Pander S-4 Postjager
{{Use dmy dates|date=October 2019}}
| {{Infobox aircraft begin
| name=Pander S-4 Postjager | image=Pander S-4.jpg | caption=Postjager at Allahabad }}{{Infobox aircraft type | type=Mailplane | national origin=Netherlands | manufacturer=Pander & Son | designer=Theo Slot | first flight=6 October 1933 | introduced= | retired= | status=Destroyed | primary user= | number built=1 | developed from= | variants with their own articles= }} |
The Pander S-4 Postjager was a 1930s Dutch three-engined mailplane designed and built by Pander & Son. Only one was built which was destroyed during the MacRobertson Air Race.{{cite book |title= The Illustrated Encyclopedia of Aircraft (Part Work 1982-1985)|publisher= Orbis Publishing}}
Design and development
The S-4 was designed as a fast mailplane for the service between the Netherlands and the Dutch East Indies. It was a three-seat low-wing monoplane powered by three {{convert|420|hp|kW|0|abbr=on}} Wright Whirlwind radial engines. It had a conventional retractable landing gear with a tailwheel. The S-4, registered PH-OST, first flew on 6 October 1933.
Operational history
In December 1933 it was decided to fly the initial proving flight of the Postjager to Batavia, Dutch East Indies (now Jakarta, Indonesia), with the aircraft carrying {{convert|600|lb|kg|order=flip|abbr=on}} of Christmas mail. It set off on 9 December, but lost oil pressure in the starboard engine over southern Italy, and was forced to stop at Grottaglie airfield near Brindisi. The mail was transferred to a Fokker F.XII and a Fokker F.XVIII and flown to the East Indies, while the Postjager waited for a replacement engine to be delivered from the United States. It left Italy of 28 December and arrived in Batavia on 31 December, with a toal flight time of 45 hours. It made the return flight to the Netherlands from 6 January to 11 January.{{sfn|Hazewinkel|1971|p=8}}{{sfn|Air Enthusiast December 1971|p=387}} In 1934 the S-4 was entered into the MacRobertson Air Race between London and Melbourne. It left Mildenhall in England on 20 October 1934 and after 36 hours arrived at Allahabad, India. The aircraft was delayed when the landing gear was badly damaged on arrival at Allahabad.{{Cite newspaper The Times |title=Pander machine destroyed| department=News |date=27 October 1934 |page=11 |issue=46896 |column=A }} It was ready to leave on 26 October but while taxiing for departure it hit a motor car and burst into flames and was destroyed; the crew jumped out and escaped injury.
Specifications
{{Aircraft specs
|ref=Flight 5 October 1933, The "Aerial Phost",{{cite magazine |title=The "Aerial Phost" |magazine=Flight |date=5 October 1933 |volume=XXCV |issue=1293 |page=992 |url=https://www.flightglobal.com/pdfarchive/view/1933/1933%20-%200704.html |accessdate=17 September 2018 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150624134549/https://www.flightglobal.com/pdfarchive/view/1933/1933%20-%200704.html |archive-date=2015-06-24 }} Jane's all the World's Aircraft 1934,{{cite book |title=Jane's all the World's Aircraft 1934 |editor1-last=Grey |editor1-first=C.G. |year=1934 |publisher=Sampson Low, Marston & company, ltd |location=London |pages=178c-179c}} Pander S.4 Postjager Trimotor Mailplane{{cite web |title=Pander S.4 Postjager Trimotor Mailplane |url=https://oldmachinepress.com/2016/11/05/pander-s-4-postjager-trimotor-mailplane/ |website=Old Machine Press |accessdate=17 September 2018 |date=5 November 2016}}
|prime units?=met
|genhide=
|crew= 3
|capacity=500 kg
|length m=12.5
|span m=16.6
|height m=2.9
|wing area sqft=484.2
|wing area note=
|empty weight kg=3025
|gross weight kg=5500
|fuel capacity=Fuel:{{cvt|2100|L|USgal impgal}}; Oil:{{cvt|130|L|USgal impgal}}
|eng1 number=3
|eng1 name=Wright Whirlwind
|eng1 type=9-cylinder air-cooled radial engines
|eng1 hp=420
|prop blade number=
|prop name=
|prop dia m=
|prop dia ft=
|prop dia in=
|max speed kmh=370
|cruise speed kmh=300
|cruise speed note=
- Landing speed: {{cvt|95|-|100|km/h|mph kn}} Flaps down
|range km=2430
|ceiling m=5400
|climb rate ms=
|climb rate ftmin=
|more performance=
|avionics=
}}
References
{{reflist}}
- {{cite magazine |last1=Hazewinkel|first1=H. J.|title=Pander "Postjager"|magazine=Le album de fanatique de l'Aviation |date=July 1971|issue=24|pages=7–9|issn=0757-4169|language=fr|trans-title=}}
- {{cite magazine |title=Plane Facts: Pander's Hunter |magazine=Air Enthusiast |volume=1 |issue=7 |date=December 1971 |page=387 |ref={{harvid|Air Enthusiast December 1971}}}}
Further reading
{{Commons category|Pander S-4 Postjäger}}
- {{cite magazine |title=Some Head-On Contrasts Among the Australia Race Entries |magazine=Flight |issue=18 October 1934 |pages=1082–1083 |url=https://archive.org/details/Flight_International_Magazine_1934-10-18-pdf/page/n11/mode/2up }}
{{Pander aircraft}}
{{DEFAULTSORT:Pander S-4 Postjager}}