Parnall Elf
{{Use dmy dates|date=January 2017}}
{{Use British English|date=January 2017}}
| {{Infobox Aircraft Begin
|name = Elf |image = File:Parnall Elf in flight.jpg |caption = }}{{Infobox Aircraft Type |type = Two-seat light aircraft |manufacturer = Parnall & Co |designer = Harold Bolas |first flight =1929 |introduced = |retired = |primary user = |more users = |produced = |number built = 3 |variants with their own articles = }} |
The Parnall Elf is a British two seat light touring aircraft of the 1920s. Built by George Parnall & Co. the Elf was the last aircraft designed by Harold Bolas before he left the company to go to the United States.
Design and development
The Parnall Elf was designed by Harold Bolas, chief designer of the reformed George Parnall & Co. The type made its public debut at Olympia in July 1929.Ogilvy, 1989. The Elf was a biplane of wood and fabric construction with staggered wings set well forward on the fuselage as a feature to assist crew escape in an emergency. The wings were unusually braced with 'vee' interplane struts which dispensed with any flying wires and could be folded for ease of hangarage. The main fuel tank was fitted in the fuselage, while a pump raised the fuel to a small tank in the wing centre section where it was then fed to the engine by gravity. An Elf placed fifth in the 1930 King's Cup Air Race out of a field of 88 entrants. The purchase price of the aircraft at this time was between £875 and £890.Guttery, 1969. p. 43.
Survivors
- Parnall Elf, G-AAIN, is maintained and operated by the Shuttleworth Collection in Bedfordshire, England and may be flown regularly throughout the summer months. 'G-AAIN' flew at the "At The Movies" Drive-In airshow on 2 August 2020, hosted by the Shuttleworth Collection
Specifications (Elf Mk.II)
File:Parnall_Elf_3-view_Aero_Digest_January,1930.png
{{Aircraft specs
|ref=Parnall Aircraft since 1914{{cite book |last1=Wixey |first1=Kenneth E. |title=Parnall Aircraft since 1914 |year=1990 |publisher=Putnam Aeronautical Books |location=London |isbn=978-1-55750-930-7 |pages=181–189}}
|prime units?=imp
|crew=2
|capacity=
|length ft=22
|length in=10.5
|length note=
|upper span ft=31
|upper span in=3.5
|upper span note=
|lower span ft=26
|lower span in=9
|lower span note=
|height ft=8
|height in=6
|height note=
|width ft=7
|width in=2
|width note=folded
|wing area sqft=195
|wing area note=
|aspect ratio=
|airfoil=
|empty weight lb=900
|empty weight note=
|gross weight lb=1700
|gross weight note=
::::{{cvt|1500|lb|0}} for aerobatics
|max takeoff weight lb=
|max takeoff weight note=
|fuel capacity={{cvt|21|impgal|USgal l|0}} in a fuselage main tank and centre-section gravity tank
|more general=
|eng1 number=1
|eng1 name=Cirrus Hermes II
|eng1 type=4-cylinder air-cooled in-line piston engine
|eng1 hp=120
|eng1 note=
|prop blade number=2
|prop name=fixed-pitch propeller
|prop dia ft=
|prop dia in=
|prop dia note=
|max speed mph=116
|max speed note=at sea level
::::{{cvt|112|mph|kn km/h|0}} at {{cvt|5000|ft|0}}
|cruise speed mph=103
|cruise speed note=
|stall speed mph=40
|stall speed note=
|never exceed speed mph=
|never exceed speed note=
|range miles=400
|range note=
|ferry range miles=
|ferry range note=
|endurance=
|ceiling ft=16000
|ceiling note=
|g limits=
|roll rate=
|climb rate ftmin=800
|climb rate note=
|time to altitude={{cvt|10000|ft|0}} in 21 minutes
|lift to drag=
|wing loading lb/sqft=
|wing loading note=
|fuel consumption lb/mi=
|power/mass=
|more performance=
}}
See also
References
{{Reflist}}
=Bibliography=
{{refbegin}}
- Guttery, T.E. The Shuttleworth Collection. London: Wm. Carling & Co, 1969. SBN 901319-01-5
- Ogilvy, David. Shuttleworth – The Historic Aeroplanes. Shrewsbury, England: Airlife Publishing Ltd., 1989 {{ISBN|1-85310-106-0}}
{{refend}}
External links
{{commons category}}
- [https://web.archive.org/web/20070210163406/http://www.britishaircraft.co.uk/aircraftpage.php?ID=591 Parnall Elf] – British Aircraft Directory
- [http://www.flightglobal.com/pdfarchive/view/1930/untitled0%20-%200399.html Elf] in Flight, 4 April 1930
{{Parnall aircraft}}
Category:1920s British civil utility aircraft
Category:1920s British sport aircraft