Czech Republic
Produces the Caprice 21 tandem two-seat very light monoplane.
Aircraft
Thurston Tawney Owl
An attempt to produce a cheap new British lightplane, the Owl was designed by Tony Creedon and Eric Thurston, and built at Stapleford Tawney in Essex.
It had a 75 hp Porsche engine and a metal and plastic airframe.
The first flight, on 22 April 1960, ended in a forced landing. Registered G-APWU c/n TA,1-1, it was put into store, firstly at Stapleford then Stendon and later offered for sale.
Engine: Porsche 678/4, 75 hp
Wingspan: 24.00 ft
Length: 19.06 ft
Seats: 2 side-by-side
Thurston TA-19 Seamaster
Designed circa 1995 as a ten-place cabin, high-wing monoplane amphibian.
Engines: 2 x Allison 250-B17F, 450hp
Wingspan: 53’0″
Length: 39’0″
Useful load: 3740 lb
Max speed: 220 mph
Cruise speed: 175 mph
Stall: 60 mph
Range: 1100 mi
Seats: 10
Thurston HRV-1
The Thurston HRV-1 was a hydro research vehicle developed for the USN from a Colonial C-2 Skimmer. The single HRV-1 was a two-place cabin, mid-wing monoplane amphibian, registered N1001L.
Thurston TA-16 Trojan / Seafire
David B. Thurston, veteran amphibian aircraft designer was completing certification requirements for his four-place waterbird, the TA16 Trojan, to be called the Seafire when FAA-certified. This means that home-builders will have a proven, FAA-certi¬fied amphibian structure if they follow the plans with care. The proto-type Seafire is scheduled for flight testing in July 1981, while 45 home-builders already have Trojans under construction. Thurston, designer of the Colonial Skimmer (still produced as the Lake Amphibian) and the Teal Amphibian, estimates that the Tro¬jan/Seafire can be built in 3000 hours by anyone with previous airframe construction experience. This time can be reduced by using subassem¬blies and parts currently available from Underwood Aircraft, 18440 South Broadway, Gardena, CA 90248. The Trojan/Seafire has a radius of ac¬tion in excess of three hours and can operate from water, land, snow or ice.
The prototype N16SA first flew on 10 December 1981 and about 45 were under construction by 1982.
Construction, aluminum alloy with fiberglass bow deck skin and windshield enclosure
Power 160 – 250 hp
TA-16 Seafire
Engine: Lycoming O-540-A4D5, 250 hp
Span: 37’ 0”
Wing Area: 183 sq.ft
Length: 27’ 1.59”
Gross Weight: 3000 lb
Empty Weight: 1850 lb
Fuel: 80 U.S. gal
Vmax: 175 mph
Cruise: 155 mph
Stall: 60 mph
Range: 1000 mi
Climb: 1000 fpm
Endurance: 6-10 hours
Seats: 4
Thurston Teal TSC-1A / Schweitzer Teal / Teal Aircraft Teal
Thurston Aircraft Corp designed and manufactured the TSC-1A1 Teal two/three-seat light amphibian later acquired by Schweizer and later Teal Aircraft Corporation.
The TSC-1A Teal prototype N1968T first flew in June 1968 and, selling for $17,150, fifteen went to the USN. The improved TSC-1A1 Teal flew in 1972.
The TSC-1A2 Teal II N2020 first flew in October 1972. The TSC-1A2 Teal II was an improved version featuring slotted trailing-edge flaps, new wing leading-edge fuel tanks, optional hull fuel tank, and independent retraction of the tail wheel.
From 1976 Teal Aircraft Corp held manufacturing and tooling rights for the Thurston Teal, which was previously owned by Schweizer Aircraft Corporation. It was being produced by Teal Aircraft in St. Augustine, Florida, at the rate of 24 a year. For about $40,000, they’ll put you into the 150 horsepower Teal II, which cruises at 102 knots and carries a 765 pound equipped useful load. For $2,000 more, they’ll sell you the same airplane with a 180 hp engine the Teal III. The TSC-1A3 Teal III first flying in September 1991.
Thurston Aeromarine Corp superseded International Aeromarine; initially to produce two-seat Teal III amphibian (delivered from 1995), then expected to be followed by Seafire four-seat amphibian.
