At the European microlight salon at Lyon Bron in September 1982, Bernard Broc showed the prototype of the new single seat three axis microlight, this time with a T tail. As Aviasud had earlier given the name of Libellule MkII to the prototype which was destined to become the Sirocco, Bernard decided on the spot that he would name the machine Libellule MkIII to prevent confu¬sion. Retaining the Fledge wing of his earlier model, the Libellule Mk.III not only acquired a T tail but also a totally enclosed cabin. Bernard tells us he intends to replace the existing wing with a mid mounted cantilever design of composite construction and a Worthmann FX63 137 profile, which is very deep and gives high lift, with the aim of improving the glide angle to around 22/1. This project gave rise to the prototype Epervier twin engined aircraft. Single seat single engined high wing mono¬plane with conventional three axis control. Wing has swept back leading and trailing edges, and constant chord; T tall. Pitch control by fully flying tail; yaw control by fin mounted rudder and tip rudders; roll control by one third span spoilers; control inputs through stick for pitch/roll and pedals for yaw. Wing braced from above by kingpost and cables, from below by cables;; double surface. Undercarriage has three wheels in tricycle formation with additional tailskid; steel spring suspension on nosewheel and glass fibre suspension on main wheels. Push right go right nosewheel steering con¬nected to yaw control. Brake on nosewheel. Glass fibre fuselage totally enclosed. Engine mounted below wing driving pusher propeller. Epoxy, polyester and glass fibre for T tail and supporting boom. The Libellule MkIII has the option of a 26 hp JPX PUL425 engine in place of the 24 hp Konig SC430. Our data is based on the latter version. The Libellule MkIII is only produced in small numbers, availability being limited to 15 machines per year maximum in 1983.
Engine: Konig SC430, 24 hp at 4200 rpm. Propeller diameter and pitch 43 x 24 inch, 1. 10 x 0.60 m. No reduction. Power per unit area 0.15hp/sq.ft, 1.6hp/sq.m. Fuel capacity 6.6 US gal, 5.5 Imp gal, 25.0 litre. Length overall 19.8 ft, 6.00 m. Height overall 8.2ft, 2.50m. Wing span 32.9ft, 10.00m. Constant chord 4.1ft, 1.50m. Dihedral 10degs. Tailplane span 8.2 ft, 2.50 m. Fin height 3.9ft, 1.20m. Total wing area 161 sq.ft, 15.0 sq.m. Total spoiler area 8.6 sq.ft, 0.80 sq.m. Fin area 12.9 sq.ft, 1.20 sq.m. Rudder area 6.5 sq.ft, 0.60 sq.m. Total elevator area 25,8 sq.ft, 2.40sq.m. Wing aspect ratio 6.6/1. Wheel track 4.9 ft, 1. 50 m. Wheelbase 4.7 ft, 1.40m. Nosewheel diameter overall 13 inch, 33 cm. Main wheels diameter overall 16 inch, 40 cm. Empty weight 2321b, 105kg. Max take off weight 5521b, 250kg. Payload 3201b, 145 kg. Max wing loading 3.40 lb/sq.ft, 16.7 kg/sq.m. Max power loading 23.01b/hp, 10.4kg/hp. Load factors design; +4.5, 2.5 ultimate. Max level speed 56 mph, 90 kph. Never exceed speed 75 mph, 120 kph. Max cruising speed 50 mph, 80 kph. Economic cruising speed 44 mph, 70 kph. Stalling speed 24 mph, 40 kph. Max climb rate at sea level 300 ft/min, 1.5 m/s. Min sink rate 325 ft/min at 31 mph, 1.6 m/s at 50 kph. Best glide ratio with power off 14/1 at 34 mph, 55 kph. Take off distance 165 ft, 50 m. Land¬ing distance 250 ft, 75 m. Service ceiling 10,000 ft, 3050 m Range at average cruising speed 622 mile, 1000 km.
Engine: JPX PUL425, 26 hp. Fuel capacity 6.6 US gal, 5.5 Imp gal, 25.0 litre. Length overall 19.8 ft, 6.00 m. Height overall 8.2ft, 2.50m. Wing span 32.9ft, 10.00m. Constant chord 4.1ft, 1.50m. Dihedral 10 degs. Tailplane span 8.2 ft, 2.50 m. Fin height 3.9ft, 1.20m. Total wing area 161 sq.ft, 15.0 sq.m. Total spoiler area 8.6 sq.ft, 0.80 sq.m. Fin area 12.9 sq.ft, 1.20 sq.m. Rudder area 6.5 sq.ft, 0.60 sq.m. Total elevator area 25,8 sq.ft, 2.40sq.m. Wing aspect ratio 6.6/1. Wheel track 4.9 ft, 1. 50 m. Wheelbase 4.7 ft, 1.40m. Nosewheel diameter overall 13 inch, 33 cm. Main wheels diameter overall 16 inch, 40 cm. Load factors design; +4.5, 2.5 ultimate. Never exceed speed 75 mph, 120 kph.
The prototype Libellule Dragonfly in translation made its first flight in May 1981, and on the 14 July (a national holiday in France), Bernard Broc flew from Paris to Avignon in almost 7 h, covering the 435 mile (700 km). This first Libellule was a two axis machine using a Pterodactyl Fledgling wing and with a monobloc all flying horizontal tail surface, yaw control being by the use of tip rudders. This horizontal tail surface was joined to the fuselage by a tapered circular section polyester boom which reduced from 8 to 5 inch (20 to 13 cm). The fuselage formed an open cockpit with a large integral windshield, also of polyester. The landing gear was tricycle with a steerable nosewheel, main wheel suspension using glass fibre laminate. In this form and assisted in its manufacture by Frangois Goethals and Bernard d’Otreppe, the Libellule was put on sale in a small way through Aviasud. Bernard Broc’s Libellule Mkl went out of production at the end of 1982.
The Broburn Wanderlust was a small, wooden, single-seat glider designed in the United Kingdomand built by T. E. Brown and K. W. Radburn (as Broburn Sailplanes Ltd, Woodley), two employees of Miles Aircraft, immediately after World War II.
