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Aviation History
1960
1960 - 0142.PDF
142 FLIGHT, 29 January I960 CL-41 30 Canadair Fly Their New Private- venture Trainer: First Aircraft Entirely of Their Own Design THREE years ago Canadair Ltd, at Montreal, decided to goahead with the development of a side-by side jet trainer forthe ab initio and basic stages. The company had already acquired great experience in the military-training field by supply-ing 900 Nene-powered Silver Stars to the RCAF, and from the outset the new trainer was planned to meet all relevant specifica-tions of the RCAF, RAF and USAF. Our issue of June 20, 1958, included a photograph of the mock-up. This bore RCAF mark-ings; but the refusal of that Service to sponsor the design caused the programme to be discontinued for rather more than a year.Eventually Canadair resigned themselves to producing the CL-41 with their own money, and this they have now done. It is thefirst machine entirely of Canadair design. These drawings have been prepared by Canadair Ltd, and serve to emphasize the major design choices. In order to minimize rolling moment — a matter of importance in assessing spin- recovery—all fuel is carried in the fuselage. Both instructor and pupil have lightweight ejection seats Having started later than their many competitors it has not been difficult for them to produce a jet trainer which, on paper at any rate, is the best of all. Partly as a result of the employment of an engine of exceptional thrust/weight ratio and economy, the brochure performance is outstanding. Although heavier than any other basic trainer, the new Canadair has the highest maximum speed and shortest time to height (apart from the non-standard Jet Provost with the ASV.ll engine), and of even greater con- sequence is the fact that it surpasses its rivals handsomely in range and endurance. Two typical missions are outlined in the table of data on the opposite page. - „.•-- • -a . Most of the salient characteristics of the aircraft can be seenin the company's cutaway drawing reproduced here. Structure is quite conventional, light alloys being employed throughout andthe ultimate load factor being no less than 11. Canadair are justifiably proud of the speed range from 65 to 412kt; and, with alimiting Mach number of 0.8 and two large airbrakes, the rate of descent is greater than that of any other basic trainer. Exhaus-tive model testing confirmed Canadair's hope that, partly by employing a T-tail and keeping all the fuel near the centre erfgravity, spin recovery would be exceptionally rapid. Safety features include ejection seats, intake debris guards, a "bird-proof" wind- During its first flight over the snow-clad Quebec countryside the CL-41 was re- stricted to 15flOOtt and 320 m.p.h. Later it should fly a matter "' 3OJ0O0H higher M& 755 m.p.h. faster
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