Genairco Biplane

Biplane
	Genairco inflight at Bundaberg Airport
Role	Utility aircraft
National origin	Australia
Manufacturer	Genairco
Designer	George Beohm
First flight	1929
Status	Two extant
Number built	9

The Genairco Biplane (also known as the Genairco Moth) was a utility biplane built in small numbers in Australia in the late 1920s and early 1930s.

Design and construction

It was a conventional single-bay biplane with fixed tailskid undercarriage, with a fuselage based on the de Havilland Moth and wings based on the Avro Avian. The fuselage, however, was wider than that of the Moth, allowing two passengers to be carried seated side-by-side in an open cockpit ahead of the pilot's. Some later examples of the type featured an enclosed cabin for the passengers, and these were known as Genairco Cabin Biplanes, with the original design retrospectively named the Genairco Open Biplane.

Survivors

Three Genairco biplanes have survived.

Australia

Airworthy

VH-UOD, an Open Biplane, was restored and is maintained in airworthy condition.

Stored

VH-UOG, an Open Biplane, is owned by the Museum of Applied Arts and Sciences, also known as the Powerhouse Museum, in Sydney, New South Wales.

United States

Stored

N240G (previously VH-UOH and then VH-UUI), a Cabin Biplane, was exported from Australia in 1966 and is awaiting restoration by the Fantasy of Flight museum at Polk City, Florida.

Specifications

General characteristics

Crew: One pilot
Capacity: 3 passengers in cabin. Forward most seat is aft facing and seats one person. Cabin rear seat is forward facing and holds two passengers.
Wingspan: 9.25 m (30 ft 4 in)
Height: 2.70 m (8 ft 10 in)
Empty weight: 451 kg (994 lb)
Powerplant: 1 × Harkness Hornet, 86 kW (115 hp)

References

Taylor, Michael J. H. (1989). Jane's Encyclopedia of Aviation. London: Studio Editions. p. 417.
Powerhouse Museum

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