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2 photos from Wikimedia Commons · credits & licences
- 1. Budd RB-1 Conestoga in flight, circa in June 1944 (80-G-233489): U.S. Navy photo 80-G-233489· Public domain
- 2. Budd RB-1 Conestoga at NAS Patuxent River c1944: U.S. Navy· Public domain
what is it?
The Budd RB-1 Conestoga was a twin-engine, stainless steel cargo aircraft designed for the United States Navy during World War II by the Budd Company of Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. Although it did not see service in a combat theater, it pioneered design innovations in American cargo aircraft, later incorporated in modern military cargo airlifters.
How to recognise it: 2 piston engines with propellers · shoulder wing · retractable tricycle gear · 30.5 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 83 years ago, in 1943.
- Top speed is 2.4× a car on the Dutch motorway (130 km/h).
- Wingspan of 30.5 m: about 7 cars parked nose to tail.
- Fully loaded it can weigh as much as 3 African elephants (~6 t each).
piston: A car-like piston engine turning a propeller: simple and cheap, the classic small plane.
spec sheet
- first flight
- 1943-10-31
- introduced
- 1944
- status
- retired
- number built
- 20
- role
- military transport aircraft
- origin
- 🇺🇸 United States
- makers
- Budd Company
- engines
- 2× Pratt & Whitney R-1830-92 Twin Wasp
- crew
- 3
- passengers
- 24
- length
- 20.7 m
- wingspan
- 30.5 m
- height
- 9.7 m
- max take-off weight
- 15.4 t
- top speed
- 317 km/h
- cruise speed
- 265 km/h
- range
- —
- wings
- shoulder wing
- landing gear
- retractable tricycle gear
Specs are for the version in the Wikipedia article's specification section. Blank means the sources don't say.
Sources: Wikidata Q1000735, Wikipedia: Budd RB Conestoga (CC BY-SA 4.0).Updated 2026-10-24.