The Perkins Inflatable was built and flown in Britain pre-1960. The entire airframe, apart from the engine and undercarriage, was deflate able and could be packed into a 14 inch diameter bundle, 4 ft 3 in long.
Perkins Inflatable
1 engine
Peris JN-1 / Povey JN-1
Construction Wood, Foam, Fiberglass
Plans cost $68.00. Est. Bldg. Time 800 hrs.
Engine: Kawasaki 440, 38 hp
Height: 5.16 ft
Length: 17.33 ft
Wing span: 30 ft
Wing area: 140 sq.ft
Weight empty: 320 lbs
Gross: 600 lbs
Fuel cap: 5 USG
Speed max: 65 mph
Cruise: 60 mph
Range: 110 sm
Stall: 28 mph
ROC: 600 fpm
Take-off dist: 250 ft
Landing dist: 250 ft
Service ceiling: 10,000 ft
HP range: 38-50
Seats: 1
Landing gear: tail wheel
Performance Engineering Mountain Goat
A two-seat kit bush- plane
Pereira GP-5
On 12 April 2014 Lee Behel set out from Mojave Airport to break two records, the 3,000m climb and the 3k speed run. Flying his V-8 powered George Pereira designed GP-5, he managed to reach 3,000 meters (or 9,842 feet), in exactly two minutes along with achieving a top speed of 372mph on a flat 3k run to take the records.
Pereira GP-4
A high performance, low wing, side-by-side two-seater, of all wood construction. The GP4 is the latest in a series of four aircraft designed by George Pereira.
The GP-4 prototype was finished in April, 1984. Extensive flight tests were completed in time to compete for awards at the 1984 EAA Convention in Oshkosh, Wisconsin. That year at Oshkosh, the GP-4 won both the Grand Champion Custom Built and the Outstanding New Design awards. It is a high performance cross-country type aircraft designed to extract the most speed from the power available. Airfoil selection and drag reduction were primary considerations. The construction is of wood with foam and fiberglass utilized in the cowling and fairing areas. Design strength at full gross is 8G’s positive and 6G’s negative obtained by using a massive, one-piece main spar. The GP-4 aircraft has a manual landing gear retracting system but there is a separate set of plans for a hydraulic landing gear.
Osprey Aircraft also marketed as plans and kits is the Osprey GP-4.
GP-4
Engine: Lycoming IO-360-A1A
Wing Span: 24′
Wing Area: 104 sq ft
Wing Load (full gross): 19.09 lbs/sq ft
Span Loading: 80.45 lbs/sq ft
Length: 21′ 6″
Aspect Ratio: 5.54 to 1
Dihedral: 5 Degrees
Fuel: 54 USGallons
Service Ceiling: 20,000 +
Vmax: 255 mph
Cruise Speed 75%: 240 mph true
V s1 (stall clean): 70 mph
V s0 (indg config): 62 mph
Gross wt: 2000 lb
Empty Weight: 1,260 lb
Useful Load: 740 lb
Baggage: 10.5 sq ft – 75 lbs
Wheel Track: 8′
Wing Airfoil: Laminar 63 Series
Range at 75%: 1,100 mi, 240 mph
Take Off Distance: 600 ft
Landing Distance: 1,200 ft
Climb Rate @ MSL: 2,200 fpm
Seats: 2
Cabin width: 40 in
Landing gear: retractable nose wheel
GP-4
Engine: Subaru EG33 6 Cyl
Prop: 4 blade elect CS prop.
Cruise: 150Kt @ 35 lts/hr
Fuel capacity: 200 lt.
Pereira GP-3 Osprey 2
Design and construction of the two place Osprey 2 amphibian began early in 1972 following development of a military version, the U.S. Navy X-28A Air Skimmer, for civil police use in Southeast Asia. The designer, George Pereira, evolved a unique construction technique for the single-place Osprey I by coating the underside of the all-wood fuselage structure with polyurethane foam, later sculptured to the desired shape and covered with several protective layers of fiberglass bonded with resin. The result is a light, strong structure able to resist the shock of hard water landings.
The pusher engine is a Lycoming O-320 flat-four of 160 hp mounted on a pedestal so the prop wash blows directly over the cruciform tail surfaces. Wings are of all-wood construction with a single box spar, while the landing gear for use on land is of the retractable tricycle type. The wings just outboard of the main gear are removable for towing and home storage.
The Osprey 2 was designed to be built, in its entirety, in a workshop with no molds required, and first flew in 1973.
Detailed construction plans are available. They consist of 46 sheets, drawn with amateur builder in mind, plus step-by-step, photo illustrated, construction manual. Price 1982: $3,690 (Excludes engine, propeller, Instruments and paint). Units delivered to June 1981: 500.
