The New Standard D-25 was a 5-seat agricultural and joy-riding aircraft produced in the US from 1928.

The D-25 was constructed from Duralumin angles channels and tees bolted and rivetted together for the fuselage and Spruce spars with bass wood and plywood built-up ribs, all fabric covered. The D series was quite distinctive in having sesquiplane wings with the upper wing, of much bigger span and chord, supported on tall cabane and interplane struts.

Seating for four passengers was provided in the open front cockpit, described as "chummy", with the pilot in the single seat open rear cockpit. Variations in seating arrangement reflected the role of the different variants. The rugged structure gave the New Standard Ds a long-life, leading to the respectable number that survived the abuse of joy-riding, mail carrying and crop dusting for many years.

Two D-25As that had been confiscated from smugglers were acquired by the US Coast Guard in 1935, designated NT-2.

For details of the 15 variants, click here.

The Noorduyn Norseman, also known as the C-64 Norseman, is a Canadian single-engine bush plane designed to operate from unimproved surfaces. Distinctive stubby landing gear protrusions from the lower fuselage make it easily recognizable.

Introduced in 1935, the Norseman remained in production for almost 25 years with over 900 produced. A number of examples remain in commercial and private use to this day. Norseman aircraft are known to have been registered and/or operated in 68 countries and also have been based and flown in the Arctic and Antarctic regions.

Designed by Robert B.C. Noorduyn, the Noorduyn Norseman was produced from 1935 to 1959, originally by Noorduyn Aircraft Ltd. and later by the Canadian Car and Foundry company.

With the experience of working on many ground-breaking designs at Fokker, Bellanca and Pitcairn-Cierva, Noorduyn decided to create his own design in 1934, the Noorduyn Norseman. Along with his colleague, Walter Clayton, Noorduyn created his original company, Noorduyn Aircraft Limited, in early 1933 at Montreal while a successor company was established in 1935, bearing the name Noorduyn Aviation.

Noorduyn's vision of an ideal bush plane began with a high-wing monoplane airframe to facilitate loading and unloading passengers and cargo at seaplane docks and airports; next, a Canadian operator utilizing existing talents, equipment and facilities should be able to make money using it; last, it should be all-around superior to those already in use there.

From the outset, Noorduyn designed his transport to have interchangeable wheel, ski or twin-float landing gear. Unlike most aircraft designs, the Norseman was first fitted with floats, then skis and, finally, fixed landing gear.

The final design looked much like Noorduyn's earlier Fokker designs, a high-wing braced monoplane with an all-welded steel tubing fuselage. Attached wood stringers carried a fabric skin. Its wing was all fabric covered wood, except for steel tubing flaps and ailerons. The divided landing gear were fitted to fuselage stubs; legs were secured with two bolts each to allow the alternate arrangement of floats or skis. The tail strut could be fitted with a wheel or tail skid.

The Royal Australian Air Force operated 14 aircraft from 1943 to 1946.

For details of the operational history of the Norseman, click here.

The Nord NC.850 (originally produced as the Aérocentre NC.850) was a light aircraft developed in France in the late 1940s for use by French aeroclubs, but which also saw military use as an airborne observation post.

The NC.850 series was developed from the Aérocentre NC.840 in response to a competition sponsored by the French government under the auspices of the SALS movement to find a domestically-produced machine for club use. Aérocentre's entry was an ungainly high-wing, strut-braced monoplane with a fully enclosed cabin and fixed, tailwheel undercarriage. The fuselage construction was tubular, and the wings had a metal structure, the entire aircraft being skinned in fabric.

The competition was won by the SIPA S.90, but SALS nevertheless also ordered 100 examples of this, the runner-up design. These production examples, designated NC.853, differed from the prototypes in having twin tails, the fins mounted on the ends of the horizontal stabiliser. Only 27 of the order had been completed, however, when Aérocentre was liquidated and its assets bought by Nord. The new owners continued production, with their machines identified with designation NC.853S.

In March 1951, Nord flew a heavily modified version of the design for use as an observation aircraft by the French Army. Known as the NC.856 Norvigie, this featured a more powerful engine and a lengthened and more extensively glazed cockpit. The army ordered 112 examples which were mostly flown in the artillery spotting role, and while a civil version was also offered, orders were not forthcoming and only two were built. The sole example of a floatplane version was presented as a gift to King Norodom Sihanouk of Cambodia.

For details of the 15 variants, click here.

The Northrop Alpha is an American single-engine, all-metal, seven-seat, low-wing monoplane fast mail/passenger transport aircraft used in the 1930s. Design work was done at the Avion Corporation, which in 1929, became the Northrop Aircraft Corporation based in Burbank, California.

