Lawson L-2 Explained

The Lawson L-2 was a 1920s American biplane airliner, designed and built by the Lawson Air Line Company of Milwaukee, Wisconsin.

Design and development

The Lawson Air Line Company designed and built a series of large biplane airliners for use on its planned airline routes. The initial Lawson "Aerial Transport" Lawson C1 or T-1 was built early in 1919 to demonstrate that a large commercial passenger plane could be built. The L-1 was a single pilot, 10 passenger biplane with twin Liberty 400 hp pusher engines. It was followed by the Lawson C.2 or L-2. The L-2 was a tractor biplane also with 400 hp engines, capable of carrying 26 passengers, and piloted by two pilots, with differential controls.^[1]

Mr. Lawson took it on a 2000-mile multi-city tour to advocate commercial air travel.^[2]

Some sources state Mr. Lawson himself as the sole designer; others mention involvement of Vincent Burnelli.^[3]

Operators

• Lawson Airline Company

References

• Book: The Illustrated Encyclopedia of Aircraft (Part Work 1982–1985). Orbis Publishing.

External links

• September 11, 1919 . The "Lawson" Aerial Transport . PDF . . XI . 37 . No. 559 . 1220–1222 . January 12, 2011 . Contemporary technical description of the Lawson C-1 and C-2 (early versions of the L-2) with scale drawings of the C-1 and photographs of the C-2.

Notes and References

1. Air Progress. November 1978. 16.
2. The Royal Aero Club of the UK. The Lawson Aerial Transport. Flight- the Aircraft Engineer & Airship Weekly. Sep 11, 1919. XI. 37. 559. 1220–1222.
3. News: Vincent J. Burnelli Dead at 69; an Early Designer of Airplanes . The New York Times . 23 June 1964 .