The Franklin Sport is a two seat sport and training biplane built in the U.S. in 1930. Several different engines, in the power range 55–90 hp (41–67 kW), were fitted. Two remained airworthy in 2011.

The Sport is a single bay, unequal span biplane. Its wings are built around twin spruce spars and, like the rest of the aircraft, fabric covered. Upper and lower wings have the same chord and outward-leaning, N-form interplane struts between their spars provide a wide interplane gap of about 50 in (1,300 mm). The upper wing is without dihedral but the lower, equipped with Frise ailerons, is set at 2°. Both wings are rectangular in plan out to rounded tips though the upper wing, held centrally over the fuselage on a cabane, has a semi-circular cut-out to increase the pilot's upwards field of view.

All the Sport variants were powered by one of three types of five cylinder radial engine, nose-mounted on a frame which allowed easy exchanges between types. The fuselage has a flat-sided steel tube Warren girder structure with two open cockpits, one between the wings and the other just aft of the upper trailing edge with an extended, faired headrest. It is normally piloted from the rear seat, though the forward cockpit also has flight controls. Some instruments like the fuel gauge are visible from either seat. At the rear the tail also has a steel tube structure. The tailplane and elevators are mounted on top of the fuselage and the fin and unbalanced rudder have a rounded profile.

The landing gear is fixed and of the split axle type, with mainwheels on V-struts from the central fuselage underside and with vertical oleo struts from the outer axle to the wing leading edges, where single bracing struts connect to the upper fuselage longerons. A short tailskid is mounted on the extreme rear fuselage.

The Sport prototype, powered by a 55 hp (41 kW) Velie M-5 engine, first flew on 27 January 1930. After tests this was abandoned and production aircraft had either a 65 hp (48 kW) M-5 (Sport A, 8 built) or a 90 hp (67 kW) Lambert R-266 (Sport 90, 6 built) engine.
 

The histories of most of these club aircraft is uncertain. Further production ended in 1933 when Franklin Aircraft ceased trading. Two, both Sport 90s, remained airworthy in U.S. museums in 2011, though only one was on public display.

Variants 

Sport 55
1930, Prototype, 55 hp (41 kW) Velie M-5. One only.
Sport 65 (Sport A)
1930, 65 hp (48 kW) M-5. Eight built.
Sport 70 (Sport B)
1930, 70 hp (52 kW) Le Blond 5DE. Built but not flown.
Sport 90
1931 90 hp (67 kW) Lambert R-266. Six built.

Fuji Heavy Industries began development of a four-seat light aeroplane, the Fuji FA-200 Aero Subaru in 1964, the first prototype flying on 12 August 1965. It is a low-wing all-metal aircraft, fitted with a fixed nosewheel undercarriage and a sliding canopy. It was first certified in Japan on 6 July 1966, with certification in the United States occurring on 26 September 1967.

Production started in March 1968, continuing until 1986, with a total of 275 built.

Variants

F-200-II

Prototype with a 160 hp Lycoming O-320 engine

FA-200-160

Initial version, powered by 160 hp Lycoming O-320 engine and fixed-pitch propeller.

FA-200-180

More powerful development - 180 hp Lycoming IO-360 engine and constant speed propeller.

FA-200-180AO

Powered by 180 hp Lycoming IO-320 engine and fitted with fixed-pitch propeller.

FA-203-S

Experimental short takeoff and landing (STOL) version, developed by Japan's National Aerospace Laboratory fitted with Boundary layer control system.

F-201

Proposed three-seat variant, not built.

F-202

Proposed two-seat aerobatic variant, not built.

F-203

Proposed STOL variant.

F-204

Proposed crop spraying variant, not built.

Specifications below are for the FA-200-180 variuant

The Funk Model B was a 1930s American two-seat cabin monoplane designed by Howard and Joe Funk. Originally built by the Akron Aircraft Company later renamed Funk Aircraft Company.

The Model B was the first powered aircraft designed by brothers Howard and Joe Funk, whose previous experience was in homebuilt gliders and sailplanes. The Model B was a strut-braced high-wing monoplane with a conventional tail unit and fixed tailwheel landing gear. The design uses mixed construction with fabric-covered wooden wings and a welded steel-tube fuselage. The aircraft was powered by the brothers' own Model E engine developed from a Ford "B" motor-car engine. The prototype first flew in late 1933.

When the test flights proved to be successful the brothers formed the Akron Aircraft Company in 1939 to build the Funk B. After production began, the engine was changed to a 75 hp (56 kW) Lycoming GO-145-C2 horizontally-opposed four-cylinder engine and was re-designated the Model B-75-L.

In 1941 the company moved from Akron to Kansas and the company was renamed the Funk Aircraft Company. Production was stopped during the Second World War and one aircraft was impressed into service in 1942 with the United States Army Air Corps as the UC-92.

After the war in 1946 production was resumed using a Continental C85-12 engine and the aircraft was redesignated the Model B-85-C and named the Bee. It did not sell well and production was halted in 1948. 380 aircraft of all variants had been built.

Variants

Model B
Prototype and initial production aircraft with Funk E engine.
Model B-75-L
Pre-war production aircraft with a 75hp (56 kW) Avco Lycoming GO-145-C2 piston engine.
Model B-85-C Bee
Post-war production aircraft with a Continental C85-12 engine.
UC-92
Army designation for one impressed Model B-75-L (s/n 42-79548).

