Luscombe 8

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Luscombe_8

The Luscombe 8 is a series of high-wing, side-by-side-seating monoplanes with
conventional landing gear, designed in 1937 and built by Luscombe Aircraft.

The Luscombe Aircraft Corporation was re-formed as a New Jersey company in 1937,
and a new design was begun. The Luscombe 50 (Model 8) was to become the
company's most famous product. The Model 8 used the new horizontally opposed
small engines that had just been developed by the engine manufacturers. For
simplicity, the aircraft was designed with a round firewall to minimize frontal
area and simplify construction. Although it was alleged this might allow the
installation of a small radial engine if the flat four did not work, none of the
original design engineers recall that being a design consideration.

The Model 8 followed in the Luscombe tradition of using no wood in the
construction, and had a monocoque fuselage with fabric-covered metal wings. For
a cheap, light aircraft, this was a revolutionary construction technique. Its
competitors were built of fabric-covered steel tubing, with wooden spars and
sometimes ribs in the fabric-covered wings. Luscombe's construction techniques
allowed him to build his aircraft quickly and cheaply, without sacrificing
strength. His aircraft were also more efficient than his competitors, cruising
10–20 mph faster on the same power.

The new Luscombe sold well, and soon the factory was making changes to the
design. Continental had upgraded the A-50 engine to the A-65 engine of 65
horsepower (48 kW). Luscombe quickly certified this engine on the Model 8, and
began producing it as the Model 8A. In 1938 and 1939, though, personality
conflicts arose within the company, and Don Luscombe was forced out of the
company in a proxy battle. Many Luscombe employees left at this time, also.

March of 1940 saw the introduction of another version of the Model 8, the 8B.
This aircraft was powered by a Lycoming O-145-B3 engine of 65 horsepower (48
kW). A month later, the company developed the deluxe model 8C, powered by a
Continental C-75-8J engine. The interior was finished off with maroon cloth and
tan leather upholstery, with a shock-mounted section in the instrument panel.
The deluxe model was named the Silvaire, (in a contest) and was sold with
full-color advertising.

With war raging in Europe, stocks of aluminum began to be rationed. Since the
Model 8 was widely used in the Civilian Pilot Training Program, Luscombe was
able to maintain production and get a reasonable allotment of the lightweight
metal. To ensure future allotments and increase its share of the CPTP market,
Luscombe developed the model 8D. The instrument panel was changed so that it
could be equipped with the necessary instruments for instrument flight and
training, and so that radios could be installed easily. The 8D used the same 75
hp (56 kW) Continental engine as the 8C, but the 14-US-gallon (53 l) fuselage
tank was replaced by two 11.5-US-gallon (44 l) wing tanks (designed by Carl
Frey) for greater range.


Role
civilian

Manufacturer
Luscombe Aircraft

Designer
Donald A. Luscombe

First flight
December 17, 1937

Produced
1937 – c. 1940s

Number built
5,867 (1960)

Famous owners

James May of BBC's Top Gear wrote in Top Gear Magazine in 2007 about his 1946
model Luscombe 8A ownership experience. After a temporary loss of power in
flight of the meticulously maintained aircraft he concluded in a tongue-in-cheek
manner, "All this old stuff is rubbish. None of it works properly. After almost
a whole day of fart-arsing around with machinery, I was forced to conclude that
the only dependable things in my life are an Italian car and a British
motorcycle."

Specifications (Silvaire 8-F)

General characteristics
Crew: one
Capacity: one passenger
Length: 20 ft 0 in (6.10 m)
Wingspan: 35 ft 0 in (10.67 m)
Height: 6 ft 3 in (1.91 m)
Wing area: 140 sq ft (13 m2)
Empty weight: 870 lb (395 kg)
Gross weight: 1,400 lb (635 kg)
Fuel capacity: 25 US Gallons (95 L)
Powerplant: 1 × Continental C90 air-cooled flat four, 90 hp (67 kW)
Propellers: 2-bladed metal fixed pitch, 5 ft 11 in (1.80 m) diameter

Performance
Maximum speed: 128 mph (206 km/h; 111 kn)
Cruise speed: 120 mph (193 km/h; 104 kn)
Stall speed: 40 mph (64 km/h; 35 kn) (flaps down)
Range: 500 mi (434 nmi; 805 km)
Service ceiling: 17,000 ft (5,200 m)
Rate of climb: 900 ft/min (4.6 m/s)

Sub-Model T8F has tandem seating but is generally similar in dimension, Sprayer
version approved for Restricted category operations can have higher Gross Weight
with operational limits.




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