1 photo from Wikimedia Commons · credits & licences
- 1. Boeing Y1B-9 test flight USAF p29: Wikimedia Commons· Public domain
what is it?
The Boeing YB-9 was the first all-metal monoplane bomber aircraft designed for the United States Army Air Corps. The YB-9 was a much enlarged twin-engine development of Boeing's single-engine Model 200 Monomail commercial transport. Only small numbers were built as prototypes, but these entered service starting in September 1932 and were used until early 1935.
How to recognise it: 2 piston engines with propellers · 23.4 m wingspan
base stats
Bars compare against all aircraft: 3,500 km/h, 20,000 km, 850 seats; size and number built on a log scale up to 640 t (An-225) and 45,000 built (Cessna 172).
fun facts
- First flew 95 years ago, in 1931.
- Top speed is 2.3× a car on the Dutch motorway (130 km/h).
- Wingspan of 23.4 m: about 5 cars parked nose to tail.
piston: A car-like piston engine turning a propeller: simple and cheap, the classic small plane.
spec sheet
- first flight
- 1931
- introduced
- 1931
- retired
- 1935
- status
- retired
- number built
- 7
- role
- bomber aircraft
- makers
- Boeing
- engines
- 2× Pratt & Whitney R-1860-11 Hornet B
- length
- 15.9 m
- wingspan
- 23.4 m
- height
- 3.7 m
- max take-off weight
- 6,496 kg
- top speed
- 302 km/h
- cruise speed
- 265 km/h
- range
- —
- ceiling
- 6,325 m
Specs are for the version in the Wikipedia article's specification section. Blank means the sources don't say.
Sources: Wikidata Q2696111, Wikipedia: Boeing YB-9 (CC BY-SA 4.0).Updated 2026-10-24.