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Aviation History
1963
1963 - 1772.PDF
JGHT International, 3 October 1963 581 ie of the three Malmo Flygindustri Vipans Swedish Army markings during evaluation mg. Its many unusual features are noted on is page Vipan and Junior Progress | FTER two-and-a-half years of flight testing with three proto- \ types, Malmo Flygindustri at Malmo airport, Sweden, have just delivered the third aircraft for Royal Swedish lr Board evaluation and are ready to begin production. The little i dreasson Junior is also in production, as recorded in subsequent tes. The company's main business is plastics structures of all >es, including special vehicle bodies, street-lamp fixtures, various pes of pleasure and working boat, rocket launchers and the Bofors antam missile. • Manufacturer's flight tests of the Vipan have been completed ith the aim of meeting both CAR. 3 and Air Board requirements, ie latter in connection with a Swedish Army specification to which second and third aircraft were produced. Civil sales are ivisaged, but there also seems to be a European military market ir the Vipan, which lies in size and price between the classic uper Cub and the rather larger aircraft such as the Dornier 27 and ie Beaver. A Swedish civil price of £6,950 is reported. The first Vipan was an MFI-10 with Lycoming 160 h.p. engine, ut the next two are MFI-lOBs with 180 h.p. Lycoming O-360 and Mstant-speed propeller. The three have respectively flown Whr, 125hr and 30hr and full spinning trials and clearance have een achieved, following the enlargement of the ventral fin to Pproximately the same size as the dorsal, though this is not shown i the accompanying photographs. The present series of Air Board sts should result in a C of A. Most striking feature of the Vipan is the use of formed honey- omb skins to carry virtually all structural loads in the external wface of the airframe. The panels are 10mm (0.4in) thick, >rmed by gluing aluminium honeycomb between metal skins, the lickness of which is determined by resistance to damage and hand- ng rather than structural loads. A man can walk anywhere on the ring suiface. There is no wing-spar as such, a honeycomb span- 'ise bulkhead being incorporated as a spacer rather than to carry Par loads. Strut loads are taken by a separate span-wise member et ahead of the spacer and bridging between two of the four ribs J each. wing. The root rib and second rib form the bulkheads of the 22 Imp gal integral fuel space in each wing; and what appear to be jury struts are in fact fairings for the fuel-feed lines, which pass down the strut into the lower fuselage, leaving a minimum of unusable fuel. Moulded plastics wing-tips are attached on a dummy rib closing off the main wing envelope. Flaps, ailerons and tail surfaces are similarly made from honeycomb envelopes, with small horn balances at the tail and recessed mass-balances for the ailerons. The rear fuselage is a honeycomb monocoque, the open top at the forward end, beneath the rear window, being closed by a plain metal shelf. The whole structure is said to be slightly heavy in comparison with other honeycomb structures, because of the extra surface strength, but comparable with a conventional build-up. Empty weight, at 1,4351b, is a respectable 55 per cent of the gross weight of 2,5901b. The rigid skinning has the secondary advantage of deadening noise. The wing section is NASA 23012—exactly, by virtue of the rigid surface—and Freise ailerons are used. The flaps are unusual in being of the Zap, split and rearward-moving type. Each flap is pivoted at its tips, actuated by cable from the centre and its geo metric movement is governed by three fixed-length links so disposed that most air-loads are taken in the links and not at the actuating handle. The landing setting of 40° will also allow the aircraft to climb at full weight; and the lever can be further pulled back, without being locked in place, to give 60° deflection for steep- approach and air-brake use. Tailplane incidence is variable. The flat-sided cabin provides comfortable room for four seats, or for pilot and two stretchers one above the other. Structure is so arranged that the whole side of the cabin is formed by upward- opening doors, two per side without a centre pillar, the rear halves being stressed for opening in flight at airspeeds up to 125 m.p.h. The engine cowlings are also of plastics and steeply sloped down to give a view over the nose. Two landing lamps are set beneath the propeller spinner. Final intriguing feature is the use of laminated plastics springs for both mainwheels and tailwheel. The main unit is formed from a single arch, fastened by two clamps to the fuselage. Claimed TMFI *"ne '7 Jumors so far completed and sold LT at Molmo. Juniors have been exported to f0rw°y, Finland and Brazil
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