Drawing on his experience with the Lockheed Vega, John K. Northrop designed an advanced mail/passenger transport aircraft. In addition to all-metal construction, the new Alpha benefitted from two revolutionary aerodynamic advancements: wing fillets researched at the Guggenheim Aeronautical Laboratory at the California Institute of Technology, and a multicellular stressed-skin wing of Northrop's own design which was later successfully used on the Douglas DC-2 and Douglas DC-3. In addition, the Alpha was the first commercial aircraft to use rubber deicer boots on wing and empennage leading edges which, in conjunction with state-of-the-art radio navigation equipment, gave it day or night, all-weather capability. The aircraft first flew in 1930, with a total of 17 built.

The Alpha was further developed into a dedicated fast transport, the Northrop Gamma.

The Alpha entered service with Transcontinental & Western Air (TWA) making its inaugural flight on April 20, 1931. The trip from San Francisco to New York required 13 stops and took just over 23 hours. TWA operated 14 aircraft until 1935, flying routes with stops in San Francisco, California; Winslow, Arizona; Albuquerque, New Mexico; Amarillo, Texas; Wichita, Kansas; Kansas City, Missouri; St. Louis, Missouri; Terre Haute, Indiana; Indianapolis, Indiana; Columbus, Ohio; Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania; Philadelphia, Pennsylvania; and New York. Three Alphas were operated by the US military as C-19 VIP transports until 1939.

TWA's were initially operated as a passenger service but the Alpha's were later modified at the Stearman factory in Wichita into the cargo-carrying 4A model with a new type certificate. Stearman and Northrop had the same parent company at the time.

The third Alpha built, NC11Y, was reacquired by TWA in 1975, and is preserved at the Smithsonian National Air and Space Museum.

Variants

Alpha 2
six-passenger version
Alpha 3
two-passenger plus cargo version, several Alpha 2s were converted to this configuration
Alpha 4
cargo version with 2 ft (0.6 m) increased wingspan and large metal fairings encapsulating the main gear for drag reduction. All were converted from Alpha 3s
Alpha 4A
cargo version, all converted from Alpha 4s
YC-19 & Y1C-19
military VIP transport, seating reduced to four passengers, serial numbers 31–516 to 31-518,[3] YC-19 had a Pratt & Whitney R-1340-7, while the Y1C-19s had the R-1340-11 engine

The Northrop Delta was an American single-engined passenger transport aircraft of the 1930s. Closely related to Northrop's Gamma mail plane, 13 were produced by the Northrop Corporation, followed by 19 aircraft built under license by Canadian Vickers Limited.

When Jack Northrop set up the Northrop Corporation as a joint venture with the Douglas Aircraft Company in 1932, he set out to design two closely related single-engined aircraft as the new company's first products: a mailplane/record-breaking aircraft, which was designated the Gamma, and a passenger transport, the Delta. The Delta was a low-winged monoplane, with a fixed tailwheel undercarriage. It was of all-metal, stressed-skin construction, with streamlining spats covering the main landing gear. While the Delta's wings were common with those of the Gamma, it had a new, wider fuselage, which seated the pilot in an enclosed cockpit immediately behind the engine, and had accommodation for eight passengers in a cabin behind the pilot.

The first Delta was flown in May 1933, and received an airworthiness certificate in August that year.

An Australian registered Delta, VH-ADR was impressed into service by the RAAF as A61-1, from December 1942 to September 1943. For more operational history, and variants, click here.

The Northrop Gamma was a single-engine all-metal monoplane cargo aircraft used in the 1930s. Towards the end of its service life, it was developed into the A-17 light bomber.

The Gamma was a further development of the successful Northrop Alpha and shared its predecessor's aerodynamic innovations with wing fillets and multicellular stressed-skin wing construction. Like late Alphas, the fixed landing gear was covered in distinctive aerodynamic spats, and the aircraft introduced a fully enclosed cockpit.

The Gamma saw fairly limited civilian service as mail planes with Trans World Airlines but had an illustrious career as a flying laboratory and record-breaking aircraft. The US military found the design sufficiently interesting to encourage Northrop to develop it into what eventually became the Northrop A-17 light attack aircraft. Military versions of the Gamma saw combat with Chinese and Spanish Republican air forces. Twenty Five Gamma 2Es were assembled in China from components provided by Northrop; these were deployed in various attack missions during the early stages of the Second Sino-Japanese War, particular against Imperial Japanese naval assets. In the morning of 11 November 1937, three Chinese Air Force Northrop 2ECs of the 2nd BG, 14th Squadron led by Capt. Yu attacked the IJN fleet aircraft carrier Kaga off the Ma'anshan Islands; the bombs fell wide into Kaga's wake, and the Chinese Gammas were pursued and intercepted by three A5Ms of Kaga's combat air patrol led by flight leader Jirō Chōno, shooting down two (Gammas no. 1405 of Sung I-Ching and Li Xi-Yong, and no. 1402 of Peng Te-Ming and Li Huan-Chieh) while Yu managed to escape into the clouds and return his damaged Gamma to base.

