FlightGlobal.com
Home
Premium
Archive
Video
Images
Forum
Atlas
Blogs
Jobs
Shop
RSS
Email Newsletters
You are in:
Home
Aviation History
1932
1932 - 1054.PDF
FLIGHT, OCTOBER 20, 1932 AIRSPEED TYPE A.S.5 SPAN 4-7-0 LENGTH.. .26'-6" Wp*G AREA 250 SQ.FT. AIRSPEED A.S. 5 -i|pN ESIGNED by N. S. Norway • \ and A. H. Tiltman, of Air- M J speed, Ltd., Piccadilly, York, and now in course of con struction at the York works of that company, the machine illustrated here is the first British low-wing civil monoplane to incorporate in its de sign a retractable undercarriage. For this reason the design is of more than ordinary interest, and we have thought that our readers will appre ciate a little advance information about the machine, which is not yet ready, and therefore scarcely on the, market, although as soon as the first example has been finished and flown, it will probably not be long before others follow, as the machine has many attractive features and is of a size and seating capacity which should make it popular. The A.S.5, which will be marketed as the Airspeed " Courier," is a four- six-seater single-engined low-wing cantilever monoplane, fitted with Armstrong-Siddeley Lynx engine of 240 h.p. Other makes of engine of comparable power and weight can be fitted instead if desired, but the repu tation of the Lynx for reliability is such that it would be bolted directly to it. A choice of seating accommoda- very difficult to suggest a more suitable power plant. tion in the cabin is provided. Either the machine can As the outline drawings show, the " Courier " is of be used as a six-seater, when little or no luggage very clean design, apart from its retractable undercarriage. can be carried, or it can be arranged as a four-seater, The cantilever wings have a pronounced taper in thick- and a generous quantity of. luggage can then be ness as well as plan form, and where they join the fuse- accommodated. lage the trailing edge is raised considerably, resulting in The retractable undercarriage is hydraulically operated, a decreased angle of incidence. Extensive researches in and is so arranged that when the wheels are fully re- Germany, especially on Junkers monoplanes, have shown tracted, they still project sufficiently below the level of the that the phenomenon now known as " buffeting," which is an oscillation of the tail at large angles, and to which low-wing monoplanes appear prone, is likely to be less pronounced, or may even be avoided altogether if inter ference at wing-fuselage junction is reduced by raising the trailing edge. The wing is built with a centre section of 10 ft. 2 in. span permanently attached to the fuselage. When the outer wing pieces are removed, this is therefore the " folded " width of the machine. Only four bolts have to be undone to remove the wings. Structurally the " Courier " is quite straightforward, with a plywood-covered fuselage and wooden wing with fabric covering. The front portion of the fuselage is of welded steel tube construction, the engine mounting being wing to be usable as wheels, so that in the unlikely event of the mechanism sticking, it should still be possible to land the machine safely, except possibly for a broken propeller. Oleo-pneumatic shock absorber legs are used, and give a travel of 9 in. Two alternative tank schemes will be arranged, the one giving a range of 450 miles (724 km.) and the other a range of 780 miles (1 255 km.), the useful load being adjusted correspondingly. The permissible gross weight of the " Courier " will be 3,200 lb. (1 452 kg.), and the disposable load 1,350 lb. (612 kg.). The wing area is 250 sq. ft. (23.2m.2), and it is expected that the maximum speed will be more than 150 m.p.h. (241 km./hr.), while the estimated cruising speed is about 130 m.p.h. (209 km./hr.) at 1,000 ft. 982
Sign up to
Flight Digital Magazine
Flight Print Magazine
Airline Business Magazine
E-newsletters
RSS
Events
