World War 2 Original Oil Painting, Budd Rb - 1 Conestoga Cargo Airplane, United States Navy Rare Artifact - Circa 1942

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A rare original oil painting of the first US Navy cargo plane built during WW2. Oil on board. Framed in … Read more A rare original oil painting of the first US Navy cargo plane built during WW2. Oil on board. Framed in its original wood frame from the art shop Scheibal's of Philadelphia.

This painting was the prototype likely involved in the marketing pitch to the US Navy. Highly collected and talented illustration artist, Leslie Ragan, worked for the Budd & Company during the 1930's and 1940's. This could be by his hand or one of his understudies.

Dimensions: 21" wide x 1" deep x 15" tall

The story behind the Budd RB-1 Conestoga is fascinating. The Navy was running low on aluminum (the main material for planes) early in the war. Train car manufacturer Budd & Company, developer of the revolutionary spot welding technique, won a contract to build cargo planes out of stainless steel. The Navy ordered 20 planes. Budd & Company produced three prototypes and seventeen production-ready planes. The Budd RB-1 Conestoga had several design features that changed the air freight cargo industry forever, including the rear tail ramp and wings on top of the fuselage.

The first air freight company (before FEDEX), Flying Tiger Airlines, bought the surviving RB-1 Conestoga's from the Navy in 1945/46 and started flying produce around the western United States.

Own an American original. THE FIRST US NAVY CARGO PLANE. COMPASSIONATE CALLED A BOXCAR WITH WINGS. See less