Apparently brought in as the 1929 Engle T-1 and renamed in 1930, the F-2 N11028 c/n 27 was sold (as forfeiture of mortgage) to Richard D Savage of Brighton MA for $4,000 on 15 November 1930, then to Nina L Armitage of Manville RI on 4 April 1934, who reported to CAA on 16 March 1936, “Aircraft now being dismantled.” The sole example of the F-2 open cockpit biplanes registration was cancelled by CAA 15 April 1936.
The F2-WG of 1929, NX117M c/n 26, was powered by an 85hp Wright-Gypsy. The registration of the one built was cancelled on 26 January 1931.
First flown in 1981, the turboprop Fieldmaster agricultural aircraft features a built in ferry tank and a titanium hopper that forms an integral part of the fuselage structure.
THK bought up all rights to the NAC-6 Fieldmaster/Firemaster agricultural and firefighting aircraft, and tried to sell the aircraft on the market under the new name TAYSU (Tarimsal Havacilik ve Yangin Söndürme Uçagi). After producing only two airworthy and two completely assembled, but engineless aircraft during 1997-1999, the production was stopped because of the general economic crisis and particularly because of internal association difficulties. Since these difficulties were apparently insurmountable, and new agricultural and firefighting aircraft were urgently needed, at the end of 2001 five Polish Pezetel M-18B Dromader were bought.
THK – TAYSU c/n 6002 / TC-ZBD at the Ankara IDEF 1999
NAC 6 Fieldmaster Engine : PT 6 A 34AG, 552 shp Length: 36.089 ft / 11.0 m Height: 13.451 ft / 4.1 m Wingspan: 53.15 ft / 16.2 m Wing area: 357.365 sq.ft / 33.2 sq.m Max take off weight: 8500.3 lb / 3855.0 kg Weight empty: 4996.5 lb / 2266.0 kg Max. weight carried: 3503.7 lb / 1589.0 kg Hopper cap: 2642 lt Max. speed: 143 kts / 265 km/h Landing speed: 60 kts / 111 km/h Ldg dist: 300 ft Cruising speed: 126 kts / 233 km/h Manoeuvring speed: 135 kt Initial climb rate: 964.57 ft/min / 4.9 m/s Service ceiling: 18209 ft / 5550 m Wing load: 23.78 lb/sq.ft / 116.0 kg/sq.m Range: 999 nm / 1850 km Seats: 2 Crew: 1
A conventional four seat light single, the Freelance can fold its wings to slip into a space four metres by nine metres. The swing wing capability has enabled a lengthy 39 foot span wing, providing an aspect ratio of over nine. The higher the aspect ratio the less the induced drag; enabling the manufacturer to claim that the Freelance, weight for weight, burns less fuel generating its lift than all other aircraft in its class.
First flown in September 1984.
Powered by a 180hpLycoming, the Freelance offers a cruise on 75 percent power of 117.3 knots (135 mph), an 800 fpm rate of climb, a take-off run (to 50feet) of 1380feet (421 metres) and a landing run (from 50 feet) of 1120 feet (341 metres). Total useful load is 1050 lb. Equipped with large section tyres, the Freelance can operate from grass strips. A 100 United States gallon capacity detachable belly tank is available for the spray role.
Engine: Lycoming, 180 hp Wing span: 39 ft Cruise 75%: 117.3 kt (135 mph) ROC: 800 fpm Take-off run (to 50 ft): 1380feet (421 metres) Landing run (from 50 ft): 1120 feet (341 metres) Useful load: 1050 lb
Designed by N.D. Norman, formerly of the Britten Norman Company, the prototype of the NDN 1 Fire-cracker (G NDNI) two seat civil and military training and sports aircraft made its maiden flight on 26 May 1977.
Desmond Norman designed, built and flew the prototype of a high performance piston single, the NDN1 Firecracker. Its origin can be traced to the day a friend of his thought he’d buy a Siai-Marchetti SF.260; Norman decided to build you a better airplane. Norman aimed to neither build nor market the Firecracker himself but to sell the whole manufacturing project to a smaller country that perhaps had never even built aircraft before. Intended as a primary military trainer, the Firecracker is designed to + 9 and -6 Gs, and the prototype has full inverted fuel and oil, controllable three blade Hoffrnan prop, pushrod ailerons and elevators and a rate of roll that should exceed 200 degrees a second. Range is 1,390 nautical miles to dry tanks, 75 percent cruise 175 knots on a 260 horsepower Lycoming. Gross is 2,650 pounds, or 2,150 pounds for advanced aerobatics. It can operate to 50 feet inside 1,200 feet of run. The tall gear is designed to allow under wing weapon pods, and there is an under fuselage air brake to steady the machine on a diving at-tack run, and to keep it below Vne.
