C-W Conqueror

The Curtiss-Wright Aeromotive division set out to create an airplane to best all others in its class. The CW Conqueror does just that. After going through preliminary design, the engineering team is confident that the airplane can go faster, and farther more efficiently than any other airplane available now (May, 1950).

Taking advantage of the technical wizardry of the Bristol engine company, the airplane uses four Olympus BO1.1 engines. These engines are impetus to the incredible advances in performance present in the Conqueror. This report illustrates the incredible technical details behind such an airplane.

Two airplanes Curtiss-Wright examined in the preliminary design of the Conqueror were the Lockheed Constellation and the de Havilland Comet. Curtiss-Wright felt that the Conqueror's performance needed to be comparable to these two airplanes in order to be competitive in the long-range overseas transport market. Table I is a comparative chart of the two airplanes against the Conqueror.

The Conqueror bests the range of the Constellation while possessing the speed of the Comet. This performance, along with its passenger capacity of 70 (Constellation: 47-99; Comet: 36), will make it the airplane of choice for the future.

Table I - The Lockheed Constellation and the de Havilland Comet as compared to the Curtiss-Wright Conqueror. [1]

Airplane	Speed	Range	Altitude
*Lockheed Constellation*	352mph max (Mach 0.5) 331mph cruise (Mach 0.47)	4,890 mi.	23,000 ft.
*de Havilland Comet*	… … 470mph cruise (Mach 0.7)	1,750 mi.	35,000 ft.
*Curtiss-Wright Conqueror*	531mph max (Mach 0.8) 470mph cruise (Mach 0.7)	5,500 mi.	35,000 ft.

The take-off and landing distances of the Conqueror make it possible to land at any major airport at this time (both domestic and international). The take-off distance is made possible by the high static thrust of the Bristol Olympus engines used (38,000 lb. thrust total from the four engines). The short landing distance of the Conqueror is due to the use of flaps in conjunction with the use of disk brakes on the landing gear. These remarkable distances are listed in Table II.

Table II - Take-off and landing distances of the C-W Conqueror compared to the Constellation and the Comet. [1]

Airplane	Take-Off Distance (ft)	Landing Distance (ft)
*Lockheed Constellation*	4,300	3,410
*de Havilland Comet*	…	…
*Curtiss-Wright Conqueror*	3120	4,180

Payload (carrying capacity) is divided into two main groups: Non-expendable payload is the payload required to keep the airplane in the air, the pilot and crew compose this type of payload. Expendable payload includes the passengers and luggage, payload that may vary from flight to flight. Capabilities of the Curtiss-Wright Conqueror are listed in Table III.

Payload	Capability
Expendable Payload	17,150 lb. or 70 passengers @ 245 lb. each
Non-Expendable Payload	1,850 lb. or 8 crew @ 230 lb. each

The crew, as calculated, is composed of 1 pilot, 1 copilot, 1 navigator, 1 flight engineer, and 4 stewardesses. Weight per crewmember is lower than the weight per passenger because the crew would not be taking as much luggage as each passenger (luggage is figured into the weight).

The airplane's weight has been considerably reduced by the use of the Bristol Olympus turbojet. The advantage gained by its use lie in its high thrust (and subsequently the airplane's high cruise speed), and its low thrust specific fuel consumption (TSFC) which reduces the amount of fuel (weight) required for the Conqueror's high range. Characteristic Weights are listed in Table IV.

Factor	Weight (lb.)
Take-Off Weight	93,020
Weight After Start-Up and Take-Off	90,690
Weight After Climb and Acceleration to Cruise	88,150
Weight After Cruise to Destination	75,020
Weight After Acceleration to High Speed	74,710
Weight After Cruise Back	48,980
Weight After Loiter	48,500
Landing Weight	47,280
Total Fuel Weight	30,300
Available Empty Weight	43,718

Take-off weight is considerably lower than the Constellation (130,000 lb.) and the Comet (105,000 lb.) [1]. Notable also is the fact that fuel weight comprises roughly a third of the take-off weight (4,880 gallons of JP-4).

Loiter is the time, distance and altitude an airplane must endure before landing at an alternate airport, should problems arise at the original destination airport. Loiter is also referred to as the endurance of the airplane. Regulations at the time require the Conqueror to be able to divert to the farthest airport in the vicinity and wait in the air for 45 minutes. Capabilities of the Conqueror are listed in Table V.

Loiter	Value
Loiter Time	15 min.
Loiter Altitude	35,000 ft.
Fuel Reserve (Trapped Fuel)	5% (1%)

Regulatory numbers differ to those claimed by the Conqueror, but are compensated by the attainable range of the airplane (considering, say, a trip from New York to London).

The Olympus engine makes the Conqueror possible. This engine is about two years ahead of every other jet in its class (10,000 lb. t.).

The Olympus engine is a gas turbine engine of the two-spool type, each compressor has its own turbine (the "two-spool"). This engine is the first ever to incorporate this setup. The two-spool setup gives the engine its excellent low and high power control, and much better efficiency at low speeds. One of the more distinct problems of turbojets is their low efficiency at low speeds, the two-spool engine allows the low pressure compressor and turbine to spin before engaging the high pressure section. Allowing only the low pressure section to spin at low rpm provides for greater engine cycle efficiency, and greater control over a wide range of power (due to the separate spools).

The Conqueror is built around the Olympus engine. Without it, the airplane's speed, range, and weight would not be possible. Pertinent data about the Olympus is presented in Table VI.

Feature	Value
Diameter	40.0 in / 1,016 mm
Length	124.0 in / 3,152 mm
Frontal Area	8.7 sq. ft. / 0.81 m²
Weight	3,520 lb. / 1,597 kg.
Weight / Max. Thrust (dry)	0.36 lb./lb.t. / 0.36 kg./kg.t.
Fuel Specification	Kerosene, or JP-4
Oil Specification	9.0 cs vis. At 100° C
Fuel Consumption (normal)	0.76 lb./lb.t./hr.
Oil Consumption (normal)	2.2 lb./hr.
Take-Off, Static, Dry	9,750 lb.t. / 8000 rpm / sea level

Specifications of note include the low weight/thrust ratio, the high take-off power, and the low TSFC.