Jurca Tempête

MJ-2 Tempete
Role Sport aircraft
National origin France
Manufacturer Homebuilt
Designer Marcel Jurca
First flight 27 June 1956[1]
Number built more than 300[2]

The Jurca MJ-2 Tempete (French:Tempest) is a single-seat sport aircraft designed in France by Marcel Jurca in the mid-1950s and marketed for amateur construction from plans.

Development

The MJ-2 is one of many wooden homebuilt designs from Romanian-born designer Marcel Jurca. Jurca, a Henschel Hs 129 pilot in World War II started homebuilding with the construction of a Jodel.[3] The first Tempete was constructed in an Aero Club de Courbevoie building in 1954 near Paris.[4] The Tempete is a low-wing cantilever monoplane of conventional configuration, utilising wooden construction throughout apart from the fabric covering of the flying surfaces. The undercarriage is of the fixed, tailwheel or tailskid type. The pilot's seat is enclosed by a bubble canopy; some aircraft have a second seat to carry a passenger of less than 55 kg (121 lb).[5]

The Tempête may be powered by a wide range of engines. At least 13 possibilities have been listed, each with its own suffix letter. These engines are all either Continental or Lycoming horizontally-opposed types in the power range 48.5 - 134 kW (60-180 hp).[5] The French and UK civil registers[6][7] contain examples with seven different engines, the most popular choice being the 67 kW (90 hp) Continental C90 fitted to the Tempête MJ-2D model.

The Jurca MJ-3H Dart was a one-off sport aircraft constructed in the United States, flying in 1977. It was built by Denis Jacobs of Dayton, Ohio, marrying the fuselage of the single-seat Jurca Tempête with the wings of the two-seat Jurca Sirocco.[8] The Jurca Shadow was a variant of the Tempete with larger, swept back tail surfaces.[1]

Operational history

The Tempête has been flown since 1957 with more than 300 have completed and flown.[2] There have been 37 on the French register, though four of these have been withdrawn as of September 2010.[6] Two Tempêtes had UK Permits to Fly in 2010.[7] In 2000 there were several flying in the USA.[1]

Marcel Jurca died 19 October 2001 but plans are still available in 2009 from the designer's website.

Variants

The prototype MJ-2 Tempete No.01 at Mery-sur-Oise airfield near Paris in May 1957
  • MJ-2
    • MJ-20- (never built)
    • MJ-22 - Strengthened version with a 112 kW (150 hp) engine[1]
    • MJ-23 Orage ("Thunderstorm") - high-performance version with trapezoidal wings, intended for a 300-hp engine (never built)
  • MJ-3H Dart - Tempête fuselage with Sirocco wings (one built)
  • MJ-4 Shadow - Version with enlarged, swept empennage[1] (two built)

Specifications (MJ-2A)

Data from Jane's All the World's Aircraft 1989, pp. 545-6[5]

General characteristics

  • Crew: one pilot
  • Length: 5.85 m (19 ft 2 in)
  • Wingspan: 6.00 m (19 ft 8 in)
  • Height: 2.40 m (7 ft 10 in)
  • Wing area: 7.98 m2 (85.9 ft2)
  • Empty weight: 290 kg (639 lb)
  • Gross weight: 430 kg (950 lb)
  • Powerplant: 1 × Continental A-65-8, 48.5 kW (75 hp)

Performance

  • Maximum speed: 193 km/h (120 mph)
  • Cruising speed: 165 km/h (102 mph)
  • Service ceiling: 3,500 m (11,500 ft)
  • Rate of climb: at sea level 2.8 m/s (555 ft/min)

References

  1. 1 2 3 4 5 Simpson, Rod (2001). Airlife's World Aircraft. Airlife Publishing Ltd. p. 307. ISBN 1-84037-115-3.
  2. 1 2 Tacke, Willi; Marino Boric; et al: World Directory of Light Aviation 2015-16, page 100. Flying Pages Europe SARL, 2015. ISSN 1368-485X
  3. ↑ Nick Stasinos (February 1972). "Marcel's Mini Fighters". Plane & Pilot.
  4. ↑ experimenter. July 1957. Missing or empty |title= (help)
  5. 1 2 3 Taylor, John W R (1989). Jane's All the World's Aircraft 1989-90. Coulsdon: Jane's Information Group, Ltd. pp. 545–6. ISBN 0-7106-0896-9.
  6. 1 2 "French Tempete registrations". Archived from the original on 2009-04-23. Retrieved 2010-09-27.
  7. 1 2 "CAA Tempete UK registrations". Retrieved 2010-09-27.
  8. ↑ Jane's All the World's Aircraft 1983-84. London: Jane's Publishing Company. p. 577. ISBN 0-7106-0780-6.

Other reading

  • Jane's All the World's Aircraft 1987-88. London: Jane's Publishing Company. p. 577.
  • Taylor, Michael J. H. (1989). Jane's Encyclopedia of Aviation. London: Studio Editions. p. 547.
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