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While the Gamma was being developed, Northrop was working on a nine-seat transport, which was basically a new fuselage married to Gamma wings. Unfortunately for Northrop, the US 1926 Air Commerce Act was amended to prohibit the use of single-engine aircraft for carrying passengers by night, or over rough terrain where emergency landings could not be made. Consequently, airline use for its intended role was nonexistent in the USA, although three had been sold before the new regulation was announced. Eight others were used as executive transports, and one was bought by Swedish AB Aerotransport, which subsequently acquired a second, and the US Coast Guard operated a Delta under the designation RT-1, as the Secretary of the Treasury's personal aircraft. The last Delta was supplied to Canada as a pattern aircraft for assembly in that country by Canadian Vickers, who built 20 of various marks with both wheel and float landing gear. Deltas were flown with various engines, including the 529kW and 548kW Wright SR-1820, 485kW, 492kW and 522kW Pratt & Whitney Hornets.
| Dave Dawkins, daviddawkins(@)qwest.net, 21.02.2010 While doing an airshow at the downtown Kansas City airport in the late 1980s, I was shown a plane in the back of a large hangar that was, I believe, the Delta. I was told it was tied up in litigation over years of unpaid hangar rent. The plane was intact and in excelent condition. | | Dale Hardy, theflyingtournapull(@)hotmail.com, 05.11.2009 I am with the R.G. LeTourneau Heritage Center, www.rglhc.org. We have a written account that Mr. R.G. LeTourneau purchased a Northrop Delta NC13777 in October of 1941 in Las Vegas, NV. We would like to know more details about this aircraft. Also does it still exist? | | roger clark, argerpaul(@)yahoo.com, 29.08.2009 My father, Paul Clark, chief methods engineer, Mpls. Honeywell, flew with Max Conrad on the company Delta. Most of the trips were Wold-Chamberlin to Midway in Chicago. Dad was a great admirer of Capt. Conrad and loved to tell me about him and the trips. In about 1946 Dad took me out to the Honeywell Hangar in Mpls. to tour a B-29. The Delta was also in the hangar. We went in that, too. To a kid like me, it was a beautiful thing. So shiny. The interior was largely red leather. Dad said he thought only three Deltas were manufactured. Was the NC13777 ever restore? I would love to see it again. I've been looking for the plane on Net for years and finally today got the search results I've sought. | | Dan Colburn, w6dc(@)cox.net, 05.08.2008 I flew the Delta for Minneapolis Honeywell right after WWll. The Captain was Max Conrad. We had lots of expeeriences with that airplane including several forced landings.
The license number was NC13777. I think I know where the plane can be located and would be a wonderful restoration project. Dan Colburn |
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Do you have any comments about this aircraft ?
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