On June 2, 1933 Frank Hawks flew his Gamma 2A "Sky Chief" from Los Angeles to New York in a record 13 hours, 26 minutes, and 15 seconds. In 1935, Howard Hughes improved on this time in his modified Gamma 2G making the west-east transcontinental run in 9 hours, 26 minutes, and 10 seconds.

The most famous Gamma was the Polar Star. The aircraft was carried via ship and offloaded onto the pack ice in the Ross Sea during Lincoln Ellsworth's 1934 expedition to Antarctica. The Gamma was almost lost when the ice underneath it broke, and had to be returned to the United States for repairs. Polar Star's second assignment to Antarctica in September 1934 was also futile — a connecting rod broke and the aircraft had to be returned yet again for repairs. On January 3, 1935, Ellsworth and pilot Bernt Balchen finally flew over Antarctica.

On November 23, 1935, Ellsworth and Canadian pilot Herbert Hollick-Kenyon attempted the world's first trans-Antarctic flight from Dundee Island in the Weddell Sea to Little America. The crew made four stops during their journey, in the process becoming the first people ever to visit Western Antarctica. During one stop, a blizzard completely packed the fuselage with snow which took a day to clear out. On December 5, after traveling over 2,400 miles (3,865 km) the aircraft ran out of fuel just 25 miles (40 km) short of the goal. The intrepid crew took six days to travel the remainder of the journey and stayed in the abandoned Richard E. Byrd camp until being found by the Discovery II research vessel on January 15, 1936. Polar Star was later recovered and donated to the Smithsonian National Air and Space Museum.

For details of the 14 variants, click here. Specifications below are for the Gamma 2D variant.

Gamma 2A

Gamma 2E

Gamma 2G

Gamm 2J

Northrop A-17 derivative 

The Oberlerchner JOB 15 was an Austrian two-seat light aircraft produced by Josef Oberlerchner Holzindustrie, which had previously designed and built gliders.

Using experience as sailplane designers and builders, Josef Oberlerchner Holzindustrie determined to create a powered aircraft. The result was the JOB 5, a two-seat side-by-side light aircraft of wooden construction. It first flew in 1958. The company decided to build a slightly larger three-seat production version, the JOB 15. The JOB 15 was a low-winged monoplane of composite construction with fixed tailwheel undercarriage, with a wooden wing and steel-tube fuselage covered in glass-reinforced plastic and fabric. The prototype first flew in 1960 with a 135 hp (101 kW) Avco Lycoming O-290-D2B engine. Three aircraft were built before the a more powerful version, the JOB 15-150, was built with a 150 hp (112 kW) Avco Lycoming O-320-A2B engine. After 11 15-150s had been built an improved version, the JOB 15-150/2, was introduced and ten were built before production ended in the late 1960s.

Variants

JOB 5
Prototype two-seater, 95 hp Continental C90-12F engine, one built
JOB 15
Production three-seater with a 135 hp (101 kW) Avco Lycoming O-290 engine, three built.
JOB 15-150
Re-engined version with a 150 hp (112 kw) Avco Lycoming O-320-A2B engine, 11 built.
JOB 15-150/2
Improved version, ten built.

The Oberlerchner JOB 15 was an Austrian two-seat light aircraft produced by Josef Oberlerchner Holzindustrie, which had previously designed and built gliders.

Using experience as sailplane designers and builders, Josef Oberlerchner Holzindustrie determined to create a powered aircraft. The result was the JOB 5,[1] a two-seat side-by-side light aircraft of wooden construction.[2] It first flew in 1958. The company decided to build a slightly larger three-seat production version, the JOB 15. The JOB 15 was a low-winged monoplane of composite construction with fixed tailwheel undercarriage, with a wooden wing and steel-tube fuselage covered in glass-reinforced plastic and fabric. The prototype first flew in 1960 with a 135 hp (101 kW) Avco Lycoming O-290-D2B engine. Three aircraft were built before the a more powerful version, the JOB 15-150, was built with a 150 hp (112 kW) Avco Lycoming O-320-A2B engine. After 11 15-150s had been built an improved version, the JOB 15-150/2, was introduced and ten were built before production ended in the late 1960s.

Variants
JOB 5
Prototype two-seater, 95 hp Continental C90-12F engine, one built
JOB 15
Production three-seater with a 135 hp (101 kW) Avco Lycoming O-290 engine, three built.
JOB 15-150     (Specifications below)
Re-engined version with a 150 hp (112 kw) Avco Lycoming O-320-A2B engine, 11 built.
JOB 15-150/2
Improved version, ten built.

A predecessor of the L-40 was a sports and touring plane M-1 Sokol of wooden construction. Next there was a sports plane with V-tail LD-40, designed by Zdenek Rublič. Its prototype XLD-40 was flown on 30 July 1950, however, it did not meet required performance and was abandoned. In 1954 the design of a further improved variant, the LD-40 started again, with the tail changed to a conventional one. The plane had a number of shortcomings, and further work continued. Eventually the aircraft was redesigned as a four-seater touring aircraft, under the designation L-40 Meta Sokol.

