The Towle TA-2 was an amphibious aircraft based on the T owle WC built for a 1929 round-the world flight.
| TA-2 | |
|---|---|
| Role | Amphibious aircraft |
| National origin | United States of America |
| Manufacturer | Towle Aircraft Company |
| Designer | Thomas Towle |
| First flight | 7 November 1929 |
| Introduction | 1929 |
| Developed from | Towle WC |
Development
editThomas Towle was an engineer that had been involved with many early aircraft designs. Having just co-designed the Eastman E-2 Sea Rover and the Towle WC, Towle found funding to create a new entity, the Towle Aircraft Company to produce the TA-2.[1]
Design
editThe TA-2 featured a corrugated aluminum hull. The wings were all metal with internal stiffeners, rather than ribs, based loosely on the Ford Trimotor, which Towle worked on previously. The twin Wright R-540 engines sat on small pylons on top of the shoulder mounted wing.[2][3] Two floats were mounted directly below the engine pylons which incorporated the hydraulically actuated landing gear.[4] The prototype was originally designed for 165 hp Wright 540 engines.[5]
Operational history
editThe TA-2 was tested in Lake St. Clair on 7 November 1929 by test pilot George Pond and James Bradley. It broke up on takeoff and sank to the bottom of the lake.[6] The aircraft appears to have been rebuilt as a Towle TA-2 and was reported to have visited Lympne Airport, Kent, United Kingdom in February 1930.[3] The wing from the prototype was salvaged and used on the next iteration, the Towle TA-3.
Variants
edit- Towle WC The basis for the TA-2
Specifications
editData from Flight, 14 February 1930, pp215-16.
General characteristics
- Crew: 1
- Capacity: 5 passengers
- Length: 33 ft (10 m)
- Wingspan: 47 ft 9 in (14.55 m)
- Wing area: 292 sq ft (27.1 m2)
- Gross weight: 4,420 lb (2,005 kg)
- Fuel capacity: 90 US gallons (340 L; 75 imp gal)
- Powerplant: 2 × Wright R-540 radial, 165 hp (123 kW) each
- Propellers: 2-bladed
Performance
- Maximum speed: 117 kn (135 mph, 217 km/h)
- Range: 600 nmi (690 mi, 1,100 km)
- Wing loading: 15.15 lb/sq ft (74.0 kg/m2)
See also
editAircraft of comparable role, configuration, and era
References
edit- ^ Robert F. Pauley. Michigan Aircraft Manufacturers.
- ^ E. R. Johnson. American flying boats and amphibious aircraft: an illustrated history. p. 324.
- ^ a b "An Interesting American Amphibian". Flight. No. 14 February 1930. p. 215.
- ^ "Patent 188833" (PDF). Retrieved 6 November 2011.
- ^ "AN INTERESTING AMERICAN AMPHIBIAN The Towle All-Metal T-2". Flight. 14 Feb 1930. p. 216.
- ^ Skyways: 56. January 1999.
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