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Aviation History
1950
1950 - 0852.PDF
554 FLIGHT LIGHTWEIGHT TRIO Three Approaches to Varied Requirements of the American Private Owner : Small and Sporting : Safe and Slow-flying : Strong and Simple MOONEY M-18L -mr, T IVELY performance and economy of operation charac- •*-* terize this neat single-seater—designed mainly for the sporting pilot. Its engine is a 65 h.p. Lycoming four- cylinder air-cooled unit, driving a fixed-pitch wooden air- screw, and giving a maximum speed of 138 m.p.h. Cruising at 115 m.p.h., the M-i8L's fuel consumption is 3.5 gal/hr, and its range is 390 miles. The Mooney " Simpli- fty " flap operation, incorporated in the otherwise conven- tional control system, automatically sets correct tafl-trim for take-off, climb, approach and landing. With flaps down, the M-18L lands at 40 m.p.h. Construction is mixed. The wings, of 26ft ioin span, are all-wood and fabric-covered, with plywood leading edge. The forward section of the 17ft 7m fuselage is of steel tube, metal-covered; fabric covering is employed for the monocoque plywood rear section. Retraction of the steerable nosewheel undercarriage is effected by manual cockpit control. . UNIER PARAPLANE T TNLIKE the accompanying Mooney M-18 and Emigh ^ Trojan, which are on the American market at approxi- mate prices of, respectively, £800 and £1,200, the Paraplane is at present experimental; no definite production date is foreseen. Members of the Lanier family have been build- ing prototypes on the Paraplane principle since 1928, with a vacuum-chamber wing for high lift at low speeds. In their latest model, which is powered by a 90 h.p. Continental engine, are six sets of vanes, in both upper and lower wing surfaces, which are opened for take-off and landing. Air is thereby directed from beneath the wing into a venturi passage inside it, and passes over the top surface to maintain abnormally high lift at low speeds. For cruising the vanes are retracted, and flow over a normal aerofoil keeps the Paraplane airborne. The speed range is from 120 m.p.h. to 30 m.p.h.; although, it is claimed, no one has been able to stall this unorthodox lightweight.
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