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Acme Aircraft Sierra S-1 Sportplane
Beattie-Fellers S-1
 Acme Sierra N12K at Edwards FTC Designed by Ron Beattie and Walt Fellers, two North American Engineers who came to work for the Northrop Division, the 1948 Acme Sierra (a.k.a. "Sierra Sue") N12K was built by the Acme Aircraft Co. at the Torrance Airport in late 1948. It was built by Acme's Crawford and Keeney.
Designed and flown by Ron Beattie and Walt Fellers, the first flight took place on 23 November 1953. It was built according to Goodyear Racing Plane specifications. Although it was never entered in any races, extensive data was obtained during its many flights.
It was built to investigate the advantages of a pusher propeller configuration. It has a "Y" shaped tail incorporating ruddervators on the upper fins, an unswept wing mounted midway up the fuselage, an engine mounted directly behind the cockpit, and large air scoops mounted in the forward end of both wing roots. The aircraft, now designated as the Sierradyne S-1, was used by Sierradyne Inc. in the 1960's to test and promote Northrop's and Dr Werner Pfenninger's boundary layer control concepts. Northrop used it as a flying technology demonstrator for the Air Force’s AX close-support aircraft design competition in 1972, but despite its being re-labeled as the Northrop Turbo-Pusher, the plane was never officially considered a Northrop aircraft.
It is reported displayed at the Los Angeles Science Museum.
Engine: Continental C-85, 85hp
Wing span: 20' 2"
Length: 18' 0"
Max speed: 200 mph
Empty weight: 590 lb
Seats: 1
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