The Consolidated Model 17 Fleetster was a 1920s American light transport monoplane aircraft built by the Consolidated Aircraft Corporation. There was several closely related types the Model 17, Model 18, Model 20; then the C-11, C-22, and XBY military versions.

Design and development

The Fleetster received Approved Type Certificate Number 369 on 29 September 1930. It was designed to meet a requirement of the New York, Rio, and Buenos Aires Line (NYRBA) for an aircraft to serve the coastal routes in South America. The Fleetster had a streamlined all-metal monocoque fuselage with a wooden wing. The powerplant was a 575 hp (429 kW) Pratt & Whitney R-1860 Hornet B radial engine. It was available as a landplane or seaplane and could accommodate up to eight passengers, although the three NYRBA aircraft were fitted with two full-width seats each for three passengers. A parasol-wing version (the Model 20 Fleetster) was also developed with the wing supported by four short struts. The open cockpit was moved behind the passenger cabin and the resultant space was used as a cargo compartment. Three aircraft were built for NYRBA and a private Canadian customer. In 1932 a carrier-borne dive bomber version (Model 18) was evaluated by the United States Navy as the XBY-1, it was not ordered but was the first stressed-skin aircraft, and the first aircraft with so-called "wet wing" integral fuel tanks in the wings operated by the Navy.

Operational history

One Model 20 Fleetster was operated by Western Canada Airways, the parasol wing version. It crashed into a hangar in Calgary on 16 November 1931.

Variants

Operators

Specifications (Model 17)