Northrop Alpha
The Alpha is a transport aircraft manufactured by Northrop and designed by John K. Northrop. The primary users and operators of the Northrop Alpha are the Trans World Airlines and the US Army Air Corps. Northrop Alpha has an all-metal construction and incorporates aerodynamic advancements such as wing fillets and a multicellular stressed-skin wing of Northrop’s own design. The design work on Alpha was done at the Avion Corporation. The Alpha was the first commercial aircraft to use rubber deicer boots on wing and empennage leading edges. The Alpha was further developed into a dedicated fast transport Northrop Gamma.
Northrop Alpha’s maiden flight was on 1930 and entered service on April 20, 1931. TWA operated 14 aircraft until 1935. TWA operated 14 aircraft until 1935. Three Alphas were operated by the US military. The Alpha retired in 1975 and is currently preserved at the Smithsonian National Air and Space Museum.
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