El Segundo, California, USA
General Aircraft Corporation announced plans in 1969 for a 36- seat STOL transport, the GAC-100, powered by four Pratt & Whitney PT6A-40 turboprop engines.
Aircraft
General Aircraft Corp / GAC G1-80 Skyfarer
The General Aircraft Corporation was established to build an aircraft designed by Doctor Otto C. Koppen from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology. The aircraft was the G1-80 Skyfarer, a two-seat cabin high-wing braced monoplane with a light alloy basic structure and a mixed steel tube and fabric covering. It had an unusual tail unit, a cantilever tailplane with the elevator mounted on the upper surface of the tail with aluminum endplate fins and no movable rudders. It was powered by a 75 hp (56 kW) Avco Lycoming GO-145-C2 geared air-cooled four-cylinder engine.
The aircraft incorporated aerodynamic control principles covered by patents issued to Fred Weick, an early aeronautical engineer who went on to design and market the Ercoupe. Since it had no rudders (or rudder pedals), it was simpler to fly (it had a single control wheel, which controlled the ailerons and elevator), and was considered spin-proof. The aircraft was certified in 1941 with a placard that stated the aircraft was characteristically incapable of spinning. The company also made a comment to Popular Science in a September 1941 article, with first public photos that an “average” person could learn to fly the Skyfarer …in an hour or so…
It was anticipated that many aircraft would be ordered and built, but the United States became involved in the Second World War and the Skyfarer programme was abandoned after 17 examples had been built. The rights and tooling passed to Grand Rapids Industries in 1943, who built 2 aircraft before stopping production. The company became a manufacturer of the Waco CG-4A troop glider.
L.W. DuVon and Dr. David O. Kime of Western Union College convinced the type holder Grand Rapids Industries, to give the equipment, tools and one of the finished planes to the college in 1944. They then found local investors who formed Mars Corporation in 1945. The aircraft was later licenced as the Mars M1-80 Skycoupe with a 100 hp engine. One example was built and production plans were estimated to be as high as 75 planes in its first year. The glut of aircraft produced after the war left little market for the aircraft. The facility to manufacture the aircraft was sold by 1946.
The aircraft NC29030 resides in the Plymouth County, Iowa Historical Museum.
G1-80 Skyfarer
Engine: 1 × Lycoming GO-145-C2, 75 hp (56 kW)
Wingspan: 31 ft 5 in (9.58 m)
Wing area: 121.3 sq.ft (11.27 sq.m)
Length: 22 ft 0 in (6.71 m)
Height: 8 ft 8 in (2.64 m)
Empty weight: 890 lb (404 kg)
Gross weight: 1350 lb (612 kg)
Maximum speed: 144 mph ( km/h)
Cruise speed: 100 mph (161 km/h)
Range: 350 miles (563 km)
Service ceiling: 10,000 ft (3050 m)
Seats: 1 pilot, 1 passenger, side-by-side
General Aircraft Corp / GAC
Long Island, New York, USA
The company was established at Lowell, Massachusetts to build an aircraft designed by Doctor Otto C. Koppen, a professor of aeronautics from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology. The aircraft was the G1-80 Skyfarer, a two-seat cabin high-wing braced monoplane.
Before the company could produce the aircraft in any numbers the Second World War intervened, and the Skyfarer programme was abandoned after 17 examples had been built. Situated on Long Island, New York, the company became a manufacturer of the Waco CG-4A troop glider and the interests in the Wayfarer were sold to Grand Rapids Industries in 1943.
In 1969, the company bought the Helio Aircraft Company which specialised in building STOL aircraft for use by government agencies in south east Asia. The company ceased to manufacture aircraft in October 1976 when it sold the production rights and assets of its Helio Aircraft division.
General Aircraft GAL.61
The fourth glider in the GAL.56 research series was built as the GAL.61. The GAL.61 placed the pilot in a blister on the pot side whilst the observer was in a prone position on the starboard side with a window in the wing leading edge.
