Twinstar
Role Autogyro
National origin United States
Manufacturer Farrington Aircraft
First flight 1993
Status Production completed (2000)
Number built 12 (2015)

The Farrington Twinstar is an American two-seat autogyro that was designed and produced by Farrington Aircraft of Paducah, Kentucky, a company owned by Don Farrington. Now out of production, when it was available the aircraft was supplied as a kit for amateur construction.[1] It first flew in 1993.[2]

Design and development

The aircraft was designed to comply with the US Experimental - Amateur-built aircraft rules. It features a single main rotor, a two-seats-in tandem open cockpit with a windshield, tricycle landing gear without wheel pants, plus a tail caster. The tail consists of two vertical stabilizers and rudders. The acceptable power range is 120 to 180 hp (89 to 134 kW) and the standard engine used is a four-cylinder, air-cooled, four-stroke, dual-ignition 150 hp (112 kW) Lycoming O-320 in pusher configuration. The cabin width is 24 in (61 cm).[1]

The aircraft fuselage is made from a combination of welded steel and bolted-together aluminum tubing, with a fiberglass cockpit fairing. Its two-bladed rotor has a diameter of 30 ft (9.1 m). The aircraft has a typical empty weight of 700 lb (320 kg) and a gross weight of 1,200 lb (540 kg), giving a useful load of 500 lb (230 kg). With full fuel of 20 U.S. gallons (76 L; 17 imp gal) the payload for the pilot, passengers and baggage is 380 lb (170 kg).[1]

The standard day, sea level, no wind, take off with a 150 hp (112 kW) engine is 200 ft (61 m) and the landing roll is 50 ft (15 m).[1]

The manufacturer estimated the construction time from the supplied kit as 200 hours.[1]

Operational history

By 1998 the company reported that 25 kits had been sold and five aircraft were completed and flying.[1]

In March 2015 six examples were registered in the United States with the Federal Aviation Administration, although a total of 12 had been registered at one time.[3]

Specifications (Twinstar)

Data from Purdy,[1] Brassey[4]

General characteristics

  • Crew: one
  • Capacity: one passenger
  • Length: 12 ft 0 in (3.66 m)
  • Height: 8 ft 0 in (2.44 m)
  • Empty weight: 700 lb (318 kg)
  • Gross weight: 1,200 lb (544 kg)
  • Fuel capacity: 20 U.S. gallons (76 L; 17 imp gal)
  • Powerplant: 1 × Lycoming O-320 four cylinder, air-cooled, four stroke aircraft engine, 150-160 hp (112--119 kW)
  • Main rotor diameter: 28 ft 0 in (8.53 m)
  • Main rotor area: 706 sq ft (65.6 m2)
  • Propellers: 2-bladed fixed pitch

Performance

  • Maximum speed: 90 mph (145 km/h, 78 kn)
  • Cruise speed: 65 mph (105 km/h, 56 kn)
  • Range: 90 mi (145 km, 78 nmi)
  • Service ceiling: 10,000 ft (3,050 m)
  • Rate of climb: 1,000 ft/min (5.1 m/s)
  • Disk loading: 1.7 lb/sq ft (8.3 kg/m2)

See also

References

  1. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 Purdy, Don: AeroCrafter - Homebuilt Aircraft Sourcebook, Fifth Edition, page 323. BAI Communications, 15 July 1998. ISBN 0-9636409-4-1
  2. ↑ Simpson, R. W. (Roderick W. ) (1998). Airlife's helicopters and rotorcraft. Internet Archive. Shrewsbury : Airlife. ISBN 978-1-85310-968-3.
  3. ↑ Federal Aviation Administration (March 27, 2015). "Make / Model Inquiry Results". Retrieved March 27, 2015.
  4. ↑ Taylor, John J. H. (1996). Brassey's world aircraft and systems directory, 1996-97. Internet Archive. Brassey's Inc. ISBN 1574880632.
This article is issued from Wikipedia. The text is licensed under Creative Commons - Attribution - Sharealike. Additional terms may apply for the media files.