It was a single-seat, all-wood, shoulder-wing aircraft, with a short span for a glider of 34 ft (10 m) though with an aspect ratio of over 15. The wing of the Wanderlust was built around a single spar, which with plywood skin around the leading edge formed a torsion box. Behind the spar the wing was fabric covered. There was 4° of dihedral and 2° of washout. The trailing edge was spanned with aerofoil section flaps, split into two equal sections. Inboard, these acted as simple flaps; outboard, additionally, as drooping ailerons. The two NACA airfoil sections used in the wing were chosen because they have centres of pressure that vary little with the angle of incidence, which increases when the flaps are deployed. The Wanderlust also had upper surface spoilers hinged on the wing spar at about quarter span.
The rest of the Wanderlust was plywood skinned, with a cockpit which could be open or enclosed in a bubble Perspex hood. The pilot’s head is raised well above the wings and fuselage under a hood. A seat type parachute is provided, with a radio as possible additional equipment. The fuselage tapered aft, with the tailplane mounted on top and the small fin behind it. The elevators, with individual trim tabs, moved either side of the fin and the rudder was hinged behind their trailing edges. Both elevators and rudder were horn balanced. The Wanderlust landed on a pneumatically-mounted central skid. A cut motorcycle inner tube encased in canvas provides an inflatable shock absorber.
Despite hopes of marketing the Wanderlust in finished and in kit form, only one was made. This was first flown in 1947, in the hands of Miles Aircraft’s Chief Test Pilot, Hugh Rendall, and flown by many pilots including Lorne Welch. It was in at store at RAE Farnborough about 1970. In 1993, having been in storage at Farnborough for some years, it was bought back to Woodley for restoration in the Museum of Berkshire Aviation by its owner Pat Pottinger and one of its original creators Ken Radburn.
Wingspan: 34 ft 0 in (10.36 m) Wing area: 75.0 sq ft (6.97 m2) Length: 18 ft 3 in (5.56 m) Height: 4 ft 0 in (1.22 m) tail down Aspect ratio: 15.4 Airfoil: NACA 23021 at root, NACA 4312 at tip Empty weight: 250 lb (113 kg) Gross weight: 450 lb (204 kg) Wing loading: 4.5 lb/sq ft (22 kg/ sq,m) Cruise speed / optimum glide: 36 mph (58 km/h, 31 kn) Stall speed: 32 mph (52 km/h, 28 kn) Maximum glide ratio: 1:25 Rate of sink: 390 ft/min (1.98 m/s) minimum, at 95 mph (153 km/h) Crew: 1
The Trislander was born out of the Islander concept during 1970. The creation of a Trislander involved a larger and strengthened tail fin, a stronger rear fuselage structure, new main landing gear units and the insertion of a 2.29 fuselage “plug” to create space for 17 passengers and a pilot. Designated BN2A Mk.III, the prototype first flew in September 1970. Full UK CAA certification came in May 1971 and the first delivery came on 29 June, less than 300 days after the prototype first flew. Some 73 Trislanders were manufactured but the downturn in general aviation in the late 70s and upheavals at Britten Norman led to the production line at Gosselies being closed down and subsequently new owner, Pilatus, decided to withdraw the jigs and tooling from Belgium. The aircraft was still selling albeit slowly and did not promise to provide a significant return on invest-ment. The Trislander was placed on hold. In August 1982 production rights were sold to the International Aviation Corporation based in Miami, Florida. Included in the deal were eight complete aircraft and components for a further twelve aircraft. IAC renamed the aircraft the Tri Commutair and announced their intention to deliver 35 aircraft by July 1984 as well as a turbine variant. It is thought that production was never initiated. BN2A-2 Mk.III Trislander has a long nose, droop flap and wing tip tanks. The commuters are powered by three 260 hp Lycoming O 540-E4C5 engines, have a wingspan of 53 feet and a MAUW of 10,000 lbs. With an airframe that is 75% common with the twin engined BN2. The Mk.III-2 versions incorporated a longer nose and forward baggage compartment.
In 1962 the two partners, John Britten and Desmond Norman, decided to build a plane of their own. The essential factors were low cost, all-weather construction, twin engine reliability and a good payload. The design was of classic simplicity: a one-piece wing with no dihedral, Hoerner-type tips, slab-sided fuselage with seating for up to 10 passengers. The prototype was powered by two 210-hp Continental engines with a fixed tricycle undercarriage. Bench-type seats for two people eliminated the need for a central aisle and these were accessed by three doors, two port and one starboard, with the rear door being of extra width to allow ease of cargo loading. The Islander can also be operated as a freighter carrying more than a ton of cargo. Passenger baggage is stored in a large 30 cu.ft. bin behind the cabin with an access door on the port side. The first metal was cut in September 1964 and the aircraft was hand crafted on a “Dexion” jig. The prototype took to the air for its first flight of 70 minutes on 13 June 1965 with both John Britten and Desmond Norman at the controls. There were some shortcomings which an increase in wing span by 1.22 metres and more powerful Avco Lycoming 260-hp engines cured.
A choice of wings was offered, so the plane could be fitted with the standard 49-foot-span wings or extended 53-foot wings, using raked tips and auxiliary fuel tanks. Delivery of the Islander began in August 1967, but the great number of orders from over 50 countries forced Britten-Norman to subcontract manufacture of a number of the mini-airliners to the British Hovercraft Corporation. Others were produced in Romania by IRMA which was then trucked to Bembridge for completion. Buyers were able to choose Lycoming engines: 260 or 300 hp. A Rajay turbocharging unit increased the Islander’s twin-engine ceiling to 26,000.
Britten Norman developed two other variants for demonstration at the 1976 Farnborough Show, the “Firefighter” and “Agricultural Islander”. While both designs proved themselves technically, no orders were forthcoming and the variants were shelved. Arrangements were made with Rornaero in Bucharest, Romania, to produce the airframes. The engines, propellers, and undercarriage are trucked across Europe to where the aircraft are assembled under UK CAA supervision then, with basic instrumentation and a pilot’s seat fitted, the aircraft is flown in dull grey primer to Bembridge to be completed to customer’s requirements. The BN-2 Super was developed by inserting a 33-inch plug in the fuselage of the production prototype, G-ATWU, allowing for an additional row of seats, however, the version was never put into production. To increase the Islander’s hot and high performance Lycoming IO-540K 300-hp fuel-injected engines were fitted. Another modification involved fitting wingtip tanks which increased the span to 53 feet while droop flaps and droop leading edges increased performance. The first turbine powered Islander flew in April 1977. Designated the BN2A-41, it was powered by Lycoming LTP 101 turboprops and, although its performance was described as “sparkling”, it was overpowered and the fitting of the engines required major wing modifications. The project was discontinued. In 1980 the production BN2T Turbine Islander took off with Allison 250 B17C engines. Wing fences were fitted to improve stall recovery and the prototype headed off for hot and high in Kenya and to Finland for cold weather trials. Pilatus introduced a beefed up Islander, the BN2B, featuring a 300 pound increase in landing weight, including the BN-2B-20 and BN-2B-26.
