Bellanca 14-9 Junior
N130E
(c/n 1029)
Guiseppe Bellanca announced his "Junior" model
early in 1939 and it was, in fact, the first lightplane
incorporating a retractable
landing gear to be produced in quantity. 44 examples were
manufactured
at the Bellanca factory in New
Castle, Delaware in 1939/40. Ostensibly a three-place
machine, it
was better suited with only
two up. (Maybe two grown-ups and a child!) . 41 were powered by a
90 hp Ken-Royce 5-F or
5-G engine, while 3 (designated the model 14-9L) had a 5 cyl. Lenape
"Brave": LM-5 engine.
N130E seen above at Torrance Municipal Airport in 1960 was
previously
the Civil Aeronautics
Administration's NS130. This forerunner of the FAA has it
own NS "State"
series of registrations, rather
than using the normal NC (Number Commercial). Unfortunately, when
I took the photo above, the
door (on the starboard side) was opened up in its fully forward
position.
I seem to remember that I could
not locate the (then) owner to ask him or her to close it, so had to
take this shot the way
it was. Incredibly, 16 of the original 44 machines are
still extant - an endorse-
ment as to the aeronautical
wizardry of Guiseppe Bellanca. One of the three Model
14-9Ls hangs
from the ceiling of Charlotte
(North Carolina) International Airport. Two of the 14-9Ls were
operated,
pre-war by State Airlines
in that area It is difficult to believe that
scheduled passengers services were
flown with them - it was
probably a charter outfit.
.