The Game Composites GB1 GameBird is a British single-engine, two-seat, aerobatic aircraft that was designed by Philipp Steinbach and the first prototype was built by Game Composites.

Steinbach is a German aircraft designer, but not an aeronautical engineer, so he enlisted the aid of two engineers, Jing Dai and Robert Finney, to complete the design. The design work was done in the United Kingdom under Game Composites Limited of London. The aircraft is built under licence by Game Composites LLC in Bentonville, Arkansas, United States.

The GameBird is a composite structure tandem two-seat, low-wing, cantilever monoplane powered by a 303 horsepower (226 kW) Lycoming AEIO-580-B1A piston engine. The GameBird has a fixed conventional landing gear with a steerable tailwheel.

The prototype GameBird first flew on 15 July 2015.

The GameBird was certified by European Aviation Safety Agency in the CS-23 Aerobatic category on 12 April 2017 and by the US Federal Aviation Administration under FAR 23 on 29 August 2017. Game Composites received a production certificate from the FAA in June, 2019.

As of 26 September 2021, there were 32 GB1 aircraft registered in the US.

The Gazuit-Valladeau GV-103 Gazelle was a French-built light two- to four-seat training, aerobatic and touring aircraft of the late 1960s.

The first GV-103L, as it was originally called, was a two- or three-seat light touring aircraft first flown in 1969. Later referred to as the GV-103 and powered by an 86 kW (115 hp) Lycoming O-235 flat-four engine, it led to several production variants with two, three and four seats using engines of increasing power within the same airframe. It had a side-by-side seating layout and a fixed tricycle undercarriage with a longer nosewheel which gave the aircraft a pronounced tail-down attitude on the ground. Its construction was primarily metal but included some glass fibre structures and plastic bonding, novel at the time.

First flown on 1 May 1969, the GV-103 first appeared in public at the Paris Air Show in June 1969. The first two-seat production prototype GV-1020 Gazelle was on display at the Paris 1971 Show. It was intended to meet a club market for basic and aerobatic training.

The second Gazelle to fly was the prototype of the four-seat GV-1031 tourer, powered by a 112 kW (150 hp) Lycoming O-320 flat-four engine. An intermediate, three-seat variant with a Rolls-Royce built 97 kW (130 hp) Continental O-240 engine was planned but may not have been built. A four-five seat variant with a 134 kW (180 hhp) engine and retractable undercarriage was also planned, and feasibility studies of a twin-engine version made, but neither reached the construction stage.

By November 1972 seven Gazelle prototypes were flying and the GV-1301 received its French certification in April that year, with the CV-1020 expected to follow in January 1973. The GV-1020 had only a short operational career and was no longer on the French civil aircraft register by January 1983, though two GV-1031s, one dismantled, remained registered in mid-2010. In 1970 plans for the Canadian company Mondair Aviation to build the Gazelle range under licence as the Mondair 115/130/150 were announced. One GV-1031, without engine, reached Canada, but no North American production followed.

Variants

GV-103L
Later GV-103. First prototype, two-three seat, 85.7 kW (115 hp) Lycoming O-235 powered.   

GV-1031
Second prototype and production four-seat tourer, 112 kW (150 hp) Lycoming O-320 powered. At least two built, one going to Canada.

GV-1020
Production two-seat aerobatic and basic trainer, 85.7 kW (115 hp) Lycoming O-235 powered.

GV-1032
Three seat, Rolls-Royce built 97 kW (130 hp) Continental O-240. May not have been completed.

The General Aircraft GAL.42 Cygnet II was a 1930s British single-engined training or touring aircraft built by General Aircraft Limited at London Air Park, Hanworth.

The Cygnet was designed at Slough by C.W. Aircraft Limited in 1936. It was the first all-metal stressed-skin light aircraft to be built and flown in the United Kingdom. The prototype, powered by a 90 hp (67 kW) Cirrus Minor engine, and registration G-AEMA was first flown in May 1937 at London Air Park, Hanworth. It had a fixed tailwheel undercarriage and low cantilever wing with rounded wingtips and a split trailing edge flap that ran under the fuselage. Two persons sat side by side in an enclosed cabin with a reverse-sloped windscreen. The metal airframe had a very slim semi-monocoque tailcone which carried the tailplane and a single, triangular fin and rudder. The prototype soon underwent a number of modifications, with the Cirrus Minor engine being replaced by a 130 hp (97 kW) de Havilland Gipsy Major engine, the cockpit canopy being revised to have a more conventional forward-sloped windscreen and the centre section of flap underneath the aircraft's fuselage removed. Thus modified, it was entered into the 1937 King's Cup Race on 10–11 September that year, finishing 13th.

Airworthiness certification for the new type was slow, partially due to the Cygnet's extensive use of pop riveting, so that C.W. Aircraft made no sales of the Cygnet, while the company had also invested heavily in another design, the C.W. Swan, a six-seater to be powered by two de Havilland Gipsy Six engines. Overextended, C.W. aircraft became insolvent and was shut down in March 1938, with all rights for the Cygnet, together with the prototype, being sold to General Aircraft Ltd (GAL).

For more details of the history of the Cygney, click here.

The General Avia F 22 Pinguino is an Italian two-seat aircraft by GeneralAvia. It was designed by Stelio Frati and is his 22nd design. The aircraft was manufactured in four configurations, the "A" model with fixed gear, 116 hp Lycoming (O-235-N2C), & fixed prop, the "B" model same as the "A" but with uprated 160Hp Lycoming engine (O-320-D2A), the "R" model with retractable gear, the same 160 Hp Lycoming (O-320-D2A) and the "C" model with retractable gear, constant speed prop, and 180 HP Lycoming (O-360-A1A). The aircraft has two side-by-side seats in an enclosed cockpit.

