Aerocar Mini-IMP

Aerocar Mini Imp
Mini Imp flyby in 1969
Role Homebuilt aircraft
National origin United States
Designer Moulton Taylor
Status Plans available (2015)
Developed from Aerocar IMP

The Aerocar Mini-IMP (Independently Made Plane) is a light aircraft designed by Moulton Taylor and marketed for homebuilding by Aerocar International. It is a scaled-down derivative of his original Aerocar IMP design. A two-seat version called the Bullet was also built. The Mini-IMP follows the same unconventional layout as its larger predecessor, with a center mounted engine, long driveshaft to a tail propeller, and inverted-V rudder/elevators.[1]

The aircraft is available in the form of plans for amateur construction. Following Taylor's death, the plans and licensing for the Mini-IMP have been marketed by the Mini-IMP Aircraft Company of Weatherford, Texas.[2][3][4]

Design and development

The aircraft features a cantilever high-wing, a single-seat enclosed cockpit, fixed or retractable tricycle landing gear or conventional landing gear and a single engine in pusher configuration.[2][3]

The aircraft is made from riveted aluminum sheet. Its 24.5 ft (7.5 m) span wing is mounted well behind the pilot and employs a NASA GA(PC)-1 airfoil. The engine is mounted behind the pilot's seat driving the propeller through an extension shaft. Engines used include the 60 to 100 hp (45 to 75 kW) Volkswagen air-cooled engine four-stroke.[2][3][5]

Taylor claimed the Mini-IMP was not an original design, but an updated version of the 1912 Edison Doladay Bullet, a design that was capable of 110 mph in the earliest days of flight.[6]

In the late 1970s inquiries were made concerning a military version of the Mini-IMP, skinned with Kevlar, armed with two 7.62-millimeter machine guns, and with room in the baggage compartment for a considerable quantity of ammunition. Nothing came of the proposal.[7]

Specifications (typical Mini-IMP)

Data from Bayerl and Tacke[2][3]

General characteristics

  • Crew: one
  • Wingspan: 24 ft 6 in (7.46 m)
  • Empty weight: 518 lb (235 kg)
  • Gross weight: 805 lb (365 kg)
  • Fuel capacity: 12 U.S. gallons (45 L; 10.0 imp gal)
  • Powerplant: 1 × Volkswagen air-cooled engine four cylinder, 1835 cc, air-cooled, four stroke automotive conversion, 60 hp (45 kW)
  • Propellers: 2-bladed composite

Performance

  • Maximum speed: 175 mph; 152 kn (281 km/h)
  • Cruise speed: 149 mph; 130 kn (240 km/h)
  • Stall speed: 43 mph; 37 kn (69 km/h)
  • Rate of climb: 1,200 ft/min (6 m/s)

See also

Related development:

References

  1. ↑ "Mini-IMP". Mini-imp.com. Retrieved 2012-10-09.
  2. 1 2 3 4 Bayerl, Robby; Martin Berkemeier; et al: World Directory of Leisure Aviation 2011–12, page 111. WDLA UK, Lancaster UK, 2011. ISSN 1368-485X
  3. 1 2 3 4 Tacke, Willi; Marino Boric; et al: World Directory of Light Aviation 2015–16, page 117. Flying Pages Europe SARL, 2015. ISSN 1368-485X
  4. ↑ Vandermeullen, Richard: 2011 Kit Aircraft Buyer's Guide, Kitplanes, Volume 28, Number 12, December 2011, page 61. Belvoir Publications. ISSN 0891-1851
  5. ↑ Lednicer, David (2010). "The Incomplete Guide to Airfoil Usage". Retrieved 3 January 2012.
  6. ↑ "Designers talk about the future". Air Progress: 18. January 1979.
  7. ↑ Jane's Information Group. Jane's All The World's Aircraft, 1981–1982 edition.
This article is issued from Wikipedia. The text is licensed under Creative Commons - Attribution - Sharealike. Additional terms may apply for the media files.