Seats: 2
Engine: Lycoming 150-160 hp
Length: 21 ft
Cabin Width: 43 in
Wing Span: 26 ft
Wing Area: 130 sq ft
Wing Load (full gross): 10.09 lbs/sq ft
Span Loading: 80.45 lbs/sq ft
Aspect Ratio: 5.2
Dihedral: 5 Degrees
Gross Weight: 1,560 lb
Empty Weight: 960 lb
Useful Load: 420 lb
Fuel: 32 USG
Baggage: 10.5 sq ft – 75 lbs
Wheel Track: 8′
Wing Airfoil: 23012
Range at 75%: 500 +
Takeoff run (land): 300 ft
Takeoff run (water) 520 ft
Landing roll 600 ft
Climb Rate @ MSL: 1,200 fpm
Service Ceiling: 20,000 +
Vmax: 150 mph
Cruise Speed 75%: 130 mph true
V s1 (stall clean): 65 mph
V s0 (indg config): 60 mph
Pereira Osprey I / X-28
The Osprey 1 is a single-seat flying boat designed and built by George Pereira in 1970. First flown on 12 August 1970 it is built from fir and pine, with the vertical fin an integral part of the structure. The hull is skinned with mahogany plywood and glassed. The steel-tube pylon mount for the engine is bolted to the wing center section. A simple wing-folding mechanism holds the wings in position with the same steel pin which locks them in the ex¬tended position. Power is provided by a 90-hp Continental.
N3337 was re-named X-28 158786 when the US Navy commissioned the Naval Air Development Center to do a study for reconnaissance flights in the Mekong Delta during the Viet Nam war. The aircraft was evaluated with three other entries and selected for production in South East Asia. George was asked to help set up production; however, the war ended before production plans were finalized. The X-28A is on display in the Kalamazoo Aviation History Museum.
The Osprey 1 was designed with folding or removable outboard wings and launched from a boat type trailer. It is very light weight (600 lb), and 90 hp gives remarkable water and climb performance.
Complete plans (including the trailer) were available for $150 U.S. plus $20 U.S. for overseas.
Engine: Continental C-90-12, 90 hp
Length: 17’ 9”
Wingspan: 24’ 9”
Height: 5’ 3”
Wing area: 103 sq.ft
Empty: 600 lb
MTOW: 900 lb
Fuel capacity 16 USG
Maximum speed: 135 mph
Top level speed: 120 mph
Cruise 105 mph
Stall 55 mph
Range: 370 miles
Service ceiling: 17,994 ft
Rate of climb: ft/min 2,200
Takeoff run: 200 ft
Wing loading: lb/sq.m 9 sq. ft.
Crew: 1
Parsival I
The Billing biplane was crashed on 4 October 1911 by N.S. Percival, who rebuilt it as the Percival Parseval I at the end of 1911-1912.
Percival P.84 Jet Provost / Hunting Jet Provost
A gas turbine development of the Provost, Jet Provost first flew on June 26 1954, powered by a 1,640 1b. Armstrong Siddeley Viper ASV.5 jet engine. Initially the Jet Provost appeared without a dorsal fin, which was fitted for a while and then removed and replaced by a long ventral fin. Another modification was the sweeping forward of the leading edge wing roots just outboard of the cheek intakes.
Percival P.84 Jet Provost Article
After trials, it went to No. 2 Flying Training School at Hullavington for the first all-through (Jet Provost to Vampire) jet flying training course. Production deliveries began in 1959.
Early versions had the prototypes long, stalky undercarriage, but from the 11th aircraft a shorter one was introduced.
The T.3 was the basic trainer for the Royal Air Force until the mid-1970s, when the up-graded T.4 was introduced.
The Jet Provost T.3, together with the more powerful T.4, with an up rated Viper ASV.11 with 2,500 lb thrust, for night, instrument and formation flying, plus aerobatics, served with the RAF, the T.4 entering service in 1961.
In 1964 the original designers of the Jet Provost responded to the need for a pressurised version and began private work on the design. The Jet Provost T5 differed externally from earlier versions by a re-designed hood and a more bulbous shape to accommodate the pressurised cockpit.
The prototype T5 made its first flight on 28 February 1967. A total of 110 Jet Provost T5s were produced for the Royal Air Force and the first was handed over to the Central Flying School on 3 September 1969. Between 1973 and 1976, ninety-three were modified by an upgrade in avionics equipment and became T5As.
The rough grey coating on the wing of the aircraft was applied in order to break up the smooth airflow and give an early indication of the onset of a stall as the T5’s original clean wing design gave the pilot little prior warning.
Export versions were the T.51 and 52.
The T.5 was further developed into the BAC 167 Strikemaster.
