Aircraft

Firebird T1

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Side by side two seat single engined high¬wing monoplane with conventional three axis control. Wing has swept back leading and trailing edges, and constant chord; no tail, canard wing. Pitch control by fully flying canard; yaw control by tip rudders; roll control by spoilers; control inputs through stick for pitch/roll and pedals for yaw. Wing braced from below by struts; wing profile; double surface. Undercarriage has four wheels in ‘tricycle’ formation; suspension on all wheels. No ground steering. Brakes on all wheels. Aluminium tube framework, without pod. Engine mounted below wing driving pusher propeller.
Easily distinguishable from other Fledge derivatives by its unusual double nosewheel, the T1 is basically a two seat version of the M1. It was first shown at the Aero 83 Exhibition at Friedrichshafen in March 1983 and was placarded as having made its first flights the month before. The standard version includes electric start, while options include wheel fairings and floats.

Engine: Hirth 276A13, 40 hp at 7000 rpm.
Propeller diameter 63 inch, 1.60 m.
Belt reduction, ratio 2.04.
Max static thrust 252 lb, 114 kg.
Power per unit area 0.22 hp/sq.ft, 2.4 hp/sq.m.
Length overall 10.5ft, 3.20m.
Wing span 32.8 ft, 10.0 m.
Constant chord 5.6 ft, 1.70 m.
Canard span 6.7 ft, 2. 00 m.
Main wing area 183 sq.ft, 17.0 sq.m.
Rudder area 9.7 sq.ft, 0.90 sq.m.
Wing aspect ratio 5.9/1.
Wheel track 5.3 ft, 1.60 m.
Empty weight 327 lb, 148kg.
Max take off weight 707 lb, 320kg.
Payload 380 lb, 172 kg
Max wing loading 3.86 lb/sq.ft, 18.8 kg/sq.m.
Fuel capacity 6.9 US gal, 5.7 Imp gal, 26.0 litre.
Max power loading 17.7 lb/hp, 8.0kg/hp.
Load factors: +6.0, 3.0 ultimate.
Never exceed speed 56mph, 90kph.
Economic cruising speed 44mph, 70kph.
Stalling speed 28mph, 45 kph.
Max climb rate at sea level 600 ft/min, 3.1 m/s.
Best glide ratio with power off 8/1 at 37mph, 60kph.
Take off distance 100ft, 30 m.
Landing distance 65 ft, 20 m.
Range at average cruising speed 112 mile, 180km.

Firebird M1

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The prototype of the single seater M1 from Firebird made its first flight in 1979 and by 1983 more than 100 examples have been produced. The wing is directly descended from the famous Fledgling designed by Klaus Hill, originally as a hybrid control hang-¬glider. This wing, with its rudders at its wing tips, was powered in 1978 in the USA and the following year in Europe, by Firebird. Just as Pterodactyl does with its Ptraveler and Ascen¬der, Firebird uses it with a variable incidence canard. There is one fundamental difference between Firebird’s approach and that of the Americans, in that the German manufacturer chooses to support the wing with two profiled struts under each half wing, thus dispensing with all the ground and flight rigging wires.
The other principal difference is the power pack, which on the Firebird has to conform with West Germany’s stringent noise regulations. With Konig en¬gine and three bladed propeller, the standard arrangement on the M1, under 60 dB is recorded using the regulation measuring conditions.
Complete with electric start and battery, the M1 cost DM 17,408 in 1983, while options in¬clude an extra fuel tank, an instrument panel, floats and a parachute of 755 sq.ft (70 sq.m) area, which is usable at speeds up to 155 mph (250 kph) and which gives a rate of descent of 1300 ft/min (6.7 m/s) with a 442 lb (200 kg) load. Wing profile; FNI 4 81; double surface. Undercarriage has three wheels in tricycle formation; steel spring suspension on nosewheel and no suspension on main wheels. Push right go left nosewheel steering independent from yaw control. Brake on nosewheel. Aluminium tube/carbon fibre framework, without pod. Engine mounted below wing driving pusher propeller.

