Engines – Power

Hurlburt 1910 Flying Machine

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Designed by Jericho, Vermont dentist Dr. Dane Hurlburt and said to have been built in Lucerne, Switzerland, but flown in his native USA. A box-kite biplane with laterally-placed wings (wings rotated at 90 degrees to the direction of flight), Hurlburt’s aeroplane was powered by one 25 hp Anzani three cylinder motor driving a five and one-half metre long shaft with pusher-tractor propellers of 2 metres diameter. Contrarily claimed by various sources to have achieved several flights (notably on September 21, 1909 at Lucerne), as well as to have never been flown at all.

Hurel Aviette

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On the Aviette, Hurel used an aerodynamic solution to a structural problem. On this plane stabilising surfaces were attached on mini-tail-booms behind each outer wing. Just as the effect of a tailplane is to tend to return the entire aircraft to a level attitude from a non-level attitude, so the effect of these surfaces is to tend to hold the wing-tips at a constant angle relative to the airflow. The conventional constructional techniques of the time were used, materials being spruce, Balsa and Melinex.

Hurel’s 1976 Aviette aircraft had a 137 feet (42 m) span and a 12 feet (3.7 m) diameter propeller.

The Aviette flew at Le Bourget, largely through national recognition of the designer’s contribution to industry throughout his working life.

In 1974 the Aviette recorded flights of 1100 yards (1000 m).

The French entry to the Kremer Prize, the Hurel Aviette, might have been going into a museum. Unfortunately, at the time of the 1973 Paris Air Show, the airplane had to be moved from its hangar. Exposed to the elements, it was promptly chewed up by a dog.

Huntwing Avon / Experience

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Initially a homebuilt designed and constructed by John Hunt purely for himself, the Avon trike unit and Experience wing were later marketed as an inexpensive flexwing. The wing was bought complete and the rest built from plans.

Empty weight: 160 kg
Wing span: 10.6 m
Wing area: 15.24 sq.m
Fuel capacity: 50 lt
Certification: BMAA
Engine: Rotax 582, 65 hp
MAUW: 372 kg
Seats: 2
Max speed: 121 kph
Cruise speed: 88 kph
Minimum speed: 48 kph
Climb rate: 3.3 m/s
Fuel consumption: 12 lt/hr
Plan price (1998): £115