Temple Sportsman N987N on display at the Frontiers of Flight Museum at Dallas, Texas
Designed by George W Williams and George Carroll, the Sportsman was a parasol winged monoplane, equipped with two seats arranged in tandem. The cockpit had an open layout. A fixed tail-wheel undercarriage was fitted. The tailplane was set low on the fin. A 100 h.p. Cirrus III was initially fitted.
Three examples of the Sportsman were completed: NC480 manufacturers number 1; NC852H and N987N manufacturers number 107. There was no N987N registered in FAA records at the time, so it is likely to be from a later registration. There was an NC987H, but that was the registration for a different make of aircraft, a Smith S-1 with a Velie engine. The Sportsman was suitable for operation by individual sporting pilots. Williams was killed during 1930 in the crash while flying with a trainee pilot. The company folded after the accident.
One Texas-Temple Sportsman still exists. It had been found in bits by an airplane restorer, Jerry D Ferrell, who reconstructed it. The plane undertook its airworthiness test on July 26, 1990. Ferrel donated the plane for display at the Frontiers of Flight Museum, Love Field, Dallas, Texas. The plane is fitted with a Clyde Cessna modified engine, the Anzani.
The Texas-Temple Sportsman on display at the Frontiers of Flight Museum
The 1928 Aero C-4 was designed to carry 4 passengers in an enclosed cabin with the pilot in an open cockpit behind the wing. Possibly powered by a Wright J-5B engine. Only one was built, c/n X-101, registration NC-7458.
The one-off Texas Parasol Ontario Modifications, C-IVME, was built to fit Canadian Ultralight regulations. Texas Parasol uses a VW engine, plus small “Ontario” modifications, and the approximate cost to build was less than $5000.
The 1979 M79S Wasp II was a two place Ag modification of the Bell 47G. First flown on 6 January 1979.
First flown in 1979 with a piston engine, the M79T Jet Wasp II was a two-seat turboshaft powered modification of the Bell TH-13T helicopter. One was built (N1001X) in 1982.
M79S Wasp II Engine: TVO-435, 270hp Rotor: 37’1″ Length: 36’0″ Useful load: 1480 lb Max speed: 106 mph Cruise: 80 mph Range: 300 mi Seats: 2
M79T Jet Wasp II Engine: Soloy-Allison 250 Seats: 2
Developed M74 Wasp (certification 1976) and M79T Jet Wasp II (first flown 1979 with piston engine) as single-seat piston-engined agricultural/utility and two-seat turboshaft- powered modifications of Bell 47G/ TH-13T helicopters respectively. Assets bought by Aerodyne in 1985.
In 1949-50 the Texas A&M College in the USA developed a concept aircraft, the first purpose built agricultural aircraft designed by Fred E Weick and Hugh DeHaven, designated Ag 1 which flew in January 1950, piloted by Ted von Rosenberg. It was a low wing monoplane of all metal construction, powered by a 225 hp piston engine and designed to carry a chemical load of 1,200 lb (544 kg).
Weick Ag-1 N222
Built with US government support, the Ag 1 N222 was demon¬strated widely throughout the USA and was well received by the six or seven hundred pilots who flew it. The main criticism was that it was underpowered, and a decision was taken to refit it with a 300 hp engine. Before this could be done the Ag 1 collided with a powerline pole and ended up on its back. But the crash demonstrated one of the qualities for which it was designed: the aircraft was destroyed except for the cockpit area, but the pilot was uninjured, even though he had been subjected to forces more than 25 times that of gravity, according to the dynamometers installed for test purposes.
“Ning Hai” was the name of the Chinese Navy light cruiser that carried a floatplane. The ship’s name was painted on the sides of its aircraft, hence the confusion.
Originally, the Ning Hai carried a Japanese Aichi AB-3 seaplane. But the aircraft had to be disassembled and stowed after use, because it lacked folding wings. This limited the plane’s usefulness.
So Mar Te-Tsu of the Navy yard at Shanghai designed and built a replacement in the 1934-35 timeframe. The Hsin (Xin) was a twin-float, single-seater powered by the same 130-hp Gasuden Jimpu radial engine used in the Aichi AB-3. It generally resembled its predecessor except that the new airplane had folding wings.
The 1933 Teston Low-Wing, N11552 c/n R-1, was a two place, open cockpit, low wing monoplane, built in Georgia, USA. The only one built was powered by a 95hp Cirrus Mk III.
TST-14 Bonus is designed mainly for leisure thermal flights. Its performance is comparable to common two-seat gliders. The wheels on the wing ends allow for independent taxiing and take off.
The major advantage of the TST-14 is the possible and easy installation of the power unit in order to upgrade to the TST-14M. Bonus is equipped with complete duplicate controls and avionics. These make it suitable for flying schools that provide training on motorless and motorized gliders. Aerotow capable
Instrumentation of the TST-14 Bonus glider is fully optional – the customer can either choose instruments from our list of avionics manufacturers or he/she can supply the instrumentation himself/herself during the production of the ordered aircraft. The Bonus can be delivered with an entire range of accessories and a trailer.