Engine: Konig SC430, 24 hp at 4200 rpm.
Propeller diameter 53 inch, 1.34 m (three blade).
Belt reduction, ratio 2.2/1.
Max static thrust 143 lb, 65 kg.
Power per unit area 0.15hp/sq.ft, 1.6 hp/sq.m.
Height overall 9.4 ft, 2.85 m.
Wing span 32.8 ft, 10.00 m.
Chord at root 5.6 ft, 1.70 m.
Chord at tip 4.6ft, 1.40m.
Dihedral 5 degs.
Sweepback 38 degs.
Canard span 6.6ft, 2.00m.
Canard chord 2.1 ft, 0.63 m.
Total wing area 175 sq.ft, 16.3sq.m.
Main wing area 161 sq.ft, 15.0 sq.m.
Canard area 14.0 sq.ft, 1.3 sq.m.
Wing aspect ratio 6.7/1.
Wheel track 6.9 ft, 2. 10 m.
Wheelbase 4.6 ft, 1.40 m.
Nosewheel diameter overall 14 inch, 35 cm.
Main wheels diameter overall 16 inch, 41 cm.
Empty weight 2161b, 98kg.
Max take off weight 420 lb, 190 kg.
Payload 204 lb, 92 kg.
Main fuel capacity 3.4 US gal, 2.8 Imp gal, 13.0 litre
Reserve fuel capacity 2.6 US gal, 2.2 Imp gal, 10.0 litre in.
Max wing loading 2.60 lb/sq.ft, 12.7 kg/sq.m.
Max power loading 17.5 lb/hp, 7.9 kg/hp.
Load factors +4.0, 2.0 design; +6.0, 3.0 ulti¬mate.
Max level speed 50 mph, 80 kph.
Never exceed speed 56 mph, 90kph.
Economic cruising speed 37mph, 60kph.
Stalling speed 24mph, 40kph.
Max climb rate at sea level 400 ft/min, 2.0 m/s.
Min sink rate 350ft/min at 34mph, 1.8m/s at 55 kph.
Best glide ratio with power off 8.5/1 at 37mph, 60kph.
Take off distance 100ft, 30 m.
Landing distance 65 ft, 20 m.
Range at average cruising speed 93 mile, 150 km.

Finer / Hardwick-Smith MMM-3

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Otherwise known as the “Mangamingi Monster Mark III” this aircraft was designed by Tim Hardwick-Smith to achieve a low horsepower, slow flying aeroplane, for low cost flying, farm surveillance and motor gliding. The machine first flew on 1 February 1997 and was registered ZK-JHH on 13 February 1997.

Engine: 1 x Briggs & Stratten.
Cruise: 60 kph.
Stall: 35 kph.

Fike Model E

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William Fike, designer and Alaska airline pilot, created this two-place cabin monoplane. The Model Es airframe structure includes a Piper J-3 tail assembly, a welded steel-tube fuselage and an all-wood, fabric-covered wing. Power is supplied by an 85-hp Continental engine. The wing can be removed within 10 minutes to enable the plane to be towed.

Gross Weight: 1150 lb
Empty Weight: 690 lb
Fuel capacity 15 USG
Wingspan 22 ft 4.5 in
Length: 19 ft 2 in
Engine: 85-hp Continental
Top speed: 110 mph
Cruise speed: 100 mph
Stall: 37 mph
Climb rate: 800 fpm
Ceiling: 10,000+ ft
Takeoff run: 400 ft
Landing roll: 600 ft
Range: 280 miles

Fighter Escort Wings P-51 / TF-51

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For years, many experimental aircraft builders have strived to re-create their favorite World War II fighters in miniature. For most, many hurdles had to be negotiated to get the right look, feel, sound and, of course, performance—all at the right cost of ownership. Until the advent of composite building techniques, forming all those compound curves of a fighter in metal just wasn’t within the means of your average builder. Then, getting the proper powerplant to look and sound like “the real thing” was next to impossible with the technology and funds at hand. Now with automotive/aviation V-8 conversions attaining a respectable degree of reliability, cost, and power coupled with these modern prepreg, composite techniques, the right combination has been reached. F.E.W.’s P-51D is a 67% scale version of the famous fighter of World War II first flew in 1992, and it looks the part, sounds the part and flies the part. The P-51D is stressed to ±6 G’s for aerobatics and is available in a dual-control version, the P-51TF, which first flew in 1997.

TF-51

P-51
Speed max: 340 mph.
Cruise: 210 mph.
Range: 750 sm.
Stall: 57 mph.
ROC: 2000 fpm.
Take-off dist: 900 ft.
Landing dist: 1000 ft.
Service ceiling: 18,000 ft.
Engine: V-8, 300 hp.
HP range: 250-350
Fuel cap: 58 USG.
Weight empty: 1300 lbs.
Gross: 2200 lbs.
Height: 8.1 ft.
Length: 20.5 ft.
Wing span: 25.6 ft.
Wing area: 111 sq.ft.
Seats: 1-2.
Landing gear: retractable tail wheel.

P-51TF
Speed max: 340 mph.
Cruise: 210 mph.
Range: 750 sm.
Stall: 57 mph.
ROC: 2000 fpm.
Take-off dist: 900 ft.
Landing dist: 1000 ft.
Service ceiling: 18,000 ft.
Engine: V-8, 300 hp.
HP range: 250-350
Fuel cap: 58 USG.
Weight empty: 1300 lbs.
Gross: 2200 lbs.
Height: 8.1 ft.
Length: 20.5 ft.
Wing span: 25.6 ft.
Wing area: 111 sq.ft.
Seats: 1-2.
Landing gear: retractable tail wheel.