Boeing XB-15

The Boeing XB-15 (Boeing 294) was a United States bomber aircraft designed in 1934 as a test for the United States Army Air Corps (USAAC) to see if it would be possible to build a heavy bomber with a 5000 mi range. For a year beginning in mid-1935 it was designated the XBLR-1. When it first flew in 1937, it was the most massive and voluminous aircraft ever built in the US. It set a number of load-to-altitude records for land-based aircraft, including carrying a 31205 lb payload to 8200 ft on 30 July 1939.

The aircraft's immense size allowed flight engineers to enter the wing through a crawlway and make minor repairs in flight. A 5000 mi flight took 33 hours at its 152 mph cruising speed; the crew was made up of several shifts, and bunks allowed them to sleep when off duty.

Design and development
The specification that produced the XB-15 began in mid-1933 as "Project A", USAAC discussions regarding the possibility of flying a very large bomber with a range of 5000 mi. In April 1934 the USAAC contracted with Boeing and Martin to design a bomber capable of carrying 2000 lb at 200 mph over a distance of 5,000 miles. Boeing gave the project the internal name of Model 294, while the USAAC called it the XB-15. Martin's design, the XB-16, was judged inferior by the USAAC before a prototype was built, and was canceled.

The Boeing design team, headed by Jack Klystra, initially intended the aircraft to use 2600 hp Allison V-3420 liquid-cooled W engines; since these were not ready, 850 hp Pratt & Whitney R-1830 air-cooled radial engines were used instead.

Starting in August 1934, Boeing began designing the Model 299 in answer to a proposal by the USAAC to replace the Martin B-10 bomber. The Model 299 design team incorporated elements of the Model 294, especially the use of four engines, and the Boeing 247. The Model 299 design team worked alongside Klystra's team, but difficulties in fabricating such a large aircraft slowed progress on the 294. The Model 299 flew first, on 28 July 1935.

In mid-1935, the USAAC combined Project A with Project D; a proposal asking for "the maximum feasible range into the future." The combined program was designated BLR for "Bomber, Long Range". The XB-15 was renamed the XBLR-1; it was joined under the BLR program by two other projects: one from Douglas Aircraft, the XBLR-2 which later became the XB-19; and one from Sikorsky Aircraft called the XBLR-3, later canceled. The next year, the XBLR was dropped and the Boeing prototype was once again the XB-15.

Unusual features that the XB-15 pioneered included an autopilot, deicing equipment, and two gasoline generators used as auxiliary power units (independent of the main engines) to power the 110-volt electrical system. The main engines were serviceable in flight using an access tunnel inside the wing. The aircraft contained a sizable crew compartment with bunkbeds, a galley and a lavatory. Finally, in September 1937 construction was finished, and on 15 October it first flew. Its double-wheel main landing gear remained down from takeoff to landing. On 2 December 1937, the XB-15 flew from Seattle to Wright Field in Ohio to be accepted by the USAAC for testing.

With the weaker engines installed, the specified speed of 200 mph was not quite reached even when the aircraft was empty; the best speed attained in level flight was 197 mph. Loaded with the specified 2,000 pounds, the maximum speed was a disappointing 145 mph. This was considered too slow for a combat aircraft, and the project was abandoned. However, Boeing engineers projected that the prototype would be capable of carrying the heaviest air cargo to date: a load of 8000 lb.

The design challenges stemming from the great size of the XB-15 were difficult to master, but the lessons learned by Boeing were later applied to the Model 314 flying boat. In 1938, the USAAC proposed to update the XB-15 to make the slightly larger Y1B-20, using more powerful engines, but the Secretary of War, Harry Hines Woodring, canceled the project before construction began, in favor of the expensive Douglas XB-19. Boeing went ahead with an internal redesign of the XB-15 called Model 316, a very heavy bomber with a high wing, a pressurized cabin and tricycle gear. The Model 316 was not built. The progression of design work starting with the XB-15 finally bore fruit with the Model 345 presented to the USAAC in May 1940; the very heavy bomber which resulted in the Boeing B-29 Superfortress.

