The Consolidated Commodore

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The Commodore Rio de Janeiro in NYRBA livery. She was the first of NYRBA's "flying yachts." She was also the one christened by Mrs. Herbert Hoover. Pan Am's Juan Trippe stole the microphone that day from NYRBA's Ralph O'Neill to sing the praises of the craft as a Pan Am "flying clipper." Trippe eventually made her one

Consolidated Aircraft was founded by Reuben H. Fleet in 1923, when he purchased the remnants of the bankrupt Gallaudet Aviation and Dayton-Wright Aviation, General Motors’ unsuccessful aircraft division. 

A Catalina PBY in World War II American livery. As patrol boats and search-and-rescue craft, these ungainly planes acquitted themselves wonderfully during the Second World War. Updated PBYs are still in use for SAR and for aerial firefighting around the world

Consolidated was famed for its flying boats, the most famous of which was the World War II-era Catalina PBY, but the company also built the B-24 Liberator heavy bomber. In 1943, Consolidated merged with Vultee Aircraft, becoming Consolidated-Vultee, or in the 1950s, Convair. As Convair, it built the Delta Dagger and Delta Dart jet fighters and the Atlas rockets used in Project Mercury. 

The B-24 Liberator heavy bomber in World War II American livery. "Lib" pilots preferred them to the Boeing B-17 Flying Fortress. Often overlooked in histories, the Libs usually flew missions in tandem with the Forts, and in fact, in number of total sorties, the Libs hold a slight edge

In 1928, Consolidated was most well-known for the Admiral flying boat, a military-grade aircraft. The U.S. Navy ordered fourteen such aircraft. 

It was the practice then that on large orders an aircraft manufacturer might subcontract some of the work out so as not to dedicate all its resources to one order. In this instance, Consolidated had a standing subcontract with the Glenn L. Martin Aircraft Company (in World War II, Martin would build the B-26 medium bomber). This was a common practice (during World War II, Boeing licensed out several hundred B-17 Flying Fortresses to Lockheed-Vega).

The Commodore Manaos. No airline livery is apparent

Martin, having the plans and specifications for the Admiral, at the Navy’s invitation, submitted its own bid for the already-existing contract. Martin’s numbers promised the Navy a significant savings, and so the Navy attempted to cancel the original Consolidated contract. A brouhaha erupted. 

The Delta Dart (F-106) by Convair was the first delta-winged aircraft of the U.S. Air Force

Rather than alienate Consolidated, Admiral William E. Moffett as head of the Naval Air Service, decided to hand the contract off to his friend Ralph O’Neill at NYRBA. The Admirals were constructed in their civilian configuration as Commodores.

Ultimately, Consolidated delivered its Commodores to NYRBA in a total of 14 months, one a month. Martin sent its 14 "Admirals" to the Navy only after 27 months; by the time Martin made final delivery, the Admirals were considered obsolete, and they were scrapped upon delivery.

May 1963. A Convair Atlas rocket hurls John Glenn aloft in Project Mercury's "Friendship 7." Glenn would orbit the earth three times

The Commodore was a monoplane with all-metal hull. It had a 100 foot wingspan and a 62-foot fuselage. Its top speed was around 130 miles per hour. Unlike other flying boats of the period, the Commodores were graceful-looking craft.

In a straightforward seating configuration, it could accommodate 32 passengers and a crew of three. It had three interior passenger cabins, any of which could be configured as sleepers. On long-distance flights, the plane could carry about half its full complement. 

A passenger cabin of a Commodore. Note the thickly-upholstered seats. No airline livery is apparent

The Commodore had a groundbreaking modification --- upholstered seats for its passengers.

The Commodore was the backbone of NYRBA’s fleet of "Flying Yachts", and when Pan American acquired NYRBA it acquired all of NYRBA’s Commodores. They became “Flying Clippers.” 

Only one, a wreck, exists at the bottom of a remote Canadian lake. A project is underway to raise and restore her as a museum piece, the last of the Pan Am Clippers.

 

The Commodore Clipper Cuba in Pan Am livery. The orange flash on the wings made it easier for air rescue to find a downed craft on the water

Pan Am pilots spoke fondly of the Commodores: "The good old Consolidated Commodore was the most reliable, trusty aircraft of the Pan American fleet during the early 1930s. . . . Making a bad landing in her was hard work. She was the loveliest boat I ever flew."