Arthur Stentzel of Hamburg-Altona, Germany, began experimenting with gliders and ornithopters in the early 1890s. In 1896, he demonstrated his flapping wing flying machine at Berlin. The Stentzel machine had cambered bird-like wings of 6.5 m. wingspan and a rounded cruciform tail. It was powered by a carbonic acid engine mounted forward and below the wings. The flying machine ran along a horizontal wire, off which it lifted when in motion. The machine achieved a speed of 4.5 m/s.
The Stellar Astra is an American ultralight trike that was designed by Allistair Wilson and produced by Stellar Aircraft of Bloomfield, Indiana. When it was available the aircraft was supplied as a complete ready-to-fly-aircraft. As of 2013 the company appears to be out of business and production complete.
The Astra was derived from a P&M Aviation trike design and intended to comply with the US light-sport aircraft category.
The Astra features a cable-braced hang glider-style high-wing, weight-shift controls, a two-seats-in-tandem open cockpit with a cockpit fairing, tricycle landing gear with wheel pants and a single engine in pusher configuration.
The aircraft is made from bolted-together aluminum tubing, with its double surface wing covered in Dacron sailcloth. Its 34.4 ft (10.5 m) span wing is supported by a single tube-type kingpost and uses an “A” frame weight-shift control bar. Powerplants that were factory available were the twin cylinder, air-cooled, two-stroke, dual-ignition 50 hp (37 kW) Rotax 503, the four cylinder, air and liquid-cooled, four-stroke, dual-ignition 80 hp (60 kW) Rotax 912UL and 100 hp (75 kW) Rotax 912ULS and the twin cylinder, air-cooled, four-stroke, dual-ignition 60 hp (45 kW) HKS 700E engine.
With the HKS powerplant the aircraft has an empty weight of 485 lb (220 kg) and a gross weight of 960 lb (435 kg), giving a useful load of 475 lb (215 kg).
The aircraft was produced under contract for Stellar Aircraft in India by Albatross Flying Systems, who also marketed the design in Asia as the Cruiser. In 2011, The Astra sold for US$23,495 with the HKS 700E engine.
Astra
Engine: 1 × HKS 700E, 60 hp (45 kW)
Propeller: 3-bladed composite
Wingspan: 34 ft 5 in (10.5 m)
Wing area: 168 sq ft (15.6 sq.m)
Empty weight: 485 lb (220 kg)
Gross weight: 959 lb (435 kg)
Maximum speed: 78 mph; 67 kn (125 km/h)
Cruise speed: 62 mph; 54 kn (100 km/h)
Stall speed: 37 mph; 32 kn (60 km/h)
Rate of climb: 450 ft/min (2.3 m/s)
Wing loading: 5.7 lb/sq ft (27.9 kg/sq.m)
Crew: one
Capacity: one passenger
In 1930 Charles T Stedman of South Bend IN., USA, built a three-place, open cockpit biplane, powered by a 110hp Warner Scarab engine.
In 1929 a two-place cabin biplane was the concept of Capt Charles R Bowers. Design work was done by Harold L Scholl, formerly of McCook Field, and J W Van Cleve. Money was put up by insurance broker Stedman plus Howard and Hugh Woolverton. They bought out (Clyde W) Shockley Flying Service and incorporated as Rainbow Flying Service and Rainbow Aircraft Corp.
Built at South Bend IN., USA, the biplane was registered NX294V c/n 1 and powered by a 75hp Rover engine.
The (James S & Ralph C) Stephens Engineering Co Aerohydroplane of 1911 was designed by James Stephens as an open biplane on wheel or floats. Interplane stabilizer panels were non-controllable—for a right turn, the right panel stayed in place and the left panel swung free, and vice-versa. This prevented the aircraft (wings) from sideslipping or stalling. Turning was accomplished by the empennage flight control steering system (not wing-warp) which gimbaled 360 degrees. These was no elevator, rudder, or ailerons. 1915 US aircraft patent #1,127,105.
Tricycle gear or all known pictures show two 16′ Burgess pontoons.
Stored in 1914, it was recovered in 1990 to the American Wings Air Museum at Blaine MN, where reassembly began in Feb 2002. It was to be fitted with the tricycle landing gear, which incorporates pneumatic shock absorbers, independent main gear brakes, and has nosewheel steering.
Engine: 50hp Gnôme Omega
Span: (upper) 41’8″
Span: (lower) 36’0″
Length: 31’0″
Speed: 50 mph
Seats: 1
The 1936 PT-35 was entered in military evaluation for a primary trainer, but was beaten out by Stearman.
A two place open cockpit biplane.
Engine: Wright R-760, 225 hp
St. Louis Aircraft brought out a biplane primary trainer in 1935, hoping to win an Army production contract. Initially unsuccessful, St. Louis Aircraft continued to develop the airplane and demonstrate it (including a crash at Wright Field in 1936) for the Army, which eventually acquired a trial batch of 14 trainers in 1939. The Army identified these trainers as PT-15. All but one of them ended up being assigned to Parks College (at Cahokia, Illinois) for use in Parks’ Army aviation cadet training program. The hoped-for big production orders were not forthcoming, being won instead by the Boeing/Stearman PT-13/PT-17/N2S Army/Navy primary trainer.
