Editing Wedell-Williams Model 44

{{Infobox aircraft
  |name= Model 44
  |image= File:Wedell-Williams Model 44 NR61Y.jpg
  |caption=NR61Y, Roscoe Turner's Model 44
  |type=[[Racing aircraft]]
  |national_origin=United States
  |manufacturer=[[Jimmy Wedell|Wedell-Williams Air Service Corporation]]
  |designer=[[Jimmy Wedell]]
  |first_flight=12 January 1930<ref>Hirsch and Schultz 2001, p. 24.</ref>
  |introduction= 13 June 1930, New Orleans Air Races<ref>Hirsch and Schultz 2001, p. 29.</ref>
  |retired=1939 National Air Races
  |status= One survivor, Crawford Auto-Aviation Museum, Cleveland, Ohio
  |primary_user=Wedell-Williams Air Service Corp.
  |more_users=[[Roscoe Turner]]<br>[[Mary Haizlip]] 
  |produced=1930-1931
  |number_built=4
  |unit cost=est. US$10,000 in 1931<ref>Hirsch and Schultz 2001, p. 98.</ref>
  |developed_from=[[Wedell-Williams Model 22]]
}}

The '''Wedell-Williams Model 44''' is a [[racing aircraft]], four examples of which were built in the United States in the early 1930s by the [[Jimmy Wedell|Wedell-Williams Air Service Corporation]]. It began as a rebuilding of the partnership's successful ''We-Will'' 1929 racer, but soon turned into a completely new racing [[monoplane]] aircraft, powered by a large [[radial engine]]. Model 44s became the dominant racers of the 1930s, setting innumerable records including setting a new world speed record in 1933.

The only surviving Model 44 is on display at the [[Crawford Auto-Aviation Museum]], [[Cleveland, Ohio]]. Three replica Model 44s are on display at the [[Wedell-Williams Aviation & Cypress Sawmill Museum]], [[Patterson, Louisiana]].

== Design and development ==
{{multiple image
| direction = vertical
| width = 220
| image1 = WWModel44MissNewOrleans.JPG
| caption1 = Miss New Orleans
| image2 = WWModel44MissPatterson.JPG
| caption2 = Miss Patterson
| image3 = WWModel44RoscoeTurner.JPG
| caption3 = Roscoe Turner Racer
}}
Experienced air-racer [[Jimmy Wedell]] formed a business partnership in 1929 with millionaire [[Harry Palmerston Williams|Harry P. Williams]] after giving him flying lessons. Initial plans were to teach flying, provide an aerial photography service and win an airmail contract. Wedell's passion for air racing led him to convince Williams to build a racer for the January, 1930 Miami Air Races.

This first aircraft was named "We-Will" but as development and testing continued it became apparent it would not be ready for the 1930 Miami event. Wedell halted development of the "We-Will" design and began a new aircraft, the "We-Winc".

In parallel to the development of the We-Winc, Wedell began the construction of a third aircraft, the "We-Will Jr." This aircraft first appeared in the Cirrus Derby held in Detroit on July 21 but the design proved to be underpowered. Further development with improved aerodynamics, numerous technical innovations and a Hamilton Standard ground adjustable propeller radically changed the aircraft's appearance. Incorporated into the design were the wheel spats that would be an iconic feature of the future racers. It was a typical construction with a braced, low-wing monoplane utilizing fixed landing gear in large spats. This version was however also underpowered. In development and in competition this version, by now dubbed "Model 22" proved to be a disappointment and further development was abandoned.<ref>Hirsch and Schultz 2001, p. 26.</ref>

==Operational history==
By 1931, Wedell had turned his attention back to the original We-Will and after a rebuild using the lessons learned in building the We-Winc and the We-Will Jr. attained an acceptable level of performance. This version was named the "Model 44". When mated with a Pratt & Whitney Wasp Jr. engine, the design's true potential began to be realized. That year, the "44" placed second at the National Air Races.<ref>Hirsch and Schultz 2001, p. 29.</ref>

Soon after the '31 Nationals, Wedell began rebuilding the 44 and the We-Winc as well as taking a contract to build a Model 44 for the famous aviator [[Roscoe Turner]]. On the second test flight of Turner's Model 44, the left wing experienced a structural failure and was destroyed in the ensuing crash. Piloting the aircraft himself, Wedell parachuted to safety. After this incident, the assistance of Howard Barlow, an aeronautical engineer, was obtained in the redesign of the wings. The second Turner racer was built with the new wing design and proved to be an exceptional performer. The other two Model 44s were rebuilt according to the new wing specification as test pilots had noted wing vibrations in both aircraft previously.<ref>Hirsch and Schultz 2001, p. 37.</ref>