In 1979 it was decided to diversify, looking at different roles as against taking people. Those sort of roles are fisheries protection, border patrol and parachuting etc. In 1978 they looked at putting a more sophisticated airborne radar into the aircraft, entering into a joint venture with Thorn EMI, using their Skymaster radar to increase the ground warning time from three or four minutes to 20 30 minutes. The name “Defender” came at that point, referring to an Islander with four wing mounted hardpoints. Stressed to take 750lbs on the inboard pair and 350lb outboard, the hardpoints designed to carry long range fuel tanks or military stores.
Available with 260 hp, turbo-charged 260 hp, or 300 hp engines, and optional 28 cu.ft. capacity nose extension.
Defender – For general military duties PBN developed the Defender from the basic piston-engined Islander utility aircraft and, with the introduction of the Allison 250-B17C powered Turbine Islander, a parallel turbine Defender was offered. The Defender is capable of a wide range of military roles including troop trans¬port, SAR, forward air control, electronic warfare, logistic support, and medevac.
Operationally launched by PBN on March 6, 1987, The AEW Defender is a low-cost AEW system offered in conjunction with Thorn-EMI’s Skymaster lightweight multi-mode pulse-Doppler track-while-scan radar. Acquisition and tracking of targets is auto¬matic, and air-to-air/air-to-ground datalinks, 1FF and navigation systems may be fully integrated with the radar’s display and control system. The Skymaster system can also be used to detect surface vessels during maritime reconnaissance missions. A large undernose radome houses the 360’-scan antenna. With appropriate computer software modifications, the AEW Defender/Skymaster combination is being offered as a solution to the British Army’s Astor requirement for an airborne battlefield surveillance radar. The British Army has bought Defender AL Mk 1s to replace Beavers.Another Defender has been flown with a Ferranti surveillance radar installed in connection with the Army’s earlier Corps Airborne Stand-Off Radar (Castor) requirement. The AEW Defender is based on the BN-2T Turbine Defender airframe.
The Maritime Defender is designed for coastal patrol, fishery and oil rig protection, and SAR durties. The Maritime Defender has Bendix RDR-1400 search radar in the nose, and four under-wing pylons to carry weapons, survival packs or other items. Either 6600 lb maximum all up weight piston engined or 7000 lb MAUW turbine powered, the aircraft comes with both Omega and short range sector scan radar.
The Defender was officially added to the ranks of the British Army on March 10th, 1989. Design is wholly utilitarian and is most characteristically defined by the high-mounted monoplane wings. Each wing maintains an Allison 250-B17F turboprop engine powering a three-bladed propeller. The cockpit compartment is held well forward in the squared off fuselage with slab sides and features a useful sloped nose for improved downward visibility. The undercarriage is a conventional tricycle arrangement and made up of two double-tired main landing gear legs and a single-tired nose landing gear leg – as a whole, the undercarriage is non-retractable. The empennage is dominated by a single large-area vertical tail fin clipped at the top and sporting some sweep along the leading edge. Horizontal tailplanes are affixed to the vertical fin tail. Typical accommodations are for two pilots and up to six passengers. Entry/exit is via side doors, two forward and two aft. Her gross weight is listed at 7,000lbs. Each wing can field four hardpoints for various munition options to include gun pods, rocket pods and bombs if need be or external fuel tanks for extended loitering times and operational range. Specialized reconnaissance and surveillance mounts are fitted with applicable tailored equipment, cameras and jamming pods as well as communications options. Airborne Early Warning (AEW) Defenders sport a hideous-looking nose radome that quickly identifies the type and its role.
In 2003, the UK military purchased three (some sources state four) Defenders to help with the deteriorating conditions in Iraq following the 2003 coalition invasion. These aircraft carried the designation of Defender 4S AL Mk 1 and sported underwing dispensers to protect against surface-to-air guided munitions. This model was furthered defined by the implementation of an electro-optical turret under the extreme end of the nose.
The Defender 4000 is a military version of the Defender series and first flight of this system was achieved in August of 1994. The Defender 4000 features a larger wing component similar to that of the Trislander and operates with increased weight tolerances. Her engines are more powerful than previous versions and has an enlarged nose section for the fitting of search radar. Top speed is a reported 225 miles per hour.
BN-2T-4S Defender 4000
By 1990, over 1,100 Islanders have been built with Lycoming piston engines or, in the BN-2T Turbine Islander, two 400 shp (298 kW) Allison 250-B17C turboprops.
In 1970, Britten-Norman introduced an enlarged version of the twin-engine Islander with a third engine mounted high on the tail in a tractor position. The three engines were 260-hp 0-540-E4C flat-sixes turning Hartzell two-blade constant-speed fully feathering propellers. Three versions of the Trislander are the BN-2A Mk 111-2 (a standard version with extended nose baggage compartment), the BN-2A Mk 111-3 (with an automatic feathering system for the props), and the BN-2A Mk 111-4 (with a rocket engine for additional thrust if an engine fails on takeoff).
