Consolidated Commodore

The Consolidated Commodore was an American flying boat built by Consolidated Aircraft and used for passenger travel in the 1930s, mostly in the Caribbean and on the routes to South America. It grew out of the XPY-1 Admiral, a Navy patrol flying boat designed by Isaac M. Laddon in a competition for nonstop flights between the mainland and Panama, Alaska and Hawaii; when Consolidated lost the production contract to Martin it offered a passenger version instead. The Commodore was a parasol wing monoplane with an all-metal hull that could seat 32 passengers and a crew of three in three cabins, although the full load could be carried only on short route segments. Fourteen were built and flown by the New York, Rio, Buenos Aires Line and Pan American Airways before more efficient aircraft replaced them.