Keystone K-55 Pronto
Keystone Aircraft · United States · first flew 1927 · transport aircraft
The Keystone K-55 Pronto was a mail plane developed in the United States in the late 1920s.
Recognition (WEFT)
| W — Wings | Mid-mounted, straight |
|---|---|
| E — Engines | 1 × piston, nose-mounted |
| F — Fuselage | 8.15 m fuselage |
| T — Tail | Conventional |
WEFT is AircraftIQ's four-point recognition method — how it works.
Spot it by:
- Conventional single-bay unequal-span biplane with slightly staggered wings
- Pilot in an open cockpit with a second cockpit behind seating two passengers side by side
- Fixed tailskid undercarriage with divided main units
An open-cockpit biplane with a second cockpit that could carry two passengers side by side, and a fixed tailskid undercarriage with divided main units.
Specifications
- The Keystone K-55 Pronto has a length of 8.15 m (27 ft).
- It has a wingspan of 11.8 m (39 ft).
- Its maximum speed is 180 km/h (112 mph).
- Typical crew: 1.
Figures are for the representative variant described above; marks differ. See how AircraftIQ sources figures.
History
It was a conventional single-bay, unequal-span biplane with slightly staggered wings, powered by a 220 hp Wright J-5 Whirlwind radial engine.
Variants
At least one Peruvian Pronto was fitted with pontoons and used to survey the Amazon River for seaplane sites. The floatplane was slower than the landplane.
Where you'll see it
The Peruvian Navy aviation arm bought a number and flew the first airmail service into the Peruvian Amazon with two Prontos on 26 October 1927. One Peruvian K-55 was captured by the Colombian Army in the Colombia-Peru War.
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- Keystone NK Pup
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- Elias AJE Air Express
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