The cabin is wide and deep, to allow occupants to wear full military flying gear, and its layout is very military. The rear seat is substantially raised above the front one, to give the observer/instructor a remarkable view of what is happening. That straight, low aspect ratio wing looks odd on such a high performance design, but it is easier to build than a tapered wing.
From this aircraft has been developed the turboprop powered NDN-1T Turbo Firecracker, the first flown on 1 September 1983.
Norman NDN-1T Turbo Firecracker
NDN-1T Turbo-Firecracker Engine: 1 x P&WAC PT6A turboprop, 410 kW Span: 7.9 m Length: 8.3 m Wing area: 11.9 sq.m Empty wt: 1210 kg MTOW: 1830 kg Max speed: 375 kph Initial ROC: 628 m / min Ceiling: 8260 m T/O run (to 15m): 530 m Ldg run (from 15m): 760 m Fuel internal: 405 lt Range: 1120 miles
Designed and built by Tom Navickas, the Load Ranger is primarily targeted at the aerial spraying market, but applications for medium freight hauling, law enforcement and special missions also being considered.
Development started July 1996; first flight in April 1997 and certificated in the Experimental category; 30 flight hours logged by February 1998. Restricted use certification was aimed for third quarter of 1998, but no further information.
The structure was a chrome-alloy tubing skeleton with semi-monocoque skin and a slab-sided fuselage with large centre cargo compartment accessed via a roller shutter. The landing gear was tubular welded steel skids. Power was from one Allison 250-C18 turboshaft, rated at 236kW for take-off, and a max continuous rating of 201kW driving a two-blade metal main rotor with blade folding. Fuel capacity in standard tank was 190 litres, and with auxiliary or ferry tank, 758 litres.
A pilot and operator were in tandem seats. A freight compartment had a typical load capacity of 907kg. Alternatively, six passengers can be seated side saddle in the cargo compartment with roller doors stowed. It was priced at US$500,000 (with Army surplus Allison T63 engine and drive train) or US$1.5 million (with civil Allison 250-C18 engine and Bell 206 drive train) in 1999.
Tom Navickas was killed in the Load Ranger in Jersey fathers day 2005 and killed his nephew with him. Apparently they ran out of fuel.
Load Ranger 2000 Main rotor diameter: 10.15m Tail rotor diameter: 1.58m Fuselage length: 10.44m Overall length, rotors turning: 11.79m Overall width: 0.70m Height to top of rotor head: 3.35m Height over tail fin: 3.20m Weight empty: 438kg Max gross weight: 1520kg Useful internal load: 1081kg External slung load: 1045kg Never-exceed speed: 278km/h Hover ceiling, IGE: 2745m Hover ceiling, OGE: 1065m Service ceiling: 4725m Range, with max fuel: 547km
The Ding was a dual-purpose torpedo bomber and passenger seaplane. In a military configuration, the fairly standard tractor biplane had a crew of three – a pilot just under the wing, a gunner behind him, and a bombardier in a compartment in the fuselage between the pilot and engine. Two main floats were placed on either side of the fuselage, providing clearance for a single torpedo or load of conventional bombs. It was powered by the same 360hp 12-cylinder liquid cooled Rolls-Royce engine of the Beeng fighter-bomber. As a passenger aircraft, the bombardier’s cabin provided sufficient room for four people to sit comfortably. The aircraft had a loaded weight of 5,300lb, wingspan of 46ft, and length of 36ft.
As part of frantic efforts to catch up with aviation in the rest of the world, a variety of design were hastily developed. Among these was the Beeng, quite possibly the first fighter ever designed in China. The Beeng a tractor flying boat, carrying a crew of three – a pilot and two gunners. Free space in the hull could carry either extra ammunition or small bombs to be dropped by hand. As a secondary role, the aircraft could be quickly converted for use as a passenger plane. In the space where ammunition or bombs would be carried, four seats could be installed for passengers. While the design itself was domestic, China couldd not hope to develop suitable engines, so a 360hp Rolls-Royce 12-cylinder liquid cooled engine was used. The aircraft itself was 39 feet long, 16 feet tall, and had a wingspan of 56 feet. Details of its service, however, are unclear.
The Naval Air Establishment Chiang Hung (江鴻 – “River Swan”) was a reconnaissance seaplane developed for the Chinese Navy.
