Bird Wing Imperial
| {{Infobox aircraft begin
| name=Bird Wing Imperial | image= | caption= }}{{Infobox aircraft type | type=Biplane | national origin=United States of America | manufacturer=Bird Wing Commercial Aircraft Company | designer=R. T. McCrum | first flight=15 July 1927 | introduced=1927 | retired= | status=Out of business 1931 | primary user= | more users= | produced= | number built=6 | program cost= | unit cost=$2495 Model 1 $5200 Imperial | developed from= | variants with their own articles= }} |
The Bird Wing or later, Bird Wing Imperial was a light sport biplane of the 1920s and 1930s.{{cite book|title=The Aerospace year book|author=((Manufacturers Aircraft Association, Inc., New York))|author2=Aeronautical Chamber of Commerce of America|author3=Aerospace Industries Association of America|author4=Aircraft Industries Association of America}}
Development
The first Bird Wing took McCrum and his assistants 63 days to build at a cost of US$12,000. The prototype flew over 5000 passengers over a period of 15 months. Charles Lindbergh flew the plane for 45 minutes of his lotted hour of time in St Joseph during his stop in St Joseph, MO during his 1927 tour. The second plane was also powered by a Curtiss OX-5 engine. The 3rd plane was the first Imperial powered by a Wright-Hisso engine the fourth and fifth planes were powered by Wright J5 Whirlwinds. The US Army ordered 50 Imperials to be used as trainer, the order was cancelled due to the depression. The company was taken to bankruptcy court by its creditors in Jan 1931. The company's assets were sold at auction in February. McCrum revised the plans for the Bird Wing again in the 1950s to install a {{convert|450|hp|kW|0|abbr=on}} Pratt & Whitney R-985 Wasp Junior radial engine and a 3-inch fuselage widening to convert the design into an agricultural aircraft which never went into production.{{cite journal|journal=Sport Aviation|date=December 1958}} St Joseph News Press/Gazette
Design
The biplane features welded steel tube fuselage with aircraft fabric covering and spruce wood spar wings.
Operational history
Among the many pilots who flew the Bird Wing were Hap Arnold and Charles Lindbergh. McCrum offered comprehensive flight training courses which included flight training in a Bird Wing as well as construction of the aircraft from scratch. The Bird Wing Imperial was tested to meet a 1931 requirement for a United States PT trainer. 50 orders were placed, then canceled at the beginning of the Great Depression.
Variants
- Bird Wing No 1 - 1927 Powered by closely cowled OX-5 engine
- Bird Wing No. 2 - 1928 Upper and lower ailerons
- Bird Wing No, 3 - 1929 Imperial powered by 180 hp Wright-Hisso engine
- Bird Wing No. 4 - 1930 Imperial powered Wright J5 radial engine
- Bird Wing No, 5 - 1930 Imperial Wright R-540 powered. Max speed 125 mph
Specifications (Bird Wing Model 1) 1927
{{Aircraft specs
|ref=Sport Aviation, Jane's All the World's Aircraft 1928{{cite book |title=Jane's All the World's Aircraft 1928 |editor1-last=Grey |editor1-first=C.G. |year=1928 |publisher=Sampson Low, Marston & Company, Ltd |location=London |page=197c}}
|prime units?=imp
|crew=1
|capacity=2 pax
|length ft=23
|length in=6
|span ft=31
|span in=4
|height ft=8
|height in=7
|wing area sqft=303.5
|aspect ratio=
|airfoil=Aeromarine 2
|empty weight lb=1236
|gross weight lb=2255
|max takeoff weight kg=
|max takeoff weight lb=
|max takeoff weight note=
|fuel capacity={{cvt|34.5|USgal|impgal l}}
|more general=
|eng1 number=1
|eng1 name=Curtiss OX-5
|eng1 type=V-8 water-cooled piston engine
|eng1 hp=90
|prop blade number=2
|prop name=wooden fixed pitch propeller
|prop dia m=
|prop dia ft=
|prop dia in=
|prop note=
|max speed mph=90
|cruise speed mph=75
|cruise speed note=
- Landing speed: {{cvt|30|mph|kn km/h}}
|stall speed kmh=
|stall speed mph=
|stall speed kts=
|stall speed note=
|never exceed speed kmh=
|never exceed speed mph=
|never exceed speed kts=
|range km=
|range miles=
|range nmi=
|range note=
|endurance=
|ceiling ft=10000
|g limits=
|roll rate=
|climb rate ftmin=460
|time to altitude=
|lift to drag=
|wing loading lb/sqft=6.95
|power/mass={{cvt|0.04|hp/lb|kW/kg}}
|more performance=
|avionics=
}}
References
4. Oct 1927 Popular Aviation
5. Jun 1927 Aviation
6. Nov 1958 Sport Aviation
7. Dec 1958 Sport Aviation
{{reflist}}
Category:1910s United States sport aircraft
Category:Aircraft first flown in 1927
Category:Single-engined tractor aircraft