Warringah
Radio Control
Society Incorporated (Incorporated under the Association Incorporation Act 1984) THE RYAN M-1 |
| Warringah
Radio Control
Society Incorporated (Incorporated under the Association Incorporation Act 1984) THE RYAN M-1 |
 Ryan's
First Plane
Air mail kept the post-war aviation industry alive in the U.S. In 1925, Congress privatized the air mail business and private carriers replaced Post Office flyers. The Ryan M-1, dubbed "the plane that pays a profit," was America's first production monoplane and, starting on September 15, 1926, was the first commercial plane to fly with Pacific Air Transport (PAT) along the West Coast. PAT's six M-1s linked Seattle, Portland, San Francisco, and Los Angeles. The cost was high—five of PAT's original M-1s crashed the first year. Pacific was sold to Boeing Air Transport in 1928. Flight Fact: Five M-1s were sold to a man who planned to use them for a revolution in Mexico. They were impounded by a U.S. Attorney and eventually resold.  The
M-1's Big Little Brother—Lindbergh’s Plane
The M-1 has traits of another famous Ryan aircraft—the Spirit of St. Louis. Charles Lindbergh came to Ryan in 1927 and flew an M-1. He had requested a similar but larger plane to make the non-stop 3,600-mile (5,760 km) flight across the Atlantic. Ryan's M-1 design was modified to fit Lindbergh's requirements. The Spirit of St. Louis, built as the Ryan NYP (New York-Paris), was completed in just 60 days for the total price of $10,580. The Man Who Built the Company The days after Lindbergh's famous flight were bittersweet for T. Claude Ryan. The founder of Ryan Airlines, Inc. and the creative influence behind the M-1, Mr. Ryan had sold his interest in the company that bore his name to Frank Mahoney, his partner, just six months before "Lucky Lindy" landed in Paris. As the Ryan name appeared in newspapers around the globe and Lindbergh sung the praises of his trusty Ryan airplane, Mr. Ryan sat on the sideline, merely a manager in the company he helped build.
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