The glider was of all wooden construction. No fins or rudders were fitted, directional control being by drag rudders in the wingtips. The wing was symmetrical with cusped trailing edge. Split trailing edge flaps of 20% chord were hydraulically operated.
The undercarriage was hydraulically operated retractable tricycle.
Wingspan: 15.84 m / 51 ft 11.5 in
Overall length: 7.53 m / 24 ft 8.3 in
Aspect ratio: 5.94
Wing area: 41.8 sq.m / 450 sq.ft
Empty weight: 1972 kg / 4348 lb
AUW: 2350 kg / 5174 lb
Mean sweepback: 35 degrees
Max speed: 322 kph / 200 mph
Towing speed: 242 kph / 150 mph
General Aircraft GAL.58 Hamilcar 10
The General Aircraft GAL.58 Hamilcar 10 was a powered version of the Hamilcar 1 to AM Spec X.4/44, for Far-Easton Sector operations. The glider was fitted with two Bristol Mercury engines of 965 hp each, to enable the glider to maintain level flight when lightly loaded.
Wing span: 110.007 ft / 33.53 m
Wing area: 1657.441 sq.ft / 153.980 sq.m
Length: 68.012 ft / 20.73 m
Height: 20.243 ft / 6.17 m
Max take off weight: 45,500 lb / 20,412 kg
Weight empty: 25,510 lb / 11,571 kg
Aspect ratio: 7.3
Wing section: RAF 34 modified
Max speed: 145 mph / 233 kg
Max speed: 112 mph at 32,500 lb
Cruise: 180 kph at 14,742 kg
General Aircraft General Aircraft GAL.55
The General Aircraft GAL.55 was a two-seat training glider designed and built by General Aircraft Ltd to AM Spec TX.3/43 to train transport glider pilots.
Wings were built from spruce and plywood, the fuselage being made out of steel tubes faired with wooden formers and fabric covered.
Side-by-side seating with amber panels for daytime night flying.
The undercarriage was tricycle, of fixed centres, plus tail bumper. Dive brakes were fitted, plus bellows-operated split tailing edge flaps.
The first flights wee around the end of 1943, a Westland Lysander being used for towing.
Wingspan: 10.71 m / 35 ft 1.5 in
Length: 7.79 m / 25 ft 6.5 in
Wing area: 16.74 sq.m / 182 sq.ft
Aspect ratio: 6.8
Empty weight: 747.4 kg / 1650 lb
AUW: 1066 kg / 2350 lb
Max speed: 362 kph / 225 mph
Max tow speed: 282 kph / 175 mph
Stall: 100 kph / 62 mph flaps up / 87 kph / 54 mph flaps down
General Aircraft GAL-42 Cygnet / Owlet
CW Aircraft was established in 1936 by C R. Chronander and J. I. Waddington to design and develop Cygnet two-seat all-metal cabin monoplane, which first flew in 1937. Rights in Cygnet acquired by General Aircraft Ltd. in 1938.
General Aircraft GAL-42 Cygnet Article
This 1936 side by side two seat training and club aircraft was an attempt at a more robust and easily made machine than those of longeron, plywood and fabric construction. It was the first British light aeroplane to have both metal skinned wings and fuselage. The first version had a single fin and rudder and a tailwheel landing gear. The later Cygnets had twin fins and a tricycle landing gear making it easier to fly.
There was also an experimental open-cockpit version, the Owlet.
Cygnet
Engine: One 150 h.p. Blackburn Major II.
Length: 23.25 ft. (7.08 m.).
Wing span: 34.5 ft. (10.5 m).
Weight empty: 1,475 lb. (670 kg.).
Seats: 2.
Max cruise: 115 m.p.h. (185 km.p.h.).
Ceiling: 14,000 ft. (4,300 m.) fully loaded.
Range: 445 miles (720 km.).