Britten Norman BN-2 Islander (1968) Powerplant: two Lycoming O-540-E4B5, 260 bhp Propellers: Hartzell constant-speed feathering two-blade 80 in diameter. Wingspan, 49 ft Length, 35 ft 71 in Height, 13 ft 8 in Gross wing area, 325 sq.ft Max. usable floor area, 43.4 sq.ft Max. usable cabin volume, 140 cu.ft Max. cabin length, 160 in including flightdeck Max. width, 43in Max, height, 51 in. Accommodation: max. high density seating 9 passengers and pilot at 30 in pitch Basic operational weight, 3280 lb Total fuel, 800 lb Max. take-off, 5500 lb Max. landing, 5500 lb Max. payload (volume limited), 1920 lb Max. zero fuel, 5200 lb Power loading (max. take-off weight), 10.6 lb/hp Wing loading (max. take-off weight), 16.95 lb/sq.ft Wing loading (max. landing weight), 16.95 lb/ft High-speed cruise, 138 kt. at 6500 ft Long-range cruise, 132 kt. at 13,000 ft Approach speed, 62 kt Take-off field length, ISA at sea level, 1000 ft Landing field length, ISA at sea level, 990 ft Range with allowances, max. fuel, 1450 lb payload, 738 nm
BN2A-8 Engine: 2 x Lycoming O-540-E4C5, 260 hp. Seats: 10. Wing loading: 19.6 lb/sq.ft. Pwr loading: 12.7 lb/hp. Gross wt: 6200 lb. Empty wt: 3400 lb. Equipped useful load: 2449 lb. Payload max fuel: 1633 lb. Range max fuel 75% pwr: 564nm/4hr. Range max fuel 55% pwr: 625nm/5.3hr. Service ceiling: 13,000 ft. 75% cruise: 139 kt. 55% cruise: 119 kt. Vmc: 39 kt. Stall: 44-50 kt. 1.3 Vso: 57 kt. ROC: 950 fpm. SE ROC: 170 fpm @ 65 kt. SE service ceiling; 4450 ft. Min field length: 1160 ft. Fuel cap: 816 lb.
BN2A-9 Engine: 2 x Lycoming O-540-E4C5, 260 hp. Seats: 10. Wing loading: 20.3 lb/sq.ft. Pwr loading: 12.12 lb/hp. Gross wt: 6,300 lb. Empty wt: 3250 lb. Equipped useful load: 2699 lb. Payload max fuel: 1523 lb. Range max fuel/75% pwr: 856nm/6.1hr. Range max fuel / 55% pwr: 934nm/7.9hr. Ceiling: 13,000 ft. 75% cruise: 139 kt. 55% cruise: 119 kt. Vmc: 39 kt. Stall: 44-50 kt. 1.3 Vso: 57 kt. ROC: 950 fpm. SE ROC: 170 fpm @ 65 kt. SE ceiling: 4450 ft. Min field length: 1160 ft. Fuel cap: 1176 lb.
BN-2A-20 Engine: 2 x Lycoming IO-540-K1B5, 300 hp. Seats: 10. Wing loading: 19.6 lb/sq.ft. Pwr loading: 11 lb/hp. Gross wt: 6560 lb. Empty wt: 3640 lb. Equipped useful load: 2569 lb. Payload max fuel: 1753 lb. Range max fuel 75% pwr: 534nm/3.6hr. Range max fuel 55% pwr: 609nm/4.7hr. Service ceiling: 18,000 ft. 75% cruise: 147 kt. 55% cruise: 131 kt. Vmc: 39 kt. Stall: 44-50 kt. 1.3 Vso: 57 kt. ROC: 1130 fpm @ 57 kt. SE ROC: 225 fpm @ 75 kt. SE service ceiling; 3,100 ft. Min field length: 1100 ft. Fuel cap: 816 lb.
BN-2A-21 Engine: 2 x Lycoming IO-540-K1B5, 300 hp. Seats: 10. Wing loading: 20.3 lb/sq.ft. Pwr loading: 11 lb/hp. Gross wt: 6600 lb. Empty wt: 3695 lb. Equipped useful load: 2554 lb. Payload max fuel: 1378 lb. Range max fuel 75% pwr: 799nm/5.4hr. Range max fuel 55% pwr: 924nm/7.1hr. Service ceiling: 18,000 ft. 75% cruise: 147 kt. 55% cruise: 131 kt. Vmc: 39 kt. Stall: 44-50 kt. 1.3 Vso: 57 kt. ROC: 1130 fpm. SE ROC: 225 fpm @ 75 kt. SE service ceiling; 3,100 ft. Min field length: 1100 ft. Fuel cap: 1176 lb.
Britten-Norman BN-2A-21 Maritime Defender Engines: 2 x Avco Lycoming IO-540-K1B5, 300 hp Length: 36.319 ft / 11.07 m Height: 12.402 ft / 3.78 m Wingspan: 53 ft ft / 16.15 m Wing area: 342.295 sq.ft / 31.8 sq.m Max take off weight: 6593.0 lb / 2990.0 kg Weight empty: 4013.1 lb / 1820.0 kg Max. speed: 157 kts / 290 km/h Cruising speed: 148 kts / 274 km/h Service ceiling: 18045 ft / 5500 m Endurance (2 x 56 Imp.Gal. drop tanks): 15 hr.
BN2B First built: 1967. Engine: 2 x Lycoming O-540-E4C5, 260 hp. TBO: 2000 hrs. Prop: Hartzell 2 blade, constant speed 80 in. Seats: 10. Length: 35.7 ft. Height: 12.4 ft. Wingspan: 49 ft. Wing area: 325 sq.ft. Wing aspect ratio: 7.4. Max ramp wt: 6600 lbs. Max take off wt: 6600 lbs. Standard empty wt: 3612 lbs. Max useful load: 2988 lbs. Max landing wt: 6300 lbs. Wing loading: 20.3 lbs/sq.ft. Power loading: 11 lbs/hp. Max useable fuel: 1176 lbs. Climb rate: 1130 fpm @ 65 kts. Climb gradient: 1043 ft/nm. Rate of climb @ 8000 ft: 550 fpm. Service ceiling; 18,000 ft. SE rate of climb: 225 fpm @ 62 kts. SE climb gradient: 218 f/nm. SE ceiling: 7000 ft. Max speed: 139 kts. Cruise @ 65% power @ 8,000ft: 135 kts. Fuel flow @ 65% power @ 8,000ft: 160 pph. Endurance @ 65% power @ 8,000ft: 7.1 hr. Stalling speed clean: 49 kts. Stall speed gear/flaps down: 42 kts. Turbulent air penetration speed: 107 kts. Fixed undercarriage. Wing load: 19.27 lb/sq.ft / 94.0 kg/sq.m Maximum range: 1134 nm / 2100 km Crew: 2+2 Payload: 8Pax / 1015kg
BN-2T Engines: 2 x Allison 250-B17C
Turbine Defender Engine: 2 x Allison 250 600 kW, 480 kW. Span: 14.9 m. Length: 10.9 m. Wing area: 30.2 sq.m. Empty wt: 1914 kg. MTOW: 3175 kg. Payload: 1270 kg. Cruise speed: 285 kph. Initial ROC: 320 m / min. Ceiling: 7620 m. T/O run: 225 m. Ldg run: 228 m. Fuel internal: 814 (+454) lt. Range: 1350 km. Capacity: 10 pax.