Since the completion and testing of the first prototype in 2005, we have sold 10 Bonus gliders to pilots in seven countries. There is greater demand for the TST-14M model, which is the version with the engine installed.
The TST-14 is a tandem two-seat, mid-winged monoplane with a cantilever wing, T-shaped tail and two-wheel tandem undercarriage. Its composite structure is made in negative molds. The wings with sandwich structure is equipped with ailerons and air brakes on the upper surface. There are no ribs in the wing. The strength system of the wing is formed by the main spar, by the aileron spar and by the root rib. All the wing profile of the sandwich structure forms the torsion box.
The wings are interconnected by fittings and two horizontal pins. The connection wing-fuselage is made by means of pins and fittings placed in the fuselage and the wing root rib. The composite ailerons are hung by four hinges with the turning axis on the upper side. Air brakes on the upper side of the wing are made of aluminium and are retracted into pits.
The fuselage with a shell structure is made in the negative mould together with the fin. The tail is a T-shaped sandwich structure. The controls, enabling pitch, roll, air brake and trim controlling, are of the lever design, with a push-pull rods system. The relevant backstops are placed on the stick. The yaw control with adjustable pedals is transmitted by cables. The airplane can be trimmed by a torsional member in the elevator drive that is controlled by a lever in the left of the front cockpit. The undercarriage consists of one unsprung main wheel 350×100 mm and one fixed front wheel. The brake handle is on the left side of the floor. The tail wheel 80×30 mm is turnable.
TST-14M Bonus is a two-seat motorized composite ultralight self-launcher with a retractable power unit, suitable for thermal flying, long wave or ridge flights and for flying schools. The aircraft also offers easy handling and the capability of independent take off. TST-14M Bonus is designed mainly for leisure thermal flights. Its performance is comparable to common two-seat gliders. The plane is equipped with a retractable power unit enabling independent take off and reach of an airfield without any thermal support. Engine extraction and retraction is fully automatic and is controlled by electronic servo motors. The power unit is operated by the pilot using two buttons on the instrument panel. The handling of a landed Bonus is very easy thanks to its weight. The wheels on wing ends allow for independent rolling and take off. Production commenced in 2004.
Steve Meassick, a dealer of TeST gliders in the USA, has successfully finalized the certification of the two-seater self-launcher TST-14M Bonus in the LSA category.
TST-14 Bonus M
The Bonus glider can also be delivered in a motorless version (type TST-14), ready for possible future engine installation. Since the completion and testing of the first prototype in 2005, Test have sold 18 Bonus gliders to pilots in seven countries.
With a 17 meter wing span, complete duplicate controls and the ability to extract and retract the engine anytime during the flight, up to 150 km range is possible with the Rotax 503 engine engaged. The TST-14M is still aerotow capable. The Rotax 503 has two carburetors and reducer B, ratio 1:2. An electric starter is standard. The propeller is wooden, two-bladed with fixed adjustment; diameter 1200 mm.
The TST-10 ATLAS, TST-13 JUNIOR and TST-14 BONUS – formed the core of the 2009 production program and have brought a great deal of commercial success.
The TST-14J BonusJet is a two seat, high performance, self-launching, jet powered sailplane. Featuring a PBS TJ-100 turbine engine on a retractable pod, it is capable of self launching, cross country soaring and cruising flight.
TST-14J BonusJet
Phase one flight tests have been completed. All systems are functioning perfectly. Initial flight tests show a climb rate in excess of 900 ft/minute.
TST-14 Bonus Wing span: 17 m Wing area: 12.01 sq.m Aspect ratio: 24 Length: 8.24 m Seats: 2 MTOW without BRS: 450 kg MTOW with BRS: 472.5 kg Weight of crew: 65 – 180 kg Vne: 205 km/h Max. maneuvering speed: 150 km/h Max. speed with extended air brakes: 150 km/h Max. speed in aerotow: 150 km/h Stall speed: 65 km/h Max. theor. glide ratio without winglets: 37 by 105 km/h Max. glide ratio with winglets: 39 by 105 km/h Min sink rate: 0,65 m/s at 85 km/h Max. permitted load factor: +4 / -2 Max. calculated load factor: +5.2 / -2.6
TST-14M Bonus Wing Span: 12m Wing Area: 12.01sq.m Aspect ratio: 24 Length: 8.24 m Empty Weight: 472kg MTOW without BRS: 450 kg MTOW with BRS: 472 kg Weight of crew and fuel: 65 – 188 kg Structure: all-composite Seats: 2 Vne: 205 km/h Max. maneuvering speed: 150 km/h Max. speed with extended air brakes: 150 km/h Max. speed in aerotow: 150 km/h Stall speed: 65 km/h Max. theor. glide ratio without winglets: 37 at 105 km/h Max. glide ratio with winglets: 39 at 105 km/h Min. sink rate: 0,65 m/s at 85 km/h Max. permitted load factor: +4 / -2 Max. calculated load factor: +5.2 / -2.6 Engine: Rotax 503, 34 kW (46 HP) Reducer: 1:2 Propeller: Wooden, 1200mm Fuel tank capacity: 30 liters Fuel consumption when climbing: 11 liters / h Fuel consumption at cruising speed: 9 liters / h
All Aero 