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Aviation History
1957
1957 - 1503.PDF
FLIGHT, 11 October 1957 Business and Touring Aircraft . . . tailwheel-type undercarriage and is distin-guished by twin auxiliary fins on the tailplane. Total fuel capacity is 45 Imp. gal and thecruising speed approaches 200 m.p.h. Some $250,000 has been locally subscribed for theproduction of the Cruisemaster and Northern expect to sell 75 to 100 units per year. Northern Aircraft Inc., Alexandria, Minne- sota. On Mark 450 Based on the Douglas B-26 Invader,itself an established "corporate" type, the On Mark Model 450 is a projected high-speedexecutive transport powered by two Allison 501D turboprops similar to the powerplantsof the Lockheed Electra. Production of each aircraft virtually involves fabrication of a com-plete airframe from scratch. In particular the fuselage is completely new with a cylindricalcross-section 90in in diameter, with AiResearch cabin-conditioning and pressurized to anequivalent cabin altitude of 5,000ft at 30,000ft using engine-driven blowers. The standardinterior will seat fourteen passengers. Owing to the high cost of the Allison engine,it is possible that complete powerplants may be leased to operators on a per-hour basis; thisis expected to reduce the purchase price of the aircraft from $lm to about $800,000. Flighttesting of the first aircraft should begin next summer and the first customer (Maytag Air-craft Corporation) are scheduled to take delivery of the first production Model 450early in 1959. On Mark expect thereafter to produce two aircraft monthly for 60 months. On Mark also market re-engined B-26Invaders for executive purposes. In these the rear wing spar is eliminated, to increasethe cabin length and height and permit the entrance door to be situated on the starboardside instead of beneath the floor. Nineteen surplus B-26s were recently purchased fromthe U.S. Air Force and a number of these will be used for making up kits and basic parts forthe new turboprop Model 450. On Mark Engineering Co., Van Nuys,California. 593 On Mark Model 450 (two Allison 501D). PacAero Learstar In 1953 the Aircraft EngineeringDivision of Lear Inc. was formed to market a very much improved version of the LockheedLodestar twin-engine transport. The first pro- totype Learstar flew in May 1954 and the pro-duction type was certificated early in 1955. Since then numerous Learstars have beendelivered to all kinds of corporate customers. The Lear A.E.D. has now been purchased byPacAero Engineering Corporation and is in business under the latter name. Production is in hand upon two marks ofLearstar, the Mk 1 with 1,425 h.p. Wright R-1820-76A, -76B or -86 engines and the Mk 2with 1,350 h.p. Wright R-1820s of earlier models. As an accompanying photographshows, the Learstar is a fine-looking aircraft, and it has an extremely efficient aerodynamicform giving very low drag and a cruising speed of approximately 300 m.p.h. at a consumptionrate of just over 2J miles per Imperial gallon. Within the space limitations of the basic Lear-star fuselage a customer can have any speci- fied interior configuration and furnishing; typi-cal executive aircraft have a crew of two and seats for from eight to twelve passengers.Nearly all the Learstars so far delivered have been fitted with dual control, extensive dupli- PacAero Learstar Mark I (two Wright R-l 820-76). Piper Comanche (Lycoming O-360). cated radio and navigation aids; weather radaris available as an optional equipment (which increases the length of the nose by 4ft 6in). PacAero Engineering Corporation, SantaMonica, California. Piper Comanche With this extremely neat four-seater Piper have broken away from their classic single-engined family and entered the realm ofall-metal aircraft with retractable tricycle undercarriage and every modern refinement.Powered by the new 180 h.p. Lycoming four- cylinder engine, the Comanche embodies anumber of aerodynamic refinements unusual for a light aircraft, including a laminar-flowwing, a swept vertical tail and a single-piece "slab" horizontal tail.The first Comanche flew on May 24 last year. C.A.A. type-certification was carried outon one of a pair of Comanches which have undergone protracted and exhaustive flight andservice testing. The production line has now taken shape and most tool work and majorjigging has been completed to provide for a high rate of production. The first productionComanche is now complete (it is illustrated below), although the first eight off the line willbe retained by Piper for further accelerated field-testing and demonstration flying. Publicinterest is reported to be quite exceptional, and Piper's world-wide distributors—Irish AirCharter handle sales in the U.K.—expect this aircraft to keep them very busy. Apache During the past three years this lighttwin has become widely accepted both within the U.S.A. and in other countries, and the1,000th was delivered in the summer of this year. Approximately 40 have been ferriedacross the Atlantic to purchasers in Europe and Africa, and one of these was flight-tested by usfor our issue of August 19, 1955. Production continues at the rate of about two per day. Powered by a pair of Lycoming flat-fourengines driving constant-speed feathering pro- pellers, the Apache is normally a four-seater,but a five-seat version is available by replacing the twin rear seat by three individual seats ontracks. One of these seats occupies the left side of the 25 cu ft baggage compartment which isthen fully upholstered and becomes an integral part of the cabin. In this year's Apaches addi-tional soundproofing and a rubber-backed floor mat reduce interior noise level. Other changesinclude a completely new instrument panel and control pedestal, higher capacity carburettorheaters and air-temperature indicators. The tricycle undercarriage retracts hydraulic-ally (with emergency pneumatic operation) and fuel is housed in two flexible wing cells withan aggregate capacity of 60 Imp. gal; the Super Custom Apache has a total tankage of90 Imp. gal, sufficient for a range of 1,200 miles, and this model is also distinguished bythe fitting of dual vacuum pumps. Factory- installed radio equipment can include LearA.D.F., Narco Omnigator (combining V.H.F. transmitter, receiver, 75 Mc/s marker beaconand I.L.S. localizer function) plus a separate Narco 27-channel transceiver. Tri-Pacer One of the most popular light air-craft in the world the Tri-Pacer is a four-seater powered by a Lycoming flat-four driving afixed-pitch or controllable propeller. Nearly two-thirds of the current production is of theSuper Custom model. This version includes very full instrumentation; gyro and other flight
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