The Pioneer - Philadelphia, PA
N 39° 57.510 W 075° 10.346
18S E 485272 N 4423165
It may not seem it but this plane actually flew in Europe and America. In 1934, it was striped of its parts and placed outside the Franklin Institute where today it is still stands and is one of the oldest static airplane displays in the world.
Waymark Code: WM3B51
Location: Pennsylvania, United States
Date Posted: 03/08/2008
Views: 25
"The Pioneer" commemorates the first stainless steel airplane built in 1931 by the Edward G. Budd Manufacturing Company of Philadelphia. The sculpture demonstrates the practicability of its "Shotweld" process of fabricating stainless steel. The Pioneer was flown approximately 1,000 hours in the United States and Europe.
The stainless steel construction process for the BB-1 (this is the manufacturing name of the Pioneer) was patented in 1942. Whereas stainless steel later became the standard material for aircraft, at the time it was not considered practical; and only one BB-1 was built. In 1934, this plane was stripped of its fabric covering and mounted outside the Franklin Institute in Philadelphia, where it remains to this day as the longest continuous display of any airplane.
Type of Aircraft: (make/model): BB-1
Construction:: original aircraft
Location (park, airport, museum, etc.): Franklin Institute Science Museum
inside / outside: outside
Tail Number: (S/N): Not listed
Other Information:: Not listed
Access restrictions: Not listed
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Visit Instructions:
Photo of aircraft (required - will be interesting to see if the aircraft is ever repainted or progress if being restored)
Photo of serial number (required unless there is not one or it is a replica)
Photo(s) of any artwork on the aircraft (optional but interesting)
Tell why you are visiting this waymark along with any other interesting facts or personal experiences about the aircraft not already mentioned.