These three aircraft went on to dominate air racing for the next several years. Model 44s were raced in 1932, 1933 and 1934 [[Bendix Trophy]] races, as well as the 1934 Thompson and Shell Trophy. In September 1933 at the International Air Race in Chicago, the 44 piloted by Wedell set the new world speed record for landplanes at 305.33 miles per hour.<ref>Schmid and  Weaver 1983, p. 314.</ref> Flying a 44, [[Doug Davis (aviator)|Doug Davis]] won the 1934 Bendix Trophy, but crashed and was killed while leading the Thompson Trophy Race on September 3, 1934.<ref>{{cite magazine |url=http://airportjournals.com/doug-davis-air-racer-barnstormer-airline-pilot/ |title=Doug Davis- Air Racer, Barnstormer, Airline Pilot |author=Staff writer |date=April 1, 2003 |magazine=Airport Journals}}</ref> Roscoe Turner won the Thompson Trophy in a 44 with a different engine,<ref>{{cite book |last1=Glines |first1=Carroll V. |title=Roscoe Turner; Aviation's Master Showman  |url=https://archive.org/details/roscoeturneravia0000glin |url-access=registration |location=Washington, D.C. |publisher=Smithsonian Institution Press |year=1995 |isbn=1-56098-798-7}}</ref> while J. A. Worthen placed third, also in a 44.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.air-racing-history.com/Thompson%20Trophy.htm |title=Thompson Trophy |website=air-racing-history.com}}</ref>

==Survivors and replicas==
[[Roscoe Turner]]'s Model 44, NR61Y, is on display at the [[Crawford Auto-Aviation Museum]] in [[Cleveland, Ohio]].<ref>{{cite web|title=Aircraft|url=https://www.wrhs.org/crawford/aircraft/|website=Western Reserve Historical Society|accessdate=5 February 2022}}</ref>
Replicas of all three Model 44s are now displayed at the [[Wedell-Williams Aviation & Cypress Sawmill Museum - Patterson]], a branch of the [[Louisiana State Museum]].<ref>{{cite web|title=Wedell-Williams Aviation and Cypress Sawmill Museum|url=https://louisianastatemuseum.org/museum/wedell-williams-aviation-and-cypress-sawmill-museum|website=Louisiana State Museum|accessdate=5 February 2022}}</ref>

== Specifications (Model 44) ==
[[File:Wedell_Williams_44_3-view_L'Aerophile_Salon_1932.jpg|thumb|Wedel Williams 44 3-view drawing from L'Aerophile Salon 1932]]
{{Aircraft specs
|ref=''Race With the Wind: How Air Racing Advanced Aviation''<ref>Matthews 2001, p. 95.</ref>
|prime units?=imp
<!--
        General characteristics
-->
|crew=1
|length m=7.01
|span m=8.0
|height m= 2.46
|wing area sqm=10.02
|airfoil=[[M-10 (modified)]]
|empty weight lb=1702
|gross weight lb=2677
<!--
        Powerplant
-->
|eng1 number=1
|eng1 name=[[Pratt & Whitney R-1690-S1C3G]]
|eng1 type=9-cyl. air-cooled radial piston engine
|eng1 hp=1020

|prop blade number=2<!-- propeller aircraft -->
|prop name=Hamilton Standard ground adjustable, Curtiss adjustable or Smith adjustable propeller
|prop dia m=<!-- propeller aircraft -->
|prop dia ft=<!-- propeller aircraft -->
|prop dia in=<!-- propeller aircraft -->
|prop dia note=
<!--
        Performance
-->
|max speed mph=325
|max speed note=<ref>Schmid and Weaver 1983, p. 285.</ref>
|range miles=900
|ceiling ft=14000
|wing loading kg/m2=
|wing loading lb/sqft=24.83
|wing loading note=
|disk loading kg/m2=
|disk loading lb/sqft=
|disk loading note=
|fuel consumption kg/km=
|fuel consumption lb/mi=
|power/mass=0.38hp/lb (0.63 kW/kg)
}}

== Media appearances ==
* ''[[Tail Spin]]'', Twentieth Century Fox Film Corp., 1939

==See also==
{{aircontent|
|related=
[[Wedell-Williams Model 22]] -
[[Wedell-Williams Model 45]] -
[[Wedell-Williams XP-34]]
|similar aircraft=
|sequence=
'''Model 44''' -
[[Wedell-Williams Model 45|Model 45]]
|lists=<!-- related lists -->
|see also=<!-- other relevant information -->

}}

==References==
===Notes===
{{reflist}}

===Bibliography===
{{refbegin}}
* Foxworth, Thomas G. ''The Speed Seekers.'' New York: Doubleday, 1976. {{ISBN|0-385-06050-5}}.
* Hirsch, Robert S. and Barbara H. Schultz. ''Wedell-Williams Air Service.'' Lancaster, California: Little Buttes Publishing, 2001. {{ISBN|978-0-9652181-1-5}}.
* Matthews, Birch. ''Race With the Wind: How Air Racing Advanced Aviation.'' Minneapolis, Minnesota: Zenith Press, 2001. {{ISBN|978-0760307298}}.
* Schmid, Sylvester H. and Truman C. Weaver. ''The Golden Age of Air Racing: 1927-1933.'' Oshkosh, Wisconsin: EAA Aviation Foundation, 1983. {{ISBN|978-0-8168-7816-1}}.
{{refend}}

==External links==
{{commons category|Wedell-Williams Model 44}}
* [http://lsm.crt.state.la.us/aviation/wedellE.htm Photos of the Model 44 at the Louisiana State Museum]

[[Category:1930s United States sport aircraft]]
[[Category:Low-wing aircraft]]
[[Category:Single-engined tractor aircraft]]
[[Category:Aircraft first flown in 1930]]
[[Category:Wedell-Williams aircraft|Model 44]]