TSC-1A Teal
Engine: Lycoming O-320-A3B, 150hp
Wingspan: 31’11”
Length: 23’7″
Useful load: 600 lb
Max speed: 125 mph
Cruise speed: 108 mph
Stall: 54 mph
Range: 400 mi
Seats: 2
No built: 15
TSC-1A1 Teal
TSC-1A2 Teal II
Engine: Lycoming O-320-A3B, 150hp
Wingspan: 31’11” / 9.73 m
Length: 23’7″ / 7.19 m
Empty weight: 1435 lb / 651 kg
MTOW: 2200 lb / 998 kg
Useful load: 565 lb
Max cruise 5000ftt/1525m: 116 mph / 101 kt / 187 kph
Stall: 52 mph
ROC: 650 fpm / 198 m/min
Service ceiling: 12,000 ft / 3660 m
Range econ cruise 96kt/110mph/177kph 45min res: 472 mi / 410 nm / 759 kph
Range econ cruise 96kt/110mph/177kph 45min res opt fuel: 748 mi / 650 nm / 1203 kph
Seats: 2
Baggage capacity: 230 lb / 104 kg
Price 1974: $22,475
TSC-1A3 Teal III
Engine: Textron Lycoming O-360-1F6D, 180hp
Wingspan: 36’0″
Length: 23’10”
Useful load: 800 lb
Max speed: 116 mph
Cruise speed: 112 mph
Stall: 55 mph
Range: 500 mi
Seats: 2
Teal Aircraft Corp TSC 1A3 Marlin
Engine: Lycoming O-360-A1F6D, 180 hp
Seats: 2/4
Wing loading: 14.7 lb/sq.ft
Pwr loading: 12.8 lb/hp
Max TO wt: 2300 lb
Empty wt: 1435 lb
Equipped useful load: 782 lb
Payload max fuel: 350 lb
Range max fuel/ 75% pwr: 561 nm/ 5.3 hr
Range max fuel/ 55% pwr: 739 nm/ 7.7 hr
Service ceiling: 14,000 ft
75% cruise: 104 kt. 55% cruise: 96 kt
Stall: 45 kt
1.3 Vso: 59 kt
ROC: 700 fpm
Min field length land / water: 1000 / 1300 ft
Thurston
David Thurston
(David) Thurston-Erlandsen Corp (TEC)
Thurston Aeromarine Corp
1966: Thurston Aircraft Corp
Sanford ME.
USA
Thurston Aircraft Corp was organized in July 1966 by David B. Thurston to develop marine aircraft. It designed and manufactured the TSC-1A1 Teal two/three-seat light amphibian later acquired by Schweizer and later Teal Aircraft Corporation.
Thurston Aeromarine Corp superseded International Aeromarine; initially to produce two-seat Teal III amphibian (delivered from 1995), then expected to be followed by Seafire four-seat amphibian. Also then anticipated was eight-seat Seamaster with two turboprop engines.
In 1972 Schweizer Aircraft Corp acquired all rights to the Teal Amphibian (Thurston became engr mgr).
In 1976 Teal Aircraft Corp, St Augustine FL, bought Teal production rights from Schweizer (D Thurston as vice-pres).
Intl Aeromarine Corp, Sanford FL, partly owned by Thurston Aeromarine Corp, Cumberland Foreside ME.
Thunder Builders Group / Thunder Wings
1975: Thunder Wings, div Thunder Development Inc, Scottsdale AZ.
In the late 1970s, “Thunder Wings” was a company that originated in Vancouver B.C. by Wolfe Nottelman. According to Wolfe, through his connections, he obtained a government grant of 1.5 million. He contracted a company in Scottsdale, Arizona to develop flying prototypes of the FW-190, Spitfire and P-40. They had done some work on a “secret” project of a fighter trainer with a cheap buzz-jet engine of their own design. At the time of the contract it looked like everything would be OK. It was stipulated that the money must be spent in Canada so the US company opened an office in Vancouver. After they obtained the money, they transferred all the funds to Arizona. They got the contract on their “experience”. At that time they had a 3/4 replica of a FW-190 flying. It was built the classic way; tubular structure, covered with fibreglass skins, the same way they built the P-40. On the first test flight, their test pilot was killed. The official version is the man who bought one of them did not take off according to procedure on the maiden flight.
On their marketing material they offered the Spitfire too. In Phoenix in the early 80’s it looked like a good, hard working company. There was an unfinished prototype of an all-composite Spitfire. They said the prototype was sold to someone in England and it was flying over there. They declined to give any info.
The story on the Spitfire in England was a big lie. Friends of mine bought this unfinished prototype (tubular structure covered with skins) from someone in the US a few years later. They changed the design from tubular to composite. They never changed their moulds so many parts did not fit. (For example, the rear wing spars were 1/2 inch higher than rib at the root). Parts were moulded poorly; the main spar had a 2 inch bend. The company never provided plans for the composite model. The plans that were provided were for the tubular structure. Even the manual was only 30% complete. They never finished the project. They were selling unproven kits and they falsely advertised the Spitfire test flights. We paid for the wing skins and spars and they were not delivered. Thanks a lawyer, some managed to obtain the ownership of the moulds, which were exchanged with Wolfe for the moulded parts.