The F.22 is certified in the aerobatic category capable of from -3g to +6g. The "C" model is used by a Netherlands aerobatic display team called "Red Sensation".

The production of the F 22 series began, after the prototypes and four pre-series aircraft manufactured, under the Technical Direction of Eng Pasquale De Rosa. In this phase were produced and sold about 30 aircraft and the mass production was structured. The Eng Pasquale De Rosa performed project engineering by reducing the hours of production from about 6000 to about 2000 hours making hundreds of improving changes, all certified. In this configuration the aircraft was certified as well as in Italy and in the US in England, Holland, France, New Zealand. Specifications below are for the C model.

The General Avia F 22 Pinguino is an Italian two-seat aircraft by GeneralAvia. It was designed by Stelio Frati and is his 22nd design. The aircraft has been manufactured in four configurations, the "A" model with fixed gear, 116 hp Lycoming (O-235-N2C), & fixed prop, the "B" model same as the "A" but with uprated 160Hp Lycoming engine (O-320-D2A), the "R" model with retractable gear, the same 160 Hp Lycoming (O-320-D2A) and the "C" model with retractable gear, constant speed prop, and 180 HP Lycoming (O-360-A1A). The aircraft has two side-by-side seats in an enclosed cockpit.

The F.22 is certified in the aerobatic category capable of from -3g to +6g. The "C" model is used by a Netherlands aerobatic display team called "Red Sensation".

The production of the F 22 series began, after the prototypes and four pre-series aircraft manufactured, under the Technical Direction of Eng Pasquale De Rosa. In this phase were produced and sold about 30 aircraft and the mass production was structured. The Eng Pasquale De Rosa performed project engineering by reducing the hours of production from about 6000 to about 2000 hours making hundreds of improving changes, all certified. In this configuration the aircraft was certified as well as in Italy and in the USA in England, Holland, France, New Zealand.

The Giles G-202 is an unlimited-level aerobatic airplane designed by Richard Giles.

This carbon fiber composite monoplane was manufactured by AkroTech Aviation in Troutdale, Oregon. The tandem two-seater was based upon on the single-seater Giles G-200.

The G-202 was produced and sold as kit plane by AkroTech, and slightly modified as the CAP 222 by Avions Mudry (France).

Operational history.

• In 1999 airshow performer Wayne Handley broke the world record for the most consecutive flat spins in a Giles G-202 performing 78 spins. The record was broken in 2014 by Spencer Suderman in 2014 in a Pitts S2-B performing 81 spins from 23,000 ft altitude.
• A Giles 202 crashed on Friday 28 August 2015 during practice for an air show at Stewart International Airport near New Windsor, NY, about 60 miles north of New York City. Photos taken by a bystander show the tail separating from the aircraft as the pilot was in an ascending maneuver. The pilot was killed.
• A Giles 202 crashed on Thursday 30 May 2019 during takeoff at the Wasilla Airport near Wasilla, AK. The pilot was killed. NTSB is still investigating the crash.

Based loosely on the Piper Pawnee, the first two prototypes used damaged Pawnee frames. The third prototype, built in 1992, was the first all-original airframe. The GA-200 was fully certificated on 1 March 1991.

Certificate of Type Approval No. 83-6 for the GA200 was issued by the Australian Civil Aviation Authority on that date; the first to be issued for a totally new aircraft design in Australia since the GAF Nomad, 20 years earlier. The certification basis was the Australian certification standards, Civil Aviation Orders, Sections 101.16 and 101.22. These standards in turn incorporated the airworthiness standards of Part 23 of the US Federal Aviation Regulations.

To date, 50 GA200 aircraft have been manufactured at GippsAero's base at the Latrobe Valley Airport, 28 of which have been exported to countries throughout the world including New Zealand, China, the United States, Canada, South Africa and Brazil.

In the late 1990s, GA200 production was scaled down to make way for the GA8 Airvan.

The "strut braced" design concept was chosen to allow the minimum possible weight for the wing, saving approximately 45 kg (100 lb) over a cantilever spar design. This allows a correspondingly greater maximum payload for a given empty weight. The configuration also provides a very “crashworthy” structure to provide a good “fly-on” capability following an obstacle strike. The design has been optimised for maximum strength-to-weight ratio by using “state of the art” finite element computer analysis methods. An initial conservative retirement life of 15,000 hours for critical structural components has been granted by the Australian Civil Aviation Safety Authority. This life can be extended as results of on-going tests becomes available.

For more information on thedesign, plus variants, click here.

The GA8 has been designed for use in remote areas and from austere air strips, performing tasks such as passenger services, freight, sightseeing, parachuting, observation, and intelligence, surveillance and reconnaissance (ISR) and search and rescue operations. Its design emphasises ruggedness and ease of use. First flown on 3 March 1995 and type certified under Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) Part 23 requirements during summer 2004, the GA8 has been flown by a diverse range of operators throughout the world.

Since its introduction, improved models featuring more powerful engines have been introduced; an enlarged turboprop-powered derivative, designated as the Gippsland GA10, has also been developed. A floatplane model of the GA8 has also been produced. At EAA Oshkosh 2014, the GA8 Airvan was officially renamed as Mahindra Airvan 8 as a reflection of GippsAero's recent acquisition by Indian conglomerate Mahindra Group. While produced in Australia to date, the establishment of a North American final assembly line to produce the type has been proposed.

