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Aviation History
1963
1963 - 0961.PDF
';"•• '•'"• " r 932 FLIGHT International, 13 June 1963 In the Air . . . BEAGLE MARK ELEVEN (One Ro'b-Royce Continental IO-470-D giving 260 h.p.) Span, 36ft 4 in; length, 23ft 8£in; wing area, I97.6sq ft; max gross weight, 2,7501b; empty weight, 1,8061b; wing loading, Mlb/sq ft; power loading, I0.6lb/h.p.; fuel capacity, normal 30 Imp gal, long-range 54 Imp gal. Performance (at normal gross weight, 2,5501b) Max speed at sea level, 142 m.p.h.; max recommended cruise at 5,800ft, 134 m.p.h.; stalling speed, flaps down, 53.5 m.p h.; initial rate of climb, l,290ft/min; service ceiling 21,200ft; take-off run, 430ft; landing distance from 50ft, 615ft: range with 30 Imp gal, 323 miles; range with 54 Imp gal, 577 miles. At high altitude Take-off run at 10,000ft in ISA + I5°C, 990ft; rate of climb, 440ft/min take-off run at 15,000ft in ISA -f I5°C, 1.560ft; rite of climb, 200ft/min. Beagle's Mark Eleven demonstrator, with its 260 h.p. Continental 10-470 engine, windscreen shields the large magnetic compass The white case in the include 171b of oil, second or third seats at 231b each and 471b of removable equipment comprising signal pistol, cartridges, binoc ulars, first-aid kit, Plessey PTR 61E VHF radio, control locks, refuelling footstep, crowbar, fire extinguisher and dual controls. A representative loading to give a gross weight of 2,5501b includes 30gal of fuel, oil, removable equipment, and pilot and observer with parachutes. The aircraft can be very easily adapted to a great variety of roles, and the completely removable single-piece rear floor allows new sets of equipment to be offered-up into the fuselage in a matter of minutes. Small camera pods can be attached under the wing, or a four-crutch rack for 201b flares or small bombs can be mounted under the fuselage. Large vertical cameras, cable-laying outfits and more extensive communications equipment are all available. The Mark Eleven is, incidentally, the only Auster type to go into production with a single-spar, single-strut high wing and has an all-metal nose-section torsion box. The cabin is amply large for two people side by side and there is plenty of room under the rear "greenhouse" for a man or equipment. The fuselage is also suf ficiently short to be loaded on to a standard three-ton truck. The seats are deeply upholstered and can be adjusted on the ground for leg-reach and height. Full Z-type shoulder harness is normal. Hydraulic wheel-brakes, used for steering, are individually operated by big, convenient toe-pedals. Large, low-pressure tyres allow operation on soft or rough ground. Beagle's Mark Eleven demonstrator, G-ASCC, has dual controls and duplicated brake pedals, full blind-flying instrumentation and the Plessey radio. Elevator trim operation is by lever between the seats, and the split flaps are operated hydraulically by a simple selector and hand-pump in the roof of the cabin. Take-off setting is judged by lining the flaps up with the outer hinge bracket. As soon as the selector is moved up in the air the flaps will float up to the nearly retracted position. I first went for a passenger ride in G-ASCC with Ranald Porteous. long-time Auster virtuoso, for an extremely polished demonstration of aerobatics. The 260 h.p. certainly provides ample urge for loops and upward rolls and long sequences of manoeuvres without loss of height. The aircraft is not, of course, intended for aerobatics and the VNE of 140kt is a little low for them, but strength is more than adequate. Brochure stalling speed is 40kt, VNO is 125kt and maximum flap speed 70kt. With so much power the Mark Eleven certainly heaves itself upwards most impressively, albeit with a great tractor-like roaring from under its khaki bonnet. From the pilot's viewpoint the impression of great strength is enhanced by the stout, no-nonsense hinges on the cowling panels. When I first flew G-ASCC solo I was greatly impressed with its climbing performance. The aircraft churned its way up to 3,000ft in very short order for a period of preliminary feeling-out of con figurations, trim changes and stalling speeds. At that height, an "eyeballed" cruising power of 2,450 r.p.m. and 24in produced an indicated speed of 112kt which, in the absence of thermometer and p.e. figures, might true out at 116kt. Weight, as near as I can judge it, was 2,2001b and temperature on the ground had been 5°C. Unfortunately, the v.s.i. had been replaced by the r.p.m. gauge (making room for the fuel pressure indicator) so that I had no ready indication of rate of climb, but I did find on two occasions that the Mark Eleven would reach 1,200ft in a single 360° turn Propeller without spinner and two big exhaust pipes fit well with the purposeful outlines of the remainder of the Mark Eleven
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