Bellanca 31-40
The Bellanca 31-40 Senior Pacemaker and its derivatives were a family of a six- and eight-seat utility aircraft built in the United States in the late 1930s. They were the final revision of the original late 1920s Wright-Bellanca WB-2 design. The model numbers used by Bellanca in this period reflected the wing area and engine horsepower, each divided by ten. Like their predecessors, these were high-wing braced monoplanes with conventional tailwheel undercarriage.
A single Senior Skyrocket was bought by the United States Navy in 1938 for use as a utility transport, designated JE-1. Senior Skyrockets were also built under licence by Northwest Industries in Canada following World War II.
In 2007, two examples remains extant – the first Canadian-built aircraft, preserved at the Reynolds-Alberta Museum, and one in storage at the Alaska Aviation Museum.
Variants
31-40 Senior Pacemaker - Wright Cyclone engine, 400 hp.31-42 Senior Pacemaker - Fitted with a redesigned tail surface, accommodation for one pilot and five passengers, powered by a 550-hp Pratt & Whitney Wasp S3H1 radial piston engine.31-50 Senior Skyrocket - Pratt & Whitney Hornet engine, 550 hp.- * L-11 - One 31-50 impressed into service by the United States Army Air Forces in Alaska in 1942. 31-55 Senior Skyrocket
- * JE-1 - Senior Skyrocket version for US Navy with 570 hp engine.
- * de Luxe Senior Skyrocket - 31-55 with improved instrumentation and superior interior and exterior finishes, powered by a 525-hp Pratt & Whitney Wasp radial piston engine.
- * Model 31-55A - Built under licence in Canada by Northwest Industries.