Jacuzzi Brothers Aircraft

[Cy-27]

In the early 1900s seven brothers accompanied their parents to Oakland, California. Originally farmers, the brothers set up a small wood and engineering business. By 1915 they had specialised their work to include aeroplane propeller production. Two years later, the company moved to Berkeley where they continued to produce thousands of propellers for the Army Air Service.

The contracts ended in late 1918 and the brothers diversified into repair and modification work of airframes before attempting to build an aircraft of their own design.

Jacuzzi Single Seater Monoplane 1

The first aeroplane was a small single seater monoplane. It had a plywood semi-monocoque fuselage and it was powered by a single converted Model T Ford (25hp) engine. The type was tested in 1920 by several experienced pilots including former Army Air Service instructors Henry G. Andrews and Cloyd Clevenger. The consensus among the pilots was that the monoplanes performance was very good considering the power unit fitted. H.G. Andrews did express some concerns about the wing bracing being connected to the undercarriage via a knuckle-joint.

Jacuzzi Single Seater Monoplane 2

After initial trials with the Ford engine, the aircraft was modified with a re-designed tail unit and a Roberts 4-X (50hp) in-line engine was installed. During its first take-off attempt after its modification by Guy Coldwell, the airscrew hit the ground, shattered, dislodged it radiator and it never flew again.

Source:

Skyways #32 (October 1994)

 

[Cy-27]

Jacuzzi J-7 Reo Monoplane

The success of the first experimental single-seater led to the brothers constructing a larger type based on the earlier model. This machine was to be the seven seat Jacuzzi cabin monoplane which was fitted with a Hall-Scott L-6 (200hp) engine in front of a laminated wooden fuselage. It was built by the latter part of 1920. The first flight was believed to be in December 1920 flown by a lawyer, Mike Brown who was also a former Army Air Service instructor.

The wings were of thin section built up of six main longitudinal and 18 auxiliary members with 14 supporting plywood bulkheads. The wings were wooden with a fabric covering. The wings were attached to the streamlined fuselage high upon the fuselage centre section. The rear of the fuselage was an aluminium casting containing bearings for thee elevators and rudder.

Seating was in three tandem rows, pilot and passenger in the first row, three in the second and two in the third. The middle row folded to allow access. In the front of the cabin at the leading edge and each side of the engine were windows. Cabin access was via a door on the port side.

The engine exhausts were carried clear away from the fuselage by pipes. The radiator was located above the centre section of the wing.

A curved leaf-spring tail skid was fitted. The landing gear was carried on a 2 inch tubular axle with a vertical movement of 6 inches.

Before the turn of the 1920, four of the Jacuzzi brothers along with pilot George Grey reportedly flew from Redwood City to Oakland via San Jose in 25 minutes. This feat would have meant the aircraft was capable of 140 mph which at the time was very unlikely unless there was a strong tail wind. Aerial Age Weekly and Flight later reported a top speed of 125 mph.

The Jacuzzi Brothers publicized the fact that they intended to commence an airline within California and co-operation with the US Air Mail Service but it is not known if the Jacuzzi Monoplane ever carried mail.

The brothers were not satisfied by the type’s performance and weight saving was attempted by lightening the airframe and replacing the vertical tail. Hollowed out bolt were also introduced on the wing strut ball-joint where it connected to the landing gear.

A number of successful flights were made during the first half of 1921, mainly by Harold Coffee who had replaced Brown who had returned to his law practice. On June 12, 1921 Coffee landed in Yosemite Park with Giocondo Jacuzzi (company president), Duncan McLeish (attorney) and John Kauke (publicist). On the return trip on the 14 June, the aircraft was circling Modesto when witnesses heard a crack and saw that the left wing strut had separated from the landing gear. The wing twisted and the aeroplane fell to earth with no survivors.

The crash report highlighted that the hollowed out port bolts had sheared. The photos below were from a camera on board which survived the crash. The Jacuzzi brothers stopped aircraft projects and continued with propeller production for another ten years. Their work included props for wind machines, used to deter frost from orchards in winter months. They later built grape crushers, well pumps before developing the Jacuzzi whirlpool tub in 1956.

Details:

Wing span: 52 ft 0 in

Length: 29 ft 0 in

Height: 10 ft 6 in

Wing area: 400 sq ft

Weight empty: 1,800 lbs

Weight loaded: 3,400 lbs

Landing speed full load: 45 mph

Landing speed normal load: 38 mph

Cruising speed: 100 mph

Maximum speed: 125 mph

Range: 900-1,000 miles

Maximum service ceiling: 22,000 ft

Cruising ceiling: 14,000 ft

Fuel capacity: 80 gallons across two tanks.

Oil capacity: 4 gallons

Fuel consumption per hour: 8-9 gallons

Propeller diameter: 8ft 2 in

Engine: 1x Hall-Scott L-6 (200hp)

Accommodation: 1 pilot plus 6 passengers



Source:

Aerial Age Weekly on 7 February 1921

Skyways #32 (October 1994)

Flight 3 March 1921

Aeroplane 12 March 1921

 

[Cy-27]

Two more phots of the Jacuzzi J-7 monoplane from my hard drive store. Sources unknown. This aircraft is also named to as the Rio in some sources.

 

[Old Surehand]

I came across the attached photo on the internet with the discription "Jacuzzi J-5 Mosquito". Somebody who knows more about this plane? I welcome any comments....

 

[pathology_doc]

The Jacuzzi Monoplane should go in the same file as the Christmas Bullet. Aircraft with reputations that have not stood the test of time and names that can only inspire hilarity in the modern reader.