2005 - From a trip to New England Air Museum (
http://neam.org/ ) in Connecticut just
outside of KBDL. The text on the sign reads:
Burnelli CBY-3 Loadmaster 1945
"This CBY-3 was the first of Vincent Burnelli lifting fuselage aircraft wherein the
fuselage assisted the wing providing lift. A prolific designer he believed that his
design was stronger safer, and more efficient than conventional designs and although
eight prototypes were built between 1923 and 1945, none achieved production. This
the sole remaining Burnelli example and the only CBY-3 was built by Canadian Car and
Foundry and flown until the early 1950's. Gift - Occidental Aircraft Corporation"
I found a site that reaps of conspiracy theory regarding the designer and the
non-selection of the companies aircraft by the government. It includes several
photos and a video of the crash of an aircraft in which everyone reportedly walked
away. It also devotes a page to NEAM and their lack of living up to a promise to
restore the CBY-3 I photographed at their outside display.
http://www.aircrash.org/burnelli/neam1.htm