T.3
Engine: 1 x 1,750 lbs.t. (822 kgp) Bristol Siddeley Viper 102
T.4
Engine: Bristol Siddeley Viper 201, ASV8 or ASV11, 2500 lb
TO dist: 1030 ft
Ldg dist: 1415 ft
Time to 30,000ft: 13.3min
Wing span: 36 ft 11 in (11.25 m)
Length: 32 ft 5 in (9.88 m)
Height: 10 ft 2 in (3.11 m)
Wing area, 213.7 sq.ft (19.8 sq.m)
Empty wt: 4,650 lb (2 110 kg)
Max TO wt: 7400 lb (3356 kg)
Max speed, 411 mph (661 kph) at 20,000ft (6096 m)
Cruise, 280 mph (451 kph)
Initial climb, 3,950 fpm. (20 m/sec)
Range: 1075 km / 668 miles
Crew: 2
T.4A
T.5
Engine: RR Viper 201, 2500 lb thrust
Length: 33.99 ft / 10.36 m
Height: 10.171 ft / 3.1 m
Wingspan: 35.335 ft / 10.77 m
Wing area: 213.127 sq.ft / 19.8 sq.m
Max take off weight: 9122.1 lb / 4137.0 kg
Weight empty: 5490.5 lb / 2490.0 kg
Max. speed: 382 kts / 708 km/h
Service ceiling: 36745 ft / 11200 m
Wing loading: 42.85 lb/sq.ft / 209.0 kg/sq.m
Range: 782 nm / 1448 km
Crew: 2
Armament: 2 MG 7,62FN/550rds, 1000kg (8x ext.)
T.5A
Engine: RR Viper 202
Cruise: 310 kts.
Percival P56 Provost
Designed by Percival Aircraft before it became part of the Hunting Group in 1954, the Provost was selected as the standard RAF trainer in the early 1950s having been designed to fulfil the requirements of specification T.16/48. A cantilever low wing monoplane with fixed tailwheel landing gear and powered by an Alvis Leonides 126 engine, it provided side by side seating for instructor and pupil.
The Percival P.56 Provost was the last piston-engined basic trainer used by the RAF. The prototype WE522 first flew on 23 February 1950 and was powered with a Cheetah 17 radial engine, as was the second prototype.
The third prototype was powered with the tightly cowled Alvis Leonides nine-cylinder radial. Both the earlier aircraft were re-engined and all the production T Mk 1 aircraft used the Alvis engine. This 11.9-litre supercharged engine is a smaller than usual 550-hp radial; the higher power is achieved by running at high revolutions (3,000 rpm) and +8 lb/sq inch of boost. Cruise power of 330 hp is at 2,600 rpm at 11,000 ft (RAF settings). A three-blade constant speed propeller is driven through a reduction gear, and it has side-by-side seating under a sliding canopy.
In 1953, the RAF introduced two new trainers into service, the piston engined Percival Provost T.1, which replaced the Prentice, and the jet powered DH Vampire T.11 which replaced the Harvard and the Meteor T.7 with the Advanced Flying Schools. As the RAF Prentice replacement, the Percival P.56, which became the Provost, powered by a 240 hp Cheetah 18 engine, its top speed was 178 mph at 2,500 ft. Entering service under the designation Provost T Mk 1, the aircraft were first delivered to the Basic Training Squadron of the Central Flying School of the RAF at South Cerney.
In armament training form it is fitted with two 7.9 mm. machine guns with 1,200 rounds of ammunition and a camera gun, and carrying three 60 lb rocket projectiles beneath each wing. Despite this load the Provost was rolled with abandon and climbed inverted under the continuous running of its Alvis Leonides engine. Alternative armament of the Provost is two 250 lb. bombs or eight 25 lb. bombs on light series racks or eight 25 lb. bombs plus four 60 lb. R.P.s.
T.Mks.51, 52 and 53 are export versions serving with six air arms. Mks.52 and 53 carry light armament. As the T.53, the type was also supplied to Burma, Iraq and the Sudan, while the T.51 and T.52 were used by Eire and Rhodesia/Zimbabwe.
When production ended in 1959, a total of 461 had been built, including a number armed with machine guns and bombs. They also served in the air arms of Sudan, Malaysia and Muscat.
The last active RAF Provost was retired in 1969, some going to training establishments as instructional airframes, with only a few of these eventually reaching civilian operators.
T Mk 1
Engine: Alvis Leonides 126, 550 hp / 410kW
Span, 35 ft 2 in (10.9 m)
Length, 28 ft 8 in (8.8 m)
Height: 3.70 m / 12 ft 2 in
Wing area, 214 sq.ft (19.8 sq.m).
Empty weight, 3,350 lb (1521 kg)
Max take off weight, 4,400 lb (1996 kg)
Max speed, 174 kt / 200 mph / 322 kph at 2,300 ft (700 m)
Cruise, 177 mph (283 kph) at 11,500 ft (3510 m)
Initial climb, 2,200 fpm (11.18 m/sec)
Service ceiling: 7620 m / 25000 ft
Range, 650 mls (1046 km)
Crew: 2
All Aero 