Britten-Norman BN2T-4S Defender 4000 Engines: 2 x Allison 250-B17F/1 turboprop, 400 shp Props: 3 blade, 80 in. Length: 35.86ft (10.93m) Width: 48.98ft (14.93m) Height: 13.78ft (4.20m) Maximum Speed: 225mph (362kmh; 195kts) Max cruise: 178 kts ROC: 1210 fpm. SE ROC: 223 fpm Maximum Range: 437miles (703km) External Fuel Tanks capacity: 2,500lbs Accommodation: 2 + 6 Hardpoints: 4 Empty Weight: 4,998lbs (2,267kg) Maximum Take-Off Weight: 8,499lbs (3,855kg)
In 1951 John Britten and Desmond Norman designed and built and flew an ultra-light monoplane, their first aircraft, which made its first flight at Bembridge, Isle of Wight, on 16 May 1951. This machine crashed on an early flight, when the petrol supply to the 40 hp Aeronca JAP J-99 twin cylinder air-cooled engine faded out. Modifications were made to the tail unit by adding smll ancillary fins to improve the directional stability, inset ailerons were fitted, the JAP engine was replaced by a 55-hp Lycoming horizontally-opposed twin and the undercarriage was replaced with braced arrangement with rubber bungee springing. It was first flown in this form in May 1951 and was withdrawn from use in 1953. It was then on exhibition in the Solent Sky Museum, Southampton, England, on loan from Michael Short of Austin Texas, USA. The general arrangement of the BN-1 is similar to that of the Comper Swift in particular G-ABUS, an aircraft that Desmond Norman was associated with along with fellow de Havilland Technical School apprentice, Tony Cole, that they jointly acquired in 1948 and restored to flying condition.
Engine: 1 × Lycoming flat-four, 55 hp (41 kW) Propeller: two-bladed fixed-pitch Length: 16 ft 7 in (5.06 m) Wingspan: 23 ft 0 in (7.01 m) Height: 10 ft 5 in (3.18 m) Gross weight: 630 lb (286 kg) Maximum speed: 84 mph (135 km/h) Cruise speed: 75 mph (120 km/h) Crew: 1
Britten-Norman Ltd. was founded in 1955 to specialize in equipment for agricultural aircraft. Flew prototype of BN-2 Islander, a twin-engined feeder-line transport, on 13 June 1965.
In 1966 at Bembridge Airport on the Isle of Wight the Britten-Norman company had 11,930 sq.ft of factory space at the airport, but a new 56 000 sq.ft hangar was under construction to make possible the rapid production of the Islander. Down at the harbour was additional space amounting to 5390 sq.ft. The company employed 318 people, of whom some 70% were engaged on civil aircraft work.
Directors of the aircraft and Cushion craft companies were N. D. Norman, F. R. S. Britten (director and secretary), J. M. McMahon and F. H. Mann,. while two additional directors of the Cushioncraft company were C. D. J. Bland (sales) and P. H. Winter (technical). The company’s sales manager was P. J. Dorrington; production manager, J. W. Sullivan; and chief technical executive, R. E. Bird.
The facilities at Bembridge include rigs for structural testing of all components, and a test rig for proof loading of control cables. Among special equipment used by the company was a Wadkin router, a British Oxygen argon arc welder, ” Oxford ” electric argon arc welder, ICI degreasing and salt-bath plant, a Guyson sand blasting machine and a Besco-Hydrobend brake press.
The 1966 projects of the company included the BN-2 Islander light transport which was expected to reach its target rate of production of two per week in 1968.
BN-2ATrislander, with a third engine mounted on vertical tail, first flown September 11,1970. Military version of BN-2, named Defender, first demonstrated 1971, able to carry 522kg of mixed weapons on underwing pylons.
But despite a full order book, Britten-Norman was experiencing serious cash-flow problems and in November 1971 the com¬pany was forced into receivership. It con¬tinued to keep itself in business and reorganized as Britten-Norman (Bembridge) Ltd until a year later when the receiver accepted a bid, one of thirty worldwide, from the Fairey Group in August 1972.
A new company was formed, Fairey Britten-Norman Ltd, and a production line was set up at the Fairey SA factory at Gosselies in Belgium for full production and flight test¬ing of the Islander and Trislander aircraft. In August of 1977 Fairey SA began to suffer from financial problems which had serious repercussions for Britten-Norman, causing the company to once again he placed into the hands of a receiver.
This time Pilatus Aircraft of Switzerland made a successful bid for the company and, in January 1979, the take-over was completed under the name of Pilatus Britten-Norman.
The take-over of the assets of Britten-Norman by Pilatus Aircraft was finalised on 34 January 1979 when the necessary documents were signed. To conclude the deal, Pilatus – itself a member of the Oerlilon-Buehrje Group – set up a British subsidiary, Pilatus Britten-Norman Ltd, and this company has acquired the B-N assets which include the Bembridge factory, the complete Islander / Trilander production hardware (plus stock materials) located at the Fairey SA factory in Gosselies, Belgium and the exclusive production and marketing rights for all Britten-Norman products.
On 30 April 1982 Britten-Norman delivered its 1000th aircraft, when a Maritime Islander was handed over to the Cyprus Government. All 1000 aircraft, Islanders and Trilanders, were delivered from Bembridge, IoW, although a substantial number were built in Romania and by Fairey in Belgium. The 1000th Islander to fly, a BN-2T Turbine Islander, toured the USA with Jonas Aircraft, which had sold 360 Islanders and Trilanders to date.
In July 1998 Pilatus sold Britten-Norman to private investment company Litchfield Continental Ltd, reverting to its original name of Britten-Norman Ltd. Manufacture of the Islander, Defender and latest BN2T- 4S Defender 4000 continued.
In January 1999 Britten-Norman received approval from the Board of Directors of Romania’s State Ownership Fund for its tender offer to acquire Romaero.