The GippsAero GA8 Airvan is an eight-seat utility aircraft specifically designed for routine operations within the hostile conditions of the Australian Outback. In its original configuration, it was powered by a single Lycoming IO-540 piston engine; a derivative of the GA8, the GA10, is powered by a single Rolls-Royce 250-B17F/2 turboprop instead. Its performance has been described as adequate, reportedly being capable of taking off within distances as short as 525 feet; under average conditions, the GA8 is expected to readily operate from a 1,000-foot air strip. The handling has been described as forgiving, responsible, and akin to smaller aircraft.

Externally, the aircraft bares a resemblance to the Cessna 208 Caravan, possessing a rectangular fuselage with large windows along its cabin. Both passengers and crew are provided with a high level of visibility; in a standard seating configuration, each passenger is aligned with a sizable rectangular window which are bulged outwards to improve the downwards view. The use of a high-mounted wing located rearwards of the pilot's door improves the pilot's view range, particularly when looking upwards. Unlike the majority of bush planes, the GA8's cabin can accommodate an aisle between the seats, improving passenger comfort; other comfort-enhancing features include evenly-distributed cabin ventilation and modular upholstery, the later being interchangeable to facilitate rapid replacement. Wherever possible, the aircraft has been designed to ease maintenance activities, minimising tooling required and maximising accessibility. The cabin has a rear-facing door which can be opened mid-flight.

Variants

GA8

Production version with a Textron Lycoming IO-540-K1A5 engine.

GA8-TC-320

Variant with a Textron Lycoming TIO-540-AH1A engine.

The Glasair GlaStar (sometimes Glastar) is an American amateur-built aircraft that was designed by Tom Hamilton and produced by Stoddard-Hamilton Aircraft and later Glasair Aviation. It was first flown in 1994 and was superseded in production by the Glasair Sportsman 2+2 c. 2005. When it was available the aircraft was supplied as a kit for amateur construction.

The GlaStar features a strut-braced high-wing, a two-seats-in-side-by-side configuration enclosed cockpit accessed via doors, fixed tricycle landing gear or conventional landing gear and a single engine in tractor configuration.

The aircraft is made with a welded steel fuselage, with a fiberglass covering and aluminum wings. Its 35 ft (10.7 m) span wing employs a NASA GA(W)-2 airfoil at the wing root, with a NASA GA(W)-2 mod at the wing tip. The wings have an area of 128 sq ft (11.9 sq m), mount flaps and can be folded for ground transportation or storage. The acceptable power range is 100 to 180 hp (75 to 134 kW) and early engines used included the 100 hp (75 kW) Rotax 912ULS. The aircraft proved underpowered with the Rotax, and later the 150 to 160 hp (112 to 119 kW) Lycoming O-320 and the 180 hp (134 kW) Lycoming O-360 four-stroke powerplants were used. The landing gear can be rapidly converted between tricycle and taildragger configurations. The cockpit is 44 in (110 cm) wide and includes a large baggage area that will accommodate 200 lb (91 kg) of cargo.

Initial factory estimated construction time was 1200 hours.

Variants

Symphony SA-160
Type certified version, produced by Ostmecklenburgische Flugzeugbau (OMF) and later Symphony Aircraft.
Glasair Sportsman 2+2
Four seat development with a gross weight of 2,350 lb (1,066 kg) that replaced the original GlaStar in production.
Plane Driven PD-1
Roadable version produced by Plane Driven. The Plane Driven PD-1 is a modification to the Glasair Sportsman 2+2 to convert it into a practical roadable aircraft. The approach is novel in that it uses a mostly stock aircraft with a modified landing gear "pod" that carries a separate engine for road propulsion.

Plane Driven PD-1

The Glassic SQ2000 (also written as SQ 2000 and SQ-2000) is an American homebuilt aircraft, designed and produced by Glassic Composites LLC of Sale Creek, Tennessee. When it was available the aircraft was supplied as a kit for amateur construction.

The SQ2000 features a cantilever mid-wing with tip rudders and a canard, a four-seat enclosed cabin accessed via doors, fixed or optionally retractable tricycle landing gear and a single engine in pusher configuration.

The aircraft is made from composites. Its 26.58 ft (8.1 m) span wing has a wing area of 104.0 sq ft (9.66 m2). The cabin width is 48 in (120 cm). The acceptable power range is 160 to 260 hp (119 to 194 kW) and the standard engine used is the 200 hp (149 kW) Lycoming IO-360 powerplant.

Like many canard designs, the SQ2000 has lengthy runway requirements. The standard day, sea level take-off run is 1,600 ft (488 m), while the landing roll is 1,500 ft (457 m).

By 1998 the company reported that two kits had been sold and that one aircraft had been completed and was flying.

In December 2013 five examples were registered in the United States with the Federal Aviation Administration, although a total of eight had been registered at one time.

