Martin 4-0-4 - Valokuvat ja videot

Nniiden Martin 4-0-4 was an American pressurized passenger airliner built by the Glenn L. Martin Company. In addition to airline use initially in the United States, it was used by the United States Coast Guard and United States Navy as the RM-1G (later as the VC-3A).

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Nniiden Martin 4-0-4 was a pressurized passenger airliner that entered service in 1951 with two major US airlines: Eastern Air Lines and Trans World Airlines. It was built by the Glenn L. Martin Company, a pioneer in aviation and aerospace engineering. The 4-0-4 was an improved version of the Martin 2-0-2, which had suffered from wing structural failure. The 4-0-4 had a longer fuselage that could accommodate 40 passengers, a stronger wing design, and more powerful engines. The 4-0-4 also had an airstair in the tail section for easy boarding and disembarking, and a modern cockpit with two seats for the pilot and copilot.
The 4-0-4 was used for short and medium range flights within the US, and competed with the Convair CV-240 family of airliners. It had a cruising speed of 444 km/h, a maximum range of 1,740 km, and a service ceiling of 8,840 m. The 4-0-4 was reliable and comfortable, and earned the nicknames “Skyliner” for TWA and “Silver Falcon” for Eastern Air Lines. However, it also faced some challenges, such as two fatal accidents involving TWA flights in 1955 and 1956, and the emergence of jet airliners that rendered piston-engine aircraft obsolete.
4-0-4 poistettiin TWA:sta vuonna 1961 ja Eastern Air Linesilta vuonna 1962. Sen jälkeen se myytiin pienemmille lentoyhtiöille ja tilauslentoyhtiöille, jotka jatkoivat sen lentämistä 1970-luvun lopulle asti. Joitakin 4-0-4-koneita käytettiin myös Yhdysvaltain rannikkovartiostossa ja laivastossa toimeenpanoaluksina, jotka nimettiin RM-1G:ksi tai VC-3A:ksi. Propliner Aviation lensi viimeisen toiminnassa olevan 4-0-4:n vuoteen 2008 asti, jolloin se lahjoitettiin museolle. Martin 4-0-4 oli merkittävä lentokone amerikkalaisen ilmailun historiassa, mutta yleisö jättää sen usein huomiotta tai unohtaa sen.