In the late 1950s, Sud Aviation in France (later represented by Aerospatiale) and Bristol Aircraft in the UK (lost in mergers that formed British Aerospace) were both working individually on the design of a supersonic civil transport aircraft. Both companies realized at an early date that the creation of such an aircraft was feasible, but beyond the economic capability of any individual company; thus came about the Anglo-French design and development agreement in November 1962, with the two companies backed by their individual governments.
After the Anglo-French Supersonic Treaty was signed in 1962, years of intensive research and over 5,000 hours of wind-tunnel tests proved that the long, streamlined fuselage and slender ogival delta wing finally reconciled good control at speeds as low as 230 mph with low drag up to Mach 2.2 (around 1,300 mph).
The wings, produced by Aéro¬spatiale, have elevons which work together as elevators and differen¬tially as ailerons. There are no flaps; control is built into the wings through camber, taper, droop and twist. Rolls-Royce designed the power-plant – so called because the four Olympus turbojet engines constitute just one part of a complex four-part system made up of air intakes adjustable for high and low speeds, engines with two independent compressors for low fuel consumption at sub- and supersonic speeds, the reheat system to give extra thrust for takeoff and transonic acceleration, and variable geometry exhaust nozzles that also serve as reverse thrust. The cruising speed was fixed at Mach 2.2, just below the “heat barrier”, so the airframe, designed for a life of 60,000 hours, could be constructed in an aluminium alloy resistant to variations in temperature from minus 35 to over 120 degrees Celsius (-310/2480F).
The first French built (F WTSS) and British built (G BSST) prototypes were flown for the first time on 2 March and 9 April 1969 respectively. The Anglo-French plane took off from Toulouse and was in the air for just 27 minutes before the pilot made the decision to land. The first pilot, Andre Turcat, said on his return to the airport: “Finally the big bird flies, and I can say now that it flies pretty well”. The French built F WTSS test flight reached 10,000ft (3,000m), but Concorde’s speed never rose above 300mph (480kph). Mr Turcat, his co-pilot and two engineers taxied to the end of the runway at about 1530GMT. Strong winds meant the test flight was in doubt for much of the day.
BAC-Sud Aviation Concorde prototype 001 F-WTSS
Two previous test flights had to be abandoned because of poor weather conditions. Concorde sped down the runway and there was a spontaneous burst of applause from watching reporters and cameramen as the wheels lifted off the ground. The noise from the four Olympus 593 engines, built jointly by the Bristol division of Rolls Royce and the French Snecma organisation, drowned out any noise from the crowd.
The first British test pilot, Brian Trubshaw, who watched the flight from the news stand, said, “I was terribly impressed by the way the whole flight was conducted. It was most professional and I would like to congratulate Andre on the way he handled this performance.”
Less than half-an-hour later, the aircraft was brought back down to earth using a braking parachute and reverse thrust. The crew emerged at the top of the steps, led by Mr Turcat, who gave the thumbs up signal with each hand.
On 9 April 1969, Brian Trubshaw made his first flight in the British-built prototype. The 22 minute flight left from a test runway at Filton near Bristol and landed at RAF Fairford in Gloucestershire. The British government had so far invested £155m in the project.
Key features of the design include the early decision to limit speed to Mach 2.2, making conventional construction possible; the development by Rolls Royce and SNECMA of the reliable Olympus 593 engines to power the type the evolution of the computer controlled variable area air intakes which ensure that each engine receives an optimum air flow under all flight conditions; and the design of a fuel system which serves not only to feed the powerplant, but also to act as a heat sink for the limiting of wing temperature in prolonged supersonic flight, and additionally to work as a system to maintain in flight the correct relationship between the aircraft’s centre of gravity and its aerodynamic centre of pressure. This last effect is achieved by trim tanks from which fuel is pumped rearward during acceleration and forward as the aircraft returns to subsonic flight speed.
The DST (the French counter-espionage service) and MI5 were collaborating on a case involving a double agent, Air Bubble. Air Bubble was an industrial chemist named Dr. Jean Paul Soupert. Soupert was an agent runner for East German intelligence and the KGB, but the Belgian Securite d’Etat doubled him. Soupert told the Belgians about an East German illegal named Herbert Steinbrecher, who was running agents inside the French Concorde assemble plants. They had acquired for the Russians every detail of the Anglo-French Concorde’s advanced electronic systems.
The Concorde first exceeded Mach 1 on 1 October 1969, and Mach 2 was passed during a test flight on 4 November 1970. Despite the reactions of economists and the ecologists, Air France and British Airways began simultaneous inaugural Concorde services on 21 January 1976, from Paris via Dakar to Rio de Janeiro, and from London to Bahrain respectively, just over four months later, on 24 May, simultaneous services were launched from Paris and London to Washington’s Dulles International Airport. In January 1976, 29 years after the first aircraft broke the sound barrier, two Concordes took off from Paris and London on the first supersonic passenger service. Concorde flies high at 50,000 feet or more, where air density is around one tenth that at sea level, temperatures are low and supersonic engines efficient. Sixty thousand feet is OK, because it can go supersonic there. Thirty thousand feet is OK because it can fly subsonic at that level. It is difficult to maintain a fixed altitude. It needs to follow the Mach number, which is dependant on air temperature. It operates at the block altitude of 50-60000 feet. Starting off at Mach 2 at 50000 feet, and gently climbing as fuel is burnt off.
Concorde were providing two daily return flights, with an average flying time of 3 hr 20 min, from London to JFK International, New York. The fuel burn of the Paris-New York route is similar to that of a Boeing 747. But carrying 100 passengers, the jumbo 440 plus. The take-off speed is 220 knots, the typical take-off weight 186 tonnes (made up of 80 tonnes unladen weight, 96 tonnes of fuel and 10 tonnes of passengers and baggage). Twelve minutes after takeoff it can be at Mach 1, 26 minutes after take-off Mach 2. The complicated fuel manage¬ment systems to alter the centre of gravity as the centre of pressure shifts mean that a flight engineer is required. Landing speed is 163 knots. The skin temperature reaches 127 degrees C at Mach 2.02, and this was in fact the limiting factor in the original design with the airframe materials available at that time. From a total of twenty originally built, fourteen were delivered to British Airways and Air France.
