US Budd RB ''Conestoga'' Cargo Plane

By Crusader1307

Introduced late in World War II (1944), The RB ''Conestoga'' (named for The American Colonial Wagon of the 18th Century), was envisioned as a large capacity Cargo Transport Aircraft. A total of (20) production Models were built, with none seeing combat service. Although primarily of stainless steel construction, wing portions of The ''Conestoga'' was fabric covered. Handling of The Aircraft was dismal, which negated it's abilities in combat. Still, most were used within The Continental United States by both The US Army and Navy. After The War, most were sold to Brazil (used in Civilian duties). The ''Conestoga'' was 70-feet long with a wingspan of 100-feet. Crewed by (3), they were powered by Twin Pratt and Whitney 14-cylinder, Air Cooled Radial Prop Engines. They were capable of a 10,000-pound payload with an airspeed of 200-mph. The Operational ceiling was rated at 9,000-feet.Mission range was slightly over 1,600-miles.