Thunder Wings of Phoenix was folded and re-opened under a new name: Thundergroup, using the original Thunder Wings of Canada money. They screwed about 70 customers who bought the kit from Scottsdale. All the moulds were in storage in Vancouver (Spit, FW-190, and P-40). Wolfe died and there is no details after that.
Papa51 Co. Ltd., the original manufacturer of the Thunder Mustang is no longer in business. The Thunder Builders Group L.L.C. acquired the assets required to manufacture the Thunder Mustang through foreclosure on a loan. We have posted these assets for sale. Discussions are ongoing with several interested parties but at this time we have not finalized an agreement that will see this incredible aircraft back in production. The TBG is focused on finding the right mix of passion and money to make this happen.
Thunder Wing had claimed to build in 1980:
Curtiss P-40C
4/5-scale replica
Two seat, retracting undercarriage
Engine: 300hp Lighting Merlin V-12
Wingspan: 30´0″
Length: 25’0″
Useful load: 574 lb
Cruise speed: 200 mph
Range: 500 mi
Focke-Wulf Fw.190A
4/5-scale replica
Single seat, retracting undercarriage
Engine: 240hp Contentinal W670
Wingspan: 28’0″
Length: 23’0″
Useful load: 600 lb
Cruise speed: 185 mph
Range: 627 mi
Supermarine Spitfire Mk IX
4/5-scale replica
Two seat, retracting undercarriage
Engine: 300hp Lighting Merlin V-12
Wingspan: 27’0″
Length: 23’0″
Useful load: 600 lb
Cruise speed: 225 mph
Range: 812 mi
Thunderbird Aircraft 1929 Monoplane
In 1928 Thunderbird Aircraft Inc was contracted by a Lt C A Burrows of the California National Guard for use in “scouting new passenger and air mail routes,” but it is unclear whether this was a state or personal order. A seven place cabin monoplane, there is no record of the plane being constructed.
Engine: P&W Wasp
Max speed: 145 mph
Cruise: 120 mph
Thunderbird Aircraft Thunderbird / W-14 / WH-14
Thunderbird Aircraft was established to build and develop the Thunderbird biplane, designed by Theodore A. Woolsey, and first flown in June 1926. The production W-14 was a three-seat open-cockpit biplane powered by a Curtiss OX-5 engine.
Design of the Thunderbird W-14 family was begun in 1926 by the W-F-W Aircraft Corporation (formed by Theodore Woolsey, Jack Frye and Paul Whittier).
The Thunderbird W-14 was an unequal span single bay biplane with wings of rectangular plan out to rounded tips, built around twin wooden spars and fabric-covered. Both upper and lower wings were set with 3° of dihedral and had externally interconnected ailerons. Outward-leaning N-form interplane struts joined the wings, set with 20 in (510 mm) of stagger, and the upper wing was mounted over the fuselage on outward-leaning cabane struts with an inverted V from the forward spar and a single strut from the rear spar on each side.
The prototype’s OX-5 water-cooled engine was cleanly cowled, with its 43 US gal (36 imp gal; 160 L) fuel tank immediately behind it and its radiator centrally positioned on the upper wing underside. There were two open cockpits in tandem. The forward one seated either two passengers side-by-side or a trainee pilot, positioned largely under the upper wing. The pilot sat, sightly raised, in the rear cockpit. The stagger and a gentle cut-out enhanced the field of view from both cockpits. Behind the engine the fuselage was a trapezoidal section girder structure of welded steel tubes, tapering rearwards and with a rounded decking behind the cockpits.
The Thunderbird had a conventional tail with a semi-circular plan tailplane mounted on top of the fuselage, wire-braced to the fin. It carried rounded elevators separated by a gap for rudder movement. The fin was also rounded, with a large unbalanced rudder of semi-elliptical profile.
Its original fixed, conventional landing gear was a standard single axle design with pairs of legs and trailing drag struts. There were no brakes and the early tailskid could not be steered.
The Thunderbird made its first flight 11 July 1926. By the autumn of 1927 numerous modifications had been made in preparation for production. These included laminated, rather than solid, wing spars, Warren girder ribs and a steel, rather than wire, cross-braced fuselage. A new, split axle undercarriage was introduced, with axles hinged from the central fuselage underside and equipped with rubber-chord shock absorbers. The tailskid was now steerable.
Designed by Ted Woolsey, the open cockpit biplane series was first flown on 11 July 1926 (piloted by Jack Frye).
