Bird Wing Imperial
| Bird Wing Imperial | |
|---|---|
| Role | Biplane |
| National origin | United States of America |
| Manufacturer | Bird Wing Commercial Aircraft Company |
| Designer | R. T. McCrum |
| First flight | 15 July 1927 |
| Introduction | 1927 |
| Status | Out of business 1931 |
| Number built | 6 |
| Unit cost |
$2495 Model 1 $5200 Imperial |
The Bird Wing or later, Bird Wing Imperial was a light sport biplane of the 1920s and 1930s.[1]
Development
The first Bird Wing took McCrum and his assistants 63 days to build at a cost of US$12,000. The prototype flew over 5000 passengers over a period of 15 months. McCrum revised the plans for the Bird Wing again in the 1950s to install a 450 hp (336 kW) Pratt & Whitney R-985 Wasp Junior radial engine and a 3 inch fuselage widening to convert the design into an agricultural aircraft which never went into production.[2]
Design
The biplane features welded steel tube fuselage with aircraft fabric covering and spruce wood spar wings.[3]
Operational history
Among the many pilots who flew the Bird Wing were Hap Arnold and Charles Lindbergh. McCrum offered comprehensive flight training courses which included flight training in a Bird Wing as well as construction of the aircraft from scratch. The Bird Wing Imperial was tested to meet a 1931 requirement for a United States PT trainer. 50 orders were placed, then canceled at the beginning of the Great Depression.
Variants
- Bird Wing No. 2 - Upper and lower ailerons
- Bird Wing No. 4 - 180 hp (134 kW) Hisso powered
- Bird Wing Imperial - 1930 165 hp (123 kW) Wright Whirlwind R-540 powered. Max speed 118 mph (190 km/h)
Specifications (Bird Wing Model 1)
Data from Sport Aviation
General characteristics
- Capacity: 2
- Length: 23 ft 6 in (7.16 m)
- Wingspan: 31 ft 4 in (9.55 m)
- Wing area: 303 sq ft (28.1 m2)
- Empty weight: 1,275 lb (578 kg)
- Gross weight: 2,100 lb (953 kg)
- Fuel capacity: 35 gallons
- Powerplant: 1 × OX-5
Performance
- Maximum speed: 74 kn; 137 km/h (85 mph)
References
- ↑ Manufacturers Aircraft Association, Inc., New York; Aeronautical Chamber of Commerce of America; Aerospace Industries Association of America; Aircraft Industries Association of America. The Aerospace year book.
- ↑ Sport Aviation. December 1958. Missing or empty
|title=(help) - ↑ Sport Aviation. November 1958. Missing or empty
|title=(help)