The prototype of the L-40, the XL-40, flew first on 29 March 1956. Another prototype flew in August 1956, introducing some simplification of construction. In 1957 the aircraft entered production, and by 1959, 106 were built. The first series of 10 aircraft had 77 kW (103 hp) Walter Minor III-4 engine, with the remainder powered by more powerful (103 kW (138 hp)) Walter M-332 engines. Four persons sat in two rows, with dual controls. 

The primary user was the Czechoslovak civilian aviation. Over half of production was exported to 16 countries, among others to Germany, Great Britain, Switzerland and Australia. Several FAI world records were set on the L-40.

The L-40 Meta Sokol is a single-engine low-wing cantilever monoplane of metal construction. It features a fuselage built of a frame in the front part, of semi-monocoque in rear part, and is duralumin covered. Additionally, it features a duralumin covered trapezoid three-part wing, fitted with split flaps. It has a conventional tail, with its steering surfaces covered with canvas. The tail fin is high and trapezoidal. The plane has four seats in two rows, with twin controls in front. All are placed under a slim, partly glazed, rearwards-sliding canopy. At the rear, there is some luggage space. It has an inline engine in front, with a two-blade V-410 tractor propeller of a variable pitch. An unusual feature is its retractable reversed tricycle gear. The main gear's wheels are only half hidden in wings, making emergency landings safer. The aircraft's fuel tanks are in the wings, and small, teardrop-shaped tanks could be fitted to the wingtips.

The GP-4 is an experimental aircraft designed to fly cross country with two passengers 1,100 mi (1,770 km) at 240 mph (386 km/h).[1] Aircraft Spruce & Specialty Co has the rights to distribute the kits for the aircraft, while the plans are distributed by Osprey Aircraft.

The GP-4 is the fourth aircraft from designer George Pereira, It is a low wing side-by-side retractable gear aircraft of wood

The aircraft's wooden construction is labor-intensive and an estimated 3000–4000 hours are required to construct it.

In 1984, the GP-4 won the Grand Champion Custom Built and the Outstanding New Design awards at the Experimental Aircraft Association Airventure airshow in Oshkosh, Wisconsin.

The Partenavia P.57 Fachiro is an Italian, four-seat, high-wing, touring monoplane, fitted with a fixed tricycle undercarriage.

The P.57 was designed and built by Partenavia. The Lycoming O-320 powered Fachiro I first flew on 7 November 1958, followed by the Fachiro II, on 3 January 1959. A later version, designated the II-f, introduced a swept fin and rudder.

The Fachiro utilises mixed steel tube-and-fabric construction and is fitted with a 160 hp (119 kW) engine for aero club and general aviation use.

A one-off, all-metal version, the P.64 Fachiro III, was further developed as the P.64 Oscar.

Seven examples of the Fachiro IIf version remained in operation within Italy during spring 2009.   

Variants  

P.57 Fachiro I
Powered by a 150 hp (112 kW) Lycoming O-320 engine.
P.57 Fachiro II
Powered by a 168 hp (125 kW)) Lycoming O-360-B2A engine. 3 built.
P.57 Fachiro II-f       (Specifications below)
Powered by a 180 hp (134 kW) Lycoming O-320-A2A engine. 33 built.
P.64 Fachiro III
An all-metal version developed as the P.64 Oscar 1 built.

The Payne Knight Twister is a single-seat, single-engine aerobatic sport aircraft first flown by Vernon Payne Sr. in the United States in 1932 and marketed in plans form for homebuilding.

It is a conventional biplane design with slightly staggered wings of unequal span. The wings are of fully cantilever design and do not require the bracing wires commonly used on biplanes or even interplane struts; however, most builders brace the wings with I-struts and at least one pair of wires. The cockpit is open, and the undercarriage is of fixed, tailwheel type with divided main units. The wings and horizontal stabilizer are of wooden construction, skinned in plywood, while the fuselage and vertical stabilizer are of welded steel tube covered in fabric.

Payne designed the Knight Twister in 1928 while teaching aircraft design and repair at a school attached to the Aviation Service and Transport Company in Chicago. Construction of a prototype by Payne and his students commenced the following year but ended shortly thereafter when the school was forced to close as a consequence of the Great Depression. Payne began building a second prototype in 1931, which first flew in fall the following year powered by a Salmson 9Ad radial engine. This aircraft was damaged in a forced landing due to fuel exhaustion during a demonstration flight for the press, and parts of the airframe were reused to build the second Knight Twister in 1935. This machine, powered by a converted Ford Model A automobile engine, was built for an Argentine buyer who eventually declined to take delivery. After it had passed through several hands, Payne himself bought the aircraft back after World War II and his son, Richard, was killed in it during a test flight on which the engine failed shortly after take-off.