As production started W_F_W was re-organised as the Aero Corporation of California with investment from Walter Hamilton (Frye & Woolsey, Monte Edwards, Walter Hamilton, Paul Richter). With the break-up of the partnership Woolsey arranged new investment to take over the business, which became Thunderbird Aircraft Inc. of 900 N Allen St, Glendale, CA.
Production Thunderbirds offered several other engines, all more powerful than the Curtiss (for $3,350). The least powerful was the 95 hp (71 kW) Dayton Bear which originally powered an iceboat.
The Bailey CR-7 Bull’s Eye was a 120 hp (89 kW) 7-ctlinder radial engine as was the 150 hp (110 kW) Axelson (Floco) B as W-14-F. The elderly, heavy 140 hp (100 kW) Hispano E water-cooled V-8 engine (for $3,750) increased speeds of the W-14-H by 15 mph (24 km/h; 13 kn) and the climb rate by 12% but needed a 60 US gal (50 imp gal; 230 l) fuel tank to maintain the W-O-14’s range. All but the first were certified to power the W-14.
One was registered N7201as a W-14 (no suffix) with a 130hp Hallett engine,
Between 40 and 50 production Thunderbirds (ATC 2-141) were built between 1927 and 1929. There were several agencies across the south-western states and it was popular with small flying clubs in the Los Angeles area. Some were used in the Philippines until the Japanese invasion. Others were exported to Canada. In 1929, however, the onset of the depression and a management dispute ended the company even though they had an outstanding order for 50 from a single buyer.
Known registrations:
N5243, N5404, N5457, N5588, N5770, N5830, N5969, N6502, N6573, N6589, et al.
Because the early advertisements for the Thunderbird said only that its maximum speed was over 100 mph, some journals suggested that the 95 mph cruising speed was in fact the maximum. To refute this, a standard Thunderbird with a three-year-old OX-5 engine, previously used by an aero club, was entered for the November 1927 Santa Anna air meet for aircraft with under 100 hp engines, where it won a trophy by completing a triangular course at an average speed of 114 mph (183 km/h; 99 kn). A few days later on 21 November 1927, at the National Guard field in Los Angeles Clint Burrows, the company test pilot, flew four flights each in opposite directions at an average speed of 119.4 mph (192.2 km/h; 103.8 kn). The aircraft was then sold to an air-taxi company for use between Los Angeles and Tucson.
One standard W-14, NX9830, was bought by Roscoe Turner and modified by the addition of a 50 ft (15 m) diameter parachute held in the wing centre-section to be deployed to save the aircraft and those aboard in an emergency.
Only one Thunderbird remains airworthy, a W-O-14. It was restored by Denny Trone and flew from Brodhead, Wisconsin. After his death in a 2008 flying accident it was donated to the Eagles Mere Air Museum along with other old aircraft he had restored. Ogden lists it as a General Aircraft Company Thunderbird W-14.
Variants:
Engine: Curtiss OX-5, 90hp
Wingspan: 31’0″
Length: 24’6″
Useful load: 850 lb
Max speed: 115 mph
Cruise speed: 95 mph
Stall: 38 mph
Range: 400 mi
Ceiling: 15,000′
Seats: 3
W-B-14 (W-14-B)
Probable designation of the Thunderbird when powered by a 140 hp (104 kW) Bailey C-7-R “Bull’s Eye” 7-cyl radial engine.
W-O-14 (W-14-O)
Engine: 150 hp (112 kW) Curtiss OX-5
Propeller: 2-bladed fixed-pitch
Upper wingspan: 33 ft (10 m)
Lower wingspan: 31 ft (9.4 m)
Wing area: 300 sq ft (28 m2)
Length: 24 ft 6 in (7.47 m)
Height: 9 ft (2.7 m)
Empty weight: 1,300 lb (590 kg)
Gross weight: 2,100 lb (953 kg)
Fuel capacity: 43 US gal (36 imp gal; 160 L)
Maximum speed: 120 mph (190 km/h, 100 kn)
Cruise speed: 95 mph (153 km/h, 83 kn)
Stall speed: 38 mph (61 km/h, 33 kn)
Range: 400 mi (640 km, 350 nmi)
Service ceiling: 15,000 ft (4,600 m)
Rate of climb: 800 ft/min (4.1 m/s) initial
Landing speed:38 mph (61 km/h; 33 kn)
Crew: One
Capacity: Two passengers / 850 lb (386 kg) payload
W-F-14 (W-14-F)
Powered by a 140 hp (104 kW) Axelson-Floco B 7-cyl radial engine.
W-H-14 (W-14-H)
Powered by a 150 hp (112 kW) Wright-Hisso E V-8 engine.
W-14
One aircraft (7201) powered by a 130 hp (97 kW) Hallett H-526 7-cyl radial engine.