First flown in July 1931, it was a conventional biplane design with single-bay, unstaggered wings of equal span and accommodation for the pilot and observer in tandem, open cockpits. The landing gear consisted of twin pontoons. Only two were built, by the Shanghai Naval Air Establishment.
Powerplant: 1 × Wright Whirlwind, 123 kW (165 hp) Length: 8.33 m (27 ft 4 in) Wingspan: 10.87 m (35 ft 8 in) Height: 3.55 m (11 ft 8 in) Empty weight: 740 kg (1,628 lb) Gross weight: 1,180 kg (2,596 lb) Crew: Two
The 1943 NAF TDN was a maned or unmanned, radio-controlled, tv-directed torpedo drone. They carried ordnance loads up to a ton of bombs or torpedoes and was controlled from a “mother” aircraft in its vicinity or from ships at sea. It was able to release its weapons or be flown directly into the target.
In 1936, Lieutenant Commander Delmar S. Fahrney proposed that unpiloted, remotely controlled aircraft had potential for use by the United States Navy in combat operations. Due to the limitations of the technology of the time, development of the “assault drone” project was given a low priority, but by the early 1940s the development of the radar altimeter and television made the project more feasible, and following trials using converted manned aircraft, the first operational test of a drone against a naval target was conducted in April 1942. That same month, following trials of the Naval Aircraft Factory TDN assault drone, Interstate Aircraft received a contract from the Navy for two prototype and 100 production aircraft to a simplified and improved design, to be designated TDR-1.
Control of the TDR-1 would be conducted from either a control aircraft, usually a Grumman TBF Avenger, with the operator viewing a tv screen showing the view from a camera mounted aboard the drone along with the radar altimeter’s readout, or via a pilot on board the TDR-1 for test flights. Powered by two Lycoming O-435 engines of 220 horsepower (160 kW) each, the TDR-1 used a remarkably simple design, with a steel-tube frame constructed by the Schwinn bicycle company covered with a molded wood skin, thus making little use of strategic materials so as not to impede production of higher priority aircraft. Capable of being optionally piloted for test flights, an aerodynamic fairing was used to cover the cockpit area during operational missions. The TDR-1 was equipped with a fixed tricycle landing gear that would be jettisoned in operation after takeoff for improved performance.
In September 1942, the U.S. Navy chose DeKalb, Illinois to be the site for the manufacture of the drone TDR-1 aircraft, and built an airport on the city’s east side. This early airport consisted of an airfield and a large hangar that were fenced and guarded around the clock. DeKalb was chosen because Wurlizter, manufacturer of pianos, and known for its expertise in the production of wood products, was located there. Interstate Aircraft and Engineering Corporation (based in El Segundo, CA) assembled the planes at the new airport in DeKalb. About two hundred drones were built, tested, and boxed at the DeKalb Airport and were shipped to the South Pacific, where they were used against the enemy during World War II.
Under the code-named Operation Option, the U.S. Navy projected that up to 18 squadrons of assault drones would be formed, with 162 Grumman TBF Avenger control aircraft and 1000 assault drones being ordered. However technical difficulties in the development of the TDR-1, combined with a continued low priority given to the project, saw the contract modified with the order reduced to only around 300 aircraft. A single TDR-1 was tested by the U.S. Army Air Forces as the XBQ-4, however no production contract resulted from this testing. In 1944, under the control of the Special Air Task Force (SATFOR), the TDR-1 was deployed operationally to the South Pacific for operations against the Japanese. Additional testing was conducted by SATFOR in July, complete with a strike against a previously beached Japanese freighter, Yumasuki Maru, including management of the flight from a 7 miles (11 km) distant TBM Avenger control aircraft, which could monitor the view from the TDRs via early television technology.
SATFOR equipped a single mixed squadron, Special Task Air Group 1 (STAG-1), with TDR-1 aircraft and TBM Avenger control aircraft; the first operational mission took place on September 27, conducting bombing operations against Japanese ships. Despite this success, the assault drone program had already been canceled after the production of 189 TDR-1 aircraft, due to a combination of continued technical problems, the aircraft failing to live up to expectations, and the fact that more conventional weaponry was proving adequate for the defeat of Japan. The final mission was flown on October 27, with 50 drones having been expended on operations, 31 aircraft successfully striking their targets, without loss to the pilots of STAG-1.
Following the war, some TDR-1s were converted for operation as private sportsplanes.
Engines: two Lycoming XA-435-4 Wingspan: approx. 50’0″ Length: approx. 36’0″