Operational history
The single prototype was assigned to the 2nd Bombardment Group at Langley Field, Virginia. Following the 24 January 1939 Chillán earthquake in Chile, the prototype flew a relief mission, carrying medical supplies. Commanded by Major Caleb V. Haynes, the aircraft carried 3250 lb of American Red Cross emergency supplies to Santiago, making only two stops along the way, at France Field in the Panama Canal Zone, and at Lima, Peru. Haynes was awarded the Distinguished Flying Cross and the Order of the Merit of Chile, and the whole crew earned the MacKay Trophy.

Haynes piloted the XB-15 again on 10 June 1939 to return home the body of Mexican flier Francisco Sarabia who had died in a crash in the Potomac River. After flying back from Mexico City, Haynes and his copilot William D. Old undertook flight tests at Fairfield, Ohio, lifting very heavy loads. They used the XB-15 to lift 22046 lb to a height of 8228 ft, and 31164 lb to 6561.6 ft, setting two world records. Haynes was awarded certificates issued by the National Aeronautics Association (NAA) for an international record for "the greatest payload carried to an altitude of 2,000 metres". The XB-15 was not very fast for a bomber but it was the fastest aircraft capable of carrying so much weight, and traveling such long distances. In July 1939, Haynes received certificates from the NAA for the establishment of an international 5000 km speed record with a 2000 kg payload. The latter performance also established a national closed circuit distance record of 3129.241 mi.

Flying from Langley, the XB-15 arrived at Albrook Field in Panama on 10 April 1940 and immediately began classified bombing tests of canal lock protections, commanded by Haynes and including Captain Curtis LeMay as navigator and Lieutenant John B. Montgomery as bombardier. Of 150 bombs dropped, only 3 hit the target: a specially made bunker simulating a reinforced machine room. The few hits nevertheless led to improvements in bunker design. In early May, Haynes and LeMay made a survey flight from Panama over the Galapagos islands, the inspection including Baltra Island. Haynes piloted the XB-15 back to the US, leaving Panama on 11 May 1940.

In late 1940, the XB-15's defensive guns were removed at Duncan Field in Florida. Seats were attached so that Lend Lease aircraft ferry crews could be returned after delivery.

Cargo aircraft
On 6 May 1943, the Army Air Forces converted the only prototype into a transport, the aircraft being redesignated XC-105. A cargo hoist was mounted, and cargo doors fitted. Its maximum gross weight was increased to 92000 lb. By this time, the aircraft was nicknamed "Grandpappy" by 20th Troop Carrier Squadron airmen. It displayed nose art depicting an elephant carrying on its back a large crate labeled "supplies". During World War II, the XC-105 carried freight and personnel to and from Florida, and throughout the Caribbean, based out of Albrook Field beginning in June 1943. Hundreds of young women were flown in "Grandpappy" from Miami to the Canal Zone to engage in US government work; these trips were dubbed the "Georgia Peach Run". "Grandpappy" traveled to the Galapagos, landing on Baltra Island at the same airfield built following the XB-15 aerial survey of May 1940.

"Grandpappy"′s flight crew, reduced to six men, described the aircraft as difficult to fly and service. Two fires and a complete failure of the electrical system occurred in the air. The aircraft was retired on 18 December 1944, assigned to Panama Air Depot. In June 1945, it was ordered to be scrapped at Albrook Field in Panama, its engines and internal parts removed along with its vertical stabilizer and rudder. The remaining airframe was deposited at Diablo dump, a swampy landfill southwest of the runway, where it slowly sank from sight. Squatters built shacks on stilts in the swamp, covering the remains. The former dump is now an industrial area, with "Grandpappy" underneath.

During its 18 months of transport service, the XC-105 carried more than 5,200 passengers, 440000 lb of cargo and 94000 lb of mail. It flew 70 cargo trips and 60 missions including anti-submarine patrol. Unusually, the aircraft was consistently referred to as "he" by its crew.



Operators

 * United States Army Air Corps
 * 2d Bombardment Group
 * 2d Bombardment Group


 * United States Army Air Forces
 * 20th Troop Carrier Squadron