The Farrington Twinstar is an American two-seat autogyro that was designed and produced by Farrington Aircraft of Paducah, Kentucky, a company owned by Don Farrington. Now out of production, when it was available the aircraft was supplied as a kit for amateur construction.[1] It first flew in 1993.[2]
| Twinstar | |
|---|---|
| Role | Autogyro |
| National origin | United States |
| Manufacturer | Farrington Aircraft |
| First flight | 1993 |
| Status | Production completed (2000) |
| Number built | 12 (2015) |
Design and development
editThe aircraft was designed to comply with the US Experimental - Amateur-built aircraft rules. It features a single main rotor, a two-seats-in tandem open cockpit with a windshield, tricycle landing gear without wheel pants, plus a tail caster. The tail consists of two vertical stabilizers and rudders. The acceptable power range is 120 to 180 hp (89 to 134 kW) and the standard engine used is a four-cylinder, air-cooled, four-stroke, dual-ignition 150 hp (112 kW) Lycoming O-320 in pusher configuration. The cabin width is 24 in (61 cm).[1]
The aircraft fuselage is made from a combination of welded steel and bolted-together aluminum tubing, with a fiberglass cockpit fairing. Its two-bladed rotor has a diameter of 30 ft (9.1 m). The aircraft has a typical empty weight of 700 lb (320 kg) and a gross weight of 1,200 lb (540 kg), giving a useful load of 500 lb (230 kg). With full fuel of 20 U.S. gallons (76 L; 17 imp gal) the payload for the pilot, passengers and baggage is 380 lb (170 kg).[1]
The standard day, sea level, no wind, take off with a 150 hp (112 kW) engine is 200 ft (61 m) and the landing roll is 50 ft (15 m).[1]
The manufacturer estimated the construction time from the supplied kit as 200 hours.[1]
Operational history
editBy 1998 the company reported that 25 kits had been sold and five aircraft were completed and flying.[1]
In March 2015 six examples were registered in the United States with the Federal Aviation Administration, although a total of 12 had been registered at one time.[3]
Specifications (Twinstar)
editData from Purdy,[1] Brassey[4]
General characteristics
- Crew: one
- Capacity: one passenger
- Length: 12 ft 0 in (3.66 m)
- Height: 8 ft 0 in (2.44 m)
- Empty weight: 700 lb (318 kg)
- Gross weight: 1,200 lb (544 kg)
- Fuel capacity: 20 U.S. gallons (76 L; 17 imp gal)
- Powerplant: 1 × Lycoming O-320 four cylinder, air-cooled, four stroke aircraft engine, 150-160 hp (112--119 kW)
- Main rotor diameter: 28 ft 0 in (8.53 m)
- Main rotor area: 706 sq ft (65.6 m2)
- Propellers: 2-bladed fixed pitch
Performance
- Maximum speed: 90 mph (145 km/h, 78 kn)
- Cruise speed: 65 mph (105 km/h, 56 kn)
- Range: 90 mi (145 km, 78 nmi)
- Service ceiling: 10,000 ft (3,050 m)
- Rate of climb: 1,000 ft/min (5.1 m/s)
- Disk loading: 1.7 lb/sq ft (8.3 kg/m2)
See also
editReferences
edit- ^ a b c d e f g Purdy, Don: AeroCrafter - Homebuilt Aircraft Sourcebook, Fifth Edition, page 323. BAI Communications, 15 July 1998. ISBN 0-9636409-4-1
- ^ Simpson, R. W. (Roderick W. ) (1998). Airlife's helicopters and rotorcraft. Internet Archive. Shrewsbury : Airlife. ISBN 978-1-85310-968-3.
- ^ Federal Aviation Administration (March 27, 2015). "Make / Model Inquiry Results". Archived from the original on April 2, 2015. Retrieved March 27, 2015.
- ^ Taylor, John J. H. (1996). Brassey's world aircraft and systems directory, 1996-97. Internet Archive. Brassey's Inc. ISBN 1574880632.