The Knight Twister built a reputation as a racing aircraft. In 1964, Clyde Parsons flying the "Parsons Twister", won the Sport Biplane Championship race at Reno with a speed of 144.7 mph. In the 1970s, Don Fairbanks competed with a Knight Twister preserved initially at the Motorsports Hall of Fame of America museum in Novi, Michigan, and later in the lobby of Sporty's Pilot Shop at Clermont County Airport, Batavia, Ohio[citation needed]. Fairbanks set the world record in the sport biplane class of 178 mph (284 km/h) with this aircraft.

The Knight Twister has a reputation as a "handful" to fly, but this has been vigorously denied by both its designer and by Fairbanks. Both men have attributed this reputation to the controls being lighter and more responsive than those of the light aircraft that most pilots are more familiar with.

In the 1990s, the rights to the design were acquired by Steen Aero, who continue to offer plans for sale in 2009.

For details of the 19 variants, click here.

The Pazmany PL-1 Laminar and Pazmany PL-2 are American two-seat trainer and personal light aircraft designed by Ladislao Pazmany to be marketed as a homebuilt aircraft by his company Pazmany Aircraft Corporation. The aircraft was built under license in Taiwan (Republic of China) as the AIDC PL-1B Cheinshou. It was later followed by an improved version the PL-2. The SLAF Aircraft Engineering Wing developed a modified variant of the PL-2 in 1977, which was never used operationally.

The PL-1 Laminar was the first design by Ladislao Pazmany, it was intended to be marketed for the homebuilt market. The prototype first flew on the 23 March 1962. The PL-1 is a cantilever low-wing monoplane with a fixed tricycle landing gear. It has side-by-side seating for a crew of two and is powered by a 95 hp (71 kW) Continental C-90 piston engine. The Aerospace Industrial Development Corporation (AIDC) acquired plans and built a PL-1 for evaluation with a first flight on 26 October 1968. AIDC then built 58 aircraft designated the PL-1B for the Republic of China Air Force and fitted with a 150 hp (112 kW) Avco Lycoming O-320 engine.

Soon after the first flight Pazmany produced an improved design, the PL-2 which had a slight increase in cockpit width and changes to the structure to make it easier for homebuilders. The PL-2 was evaluated by a number of air forces in South East Asia. It was built under license in Indonesia as the LIPNUR LT-200.

Variants

PL-1
Original design for home-built light aircraft
PL-1B
License-built variant by AIDC with a 150hp (112kW) Avco Lycoming O-320 engine, 58 built. Known as the PL-1B Chieh Shou.
PL-2
More rounded, wider cockpit, increased wing dihedral.
PL-2A
Improved model, all metal, two seats
LT-200   (Specifications  below)
License-built variant by LIPNUR in Indonesia, 4 were built.

Developed from the PL.1 “Laminar”, the PL.2 fuselage is built up of conventional pressed metal frames longerons and skins. The parallel chord wing panels incorporate flanged aluminium ribs, a main spar with machined extruded booms, a metal false rear spar and aluminium skins. The curved sides of the cockpit are designed to break outwards in a crash. The all flying tail is equipped with an anti-servo tab for trimming and providing adequate stick forces. The main undercarriage is attached to the wing spar and the steerable nosewheel to the engine mount. Shock absorbers are of the oleo pneumatic type. Brakes are fitted to the main wheels. All fuel is carried in two 10 Imp. gallon wing tip tanks. Cabin width is 3’ 4”. And, it is stressed for aerobatics.

The specifications below are for the aircraft fitted with a Lycoming O-290-G, 125 hp enginge. For specs with other suitable engines, click here.

The Percival Mew Gull was a British racing aircraft of the 1930s. It was a small, single-engine, single-seat, low-wing monoplane of wooden construction, normally powered by a six-cylinder de Havilland Gipsy Six piston engine. During its racing career it set many records and was considered a significant, efficient design, one that eventually reached a top speed of 265 mph (425 km/h) on a modest 205 hp (153 kW) in its final 1939 form. A modern-day observer has characterised the Mew Gull as "the Holy Grail of British air racing". During the second half of the 1930s, Mew Gulls were dominant in air-racing in the UK and consistently recorded the fastest times until the outbreak of war stopped all civilian flying in late 1939.

With the Percival Gull already making a name for itself as a racer, over several months in 1933–1934, Capt. Edgar W. Percival designed and built a single-seat racer derivative initially named the E1 'Mew Gull'. This was developed into the E2, E2H and the E3H variants between 1934 and 1938. The sometimes-used designation "P6" is incorrect; this retrospective tag was created after Percival left the company and long after the Mew Gulls were built, thus no Mew Gulls were ever built as "P6s". With the exception of the sole E3H, G-AFAA – which was built after the company moved to Luton, all of the Mew Gulls were built in the small factory at Gravesend. The E3H, whilst very strongly visually resembling the E2H, was in truth a totally new and different machine, with each element differing from its predecessor in some way. It was most certainly not a 'clipped-wing' version of the E2H as it has sometimes been described.