Variants

SQ2000 XP
Retractable gear model. The SQ2000 XP has a typical empty weight of 1,200 lb (540 kg) and a gross weight of 2,250 lb (1,020 kg), giving a useful load of 1,050 lb (480 kg). With full fuel of 42 U.S. gallons (160 L; 35 imp gal) the payload for pilot, passengers and baggage is 798 lb (362 kg). The manufacturer estimated the construction time from the supplied kit as 700 hours.
SQ2000 ES

Fixed gear model, with oleo strut-mounted gear. The SQ2000 ES has a typical empty weight of 1,200 lb (540 kg) and a gross weight of 1,900 lb (860 kg), giving a useful load of 700 lb (320 kg). With full fuel of 39 U.S. gallons (150 L; 32 imp gal) the payload for pilot, passengers and baggage is 466 lb (211 kg). Other differences from the SQ2000 XP include a wing area of 100.0 sq ft (9.29 m2) and a cruise speed of 225 mph (362 km/h). The manufacturer estimated the construction time from the supplied kit as 750 hours.

The Swift was designed by R.S. "Pop" Johnson in 1940, despite the fanciful story which has now entered into popular mythology surrounding the Swift's origins, that a Culver Cadet was obtained as a "template" aircraft. The design was financially secured by John Kennedy, president of the Globe Medicine Company, to be built by his new Globe Aircraft Company. World War II interrupted their plans, however, and the 85 hp (63 kW) GC-1A Swift advertised as the "All Metal Swift" re-designed by K.H."Bud" Knox, received its type certificate on 7 May 1946. Two prototypes were built but essentially, the design remained the same as the type entered production. Globe built about 408 GC-1As.

Later that year, the Swift received a more powerful engine of 125 hp (93 kW), making it the GC-1B. Globe, together with TEMCO, built 833 GC-1Bs in six months. Globe was outpacing sales of the Swift, however, and did not have enough orders to sell all of the aircraft being built. As a result, Globe was forced into insolvency. TEMCO being the largest debtor paid $328,000 to obtain the type certificate, tooling, aircraft, and parts to enable them to continue production in late 1947, in the hope that reviving production would enable TEMCO to recover their loss. TEMCO went on to build 260 more aircraft before shutting Swift production down permanently in 1951.

The type certificate for the Swift was obtained by Universal Aircraft Industries (later Univair) along with all production tooling. Spare parts continued to be built until 1979 when the Swift Museum Foundation under the leadership of President Charlie Nelson purchased the Type Certificate, parts and tooling.

The Griffon Lionheart is an American single-engined, six-seat biplane designed and produced in kit form for home building by Griffon Aerospace of Harvest, Alabama.

The Lionheart is based on the Beechcraft Staggerwing biplane of the 1930s but unlike the steel tube, wood and fabric construction of the Staggerwing it has a composite structure. The Staggerwing has strut-braced wings but the Lionheart has cantilever wings with a total area about 20% less than the wings of the Staggerwing. It is powered by a 450 hp (336 kW) Pratt & Whitney R-985 Wasp Junior radial engine with a three-bladed propeller. It has a retractable conventional landing gear with a tailwheel. The enclosed cabin is slightly longer than the Staggerwing's cabin to allow room for the pilot and five passengers, and it has a split airstair access door on the port side.

The Lionheart first flew on 27 July 1997 and was first displayed in public at EAA AirVenture Oshkosh a few days later. Five kits were sold by April 1998, and two of the kits were completed by 2001, with another almost complete. As of August 2011, three Lionhearts are registered in the United States, with another example on display in an aviation museum at Tullahoma Regional Airport in Tullahoma, Tennessee. Kits are no longer being produced.

The Grinvalds Orion is one of the earliest (1981) composite kit- and homebuilt aircraft. A 2/4 seater with a single pusher engine, it was built in France and the United States in small numbers with several variations.

Designed in 1975 and first flown in 1981, the Orion was one of the earliest kitbuilt aircraft to be constructed from composite materials. It is a low wing cantilever monoplane with a T-tail, of conventional layout except for its pusher configuration; this places the cabin well ahead of the leading edge and provides an excellent downward view. The Orion is built from Kevlar reinforced glassfibre shells, with foam filling in the wings. The latter, which have 4.5° of dihedral, are straight edged and only slightly tapered, with blunt tips. They carry electrically driven split flaps. Its cabin seats four in two side-by-side rows and is entered by centrally hinged gull wing doors. The engine, a Lycoming O-360 variant of either 180 hp or 200 hp (134/149 kW) is mounted over the wing trailing edge line and drives a three-bladed propeller, mounted at the extreme tail, via a long shaft. Behind the wing the fuselage tapers on its underside; it carries a broad fin with a straight, swept leading edge and rudder, on top of which is the straight, tapered tailplane and horn balanced elevators. Below the fuselage is a long, shallow ventral strake. The tricycle undercarriage is electrically retractable. The main legs fold inwards; when deployed, they splay out strongly.

The first prototype of the plan-built G-801 Orion flew for the first time on 2 June 1981, configured as a two-seater and powered by a 65 hp (48.5 kW) engine. The first kit-production aircraft, designated G-802 Orion, differed from the G-801 chiefly by having a wider cabin and a slightly longer fuselage (increased by 140 mm or 5.5 in). This first flew in November 1983, powered by a 180 hp Lycoming. By early 1985 140 plans for G-801s and 80 G-802 kits had been sold, but the development programme was halted by the death of its designer on 3 April 1985 whilst demonstrating the aircraft.

Plans and kits were distributed by Aérodis in France and by Aerodis America Inc. in the USA. Individual builders, often using the original moulds at Brienne-le-Chateau, continued to innovate. Around 1990 Jaques Darcissac built an Orion with a fuselage strengthened with wire mesh and with a more robust undercarriage, which he named the Darcissac-Grinvalds DG-87 Goéland (Seagull in English) and this name has been used by three other builders. Other builders have also given their aircraft different names, such as Gerfaut, Gypaète and Scorpion. A new version of the Orion, tailored for US market was designed, known as the AA200.