General Aircraft GAL 49 Hamilcar
The General Aircraft GAL 49 Hamilcar 1 was a large transport glider of wooden construction, designed to A.M. Spec. X.27/40 to carry a crew of two and either 60 troops or a flight 7-ton tank.
A hinged nose section was fitted for loading. The undercarriage was jettisonable mainwheels and two steel sprung main skids. Trailing edge flaps were fitted.
They were built by General Aircraft Ltd and various sub-contractors. The first flight of the prototype was on 27 Mach 1942.
Variation
General Aircraft GAL.58 Hamilcar
Wing span: 110.007 ft / 33.53 m
Wing area: 1657.441 sq.ft / 153.980 sq.m
Length: 68.012 ft / 20.73 m
Height: 20.243 ft / 6.17 m
Max take off weight: 36005.4 lb / 16329.0 kg
Weight empty: 18402.9 lb / 8346.0 kg
Aspect ratio: 7.3
Wing section: RAF 34 modified
Max. speed: 130 kts / 241 kph
Max tow speed: 241 kph / 150 mph
Stall: 104 kph / 65 mph
Landing speed: 57 kts / 105 kph
Wing load: 21.73 lb/sq.ft / 106.0 kg/sq.m
Crew: 1
General Aircraft GAL.48 Hotspur / GAL.48B Twin Hotspur
The General Aircraft GAL 48 Hotspur I was an eight-seat troop carrying glider of all wood construction designed to Air Ministry Specification X.10/40 and built by General Aircraft and Slingsby Sailplanes in 1941.
The prototype first flew in 1941.
The General Aircraft Hotspur 8 seat assault training glider was first intended to be released at 20,000ft for long gliding missions, but 16ft was lopped off the span and it was used for training as the Hotspur 2.
The GAL.48 Hotspur 2 were built by Harris Lebus and other sub-contractors, in 1941.
The GAL.48 Hotspur 3 were Hotspur 2 fitted with dual controls.
The GAL.48B Twin Hotspur was a sixteen-seat troop transport glider built by General Aircraft Ltd in 1942. It was two Hotspur 2 fuselages joined together with a short centre wing. The first flight of the prototype was in August 1942. It was flown from the port fuselage, there being no controls in the starboard cockpit.
General Aircraft GAL 48 Hotspur
Training glider, United Kingdom, 1940
Length: 39.304 ft / 11.98 m
Height: 10.827 ft / 3.3 m
Wing span: 61.909 ft / 18.87 m
Wing area: 272.006 sq.ft / 25.27 sq.m
Max take off weight: 3598.6 lb / 1632.0 kg
Weight empty: 1660.4 lb / 753.0 kg
Max. speed: 113 kts / 209 kph
Landing speed: 49 kts / 90 kph
Cruising speed: 78 kts / 145 kph
Cruising altitude: 20013 ft / 6100 m
Wing loading: 13.33 lb/sq.ft / 65.0 kg/sq.m
Range: 72 nm / 134 km
Crew: 8
GAL 48 Hotspur 2
Wing span: 13.99 m / 45 ft 10.75 in
Length: 11.98 m / 39 ft 3.5 in
Wing area: 25.04 sq.m / 272 sq.ft
Aspect ratio: 7.7
Empty weight: 753.4 kg / 1661 lb
AUW: 1632 kg / 3598 lb
Wing loading: 71.77 kg/sq.m / 14.7 lb/sq.ft
Max speed: 273 kph / 170 mph
Normal glide: 129 kph / 80 mph
GAL.48B Twin Hotspur
Wingspan: 17.65 m / 57 ft 11 in
Length: 11.98 m / 39 ft 3.5 in
Wing area: 33.9 sq.m / 365 sq.ft
Aspect ratio: 9.25
Empty weight: 1456 kg / 3210 lb
AUW: 2925.7 kg / 6450 lb
Max speed: 249 kph / 155 mph
Stall: 105 kph / 65 mph
General Aircraft GAL 41 Monospar
GAL 41 Monospar of 1939 was first British aircraft with pressurized cabin.
