Consolidated Aircraft Commodore
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The Consolidated Aircraft Commodore was a flying boat used for passenger travel in the 1930s, mostly in the Caribbean operated by small companies like Pan American Airlines. A pioneer of long haul passenger aircraft industry, the Commodore "Clipper" grew out of a Navy design competition in the 1920s to create an aircraft capable of nonstop flights between the mainland of the United States and Panama, Alaska, and the Hawaiian Islands. In response to these requirement Consolidated produced the prototype XPY-1 in January 1929 but lost the contract to the Martin aircraft company. The aircraft represented a marked change from earlier patrol boat designs such as the Curtiss NC.
In response to losing the Navy contract, Consolidated offered a passenger-carrying version of the XPY-1, which became known as the Commodore. The monoplane all-metal hull could accommodate 32 passengers and a crew of 3. The full complement of passengers, located in three cabins, could only be carried on relatively short-route segments. For a 1000-mile flight, the boat probably could accommodate no more than 14 people including the crew. Wing and tail construction consisted of metal-frame structure covered with fabric except for metal-covered leading edges.
With a first flight in 1931, a total of 14 Commodore boats were built. They were used in airline service from the United States to South America where routes extended as far south as Buenos Aires, a distance of 9000 miles from Miami. They were out of service by 1935, having been superseded by more efficient aircraft such as the Sikorsky S-42, Boeing 314, and Martin 156, (the China Clipper). The Commodore may be considered as a first step in the United States along a road that was to lead to the highly efficient monoplane-type patrol and transport flying boats later in the 1930's. The XPY-1 and its civil counterpart the Commodore may be considered as progenitors in a series of flying-boat developments that led to the famous Consolidated PBY Catalina of World War II fame.
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