Era

Snow

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Founded 1955 by Leland Snow to make agricultural aircraft of own design. Incorporated 1961; expanded 1963.

Original Snow S-2B, a low-wing single-seat monoplane of metal construction, with fixed landing gear, received FAA Type Approval July 1958. By end of February 1965 260 aircraft of basic S-2 series delivered to 19 U.S. states and 11 foreign countries.

In 1965 Rockwell-Standard acquired Snow Aeronautical, continuing to produce agricultural aircraft at Olney as Snow Commanders (as division of Aero Commander), and acquired Intermountain Manufacturing Company (IMCO) 1966. Single-engined Model 112 delivered to customers from 1972. Low-wing twin-engined Rockwell Commander 700 produced jointly with Fuji in Japan.

Thrush Commander was very notable specially-designed agricultural aircraft. The entire Thrush Commander range sold to Ayres Corp and then became known by the Ayres name. Shrike Commander 500S terminated 1980 but Commander Jetprops continued by Gulfstream American Corporation.

Leland Snow, founder and President of Air Tractor, Inc., and the inventor of modern aerial spray aircraft, died Sunday morning, February 20, 2011 while jogging near his home. He was 80 years old.

Sno-Bird Exciter

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Exciter 503S

A single seat open gyrocopter. Airframe is bolted square 2×2 tube aluminium. Shock mounted landing gear.

503S
Engine: Rotax 503, 50 hp
Prop: 60” Warp Drive 3 blade
Rotor blades: 23’ x 8” Sky Wheels composite
Speed max: 65 mph
Cruise: 60 mph
Range: 80 sm
ROC: 700 fpm
Take-off dist: 100 ft
Landing dist: 20 ft
Service ceiling: 10,000 ft
Fuel cap: 7.2 USG
Weight empty: 254 lbs
Gross: 504 lbs
Height: 7.33 ft
Length: 11.93 ft
Disk span: 23 ft
Disk area: 415 sq.ft
Seats: 1
Landing gear: nose wheel

Sno-Bird Charger

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Charger 582S

A single seat open frame gyrocopter. Airframe is bolted square 2×2 tube aluminium. Shock mounted landing gear.

Kit (including the 65-hp Hirth 2706 engine, brakes, propeller, rotor blades and flight instruments) in 2001: $13,750

Charger 582S
Speed max: 90 mph
Cruise: 70 mph
Range: 80 sm
ROC: 1100 fpm
Take-off dist: 80 ft
Landing dist: 20 ft
Service ceiling: 12,000 ft
Engine: Rotax 582, 67 hp
Prop: 60” Warp Drive 3 blade
Rotor blades: 23’ x 8” Sky Wheels composite
Fuel cap: 7.2 USG
Weight empty: 280 lbs
Gross: 630 lb
Height: 7.3 ft
Length: 11.92 ft
Disk span: 23 ft
Disk area: 415 sq.ft
Seats: 1
Landing gear: nose wheel

Engine: 65-hp Hirth 2706
Speed max: 90 mph
Cruise: 70 mph
Useful load: 335 lb

Sno-Bird Adventurer

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Gyrocopter. Bolted square 2×2 aluminium frame.

Adventurer 636 D-4
Max speed: 90 mph
Cruise speed: 65 mph
Range: 205 sm
ROC: 1350 fpm
Take-off dist: 150 ft
Landing dist: 20 ft
Service ceiling: 11,000 ft
Engine: CAM 100, 115 hp
Prop: 68” IvoProp or Warp Drive 3 blade
Fuel cap: 14.4 USG
Empty wt: 605 lbs
Gross wt: 1135 lbs
Height: 9 ft
Length: 14.33 ft
Disk span: 29 ft x 8 in Sky Wheels composite
Disk area: 661 sq.ft
Seats: 2 tandem

SNECMA Turbomeca M88 / Safran M88

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M88-2

The Snecma M88 is a French afterburning turbofan engine developed by Snecma for the Dassault Rafale fighter.

The M88 Pack CGP (for “total cost of ownership”) or M88-4E is based on a study contract, development and production reported in 2008 by the General Delegation for Armament and was to introduce technical improvements to reduce maintenance costs. The purpose of this release was to reduce cost of ownership of the M88 and longer inspection intervals of the main modules by increasing the lifetime of the hot and rotating parts. It was tested in flight for the first time March 22, 2010 at Istres, the Rafale’s M02 CEV.

Qualification of the M88-2 engine was completed during 1996 while the first production engine was delivered by the end of that year. It is of a modular design for ease of construction and maintenance, as well as to enable older engines to be retrofitted with improved subsections upon availability, such as existing M88-2s being upgraded to M88-4E standard. In May 2010, a Rafale flew for the first time with the M88-4E engine, an upgraded variant with greater thrust and lower maintenance requirements than the preceding M88-2.

M88
Type: Twin-shaft, turbofan engine
Length: 3538 mm (139.3 in)
Diameter: 696 mm (27.5 in) max
Dry weight: 897 kg (1,977 lb)
Compressor: 3 stage low pressure, 6 stage high pressure
Combustors: Annular
Turbine: single stage high pressure, single stage low pressure
Maximum thrust: 50 kN (11,250 lbf) dry, 75 kN (16,900 lbf) wet (afterburning)
Overall pressure ratio: 24.5:1
Bypass ratio: 0.3
Turbine inlet temperature: 1,850K (1,577 °C)
Fuel consumption: 0.80 kg/(daNh) (0.78 lbm/(lbfh)) (dry), 1.75 kg/(daNh) (1.72 lbm/(lbfhr)) (wet/afterburning)
Thrust-to-weight ratio: 5.7:1 (dry), 8.5:1 (wet/afterburning)