1930s Enameled Wood Folk Art Dornier Do-X Flying Boat Model

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1930s Enameled Wood Folk Art Dornier Do-X Flying Boat Model

About the Item

Stunning all original, circa 1930s skilfully crafted American Folk Art dornier do x model airplane or flying boat discovered on the south side of Chicago. Very little is known about the Chicago-based artist who created this remarkably detailed aviation model, which had been stored away since 1948. the do x model is comprised largely of wood, with the exception of the diminutive steel anchors, portholes and a bakelite receptacle found directly behind the fixed wing. Two of the radial engines (mounted atop the wing) appear to have been lost long ago. The original hand-painted polychrome enameled finish is remarkably intact with a pleasing all-over crazed finish consistent with age. the dornier do x was the largest, heaviest, and most powerful flying boat in the world when it was produced by the dornier company of Germany in 1929. first conceived by dr. claudius dornier in 1924, planning started in late 1925 and after over 240,000 work hours it was completed in june 1929. the do x is a semi-cantilever monoplane. the do x had an all-duralumin hull, with wings composed of a steel-reinforced duralumin framework covered in heavy linen fabric, covered with aluminum paint. it was initially powered by twelve 524 horsepower Siemens-built bristol jupiter radial engines (six tractor propellers and six pushers), mounted in six tower nacelles on the wing. the nacelles are joined by an auxiliary wing whose purpose was to stabilize the mountings. the air-cooled jupiter engines were prone to overheating and proved to only be able to lift the do x to an altitude of 1,400 feet. the engines were supervised by an engineer, who also controlled the throttle. the pilot would ask the engineer to adjust the power, in a manner similar to that used on maritime vessels. after completing 103 flights in 1930, the do x was refitted with 610 horsepower curtiss conqueror water-cooled 12-cylinder inline engines. only then was it able to reach the altitude of 1,650 feet necessary to cross the atlantic. dr. dornier designed the flying boat to carry 66 passengers on long distance flights or 100 passengers on short flights. the luxurious passenger accommodation approached the standards of transatlantic liners. on the main deck was a smoking room with its own wet bar, a dining salon, and seating for the 66 passengers which could also be converted to sleeping berths for night flights. aft of the passenger spaces was an all-electric galley, lavatories, and cargo hold. the cockpit, navigational office, engine control and radio rooms were on the upper deck. the lower deck held fuel tanks and nine watertight compartments, only seven of which were needed to provide full flotation. the flugschiff (flying ship), as it was called, was launched for its first test flight on july 12, 1929, with a crew of 14. to introduce the airliner to the potential united states market the do x took off from friedrichshafen, germany in november of 1930, under the command of friedrich christiansen for a transatlantic test flight to new york, which took nearly nine months due in large part to a series of mishaps along the way. the do x and crew spent the next nine months there as its engines were overhauled, and thousands of sightseers made the trip to glenn curtiss airport (now laguardia airport) to tour the leviathan of the air. the economic effects of the great depression dashed dornier's marketing plans for the do x, however, and it departed from new york in 1932. germany's original do x was turned over to deutsche luft hansa, the national airline at that time, after the financially strapped dornier company could no longer operate it. after a successful 1932 tour of german coastal cities, luft hansa planned a do x flight to vienna, budapest, and istanbul for 1933. the voyage ended after nine days when the flying boat's tail section tore off during a botched, over-steep landing on a reservoir lake near the city of passau. while the fiasco was successfully covered up and the do x was repaired, it was then flown to berlin, where it became the centerpiece of germany's new aviation museum deutsche luftfahrt-sammlung at lehrter bahnhof, opened in 1936. three do xs were constructed in total: the original operated by dornier, and two other machines based on orders from italy — the x2, named umberto maddalena and x3, namedalessandro guidoni. The Italian variants were essentially identical to the original with the exception of being slightly larger and the powerplant and engine mounts.

Dimensions:
Height: 10 in (25.4 cm)Width: 37 in (93.98 cm)Depth: 40 in (101.6 cm)
Style:
Folk Art (In the Style Of)
Materials and Techniques:
Cut Steel,Wood,Enameled
Place of Origin:
United States
Period:
1930-1939
Date of Manufacture:
1930s
Condition:
Wear consistent with age and use.
Seller Location:
Chicago, IL
Reference Number:
1stDibs: LU248936924283