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The Ryan M-1 was T. Claude Ryan's first original aircraft design. Taking flight on February 14, 1926, it was developed to serve privately operated airlines and was the first production monoplane manufactured the United States. In addition to its pilot, it could carry two passengers and 300 pouds of mail -- or 600 pounds of mail only. It also incorporated side doors for easy access. Preceding the era of aircraft type certificates, the M-1 was instead granted a U.S. patent.
Flying M-1s (with Claude Ryan's direct assistance), Oregon-based airline Pacific Air Transport (PAT) initiated the first West Coast commercial air service beginning on September 15, 1926. Primarily carrying air mail, PAT's original six-plane fleet of M-1s linked Seattle, Portland, San Francisco, and Los Angeles. The route posed serious hazards, including mountainous terrain, poor weather, and inadequate navigation aids. Five of PAT's original M-1s were lost to accidents.
M-1s flew primarily with 200-horsepower Wright Whirlwind J-4B and occasionally with 150-horsepower Hispano-Suiza A-150 engines. Curtiss OX-5 and Super Rhone engines were evaluated but found unsatisfactory and not used in production.
The M-1 bears a strong resemblance to another Ryan type, the famous Ryan NYP Spirit of St. Louis. Charles Lindbergh commissioned the Ryan Company to build this long-range derivative of the M-1 (and follow-on M-2) specifically for his New York-to-Paris flight in 1927.
Early records of the Museum's M-1 are incomplete. It may be the first Ryan M-1 airframe built, Construction Number (C/N) 1, or possibly C/N 9. C/N 1 flew PAT's Seattle-Los Angeles route until it was involved in an accident on Christmas Day in 1926. It was then sold to a private buyer, repaired, and re-equipped with a Hisso powerplant. C/N 9 was registered to the Frank Baker Aircraft Company in Culver City, California in October 1927. It suffered multiple accidents and repairs over the course of its career.
Both C/N 1 and 9 changed owners several times during their early years. The Museum's aircraft was eventually abandoned by a Mr. Orville Melchior in 1932 after a crash near Paso Robles, California. Recovered from the crash site in 1980, it was restored and flown by Ty Sundstrom. The Museum acquired the aircraft in 1990.
The Ryan M-1 was T. Claude Ryan's first original aircraft design. Taking flight on February 14, 1926, it was developed to serve privately operated airlines and was the first production monoplane manufactured the United States. In addition to its pilot, it could carry two passengers and 300 pouds of mail -- or 600 pounds of mail only. It also incorporated side doors for easy access. Preceding the era of aircraft type certificates, the M-1 was instead granted a U.S. patent.
Flying M-1s (with Claude Ryan's direct assistance), Oregon-based airline Pacific Air Transport (PAT) initiated the first West Coast commercial air service beginning on September 15, 1926. Primarily carrying air mail, PAT's original six-plane fleet of M-1s linked Seattle, Portland, San Francisco, and Los Angeles. The route posed serious hazards, including mountainous terrain, poor weather, and inadequate navigation aids. Five of PAT's original M-1s were lost to accidents.
M-1s flew primarily with 200-horsepower Wright Whirlwind J-4B and occasionally with 150-horsepower Hispano-Suiza A-150 engines. Curtiss OX-5 and Super Rhone engines were evaluated but found unsatisfactory and not used in production.
The M-1 bears a strong resemblance to another Ryan type, the famous Ryan NYP Spirit of St. Louis. Charles Lindbergh commissioned the Ryan Company to build this long-range derivative of the M-1 (and follow-on M-2) specifically for his New York-to-Paris flight in 1927.
Early records of the Museum's M-1 are incomplete. It may be the first Ryan M-1 airframe built, Construction Number (C/N) 1, or possibly C/N 9. C/N 1 flew PAT's Seattle-Los Angeles route until it was involved in an accident on Christmas Day in 1926. It was then sold to a private buyer, repaired, and re-equipped with a Hisso powerplant. C/N 9 was registered to the Frank Baker Aircraft Company in Culver City, California in October 1927. It suffered multiple accidents and repairs over the course of its career.
Both C/N 1 and 9 changed owners several times during their early years. The Museum's aircraft was eventually abandoned by a Mr. Orville Melchior in 1932 after a crash near Paso Robles, California. Recovered from the crash site in 1980, it was restored and flown by Ty Sundstrom. The Museum acquired the aircraft in 1990.