By the end of 2008 about 17 Orion variants had been flown, with another nine under construction. Most have been registered in France, though three are on the US register.

It is built in Germany by Grob Aircraft (Grob Aerospace before January 2009). The E variant with a 3-blade variable pitch propeller is in service with the Finnish Air Force,[1] the Royal Navy and Army Air Corps for Flying Grading (a pre-EFT flying course) and in the Royal Air Force as part of No. 6 Flying Training School (6 FTS) which provides flying to both University Air Squadrons and Air Experience Flights to Cadets of the Royal Air Force Air Cadets.[2] As of 2020, the Tutor is still being used by the RAF for some Elementary Flying Training (3FTS) but is due to be phased out in favour of its replacement, the Prefect T1.

The aircraft is constructed of carbon composite materials. The main fuselage and each wing spar is a single piece. It has a fixed (sprung steel) tricycle undercarriage with spatted wheels, a short nose bearing the 180 hp engine, and a 3-bladed variable-pitch propeller. The aircraft was re-certified in 2013 with a new MT Propeller following issues with the previous design. The inverted oil system was also redesigned to improve lubrication during aerobatics. The cockpit features a broad canopy arch and spine. Forward visibility is good. The side-by-side seats are fixed and pilot seating is adjusted with cushions as well as a rudder bar adjuster. The wings are tapered with square tips and the empennage consists of a large fin and rudder, with an oblong tailplane with square tips mid-set to the fuselage.

The initial Grob G 115 and G 115A models had an upright fin and rudder, and were mainly sold to civilian aeroplane clubs in Germany, the United Kingdom and several other countries.

The aircraft is capable of basic aerobatic manoeuvres (limited to +6G and −3G).

For more information on the G115, click here.

The Grob G 520 is a turboprop long-endurance, high-altitude reconnaissance and surveillance aircraft built by Grob Aircraft with short runway capabilities and full approval for all-weather IFR/icing operations according to LBA/FAA Part 23 regulations. Developed and certified in 1991, the Grob G 520 is one of the world's largest fully composite manned aircraft and holder of several world records. Production was resumed in 2014.

The Grob G 520 ‘EGRETT’ (former Grob/E-Systems/AlliedSignal Egrett – its name is derived from the three companies involved in its design: E-Systems, Grob Aircraft, and Garrett, the latter firm later changing its name to AlliedSignal) is a surveillance aircraft developed in Germany in the 1980s by an international partnership. It was intended to fill a joint German Air Force – US Air Force requirement for a high-altitude, long-duration surveillance platform for treaty verification and environmental monitoring. Known as "LAPAS" (Luftgestütztes, abstandsfähiges Primär-Aufklärungssystem, engl: airborne, long distance primary reconnaissance system) in Germany and "Senior Guardian" in the US, the program initially attempted to acquire the Lockheed TR-1 (U-2) for this role, but when this did not succeed, a new aircraft was sought.

The initial D-450 EGRETT I development aircraft flew in 1987 and established three world records for altitude and time to climb in September 1988:

Time to climb to 15,000 metres (49,213 ft): 40 minutes 47 seconds
Altitude in horizontal flight: 16,239 metres (53,278 ft)
Altitude without payload: 16,329 metres (53,573 ft)
Two pre-production machines followed in 1989 and 1990 as the D-500 EGRETT II and then fitted out to the finalized G 520 design in 1991. These latter two aircraft were owned by E-Systems and Grob respectively, and used for promotional purposes: E-Systems' for various sensor packages, and Grob's (renamed the Strato 1) to market the design to civil authorities as a resource management platform.

In 1992, the German Air Force placed an order for production of nine EGRETT IIs, to be supplemented by G 520T two-seat trainer and one of the demonstrators. However, in February 1993, before much production had taken place, the process of procurement came under scrutiny when accusations of corruption (Amigo Affair) surrounding the former Bavarian Minister President Max Streibl became public. The program was subsequently cancelled when Eastern Europe ceased to be perceived as a threat.

The two-seater-version G 520T was completed and sold to Airborne Research Australia in Adelaide. In 2014, Grob Aircraft repurchased the G 520T and flew it back to Germany. The repainted aircraft will be presented to the public during the Farnborough Airshow 2014, simultaneously as kick-off for resuming the production of the G 520T.

It was the first composite aircraft specifically designed for stratospheric research.

The G 520 is a fully composite conventional mid-wing monoplane with extremely high aspect ratio wings. Power is provided by a single turboprop Honeywell TPE 331-14F with a 4-blade Hartzell propeller, and it is equipped with a tricycle undercarriage, whose main units retract into fairings on the wings. The flexible payload-bay concept of the G 520 can accommodate multiple mission systems for both civilian and military applications and 12 payload compartments for up to 850 kg of mission equipment make the G 520 an ideal multi-role platform for a wide range of missions. The cockpit of the G 520T provides room for a pilot and a sensor operator as well as for equipment which has to be placed inside the pressurized cabin. The instrument panel can be optionally equipped with a digital glass cockpit IDU-680 EFIS by Genesys Aerosystems.

Variants

G 520T
The G 520T is a two-seater version of the G 520. Initially planned for training and demonstration purposes, the single G 520T built was repurchased by Grob Aircraft in 2014 and transferred to Germany in June 2014. The production of the G 520T will be resumed in 2014.