PT-15 / PT-1W
Engine: Wright R-760, 225hp
Wingspan: 33’10”
Length: 25’0″
Useful load: 708 lb
Max speed: 124 mph
Cruise: 105 mph
Stall: 53 mph
Range: 355 mi
Ceiling: 14,500′
Seats: 2
XPT-15
1940
No built: 1 / 39-702
YPT-15
1941
No built: 13 / 40-001-013
The 1940 PT-LM-4 was a low-wing, open cockpit, tandem seat, trainer with conventional landing gear, powered by a 180 hp (134 kW) Ranger 6-440C-3 engine. The fuselage was constructed of welded steel tubing with aluminum skins. The wings used aluminum construction with aircraft fabric covering.
The St. Louis PT-LM-4 was a primary trainer designed for use in the Civilian Pilot Training Program of World War II. Fairchild won the training contract, with St. Louis Aircraft Company building licensed versions of the PT-19 instead. Only one, NX25500, was ever built.
PT-LM-4
Engine: 1 × Ranger 6-440C-3, 180 hp (130 kW)
Length: 24 ft 9 in (7.54 m)
Wingspan: 30 ft (9.1 m)
Height: 7 ft 10 in (2.39 m)
Wing area: 157 sq ft (14.6 m2)
Gross weight: 2,012 lb (913 kg)
Maximum speed: 119 kn; 220 km/h (137 mph)
Cruise speed: 109 kn; 201 km/h (125 mph)
Stall: 55 mph
Range: 345 mi
Service ceiling: 18,000 ft (5,500 m)
Rate of climb: 1,000 ft/min (5.1 m/s)
Crew: 2
St. Louis Aircraft seized the opportunity afforded by the “Lindbergh Boom” in 1928 to produce a line of light, enclosed-cabin, two-seat, single radial-engine monoplanes christened Cardinals. At 1929 Detroit Aircraft Show exhibited the Cardinal high-wing monoplane, the company’s first airplane. Cardinal Senior which followed had more power.
Unfortunately, the Cardinal’s timing was not ideal: having been beaten into production by such highly successful similar private aircraft as the Monocoupe, Curtiss Robin, and others, the Cardinal did not sell well, becoming an early victim of the Depression-era aeronautical slump.
The last of 21 Cardinals was delivered in 1931.
C2-60 Cardinal
1929
ATC 2-92, superseded by 273
Engine: LeBlond 5D, 60hp
Wingspan: 32’4″
Length: 20’7″
Useful load: 600 lb
Max speed: 105 mph
Cruise: 90 mph
Stall: 35 mph
Range: 500 mi
Seats: 2
Price: $3,700
No built: 10
1 later converted to C2-85 (N903K)
1 to C2-90 (NC31H)
1 to C2-110 (NC951K)
C2-65
1929
Modified C2-60 NC1111
C2-85 Cardinal
1930
ATC 350
Engine: LeBlond 5DF, 85hp
Length: 21’0″
Useful load: 580 lb
Max speed: 116 mph
Cruise: 98 mph
Stall: 40 mph
Range: 490 mi
Seats: 2
No built: 1 NC559N
Price: $3,750
C2-90 Senior Cardinal
1929
ATC 264
Engine: LeBlond 7D, 90hp
Length: 21’3″
Useful load: 545 lb
Max speed: 118 mph
Cruise speed: 102 mph
Stall: 40 mph
Range: 300 mi
Seats: 2
Designer: Harry McKay
Price: $3,750
No built: 6, 1 converted from C2-60.
C2-100 Super Cardinal
1929
Engine: 110hp Warner Scarab
Seats: 2
No built: 1 conversion, NX12319, for factory tests
C2-110 Super Cardinal
1929
ATC 277 / 2-188
Engine: Kinner K-5, 100hp
Length: 20’6″
Useful load: 557 lb
Max speed: 125 mph
Cruise speed: 107 mph
Stall: 39 mph
Range: 475 mi
Price: $4,250
No built: 6, with 1 converted from C2-60; 1 as C2-100 Special under (2-188)
Plush version of C2-90 with Kinner K-5
Full scale WW1 fighter.
Speed max: 120 mph
Cruise: 100 mph
Stall: 40 mph
ROC: 1000 fpm
Take-off dist: 300 ft
Landing dist: 300 ft
Engine: Lycoming O-435, 190 hp
HP range: 190-250
Fuel cap: 35 USG
Weight empty: 1450 lbs
Gross: 1900 lbs
Height: 10.5 ft
Length: 19.5 ft
Wing span: 26.5 ft
Wing area: 250 sq.ft
Seats: 1-2
Landing gear: tail wheel
All Aero 