The Spratt Controlwing 107 was an unorthodox controlwing flying boat designed in the United States in the 1960s and marketed for home building in the 1970s.[2]
| Controlwing 107[1] | |
|---|---|
| Role | Sport flying boat |
| National origin | United States |
| Manufacturer | homebuilt |
| Designer | George Spratt |
| First flight | 1967 |
| Number built | 60 sets of plans sold by 1977[2] |
The aircraft featured a flat, speedboat-like[3] hull with a square bow and with tailfins blended into each side.[4][5] The fins were angled to form a butterfly tail and included no moving surfaces.[5][6] The wings were mounted on struts, parasol-style, and also contained no moving surfaces.[3][6][7][8] Rather, each of the two wings could pivot independently to vary their angle of attack.[6][8] The pilot and a single passenger sat side by side in an open cockpit with a converted marine outboard motor mounted behind them that drove a pusher propeller.[3][6] The flight controls consisted of a helicopter-style collective that varied the angle of attack of both wings simultaneously,[6][8][9] and a control wheel that varied their angles of attack in relation to one another.[6][8][10] The hull was constructed from polyurethane foam and covered with fiberglass, and the wing panels were fiberglass throughout.[6]
Designer George Spratt claimed that the Model 107 could not stall or spin, and that it was 75% less affected by turbulence than a conventional airplane design.[2] With friend Elliot Dalland, Spratt began construction of the prototype (registered N2236) in 1962.[3] During the 1970s, Spratt marketed plans for the Model 107 to homebuilders.[2][11]
Specifications (Controlwing 107)
editData from Markowski 1979, p.384
General characteristics
- Crew: one pilot
- Capacity: one passenger
- Length: 17 ft 0 in (5.18 m)
- Wingspan: 24 ft 0 in (7.32 m)
- Height: 5 ft 0 in (1.52 m)
- Wing area: 96 sq ft (8.9 m2)
- Empty weight: 500 lb (226 kg)
- Gross weight: 1,000 lb (543 kg)
- Powerplant: 1 × Mercury 800 converted marine engine , 80 hp (60 kW)
Performance
- Maximum speed: 98 mph (160 km/h, 85 kn)
- Service ceiling: 3,000 ft (910 m)
- Rate of climb: 800 ft/min (4.0 m/s)
Notes
edit- ^ "American airplanes: sk - ss". Aerofiles.com. 2009-03-16. Retrieved 2011-04-06.
- ^ a b c d Taylor 1977, p.563
- ^ a b c d Spratt 1962, p.25
- ^ Taylor 1977, p.565
- ^ a b Markowski 1979, p.384
- ^ a b c d e f g Taylor 1977, p.564
- ^ Taylor 1989, p.839
- ^ a b c d Markowski 1979, p.380
- ^ Spratt 1962, p.25–26
- ^ Spratt 1962, p.26
- ^ Gunston 1993, p.290
References
edit- Gunston, Bill (1993). World Encyclopedia of Aircraft Manufacturers. Annapolis: Naval Institute Press.
- Markowski, Michael (1979). The Encyclopedia of Homebuilt Aircraft. Blue Ridge Summit: TAB Books.
- Spratt, George G. (July 1974). "The Controlwing Aircraft: Part 2 — Postwar Development". Sport Aviation: 24–30.
- Taylor, John W.R. (1977). Jane's All the World's Aircraft 1977–78. London: Jane's Yearbooks.
- Taylor, Michael J. H. (1989). Jane's Encyclopedia of Aviation. London: Studio Editions.
External links
edit- Aerofiles
- Spratt "Wingdinghy" in Popular Mechanics, June 1962