G 520NG
The G 520NG will be the revised production version of the initial G 520T. According to company statements during Farnborough Airshow 2014 deliveries can start in 2016.

The line includes the original American Aviation AA-5 Traveler, the Grumman American AA-5 Traveler, AA-5A Cheetah, and AA-5B Tiger, the Gulfstream American AA-5A Cheetah and AA-5B Tiger, the American General AG-5B Tiger, and the Tiger Aircraft AG-5B Tiger.

Following American Aviation's success with the AA-1 Yankee Clipper two-seat light aircraft in 1969, the company decided to produce a four-seat aircraft. They started with a new "clean-sheet" design that was designated the American Aviation AA-2 Patriot. The AA-2 design did not meet its performance goals during test-flying and only one was ever built.

Still needing a four-seat aircraft to fill its product line, the company simply enlarged the external and cabin dimensions of the AA-1 Yankee to create the four-seater. This decision capitalized on the marketplace identification of the Yankee and its derivative the AA-1A Trainer and also resulted in 2/3 parts commonality between the designs, saving development time and production costs.

For more extensive details on each of the variants, click here.

Specifications below are for the 2005 model Tiger Aircraft AG-5B Tiger.

Tiger Aircraft Llc AG-5B

Grumman America AA-5 Traveller

Grumman America AA-5B Tiger

The Grumman G-164 Ag Cat is a single-engined biplane agricultural aircraft, developed by Grumman in the 1950s.

In 1955, Grumman preliminary design engineers Joe Lippert and Arthur Koch proposed the design for a "purpose-built" crop-dusting airplane as a means of fulfilling a pressing need in the agricultural community, as well as the perceived need for Grumman to diversify its product lines. The initial market survey indicated that 100 to 200 of this type could be sold each year. Lippert's initial proposal was made under the project name "Farmair 1000".

The first G-164, which was built by Grumman (N74054), was equipped with a Continental W670 Series 6A-16 powerplant. The aircraft had its maiden flight on May 27, 1957, with Grumman test pilot Hank Kurt at the controls. This initial flight test consisted of three short familiarization hops with the take-off weight set at 3122 lb and the center of gravity at 31.2%. Flight tests 2 and 3, with test pilot Victor Eble, were accomplished on May 28, 1958, to evaluate its general flight characteristics. In total, 46 test flights were completed by the end of August 1958 with a general finding that this was a well-behaved aircraft with only minor refinements needed before production.

When the decision was made to authorize production, Leroy Grumman suggested marketing the aircraft under the name "The Grasshopper"; however, Dick Reade suggested "Ag Cat" following Grumman's naming tradition using the suffix "cat" in aircraft names (e.g., F4F Wildcat and F6F Hellcat). Mr. Grumman agreed and the Grumman G-164 became the "Ag Cat".

Large military orders prevented the production of the Ag Cat at Grumman's Bethpage facility. Grumman's board of directors chose to subcontract the entire program to the Schweizer Aircraft Corporation of Elmira, New York. Initial production was through a contract between Schweizer and Grumman. The first Schweizer-built Ag Cat, bearing registration number N10200, flew on October 17, 1958, under the control of Schweizer test pilot Clyde Cook. Full production began in January 1959, with Schweizer delivering 12 FAA-certified airplanes to Grumman by March 1959. The FAA granted type certification on January 20, 1959.

The ownership of the Ag Cat design has changed hands several times. Grumman transferred ownership to its commercial aircraft subsidiary, Grumman American, in 1973. A market feasibility study for a new agricultural aircraft (Ag Cat X) was completed by Grumman American in 1976. This study indicated that potential market demand existed for more than 100 aircraft each year. The study also showed that most of the concerns expressed by agricultural aircraft operators were addressed by the Ag Cat C model. The Grumman American subsidiary, which also owned the Grumman Gulfstream design series, was sold to American Jet Industries in 1978.

From initial production through 1981, Schweizer built 2,455 aircraft under contract. In 1981 Schweizer bought the rights to the design and continued production under the name Schweizer Ag Cat. Schweizer sold the design to Ag Cat Corp. of Malden, Missouri in 1995.

Five model G-164B aircraft were produced and registered before Ag Cat Corp. entered bankruptcy. One additional aircraft, a G-164BT500, is listed in the FAA registry as having been produced by Ag-Cat Corp., but no tail number was issued. This may have been an upgrade to an existing airframe.

In February 2001, the design was sold to Allied Ag Cat Productions Inc. of Walnut Ridge, Arkansas. Allied Ag Cat is not producing new aircraft, although a related company operates a large fleet of Ag-Cats.

The basic airframe incorporates many safety innovations, including a pressurized cockpit to keep pesticides out, air conditioning, and a fuselage structure that is designed to progressively collapse in the event of a collision.

Lippert and Koch were recognized for their innovation in agricultural aircraft, being awarded the Puffer Award by Delta Air Lines in 1974.

Floats were approved for the aircraft in the early 1990s in Australia.

For details of the 15 variants, click here.

