Halsted BH-1 Saffire

BH-1 Saffire
Role Homebuilt aircraft
National origin United States
Designer Barry Halsted, Jack Shannon, Russ Reynolds
Introduction 1990
Number built 1

The Halsted BH-1 Saffire is a homebuilt aircraft design introduced in the early 1990s.[1]

Design and development

Barry Halsted is an aircraft engineer who has also been an author for R/C Modeler Magazine, developing model aircraft plans. Design work started on the Saffire in 1972, construction started in 1982.[2]

The Saffire is a two-place, tandem seat, low-wing, retractable tricycle gear monoplane. The canopy is mounted on tracks to slide open. The aircraft started with a welded steel fuselage and a wooden wing construction.[2]

Operational history

Testing identified flutter in the rudder at higher speeds. Increasing the radius of the leading edge of the elevator balance tab corrected the issue.[3] The Saffire won the Best Classic Homebuilt award at AirVenture in 2011.[4]

Specifications (BH-1 Saffire)

Data from Sport Aviation

General characteristics

  • Crew: one
  • Capacity: one
  • Wingspan: 28 ft (8.5 m)
  • Empty weight: 1,650 lb (748 kg)
  • Gross weight: 2,450 lb (1,111 kg)
  • Powerplant: 1 × Continental IO-360 ES , 210 hp (160 kW)

Performance

  • Cruise speed: 178 kn; 330 km/h (205 mph)
  • Never exceed speed: 222 kn (255 mph; 411 km/h)

References

  1. ↑ Sport Aviation: 32. October 1991. Missing or empty |title= (help)
  2. 1 2 "Saffire". Sport Aviation: 26. November 1991.
  3. ↑ "Saffire". Sport Aviation: 30. November 1991.
  4. ↑ Light Aviation: 17. September 2011. Missing or empty |title= (help)
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