Verville-Sperry M-1 Messenger

what is it?

The Sperry Messenger is an American single-seat biplane designed by Alfred V. Verville working for the Engineering Division of the United States Army Air Service (USAAS) and built under contract by Sperry Aircraft Company of Farmingdale, New York. The aircraft was later designated the M-1 and MAT by the USAAS. Sperry produced approximately 50 Messengers and the civilian two-seat version, the Sport Plane, between 1920 and 1926. The aircraft was the first to make contact between an airplane and an airship while in flight.

base stats

• speed 156 km/htop speed
• size 391 kgmax take-off weight
• built 42made in total

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 105 years ago, in 1921.

spec sheet

first flight

1921

number built

42

role

single-seat communications biplane

makers

Sperry Corporation

engines

Lawrance L-4

crew

1

length

5.4 m

wingspan

6.1 m

height

2.1 m

max take-off weight

391 kg

top speed

156 km/h

range

—

Specs are for the version in the Wikipedia article's specification section. Blank means the sources don't say.