2015.11.82

Model C Control Cars
The Burgess Company Model C Control Cars were airship control cars for the U.S. Navy Model C type airships. They were ordered from the Burgess Company in early 1918. The contract was for 10 cars to be shipped to other locations upon completion for final assembly with the Goodyear and Goodrich airship envelopes. There were 10 built.

The airship Control Cars had a length of 40', height 5', width 15' and had two Wright built Model A Hispano-Suiza 150 hp engines.

The Type C airship had a length of 192', diameter 42' and an envelope volume 181,000 cu ft. The first airship control car was successfully flight tested with a Model C airship on September 30, 1918. The Navy project manager for the Model C pressure airship was Lt. Cdr. W. Starling Burgess. It was his last project as a naval officer and his last aviation related challenge, as he returned to civilian life in early 1919 and returned to his yacht design practice.

A few days before the November 7, 1918 Burgess factory fire in Plant #2, the U.S.N. issued an additional order for five additional Model C pressure airship control cars for delivery in 1919. It is not known whether that order was eventually cancelled or transferred to another supplier as a result of the Burgess Company fire. The U.S. Navy Serial numbers included #C-1 through #C-10.