MARTIN 2-0-2 OPERATIONS WITH NORTHWEST ORIENT

MARTIN 2-0-2 OPERATIONS WITH NORTHWEST ORIENT

The MARTIN 2-0-2 was a twin engine unpressurized  airliner that was manufactured by the Glenn L Martin company

Victorious after WW2, and with its aviation industry intact, it was time to revert the war machine into producing civil aircraft. Many companies were searching for the golden goose a DC3 replacement. Among them were Consolidated Vultee with its CV240 and Martin 2-0-2. Of course, the Eastern block was also looking for a Lisunov Li-2  replacement  with the Ilyushin 12

The first flight of the model was in November 1946. Full civilian certification was gained in August 1947, several months before competing aircraft types following a new procedure  implemented by the CAA then , the new 'Accelerated Service Test'.

Orders rose quickly and reached  137 units. However, as delays in production built up,  only  46 produced  and 43 were actually delivered to :NWA (25)


By Bill Larkins - Martin202NW93060, CC BY-SA 2.0, Link

By San Diego Air and Space Museum Archive

By San Diego Air and Space Museum Archive

 TWA (12), LAV (4) and LAN (2). the large orders from Pennsylvania Central Airlines and Colonial Airlines were cancelled  The first scheduled flight was on Northwest between Minneapolis and Chicago on 13 October 1947 and were fitted with 40 passengers seats

The timetable dated  November 15, 1947

From the collection of Bjorn Larsson @ www.timetableimages.com

 

reveals to us the cities welcoming the Martin 2-02 with New York (LGA) being the most eastwardly city and  Billings to the west

 

Unfortunately , the crash of NW 429 on August 29, 1948 will reveal a major flaw n the design of the wing as the cause  of the crash was fatigue of the left wing, causing it to separate from the plane and precipitating the plunge. Alloy 7075-T6 was used, which is susceptible to stress-corrosion cracking and low toughness. The airliner was grounded and modifications were made. The wing components were redesigned and the engines replaced. The changed type was designated the Martin 2-0-2A.

The timetable dated September 24, 1950

From the collection of Bjorn Larsson @ www.timetableimages.com

 

shows us the expansion of the network served by the Martin 2-0-2. New cities were added such as Washington, Yakima, Spokane, Wenatchee, Portland, Cleveland and  Pittsburgh  among others making cities like Missoula, Butte, to be connected to New York, Washington and Seattle

However,  the operations of the Martin  2-0-2 will be cut short as all aircraft will be retired from service in 1951 and replaced again with the ubiquitous DC3

The following airlines bought the Martins 2-0-2 directly from  Northwest  : Japan Airlines (5), Pioneer Airlines (7), Pacific Airlines (2) , California Central Airlines  (5).

By Bill Larkins - Martin 2-0-2, CC BY-SA 2.0, Link

It is worth noting that Transocean Air Lines (TALOA) leased all the Martin 2-0-2 fleet from September 1951 to 1952 and subsequently bought  some frames

By Bill Larkins - Martin 2-0-2 Transocean Air Lines, CC BY-SA 2.0, Link

The airline suffered  5 hull accidents resulting in 79 deaths  (see table below)

A competitor to the Martin 2-0-2 was the  Ilyushin 12, see comparison table below

By Bill Larkins - Southwest2-0-2, CC BY-SA 2.0, Link








By FOTO:Fortepan — AEROFLOT IL12, CC BY-SA 3.0, Link