The aircraft were designed for working lives of 6700 cycles, with a possible 10,000 cycles seen as a desirable goal, through a life extension programme. Both airlines continue to co-operate closely in exchanging information on this work. There have been few incidents in service thus far, the well-publicized departure of bits of British Airways’ rudders being the exception. The aircraft continue to be expensive to maintain (about 2.5 times as labour intensive as the Boeing 747), but the prestige value is still considered to overide this. Many airlines showed initial interest, but then cancelled their options and lost interest entirely. With its massive development costs, Concorde was always struggling with profitability on the commercial routes. In more recent years, an upturn in charter business has helped defray Concorde’s high costs and utilisation – so much so that profitability had to some degree been achieved.
On 12 April 1989 a large section of rudder detached from Concorde G-BOAF as it climbed through 43,000 ft / 13,100 m on a flight from Christchurch, New Zealand to Sydney, Australia. The crew was unaware of the problem until landing.
Then came the accident to the Air France AF4590 aircraft, F-BTSC in Paris on 25 July 2000 where all one hundred passengers and nine crew, plus four people on the ground, lost their lives. After expensive and intricate modifications, British Airways put five aircraft back into service commencing on 7 November 2001. Air France put four back into service on the same day and both airlines operated to New York at the same time.
With the drop off in passenger numbers and the uncertainty of air travel in general, plus the ever-¬rising engineering costs to keep the fleet airworthy, British Airways took the decision on 10 April 2003 to terminate operations from the end of October. Air France had already ceased operations from the 6 of May 2003. The last Concorde operation (a British Airways New York to Heathrow) was conducted on 24 October 2003. British Airways operations saw Concorde make about 50,000 flights, travelling some 140 million miles and clocking up nearly 238,000 flying hours in the process, of which around 100,000 were supersonic (the prototype and development aircraft had collectively reached nearly 4,500 flying hours). The remaining Air France aircraft were all retired to museums earlier in 2003: F BVFA (c/n 205, 17,824 hours) to Smithsonian’s Steven F Udvar Hazy centre at Dulles Airport, Washington Airport on 12 June 2003; F BVFB (c/n 207, 14,771 hours) to the Sinsheim Auto & Technik Museum in Germany on 24 June 2003; F BVFC (c/n 209, 14,332 hours) on 27 June 2003 to the Airbus factory at Toulouse; F BVFD (c/n 211, 5,821 hours) withdrawn in 1982 following a heavy landing and was finally scrapped in 1994; F BTSD (c/n 213, 12,974 hours) to Le Bourget Air and Space Museum on 14 June 2003 and F-BVFF (c/n 215, 12,420 flying hours), parked since July 2000 and officially withdrawn from use since 10 April 2003 and eventually to be dis¬played at Charles de Gaulle Airport, Paris.
Recipients of the five airworthy British Airways aircraft are as follows: G BOAC (c/n 204, 22,260.11 hours/7,730 landings) flown from Heathrow to Manchester on 31 October for the Manchester Airport Aviation Park, where it will eventually be housed in a special glass hangar. G BOAD (c/n 210,23,397.25 hours/8,406 land¬ings) was flown from Heathrow to JFK New York on 10 November and on 24 November it was lifted onto a 260 ft former NASA barge (pre¬viously used to transport Apollo Saturn V moon rockets) and transported along the Hudson River to where it was moored to the quayside in Manhattan, at Pier 86, adjacent to the aircraft carrier USS Intrepid. It will ini¬tially be displayed as part of the Intrepid Sea Air Space Museum. G BOAE (c/n 212, 23,376.07 hours/8,383 land¬ings) was flown from Heathrow to Barbados (a Concorde route for 21 years) on 17 November and arrived just under 4 hours later with an Atlantic crossing altitude of 60,000 ft. It is to be displayed at the Grantley Adams Airport Bridgetown, where it will form the centre piece of a new aviation museum being set up in 2004 at Spencers Plantation close to the airport. G-¬BOAF (c/n 216 18,257.00 hours/6,045 landings) had the distinction of being the last Concorde built (first flown on 20 April 1979), the last to fly, and the last airliner to fly supersonic, leav¬ing Heathrow at 11.29 hours on 26 November for Filton. There it will come under Airbus UK charge, although still owned by BA but on indefinite loan, as a ground dis¬play aircraft. “Alpha Fox” will form the centre¬piece of a new aerospace heritage centre on the site, incorporating the Bristol Aero Collection at Kemble, and will be in place in an “interim” exhibition area which should be open to the public around Easter 2004. G BOAG (c/n 214,16,239.27 hours/5,633 landings) was flown from Heathrow to Seattle’s King County Airport, via New York on 3 November for the Museum of Flight to take its place amongst other airliners such as the prototype DC 2, Boeing’s 727, 737 and 747 prototypes, plus the only de Havilland Comet in North America. This flight outbound from New York to Seattle created its own achievement as the flight time of 3 hours, 55 min¬utes and 12 seconds, setting a new East to West coast record. The airframe stored at Filton since 1982 as a spares source, G BBDG (c/n 202, 803 hours), is to be transported to the Brooklands Museum, Weybridge, Surrey. The UK prototype, G BSST (c/n 002, 835 hours), can be seen in the FAA Museum at Yeovilton, whilst G AXDN (c/ n 101, 632 hours), the first British production aircraft, which made its maiden flight on 13 February 1974, can be seen at Duxford Airfield as part of the Duxford Aviation Society collection. Similarly, in France can be seen F WTSS, (c/n 00 1,812 hours), the French prototype, in the Le Bourget Air and Space Museum; F WTSA (c/n 102, 656 hours), preserved and on display at Orly Airport, Paris; F WTSB (c/n 201, 754 hours), is on display outside the Aerospatiale (Airbus) Headquarters at Toulouse. Two others, G BOAA (c/n 206, 22,768.56 hours/ 8,064 landings), and BOAB (c/n 208, 22,296.55 hours/7,810 landings), unmodified since the Paris crash and not flown since 12 August and 15 Au¬gust 2000 respectively, have also found new homes. G BOAA will be dismantled and trans¬ported to Scotland’s National Museum of Flight at East Fortune near Edinburgh, whilst G BOAB will stay at Heathrow as a ground display aircraft to be eventually installed within the Terminal 5 complex.
