The World's First Jumbo Airliner
Following the First World War, visionaries who saw the potential for commercial air travel began designing the first generation of airliners. In the United States, the remarkable Alfred W. Lawson from Wisconsin was one such visionary. After the war ended, Lawson (a one-time baseball player who funded his operation by selling stock to war widows and orphans) built the first multi-engine airplane designed exclusively for passengers—the Lawson C-2. In any milieu other than the nascent aircraft industry, Lawson would have been a maverick. But sixteen years after the Wright Brothers' debut flight at Kitty Hawk, the aeroplane business was a swashbuckling free-for all, populated by types who tended to be a combination of huckster, visionary and barnstormer more concerned with the main chance than with the technology behind it.
Alfred W. LawsonThe Lawson Airplane Company opened its facilities on South Water Street in Milwaukee during April, 1919. The company was formed to build aircraft for the Lawson Transportation Company -- namely the Lawson C-2, which he called an Airliner.
The Lawson (C-2) Airliner was a big aircraft. The 27-passenger airliner (plus crew of two), at the time the largest aircraft in the world, had a wing span of 97 feet , a length of 50 feet and a height of 15 feet. Powered by two 400-horsepower Liberty motors, the aircraft achieved an average speed of about 90 miles per hour. It was built in sections in a loft at the Cream Sash & Door Co, Milwaukee, assembled at Wisconsin State Fairgrounds.
Lawson contracted Vincent Burnelli (then only 24 years old) to build the aircraft he envisioned. The cultured and mild-mannered Burnelli (who eventually make a name for himself as a proponent of safe flight), dedicated to his craft, was already a man out of place. A native of Temple, Texas, the son of an Italian father and a Canadian mother, Burnelli was a devotee of aviation. At 15, he was a champion model airplane builder and hang-glider. He independently built and flew his first plane at 21, with his friend John Carisi, and had already spent three years as chief engineer of the Continental Aircraft Company when he was retained by Lawson for the C-2 project.
Lawson (left) shakes hand with Augustus Post of the Aero Club.
Between them is pilot Charlie Cox and Henry Woodhouse.The prototype C-2 was completed in early August of 1919, and first flew on August 19th. Lawson had hired a former World War I R.A.F. ace named Charlie Cox to fly the C-2 on its inaugural flight. Halfway through the inaugural itinerary, however, it was discovered (albeit too late) that the pilot at the controls was a different "Charlie Cox". The man flying that day was a ballroom dancer with a total of only eight-hours flying experience. A few minutes later the huge machine crash-landed in front of the news cameras!
The Wreck of the First Lawson AirlinerDespite this setback, Lawson pushed ahead with his plans to promote air travel and his airliner. Shortly after the initial failed flight, Lawson, who had a flair for publicity, built a second ship and took his "Airliner" on a city-to-city tour and presenting it as "World’s First Airliner" and "World's Largest Airplane." The promotional flight began in Currie Park near Milwaukee at the Wauwatosa Airfield on August 27, 1919, with a demonstration flight to New York City and Washington, D.C. and returned to Wisconsin on November 15, 1919. Wherever the giant airplane landed large crowds gathered to marvel at the latest step in aviation progress.
Among the passengers on that flight was a U.S. Senator named Warren G. Harding (who was soon to become President of the United States), and 16 other Senators. An imposing list of politicians later accepted rides in the giant aircraft after it arrived in Washington, D.C. If that plane had crashed...but it didn't crash, or did it?....according to an online database of recorded air crashes in the U.S. in 1919, the following two entries appear:
4 Sept Nxx Lawson Airliner Syracuse, NY
25 Sept Nxx Lawson Airliner Connellsville, PA...interesting to say the least. According to additional sources, the airliner only experienced 'severe' [?] engine trouble developed during the arrival flight over Washington. A logical assumption can be made that the 'crashes' referred to in the entries above were probably forced landings during the long flight across country.
Lawson at Controls of his Airliner
The Lawson Airliner Approaching Syracuse for a Landing
Despite the publicity and support of notable politicians Lawson was unable to sell his airliner and his airliner never entered service with any airline. Surplus military aircraft were a lot cheaper to buy than the C-2, and besides, the nation was not yet ready for air travel.Years later, when asked about his role in the project Burnelli referred to the C-2 as “a streetcar with wings." He knew what he was talking about, having modeled the cabin on a tram.
Additional photographs of Lawson Airliner taken at Bolling Field outside Washington, D.C.
Lawson L-4 "Midnight Air-Liner"
Despite his lack of success with the C-2, Lawson remained optimistic. In 1920-21 he designed and built a larger “jumbo” airliner, the L-4 (known as the Midnight Air-Liner).
The Lawson L-4 Under Construction
A tri-motored development of the earlier C-2, the L-4 was designed to carry 34 passengers and 6,000 pounds of mail. It featured berths, a white-enameled lavatory, and even a shower with hot and cold water!
This giant plane crashed on its first test flight (running into a tree on takeoff) ending further development. Had it been put into production, the L-4 would have been the first airliner (in the U.S.) capable of operating at night as a sleeper.
With the crash of the L-4 the Lawson Aircraft company essentially ceased.
Publicity Shots of the Midnight Air-Liner
Weighing Passengers Prior to Boarding
Loading Mail on the Midnight Air-Liner
Lawson Super Airliner
In 1928, the ever indomitable Lawson made one more attempt to enter the airline industry with a design for a 100-passenger airliner -- The Super Airliner. Actual construction of the prototype was begun but was never completed.
Plans for the Super Airliner (c.1927)
Lawson in the cockpit of the proposed Super Airliner in 1927-28
In the history of aviation, Lawson's work stands out as a significant contribution to the founding of the aviation industry. His vision of larger transports and the future of air travel were far ahead of his time. Soon, others were pursuing the same goals and dreams, but Lawson had been there first.
-- Miscellania --
Lawson Stationary
The Lawson Airliner Advertisement
Lawson's airliner attracted a good deal of attention, owing to Lawson's promotional legwork, and his connections to various organizations. In fact, a song was even written celebrating his Airliner.
(click image for full score)
A Model of the Lawson Airliner
2003 Wings Publishing
