Stinson Junior
title: "Stinson Junior" type: doc version: 1 created: 2026-02-28 author: "Wikipedia contributors" status: active scope: public tags: ["stinson-aircraft", "1920s-united-states-civil-utility-aircraft", "high-wing-aircraft", "single-engined-tractor-aircraft", "aircraft-first-flown-in-1928"] topic_path: "geography/united-states" source: "https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Stinson_Junior" license: "CC BY-SA 4.0" wikipedia_page_id: 0 wikipedia_revision_id: 0
::data[format=table title="Infobox aircraft"]
| Field | Value |
|---|---|
| name | Stinson Junior |
| image | Stinson SM-2 Junior Lakeland 18.04.07R.jpg |
| caption | Stinson SM-2 Junior of 1928 at the Sun N'Fun show, Lakeland, Florida in April 2007 |
| aircraft_type | three/four-seat private civil aircraft |
| national_origin | United States |
| manufacturer | Stinson Aircraft Company |
| number_built | 321 |
| first_flight | 1928 |
| developed_from | Stinson Detroiter |
| :: |
| name = Stinson Junior | logo = | logo_size = | image = Stinson SM-2 Junior Lakeland 18.04.07R.jpg | alt = | caption = Stinson SM-2 Junior of 1928 at the Sun N'Fun show, Lakeland, Florida in April 2007 | long_caption = | other_names = | aircraft_type = three/four-seat private civil aircraft | aim = | outcome = | related = | national_origin = United States | manufacturer = Stinson Aircraft Company | design_group = | designer = | builder = | issuer = | status = | owners = | primary_user = | more_users = | service = | major_applications = | proposals = | prototypes = | number_built = 321 | construction_number = | civil_registration = | military_serial = | radio_code = | requirement = | aircraft_carried = | flights = | total_hours = | total_distance = | construction_date = | introduction = | retired = | first_flight = 1928 | initiated = | in_service = | last_flight = | expected = | developed_from = Stinson Detroiter | variants = | developed_into = | preservation = | fate = | predecessors = | successors = | concluded = The Stinson Junior was a high-winged American monoplane of the late 1920s, built for private owners, and was one of the first such designs to feature a fully enclosed cabin.
Design and development
Stinson Aircraft had introduced their large high-winged six-seat SM-1 Detroiter in 1927. The SM-1 was sold successfully to airlines and other commercial operators, but it was too large to appeal to private owners.
Stinson therefore redesigned the aircraft with shorter span wings, shorter fuselage and a choice of less powerful engines as the SM-2 Junior. The aircraft was a strut-braced high-wing monoplane with a sturdy outrigger undercarriage which was braced against the wing support struts and the initial 110 h.p. Warner Scarab engine was normally left uncowled. The first SM-2 flew in mid-1928 and deliveries commenced that year. Later versions of the SM-2 had higher-powered engines of between 165 h.p. and 225 h.p.
The design was further developed to produce the more powerful and heavier SM-7 and SM-8 models which were full four-seaters and these were also used by commercial firms. The Junior R of 1932 had a deeper fuselage and a low-set stub wing to mount the undercarriage and wing struts.
Operational history
The various Stinson Junior models were in production between 1928 and 1933, being bought by both wealthy private flyers and commercial enterprises. A total of 321 Juniors were built, of which 27 survived in 2001 and several of these were airworthy in private hands. In 1977, the Experimental Aircraft Association painted an SM-8A "Spirit of EAA", and flew a cross-country tour as the support plane with a "spirit of St. Louis" replica as part of the 50th anniversary of Lindbergh's Trans-Atlantic crossing.
Variants
(per Simpson, 2001, pp. 523–524) ;SM-2 : 100 hp Warner Scarab. 42 built. ;SM-2K : Based on SM-2, but powered by 100 hp Kinner K-5 engine. Three built 1929. ;SM-2AA : Wright J6-5 165 h.p. ;SM-2AB : Wright J5 220 h.p. ;SM-2AC : Wright J6-7 225 h.p. ;SM-2ACS: floatplane version of the SM-2AC ;SM-7A : Powered by 300 hp Wright J6-9. Eight built. ;SM-7B : Powered by 300 hp Pratt & Whitney R-985 Wasp Junior. Eight built. ;SM-8A : Powered by 210 – Lycoming R-680. 230 built. ;SM-8B : Powered by 225 hp Wright J6-7. Five built. ;SM-8D : 225 hp Packard DR-980 diesel. Two built. ;Junior R : Lycoming R-680 215 h.p. and deeper fuselage. 28 Units built ;Junior R-2 : Lycomong R-680-BA 240 h.p. 3 Built. ;Junior R-3 : as R-2 with retractable undercarriage 3 Units built. ;Junior R-3-S : Lycoming R-680-6 245 h.p. ;Junior S : Lycoming R-680 215 h.p. with fully cowled engine ;Junior W : generally similar to the SM-7B, powered by a Wasp Junior engine
Specifications (SM-2AC)
|ref=The Aircraft of the World |prime units? = imp |crew=1 |capacity=3 passengers |length ft=29 |length in=0 |span ft=41 |span in=8 |height ft=8 |height in=3 |wing area sqft=236 |airfoil=Clark Y |empty weight lb=2,169 |gross weight lb=3,229 |fuel capacity=70 USgal |eng1 number=1 |eng1 name=Wright Whirlwind J6-7 nine-cylinder radial air-cooled |eng1 hp=225 |max speed mph=135 |cruise speed mph=113 |range miles=450 |ceiling ft=22,000 |climb rate ftmin=1,200
References
;Notes ;Bibliography
References
- Green, 1965, p. 298
- Simpson, 2001, p. 523
- Simpson, 2001, p. 524
- Flight International. (20 August 1977)
- Juptner 1962, pp. 128–129
- Wegg 1990, p. 123
- Juptner 1994, p. 128
- Juptner 1966, pp. 279–280
- Juptner 1967, pp. 104–105
- Juptner 1966, p. 269
- Wegg 1990, p. 124
- Juptner 1966, pp. 266–267
- (July 1999). "More on the Stinson R". Skyways.
- Juptner 1964, pp. 274–275
::callout[type=info title="Wikipedia Source"] This article was imported from Wikipedia and is available under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 License. Content has been adapted to SurfDoc format. Original contributors can be found on the article history page. ::