BAC-Sud Aviation Concorde prototype 001 F-WTSS Engines: 4 x Bristol Siddeley / SNECMA Olympus 593 B Stage 1, 13,435 kg dry / 17,100 kg afterburn thrust Wing span: 84 ft 0 in (25.56 m). Length: 203 ft 11.5 in (62.17 m). Height: 40 ft 0 in (12.11 m). Wing area: 358.25 m² Max TO wt: 343,500 lb (155,800 kg). Max level speed: M2.2. Ceiling: 18000 m Range: 5200 km
Concorde (pre-production aircraft) Powerplant: four Bristol Siddeley/SNECMA Olympus 593 turbojets of 35 000+1b thrust rated take-off power (ISA at sea level), low thrust boost afterburner on earlier engines. Wingspan, 83 ft 10 in Length, 191 ft 1 in Height, 38 ft 0 in Gross wing area, 3860 sq.ft Max. usable floor area, 1000 sq.ft Max. cabin length, 129 ft 0 in Max. width, 103.4 in Max. height, 77 in Accommodation: max. high density seating, 138 at 34 in pitch Volume of freight and baggage holds outside cabin, 530 cu.ft Operating weight empty, 135 610 lb Total fuel, 185 000 lb Max. payload (volume limited), 28 000 lb Max. take-off, 340 000 lb Max. landing, 200 000 lb Max. zero fuel, 165 000 lb Wing loading (max. take-off weight), 88 lb/sq.ft Wing loading (max. landing weight), 52 lb/sq.ft Thrust loading, 2.62 1b/1b thrust High-speed cruise, 1261 kt. TAS at 50 000-62 000 ft Long range cruise, 1261 kt. TAS at 50 000-62 000 ft Balanced field length at 330 000 lb take-off weight, at ISA at sea level, 9400 ft Landing distance, max. landing weight, ISA at sea level, 7600 ft Range max. payload, 3500 nm at 1200 kt. / 50 000-62 000 ft
Engine: 4 x Rolls-Royce/Snecma Olympus 593 Mk 602 afterburning turbojet (38,000 lb / 170.2kN) thrust. Wing span: 84 ft 0 in (25,60 m). Length: 203 ft 11.5 in (62.17 m). Height : 37.073 ft / 11.3 m Wing area: 3,856 sq ft (358.25 sq.m). Wing load : 103.73 lb/sq.ft / 506.00 kg/sq.m Max take off weight : 399987.0 lbs / 181400.0 kg Weight empty : 174779.3 lbs / 79265.0 kg Max cruising speed: 1,450 mph (2,333 km/h) at 54,500 ft (16,600 m). Cruise speed: 2.2 mach @ 55,000 ft. Range: 4,020 miles (6,470 km) at Mach 2.05 cruise/climb with payload of 28,000 lb (12,700 kg). Accommodation: Crew of 3 and 128¬-144 passengers Cargo, nil. Operating alt: 60,000 ft.
Engines: 4 x Rolls-Royce/Snecma Olympus 593 Mk.610 turbojet, 38,050lb / 169.2kN afterburning Wingspan: 25.66m / 83 ft 10 in Length: 62.17m / 203 ft 9 in Height: 11.40m / 37 ft 5 in Wing area: 358.25 sq.m / 3856 sq.ft Operational empty weight: 78,700 kg / 173,500 lb MTOW: 185,069 kg / 408,000 lb Max payload: 13,381 kg / 29,500 lb Fuel capacity: 119,786 lt Max cruise: M2.04 / 1176 kt / 2178 kph at 51,000 ft / 15,545m Take-off speed: 215 kt / 397 kph Landing speed: 162 kt / 300 kph Initial climb: 5000 fpm / 1524 m/min Service ceiling: 60,000 ft / 18,288 m Take-off dist to 35 ft: 3414m / 11,200 ft Range max fuel & res: 3550 nm at M2.02 Accommodation: 100-128 passengers
A product of British Aerospace at its Manchester facilities, the ATP is the stretched and updated development of the HS 748 (formerly Avro, latterly BAe 748), production of which ceased in 1989.
Development of the BAe ATP / Jetstream 61 started in 1984 as a short-range, low-noise, fuel-efficient turboprop aircraft. The airframe of the Avro 748 was re-designed and lengthened 5.03 m (16.5 feet), the wing re-designed, and minor modifications were made to the nose and tail shapes. The six-blade Hamilton Standard composite propellers were driven by 1,978kW / 2,653shp Pratt & Whitney Canada PW126 engines. The British Aerospace Advanced Turboprop or ATP is a twin turboprop airliner for up to 72 passengers. Passenger accommodation totals 64 at 31-in (79-cm) seat pitch in a fuselage similar to that of the 748 but 16 ft 6 in (5,03 m) longer. Other changes included smaller and closer-pitched cabin win¬dows, a wider centre section for the wing (adapted from the Andover), new landing gear, a redesigned flight deck with EFIS instrumentation, and new electrical, hydraulic and environmental control (air conditioning) systems. The ATP programme was launched in March 1984, and the prototype, G-MATP s/n 2001, was flown first on 6 August 1986. Certification was granted in March 1988 and the ATP entered airline service in May 1988 with British Midland Airways.
By the end of October 1990, 39 aircraft had been ordered with some 12 further options held, and 30 machines had been delivered to six airlines. Production in 1991 was running at about 12 aircraft a year, and depending on specification, the new cost is between $US112.5 and US$13.0 million. In 1994, a modified version with Pratt & Whitney Canada PW127D engines was introduced under the name Jetstream 61. The BAe ATP and Jetstream 61 failed to attract significant orders. The ATP / J61 saw a limited production run. 63 ATPs and 1 Jetstream 61 were built. Production ended in 1998. In 2001, the ATP Freighter project started, with 6 ATPs to be converted into cargo aircraft for West Air Sweden. The ATPF is capable of carrying eight LD3 containers or six LD4s when fitted with the Large Freight Door, or loading up to eight tonnes. The ATPF made it first flight on 10 July 2002. Since then, 12 ATPs were converted into ATPFs.
ATP Engine: 2 x 2653hp Pratt & Whitney Canada PW126 turboprops Take-off weight: 22930 kg / 50552 lb Empty weight: 13595 kg / 29972 lb Wingspan: 30.63 m / 100 ft 6 in Length: 26.00 m / 85 ft 4 in Height: 7.14 m / 23 ft 5 in Wing area: 78.3 sq.m / 842.81 sq ft Cruise speed: 496 km/h / 308 mph Ceiling: 7600 m / 24950 ft Range: 1825 km / 1134 miles Passengers: 64
