FSX-SE Stinson Reliant

[P_7878 6,593]

I happened to locate, in my archive, today, an un-used (but rather interesting) small SIM plane purchased from Golden Age Simulations, that I installed fresh and took it out for a flight.

The Stinson Aircraft Company was a little-known aircraft manufacturer, that was founded in Dayton, Ohio, in 1920, by, an avid aviator, Eddie Stinson. After several years of start of this venture, the company, in 1925, had moved to Detroit, to the current site of the Detroit Metropolitan Wayne County Airport. Its aircraft manufacturing operations lasted from 1920 to 1950s. Eddie Stinson, did not, however, live to enjoy the success of his company. He died in an air crash in Chicago, IL, in 1932. At that time, at the age of 32, he had already amassed more than 16000 hours of flight time - reportedly more than any other pilot of the time. The Stinson name did not last much past the end of World War II. Eddie Stinson's death accelerated the assimilation of the Stinson Aircraft Corporation into other larger corporate entities, and eventually, by 1950, it was sold to the Piper Aircraft corporation. Interestingly, Piper transformed an original Stinson design (the "Twin Stinson") into the successful Piper Apache (its 1st twin) that many of us here have grown to admire.

The Stinson Reliant model, of this post, was a popular single-engine four-to-five-seat high-wing (fixed-tail-wheel) monoplane, produced in multiple variants (SR-1 through SR-10K) including many military variants. I've used this Stinson Reliant (variant SR-8E), here, for visiting the picturesque mountains and the scenic landscape on the northern part of Orbx's NZ (South Island) - in the (soul-soothing) serenity of a dawn ambience...with both takeoff and touchdown being at Franz Josef Airport (NZFJ). And, I've chosen to use the classic livery of the Northeast Airlines, which had operated (out of Boston, MA) from 1940 till 1972, when it merged with Delta Airlines. This particular NE Stinson (Reg: NC 16181), flown here, is now actually preserved in the Delta Flight Museum in Atlanta, GA. Hope you enjoy these images of this historically unique aircraft. [GAS(Stinson)/Orbx(NZ-SI)/REX]

Edited May 5, 2019 by P_7878

[HighBypass 2,339]

Soul-soothing definitely! I can just imagine that radial engine (7 cyl ?) coughing into life after its cylinders have a committee meeting to decide who fires first etc.before getting warm & cosy 

[P_7878 6,593]

...🙂...In such soul-soothing missions, I normally make use of our magical key stroke “Q”...so, I didn’t hear anything, but, yes, I should’ve known better especially after writing about the Viscount...🙂...

Edited May 5, 2019 by P_7878

[woodhick 504]

Wow!  That's a fantastic model and paint.  Nice indeed.

[John F 2,418]

Thanks for "reviving" this plane for us.

Always had a soft spot for the later Stinsons...Stinson Voyager, Stinson Station Wagon.

As for the Stinson family, I think there's much that can be said about Eddie's sister Katherine also.

John

 

[P_7878 6,593]

1 hour ago, John F said:

Thanks for "reviving" this plane for us.

Always had a soft spot for the later Stinsons...Stinson Voyager, Stinson Station Wagon.

As for the Stinson family, I think there's much that can be said about Eddie's sister Katherine also.

John

 

John: Thanks for pointing to Katherine...only 2 years older than Eddie Stinson, but what a remarkable aviatrix herself! In 1915, she would be the first woman to perform a "loop" at Cicero Field in Chicago, a few of us here have ties to that city...🙂...Anyway, Katherine performed this feat some 500 times without a single accident.

She lived on to the age 86...good to know...

[Phantom88 3,287]

***Super Cool***

[HaraldG 559]

Nice pictures and learning, as always.

Regarding Katherine Stinson: Flying keeps young and healthy, obviously!