Gwinn Aircar

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gwinn_Aircar

The Gwinn Aircar was a single-engined biplane with a cabin for two, designed in
the USA as a safe and simple private aircraft. Lacking a rudder, it had several
unusual control features as well as an early tricycle undercarriage. Development
was abandoned after a crash in 1938.

The Gwinn Aircar was the only product of the aircraft manufacturing company set
up by Joseph M. Gwinn Jr, who also designed it. He had previously worked with
Consolidated Aircraft. The Aircar was intended as a safe, easy to fly aircraft
that would neither stall nor spin. It used a simplified control system without a
rudder. A fuselage which deepened rapidly behind a small radial engine and ended
with a fin integrated into it, together with a tricycle undercarriage with a
tall and faired front leg, gave the Aircar an unusual appearance.

The Aircar was a single bay biplane with parallel chord, unswept wings with
strong stagger. The wings were built around two wooden spars, with metal ribs
and edges but fabric covered; they were fixed to the upper and lower fuselage.
The interplane struts were N-shaped, linking upper and lower spars, aided by one
diagonal strut on each side running from the upper rear spar to the lower
forward spar. Full span ailerons were fitted to both upper and lower wings.

Control of the Aircar was also unusual. A column mounted wheel moved the
ailerons and fore and aft motion of the column operated the elevators as normal.
Turns were made by banking. The trim tab on the fin compensated for propeller
torque and was directly linked to the throttle. Instead of a rudder bar, a pedal
operated the flaps used for takeoff and landing. The wheel brakes were also foot
operated and the nosewheel was steered with the control column wheel. At
takeoff, the flaps were initially retracted and the aircraft accelerated; at the
appropriate speed the flaps were lowered and the Aircar left the ground. With
elevators up this "zoom" was rapid but ended in level flight, whilst with them
down the zoom was gentler and turned into a steady climb. Landings were made
from a low speed approach with flaps extended; throttled back, the Aircar
adopted a horizontal attitude, the elevator only controlling the sink rate.

The first flight of the Aircar was in early 1937 and a second was built soon
afterwards. Tests led to changes in the engine cowling, to experiments with a
four-bladed propeller produced by mounting a pair of two-bladed ones at right
angles on the same shaft, and to a serious revision of the fin. Its previously
angular leading edge was replaced with a more curved and snub shape above the
fuselage, though mostly retaining the vertical trailing edge. The line of lower
fuselage was straightened so that the lower part of the fin was integrated into
it.

These trials showed that with the 95 hp (71 kW) Niagara II engine the Aircar was
underpowered, so the second aircraft was re-engined with the more powerful, but
similar diameter, 130 hp (97 kW) Niagara V.


Role
Two-seat light aircraft

National origin
U.S.

Manufacturer
Gwinn Aircar Company, Inc.

Designer
Joseph M. Gwinn, Jr.

First flight
early 1937

Number built
2

A sales tour followed: by 1938 the well known pilot Frank Hawks had been
appointed Vice-President and Sales Manager of Gwinn Aircar Company Inc. and he
and Nancy Love (née Harkness) flew the Aircar at a variety of meetings including
the U.S. national Air Races at Cleveland in September 1937. Here it was
reported as handling well both in the air and on the ground. In August 1938,
Hawks and his passenger died on colliding with power cables shortly after
takeoff. The surviving Aircar was donated to Consolidated Aircraft, Gwinn's old
employers, where development continued.

Specifications (Niagara II engine)

General characteristics
Capacity: 2
Length: 16 ft 3 in (4.95 m)
Wingspan: 24 ft 0 in (7.32 m)
Wing area: 169 sq ft (15.7 m2)
Empty weight: 1,099 lb (498 kg)
Max takeoff weight: 3,377.48 lb (1,532 kg)
Powerplant: 1 × Pobjoy Niagara II 7-cylinder air-cooled geared radial piston
engine, 95 hp (71 kW) (original engine)
Propellers: 2-bladed

Performance
Maximum speed: 118 mph (190 km/h; 103 kn)
Cruise speed: 103 mph (166 km/h; 90 kn)
Range: 495 mi (430 nmi; 797 km)





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