Structurally, there was very little commonality of parts between the Gulls IV/ VI/ Vega Gull and the Mew Gull, other than a few minor components. All of the Gulls, however, did use a similar generic structure. Proprietary equipment such as engines, airscrews, spinners, instruments, undercarriage legs, wheels and tyres were generally common to all series. The Mew Gulls (apart from the E1 in its initial configuration) used a fixed, conventional oleomatic main undercarriage and a fully castoring tailskid. Small manually-operated, split trailing-edge wing flaps were incorporated into the mainplanes, but were "...singularly ineffective even when fully extended".

The aircraft was designed for handicapped air racing which gained huge popularity in the UK during the 1920s and especially 1930s – the so-called "Golden Age" of aviation. The King's Cup Race, an annual handicapped air racing event developed to aid in the development of British light aircraft, was considered to be the "Blue-Riband" event. Ultimately, Mew Gulls went on to win this event four times.

The prototype G-ACND first flew in March 1934 with a 165 hp Napier Javelin, but it was replaced with a more powerful and reliable 200 hp Gipsy Six engine, fitted with a fixed-pitch airscrew, prior to its first race.

For the history of the type, click here.

The Percival Vega Gull was a 1930s British, four-seater touring aircraft built by Percival Aircraft Limited. It was a single-engine, low-wing (Folding), wood-and-fabric monoplane with a fixed tailwheel undercarriage.

Built by Percival Aircraft of Gravesend and Luton (after 1936 when Percival Aircraft became a Limited Company), the 'K-Series' Vega Gull was a development of their earlier 'D-Series' Gull. The main changes from the earlier design were the provision of a fourth seat, dual controls and flaps. The fuselage was widened and the wingspan increased. Increases in drag were compensated for by reducing parasitic drag from exterior fittings such as hinges and actuation horns. This work was largely attributable to the arrival at Percivals of the talented aircraft designer Arthur Bage. Thus, the Vega Gull was very nearly as fast as the more svelte Gull Six. Payload, range and utility were all much improved. The prototype G-AEAB first flew from Gravesend in November 1935.

The Vega Gull retained the de Havilland Gipsy Six air-cooled inline engine introduced in the D.3 Gull Six of 1934. Most examples were fitted with the optional DH Gipsy Six Series II engine in conjunction with the DH-PD30 VP airscrew. The final Mk II examples were fitted with a curved windscreen (the earlier examples had a multi-faceted windscreen of flat panels) similar in appearance to the early marks of the Proctor.

A total of 90 Vega Gulls were built. The RAAF operated two Vega Gulls in the Governor General's Flight.

For details of the operational history of the Vega Gull, click here.

Design and construction of the two-place Osprey 2 amphibian began early in 1972 following development of a military version, the U.S. Navy X-28A Air Skimmer, for civil police use in Southeast Asia. The designer, George Pereira, evolved a unique construction technique for the single-place Osprey 1 by coating the underside of the all-wood fuselage structure with polyurethane foam, later sculptured to the desired shape and covered with several protective layers of fiberglass bonded with resin. The result is a light, strong structure able to resist the shock of hard water landings.

The pusher engine is a Lycoming O-320 flat-four of 160 hp mounted on a pedestal so the prop wash blows directly over the cruciform tail surfaces. Wings are of all-wood construction with a single box spar, while the landing gear for use on land is of the retractable tricycle type. The wings just outboard of the main gear are removable for towing and home storage.

The Osprey 2 was designed to be built, in its entirety, in a workshop with no molds required, and first flew in 1973.

The Performance Turbine Legend is an American sports monoplane designed by Performance Aircraft for sale as a kit for amateur construction.

The Legend is a streamlined low-wing monoplane mainly constructed of carbon-fiber-reinforced polymer. It has swept-back tail surfaces with a mid-mounted tailplane and tapered wings, with optional winglets. The prototype was powered by a 575 hp (429 kW) Chevrolet V-8 engine with a three-bladed tractor propeller and a ventral air-scoop, the Turbine Legend has a 724 shp (540 kW) Walter M601 turboprop with a three-bladed tractor propeller. The Legend has a retractable tricycle landing gear; the mainwheels retract inwards and the nosewheel rearwards. The enclosed cockpit has room for two persons in tandem seats with dual controls and has a rear-hinged, upward-opening, canopy with a fixed windscreen.

The Legend was first flown in 1996 by Performance Aircraft and the prototype was converted into a Turbine Legend in 1999.

The assets of Performance Aircraft were taken over by Lanny Rundell to be marketed by Legend Aircraft of Winnsboro, Louisiana.

