Vultee V-1 Prototype NX12293

 

The 1933 Vultee V-1 was designed by Gerard Vultee and Vance Breese as an eight-passenger monoplane. Built in backer E L Cord's Glendale hangar, it is sometimes seen as Cord-Vultee V-1, the prototype first flew on 19 February 1933, piloted by Marshall Headle.

 

Vultee V-1 Prototype NX12293

 

Sixteen V1-A and V1-AD were built as V1A-A from 1934 (ATC 545) priced at $35,000; NC4249, NC13764-NC13774, NC16000, NC16099, NC17326, and C-FAWQ, included 10 to American Airlines, and 8 as six-place V-1AD "deluxe" executive models with 850hp SR-1820-G2 engines (NC14248 - NC14256).

 

Vultee V-1A NC14251

 

NC16099 was repowered with a 1000hp SR-1820-G5 as the six-place V-1AD Special for Hearst newspapers. NC13770 was used in setting a transcontinental speed record on 1/14-15 January 1935, piloted by James Doolittle, and a record first round-trip transatlantic flight was made in September 1936 as Lady Peace, piloted by Dick Merrill.

 

Vultee V-1A NC16099

 

Fifteen V-1As were acquired from American Airlines and others in 1937 and went to Spain where they were converted as bombers and recon aircraft.

 

The 1936 V-1AS Special (ATC 2-539) was a twin-EDO float version built for the Soviet government for a 10,000-mile Santa Monica-Moscow flight, via Alaska and Siberia, in Aug-Sep 1936. Registered URSS-N208, the aircraft was piloted by Sigismund Levanevski and Victor Levchenko. It featured added fuel tanks in the cabin, enlarged tail group, and special cold-weather cowl. Additionally, manufacturing rights were sold to the USSR in October 1936, but none were produced there.

 

Vultee V-1AS URSS-N208

V-1