Burnelli was born on November 22, 1895, in
Temple, Texas. In 1919, Burnelli refined his ideas about aircraft design, after he had built what is believed to have been the world's first large commercial airliner, the
Lawson L-4, in
Milwaukee, Wisconsin, for the Lawson Airlines.
Flying wing/lifting body Although Burnelli referred to his lifting body transports as "flying wings", his production aircraft invariably retained some kind of a tail, frequently supported by upswept booms that extended rearward. More accurately, Burnelli had a "lifting fuselage" design, rather than a true "flying wing" where all major aeronautical components are housed within the wing. Burnelli was one of the first American designers to capitalize on the "flying wing" mystique. He was dissatisfied with the Lawson L-4, stating that it was a "street car with wings" and that "street cars belong on the ground". In 1920 he, along with Charles Cox, bought the defunct Continental Aircraft Company factory in Amityville, Long Island. With backing from George C. T. Remington the Airliner Engineer Company was formed in 1921. In the 1920s, he produced two biplane transports with large, airfoil-shaped fuselages that contributed a considerable portion of the airplane's lift. His goal was to develop a more efficient airplane that could carry a large payload. Their first aircraft, the
Burnelli RB-1 biplane, was completed and flown at
Curtiss Field,
Long Island in July 1921. The next biplane, the
Remington Burnelli RB-2, was completed in 1924. In 1929 he teamed up with Inglis M. Uppercu to create the Uppercu-Burnelli Aircraft Corporation, which produced the
Burnelli UB-20 in 1930. Also in 1929, Burnelli designed and built the
Burnelli GX-3 which he entered into the Guggenheim Safe Aircraft Competition. 1934 saw the company change names once again, this time to the Burnelli Aircraft Company, which produced the
Burnelli UB-14.
Later years Moving to
Southampton, New York, Burnelli remained tireless in his determination to promote his airfoil-shaped fuselage transport planes. In 1955, he adapted his final design, the
Burnelli CBY-3 Loadmaster, to carry an expedition of 20 passengers and 41 sled dogs, along with their equipment, to the North Pole, but the enterprise was canceled. Until his death in 1964 at the age of 68, Vincent Burnelli championed his "flying wing" designs. ==Legacy==