In a March 2020 review for Kitplanes, writer Doug Rozendaal described the takeoff: "the acceleration is like a jet fighter." He also praised the handling and the fit and finish of the design.

Variants

Legend
Piston-engined variant, powered by a 575 shp (429 kW) Chevrolet V-8 automotive conversion piston engine.
Turbine Legend  (Specifications below)
Turboprop-engined variant, powered by a 724 shp (540 kW) Walter M601 turboprop engine.
JC 100
A Turbine Legend built by Toys 4 Boys in 2000, designated the JC 100

Turbine Legend (Garrett Edition)
A Turbine Legend was built by Innovative Wings Inc. utilizing a 1,100 hp (820 kW) Garrett TPE331-10 engine.
Turbine Legend Venom
A military version marketed by Venom Military Aircraft and intended for the training and light attack roles. It has a 750 shp (559 kW) GE H75 engine, major changes to the wing design, a carbon fiber composite structure, fuel capacity increased to 145 U.S. gallons (550 L; 121 imp gal), full digital panel, electric remote canopy, aft spar flaps system and electric Fowler flaps.[5] No sales have yet been announced.

The Pietenpol Air Camper is a simple parasol wing homebuilt aircraft designed by Bernard H. Pietenpol. The first prototype that became the Air Camper was built and flown by Pietenpol in 1928.

The Air Camper was designed to be built of spruce and plywood. One of Pietenpol's goals was to create a plane that was affordable and easy to construct for home builders. Building an Air Camper requires basic woodworking skills and tools. Builders also need to fabricate some metal fittings to attach the wooden parts. Some welding is required. The plans for the Pietenpol Aircamper were originally published in a four-part serial in the "Flying and Glider" Manual of 1932-33.

The original model was flown using an Ace four cylinder water-cooled engine. The Model A Ford engine later became the standard powerplant used; the design was first flown with one in May 1929.

In the 1960s Bernard Pietenpol began to favor converted engines from Chevrolet Corvair automobiles. The Corvair flat six was higher horsepower, smoother, and significantly lighter, compared to the Model A, and was similar to those already available for general aviation use. The length of a Pietenpol varies with the engine choices, as lighter engines needed to be mounted further forward for weight and balance reasons. Over the years over 30 different engines have flown in the Pietenpol Air Camper. Many modern Pietenpol builders prefer Continental A65, C85 or C90 air-cooled flat fours. Several examples of the Aircamper have been built in Europe and in 2012 were still flying.

In the 1920s and 1930s, kits were available for the design, but there were none available again until 2015 when the Pietenpol Aircraft Company introduced a kit version of the Air Camper, with components supplied by Aircraft Spruce & Specialty. The kit includes all parts except the engine, dope, fabric covering, and hardware.

For details of variants, click here.

The main market for the aircraft is corporate transport and regional airliner operators. The PC-12 is the best-selling pressurized single-engine turbine-powered aircraft in the world and has been for several consecutive years, with 1,700 deliveries as of October 2019.

In October 1989, Pilatus announced the development of the PC-12 at the annual convention of the National Business Aviation Association (NBAA). Prior to the 1989 announcement, the PC-12 project had been worked on for some time under high levels of secrecy; by the time of the announcement, assembly of the first prototype had already commenced. Pilatus believed that the PC-12 would fit a new market not served by existing aircraft and that the type would be the first single-engine aircraft capable of a large volume at high speed across long distances. The two prototypes were completed on 1 May 1991, with the first flight taking place on 31 May 1991. Swiss certification of the type had been originally planned for mid-1991; however, a redesign of the wings (increase of wingspan and addition of winglets to ensure performance guarantees were met) delayed progress. On 30 March 1994, the Swiss Federal Office of Civil Aviation issued the type certificate for the PC-12; Federal Aviation Administration approval in the U.S. followed on 15 July 1994.

Australian Users.

Royal Flying Doctor Service - operates 31 PC-12s for EMS/medical transport duties.

Western Australia Police - operates two PC-12s for staff transport, search and rescue and disaster relief.

Northern Territory Police

For more details of the development, design and variants, click here.

The Pilatus PC-6 Porter is a single-engined STOL utility aircraft designed by Pilatus Aircraft of Switzerland. First flown in 1959, the PC-6 continues in production at Pilatus Flugzeugwerke in Stans, Switzerland. It has been built in both piston engine- and turboprop-powered (PC-6/B) versions and was produced under licence for a time by Fairchild Hiller in the United States. After around 600 deliveries in six decades, Pilatus will produce the last one in early 2019.

