Upon completion of this program, Spence was transferred to Vinata, Oklahoma as a glider tow pilot. In March of 1943 Spence joined Northwest Orient Airlines as a co-pilot. Among his early assignments with the airline were the testing of modified B-24 bombers, and studies regarding the deicing of wings and props. Spence made many trips to Canada, Alaska, and the Aleutians during this time, delivering cargo and war materials to these areas. Following the War, Spence returned to Northwest's domestic route structure. He was promoted to Captain in 1949. His first assignment included the Minnesota to Tokyo run via, Canada, Alaska, and the Aleutians. With the outbreak of War in Korea, Spence flew many 'airlift' flights to South Korea. He was made an Instructor/ Check Airman in 1951, and by 1959 he was promoted to Engineering Test Pilot. He served as Northwest's Director of Flight Training between 1960 and 1968. He also served as Vice Chairman of the Air Transport Association Training Committee during this same time frame. From 1968 until his retirement in 1978 Spence returned his true passion - flying. He flew the 747 for the last seven years of his commercial career. Spence had many hours in many different types of aircraft flown by Northwest. One of his sentimental favorites is the double-decked Boeing Stratocruiser. In 1995 the U.S. Air Force determined that pilots, like Spencer Marsh, who served the Army Air Forces during WW 11, were eligible for Honorable Discharge, and all applicable medals were awarded dated July of 1945. |
| Stratocruiser Squadron details |
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