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Aviation History
1951
1951 - 2319.PDF
644 FLIGHT By E. A. G. RUMBELOW "Smart and speedy" is the impression gained on first seeing France^Jastest cheapest ultra-light air- craft. ("Flight" photograph) MINICAB in the Air Excellent Performance of an "Under 500kg" Two-seat Trainer/Tourer IN last week's issue mention was made of the pleasingdesign and practical layout of the SIPA 90 series oftwo-seat civil trainers, which have been delivered in quantity as basic-training equipment for many French flying clubs. As it affords the opportunity of an interesting comparison, the Beam Minicab has been chosen as the object of this week's "In the Air" impressions; and if, on comparing the two reports, the reader is surprised by a strong similarity, it should be realized that although not from the same stable, the Minicab and the S.90 series have a certain kinship. They are, in fact, both from the board of the same designer, M. Y. Gardan, who, after seeing his S.90 win the French Air Ministry's competition in 1948 for light two-seaters in the 75 h.p. category, left the SIPA factory to become Technical Director of Constructions Aeronautiques du Beam. The Minicab thus inherited much of the S.9o's design philosophy, although, in this instance, the same basic concept has emerged in a lighter, cheaper and less powerful (yet slightly faster) package. The prototype made its first flight in 1949, was awarded its Certificat de Navigabilite fifteen days later and has since gone into limited series production. Having already sampled one of M. Gar- dan's chefs d'oeuvre I was particularly interested to find out whether his obviously sound ideas on light-aircraft design would show up to the same advantage on a smaller machine. With this object I borrowed a SIPA 002 from Villacoublay to visit Buc airfield, where I was fortunate enough to be able to fly the actual Minicab in which, on July 25th, M. Rebillion had created a new world distance record for aircraft in F.A.I. Category I (under 500 kg). Using an auxiliary tank fitted in place of the passenger seat, he flew some 1,826 km non-stop from Paris to Rabat-Sale, in North Africa. Even without additional fuel reserves, the low specific consumption of the Minicab's 65 h.p. Continental engine gives the machine a still-air range of 750 km (470 miles), a useful improvement on the 450 km range of, for example, the S.902. While not possessing quite the same degree of shapely elegance as its near-relation, the Minicab is characterized, perhaps, by more rakish and plainly functional lines. From the dimensional viewpoint it is, overall, a slightly smaller aircraft, and structure weight has been saved wherever possible by using fabric covering instead of plywood. Other economies have been effected by eliminating such refinements as oleo-pneumatic undercarriage shock-absorbers, hydraulic brakes and an engine starter. The wing, which is of the cantilever "one-piece" variety, with one main and one auxiliary spar, is attached to the fuselage by four bolts; slotted ailerons are fitted. The fin is integral with the fuselage and the ply-covered tailplane is attached in the same manner as the wing. Elevators and rudder are fabric-covered and a trim tab is fitted on the starboard elevator only. The cantilever undercarriage legs are fitted with rubber-block springs and are fully faired. Power, as already indicated, is provided by a 65 h.p. Continental A-65 four-cylinder, horizontally opposed, air-copled~£Qgme, driving, normally, a Merville fixed-pitch two-)nade ght" photograph Before the test-flight, M. Rebillion (left), holder of the wo record in F.A.I. Category I, discusse his machine with the author. airscrew of 1.64m (5ft 4m) diameter. On the machine I flew, however, a coarser-pitch airscrew had been fitted for the record- breaking flight. The engine is fed from a 11-gallon fuselage fuel tank, the direct-reading float gauge of which is mounted in front of the windscreen. Altogether, the saving in weight amounts to about 250 lb and the Minicab's power loading—for a 65 h.p. engine—is roughly the same as that of the 85 h.p. S.902. The weight reduction does, of course, imply a certain loss of rugged- ness; but, as the aircraft falls within the ultra-light category and is not primarily a trainer, its duties are obviously likely to be somewhat less exacting. For sheer neatness the cockpit would be hard to beat, and although it is not quite as spacious as that of the SIPA, its occu- pants are certainly not cramped. There is adequate leg-room and the well-padded side-by-side seats are comfortable. Visibility is, if anything, better than that in the S.902, especially over the nose. The combined upward-opening Rhodoid windscreen and roof-fairing may be jettisoned in emergency; this neat enclosure is locked by a handle on the roof. The "swept" windscreen should also be specially useful for ensuring good visiblity in rain. The dual control-column is of an unusual "forked-stick" pattern and although it seemed to do the job perfectly well I must confess that I found it a little disconcerting to be waggling a small handle which was not directly connected to the floor. Rudder controls are conventional, and the left-side set is fitted, Auster fashion, with heel-brakes. The general finish of the cabin is probably more sumptuous than on many larger types. It would be impossible to have a simpler instrument panel than that fitted in the Minicab. It consists merely of a centrally mounted r.p.m. indicator with an A.S.I, and altimeter on its left
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