On 4 May 1959, the first prototype, powered by a 254 kW (340 shp) piston engine, made its maiden flight. In early May 1961, the first Turbo Porter, powered by a Turbomeca Astazou II turboprop engine, performed its initial flight. In comparison to its earlier piston engine-powered incarnation, the Astazou II-equipped Turbo Porter had an increased gross capacity and top speed, as well as benefitting from the engine's automatic handling functions. These benefits came at the expense of a greater initial purchase cost and higher fuel consumption.[5] Both the piston and turbine-engine versions of the PC-6 became quickly known for their Short Takeoff and Landing (STOL) capabilities, requiring only a very short takeoff run before being ready for rotation prior to taking off.

The initial turbine-powered models of the PC-6 were equipped with the Astazou II powerplant, however complaints of the reliability of this engine were made. Another early turboprop powerplant that became available for the PC-6 was the Garrett Air Research TPE 331. Some operators such as Air America chose to retrofit their Astazou II-powered PC-6s with the TPE 331 engine in its place.[7] In May 1996, the first PC-6 to be equipped with the Pratt & Whitney Canada PT6A engine performed its maiden flight.

For more details, and a list of the numerous variant, click here.

The aircraft has a simple, lightweight design which gives it good low-speed handling properties and short-field performance. The Cub is Piper Aircraft's most-produced model, with nearly 20,000 built in the United States. Its simplicity, affordability and popularity invokes comparisons to the Ford Model T automobile.

The aircraft is a high-wing, strut-braced monoplane with a large-area rectangular wing. It is most often powered by an air-cooled, flat-4 piston engine driving a fixed-pitch propeller. Its fuselage is a welded steel frame covered in fabric, seating two people in tandem.

The Cub was designed as a trainer. It had great popularity in this role and as a general aviation aircraft. Due to its performance, it was well suited for a variety of military uses such as reconnaissance, liaison and ground control. It was produced in large numbers during World War II as the L-4 Grasshopper. Many Cubs are still flying today. Cubs are highly prized as bush aircraft.

The aircraft's standard chrome yellow paint came to be known as "Cub Yellow" or "Lock Haven Yellow".

For details of the design and deevelopment, operational history and numerous variants, civil an miltary, click here.

Specifications below are for the J3C-65 Cub variant.

The PA-11 is a high-wing braced cabin monoplane with a tail-wheel landing gear. The enclosed cabin has two tandem seats. Early PA-11s had a Continental A65-8 engine, while the later ones had the option of a Continental C90-8.

The PA-11 was based on the earlier J-3, but with a cowled engine, with the windshield sloped at a shallower angle; the engine cowling fully enclosed (as on the earlier J-5), and the fuel tank placed in the port wing root. Both seats were slightly moved back, and solo flying was usually from the front seat.

The prototype and two subsequent pre-production models were built using a modified J-3 fuselage and wings. The prototype first flew in August 1946 followed by the two pre-production aircraft later in 1946.

The first production aircraft was completed at Lock Haven in March 1947 and production continued at Lock Haven until September 1949. A second production line was established at Ponca City between September 1947 and January 1948.

On the early PA-11s, the fuselage was painted with a metallic blue on the lower half the rest being Lock Haven Yellow. The later PA-11s were all yellow with a simple brown stripe.

The PA-11 also formed the basis for the next evolution in the Cub series, the PA-18 Super Cub, which shares many features.

VARIANTS

PA-11

     Two-seat light aircraft, powered by either a 65 hp (48 kW) Continental A65-8 or a 95 hp (71 kW) Continental C90-8 piston           engine.
PA-11S
     Seaplane variant with twin EDO 1400 floats.
L-18B
     United States Military designation of the PA-11 Cub Special, powered by a 95 hp (71 kW) Continental C90-8F piston engine,         105 built and delivered to Turkey, under the Military Assistance Program.

The Piper PA-14 Family Cruiser is an American-built small touring aircraft of the late 1940s.

Piper Aircraft had built the PA-12 Super Cruiser three-seat touring aircraft between early 1946 and March 1948. In 1947, the PA-12 design was adapted to a four-seat layout by widening the cabin by five inches at the instrument panel and adding slotted flaps. The original high-wing and fixed tailwheel undercarriage layout features were retained. The PA-14 prototype made its first flight from the company's Lock Haven Pennsylvania factory on 21 March 1947.

A second PA-14 was completed on 6 February 1948 and the first customer deliveries were made later that year. 238 examples were completed, most being sold to private owner pilots in the United States, but overseas sales included several to France. The aircraft was launched at a time of serious financial difficulty for the company, and indeed, soon after the release of the Family Cruiser, Piper was placed in receivership, from which it later successfully emerged. 126 examples remained registered in the United States in April 2011, of which 81 were based in Alaska and 13 aircraft were registered in Canada.

The Wag-Aero Sportsman 2 + 2 is a replica of the PA-14 family Cruiser. This is a four-place aircraft designed for the recreational pilot. It has extended wings and such features as extra baggage area and additional fuel. Utilizes large tires for off-airport operation. Accepts engines from 125 to 200 hp.

Wag-Aero Sportsman 2 + 2