The Gyroflug SC 01 Speed Canard is an unconventional sports plane produced in Germany in the 1980s and 1990s. Inspired by the Rutan VariEze, the Speed Canard was an all-new design created without input from Rutan. Like the VariEze, the Speed Canard is a canard-configured mid-wing monoplane with wingtip fins that incorporate rudders. The two-seat tandem cockpit and canopy design were derived from Grob Twin Astir sailplane, and the nosewheel of the tricycle undercarriage is retractable. Construction throughout is of composite materials, and when the design attained German certification in 1983, it became the first composite canard design to achieve certification anywhere in the world. An interesting feature of the control system is that the twin rudders operate independently, allowing both rudders to be deflected outwards simultaneously, cancelling each other's yaw, but acting as airbrakes.

In 1987, the development of a four-seat version was announced as the E 401, but was abandoned soon thereafter. In late 1988 Gyroflug partnered with Litton Industries using Gyroflug Speed Canard as for Litton's Advanced Tactical Surveillance System.

The Hamilton H-45 and H-47 were six-passenger-seat, all-metal, high-wing monoplanes powered by single Pratt & Whitney radial engines. They were built for passenger and mail-carrying work in the US in the late 1920s.

The Hamilton Metalplane Company, which merged with Boeing in 1926, built some of the earliest all-metal US aircraft. The H-45 and the H-47, which differed chiefly in having a more powerful engine, were part of that series.

Both types were corrugated-aluminium-skinned in the Junkers style. The high wings were semi-cantilevers, unsupported apart from pairs of parallel struts from the fuselage bottom edge to the wing close to the fuselage. The main legs of the fixed, tailwheel undercarriage were attached at the same wing points as the struts and joined laterally by inverted V bracing. The fuselage was flat-sided, with wide windows to the passenger cabin under the wing. This was accessed via a portside door, aft of which was a smaller door into a baggage compartment. The two crew members sat in a cabin in front of the wings, accessed by a rooftop hatch. The tail was conventional, with a braced tailplane.

Both the H-45 and the H-47 were powered by a single, uncowled, Pratt & Whitney 9-cylinder radial: the H-45 had a 450 hp (335 kW) Wasp and the H-47 a 525 hp (390 kW) Hornet. The Hornet gave a 10 mph (16 km/h) increase in cruising speed and a slight (3%) increase in useful load to 2300 lb (1043 kg).

Both types first flew in 1928. Both could be mounted on floats. In all, about 25 H-45s and 21 H-47s were built.

During 1930, Isthmian Airways used Hamilton floatplanes for their service linking the Atlantic to the Pacific between respectively Cristóbal, Colón and Balboa in the Panama Canal Zone. The airline impudently claimed the 30-minute flight as the "fastest transcontinental service in North America".

One H-47 (originally built as an H-45) was impressed by the United States Army as a UC-89 in 1942.[8] It was found unsuitable for Army work and was struck off charge in August 1943.

It was a featured aircraft in Howard Hawk's 1939 "Only Angels Have Wings" flying mail for "Barranca". The flying scenes were fake; however, the aircraft was used in ground scenes. The movie prop model (or one of them) survives.

The Harlow PJC-2 was a 1930s American four-seat cabin monoplane, designed by Max Harlow.

Max Harlow was an aeronautical engineer and instructor at the Pasadena Junior College. Under his tutelage, the aircraft designated PJC-1 was designed and built as a class project. The PJC-1 first flew on 14 September 1937 at Alhambra, California but it crashed during an extended (more than six turn) spin test with the center of gravity ballasted to the aft limit, as it was going through the certification process—a problem generally laid at the feet the unusually rigorous spin test requirement and the government test pilot, who bailed out of the airplane after the spin "flattened out." The airplane struck the ground, still in the "flat" (longitudinally level) attitude in a bean field near Mines Field (now Los Angeles International Airport) with considerable damage; although repairable, the PJC-1 was never returned to service. PJC students then built a slightly modified airplane, which limited aileron travel with full aft-stick and incorporated a slightly larger vertical stabilizer. This became the PJC-2 model, serial number 1 certified by the FAA on 20 May 1938. It was one of the first, if not the first, airplane designed and built in the U.S. with a stressed-skin semi-monocoque structure—a revolutionary design feature for the time. Harlow saw the potential and formed the Harlow Aircraft Company to build PJC-2 aircraft at Alhambra Airport. Four aircraft were impressed into United States Army Air Forces service with the designation UC-80 in 1942, and used by Civil Aeronautics Administration inspectors after WWII.

The PJC-2 was an all-metal low-wing cantilever monoplane with conventional low-set tailplane and a retractable tailwheel landing gear. A tandem two-seat version intended as a military trainer was developed as the Harlow PC-5.

Number built:  11. In 1991, 3 PJC-2s were actively flying.

Variants

PJC-1
Prototype, one built.
PJC-2
One prototype, serial number 1, a Warner Super Scarab radial engine, followed by 10 production airplanes. Most remaining examples have been re-engined with a Warner 165 HP or 185 HP engine.

The Rocket II is a modified Van’s two place RV-4.
The kit to build a Rocket II from John Harmon is an extension of RV-4 kit which is purchased from Van’s.

With the intended use of bigger engines the altered fuselage is wider and the length 18 inches longer.

The modified wing was tested by an independent engineering facility. A unique modification is titanium for the gear legs which provide a difference in feel when landing and also doesn’t shimmy during ground operations.

The HR2 is not a quickbuild kit as many builders of the Rocket prefer to be more involved in the aircraft building process and express a preference of some minor fitting and trimming. An economy cruise speed of 215 mph at 55 is average for a Rocket II with a LYC.10-540 -C4B5/250 hp. 2575 rpm. while there is one Rocket that has a 340+ horsepower and can cruise at 275 mph.