NDN Firecracker

In 1976, Nigel Desmond Norman, one of the founders of Britten-Norman, the manufacturers of the Islander, set up NDN Aircraft to build the Firecracker, a single piston-engined trainer designed to replicate the handling of a jet trainer.Flight International 23 July 1977, pp. 275, 278. It was intended that the Firecracker would have a simple structure to allow it to be built under license by third-world countries to help start up local aviation industries.Field 1979, p.831. The first prototype, powered by a Lycoming O-540 piston engine, flew on 26 May 1977.Donald 1997, p.673.

The aircraft configuration is a tandem two-seat aircraft with retractable tricycle landing gear. It has a low aspect ratio wing in order to give fighter-like handling and is fitted with an airbrake.

After producing a single piston-engined prototype, NDN developed the aircraft by fitting a Pratt & Whitney Canada PT6 turboprop engine, producing the NDN-1T Turbo-Firecracker. Three NDN-1Ts were built for a British commercial flying school, Specialist Flying Training, which used them for contract training of foreign military students,Barnett 1984, p.902. the first one flying on 1 September 1983.Parker 1983, p.738. The Firecracker was entered into the competition to replace the BAC Jet Provosts used by Britain's Royal Air Force as a basic trainer, it being proposed to fit the aircraft for the RAF with a more powerful engine and ejection seats. Although the Firecracker, which was planned to be built by Hunting Group if successful, was one of the four shortlisting aircraft, (the others being the Pilatus PC-9, Embraer Tucano and AAC A20 Wamira),Flight International 24 March 1984, p.741 ultimately a much modified version of the Tucano, the Shorts Tucano was chosen.Flight International 30 March 1985, pp. 8-9.

Although NDN, which renamed itself the Norman Aircraft Company (NAC) in 1985, continued to try to sell the Firecracker, no further production ensued, and NAC went into receivership in 1988.Flight International 6 August 1988, p.11.

{{Aircraft specs

|ref=Jane's All the World's Aircraft 1988-1989 Taylor 1988, p.298-299.

|prime units?=met

|crew=2

|length m=8.33

|length in=

|length note=

|span m=7.92

|span in=

|span note=

|height ft=

|height m=3.25

|height note=

|wing area sqm=11.89

|wing area note=

|aspect ratio=5.28:1

|airfoil=NACA 23012

|empty weight kg=1117

|empty weight note=

|gross weight lb=

|gross weight note=

|max takeoff weight kg=1633

|max takeoff weight note=

|fuel capacity={{convert|405|L|impgal USgal|abbr=on}} internal fuel

|more general=

|eng1 number=1

|eng1 name=Pratt & Whitney Canada PT6A-25

|eng1 type=turboprop engine

|eng1 shp=715

|eng1 note=equivalent

|prop blade number=3

|prop name=Hartzell HC-B3TN-3/T10173K-1 constant speed propeller

|prop dia m=2.13

|prop dia ft=

|prop dia in=

|prop dia note=

|max speed kmh=367

|max speed note=at {{convert|15000|ft|m|order=flip|abbr=on}}

|cruise speed kmh=333

|cruise speed note=at {{convert|20000|ft|m|order=flip|abbr=on}} (econ. cruise)

|never exceed speed kmh=533

|never exceed speed note=(EAS)

|stall speed kmh=111

|stall speed note= (EAS)

|range km=1158

|range note=with maximum standard fuel

|combat range nmi=

|combat range note=

|ferry range km=2038

|ferry range note= with external fuel

|endurance=

|ceiling m=8260

|ceiling note=

|g limits=+6/-3

|roll rate=

|glide ratio=

|climb rate ftmin=2060

|climb rate note=

|time to altitude=

|more performance=

• Take-off run to 15 m (50 ft): {{convert|500|m|ft|abbr=on}}
• Landing distance from 15 m (50 ft): {{convert|677|m|ft|abbr=on}}

|hardpoints= 4

|hardpoint capacity= {{convert|181|kg|lb|-1|abbr=on}} each

|avionics=

}}

{{aircontent

|see also=

|related=

|similar aircraft=*Pilatus PC-9

• Shorts Tucano

|lists=

}}

{{reflist}}

• Barnett, Cliff. "[http://www.flightglobal.com/pdfarchive/view/1984/1984%20-%200599.html Firecracker: trainer for tomorrow?]". Flight International, 31 March 1984. pp. 899–902.
• Donald, David (editor).The Encyclopedia of World Aircraft. Leicester, UK:Blitz, 1997. {{ISBN|1-85605-375-X}}.
• Field, Hugh. "[http://www.flightglobal.com/pdfarchive/view/1979/1979%20-%200865.html Firecracker in the air]". Flight International, 17 March 1979. pp. 831–834.
• Parker, Ian "[http://www.flightglobal.com/pdfarchive/view/1983/1983%20-%201710.html Early delivery set for Turbo-Firecracker]". Flight International, 17 September 1983. pp. 738–739.
• Taylor, J.W.R.(editor) Jane's All the World's Aircraft 1988-1989. Coulsdon, Surrey, UK: Jane's Information Group, 1988. {{ISBN|0-7106-0867-5}}.
• "[http://www.flightglobal.com/pdfarchive/view/1977/1977%20-%202281.html Firecracker]". Flight International, 23 July 1977. pp. 275–279.
• "[http://www.flightglobal.com/pdfarchive/view/1984/1984%20-%200479.html Turboprops form RAF Trainer Shortlist]". Flight International, 24 March 1984. p. 741
• "[http://www.flightglobal.com/pdfarchive/view/1985/1985%20-%200868.html Shorts Awarded Trainer Contract]". Flight International, 30 March 1985, pp. 8–9.
• "[http://www.flightglobal.com/pdfarchive/view/1988/1988%20-%202031.html Norman calls in receiver]". Flight International, 6 August 1988, p. 11.

{{commons category|NDN Firecracker}}

• [https://web.archive.org/web/20070624085830/http://www.ntps.edu/HTML/Aircraft/ NTPS]
• [http://www.lesavions.net/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=31&Itemid=1 NAC (NDN) Firecracker et Turbo Firecracker]{{in lang|fr}}

{{Norman aircraft}}

Category:1970s British military trainer aircraft

Firecracker

Category:Single-engined tractor aircraft

Category:Single-engined turboprop aircraft

Category:Low-wing aircraft

Category:Aircraft first flown in 1977

Firecracker