The Ward Gnome is a very small single seat sports monoplane, designed for amateur construction in the United Kingdom in the 1960s. Only one is known to have flown.
| Gnome | |
|---|---|
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| |
| The unflown Gnome at the Newark Air Museum | |
| Role | Single seat sports aircraft |
| National origin | United Kingdom |
| Designer | Michael Ward |
| First flight | 4 August 1967 |
| Retired | by 1984 |
| Number built | 1 |
Design and development
editMichael Ward was a carpenter by profession and an enthusiastic aeromodeller. In April 1966 he began the design of an extremely small single-seat aircraft, the Ward P46[notes 1] Gnome, with one of the smallest spans (15 ft 9 in or 4.80 m) of any monoplane. It was intended for home construction.[1]
The Gnome is an all wood low-wing monoplane, each wing braced from above with a slender strut to the upper fuselage longeron. The wood skinned wings, which are straight tapered and built around box spars and D-section leading edges, carry 2° of dihedral. There are wooden ailerons but no flaps.[1]
The fuselage is built around four 3/4 in (19 mm) square longerons, with diagonal bracing and ply formers. The skin is 1/16 in (1.6 mm) ply, with flat surfaces apart from curved decking. There is a single seat open cockpit. The fixed tailwheel undercarriage has each mainwheel mounted on a pair of steel tubes forming a narrow 'V' and fixed under the fuselage. Single bracing struts run forward from the wheel mountings to the lower longerons forward of the wings. Go-Kart wheels and tyres are used, without brakes. A two-cylinder, horizontally-opposed 14 horsepower Douglas motorcycle engine, built in 1925 and driving a two blade fixed pitch propeller, was the original powerplant though this may have been replaced later by a Sachs-Wankel motor.[1]
The Gnome flew for the first time on 4 August 1967.[1]
Operational history
editThe prototype Gnome was sold to a new owner who registered it as G-AXEI in April 1969 and flew it under a Permit to Fly. The registration was cancelled in 1984.[1][2] At least one other Gnome was partially built, but never flown nor registered.[3]
Survivors
editThe prototype, no longer airworthy, is currently with the Real Aeroplane Company at Breighton, East Riding of Yorkshire.[4] The unflown Gnome is on display at the Newark Air Museum, fitted with a Citroen 2CV engine.[3]
Specifications
editData from Jane's All the World's Aircraft 1970-71.[1]
General characteristics
- Capacity: 1
- Length: 11 ft 6 in (3.51 m)
- Wingspan: 15 ft 9 in (4.80 m)
- Height: 4 ft 6 in (1.37 m)
- Wing area: 49 sq ft (4.6 m2)
- Empty weight: 210 lb (95 kg)
- Max takeoff weight: 380 lb (172 kg)
- Powerplant: 1 × Douglas air cooled flat twin, 14 hp (10 kW)
- Propellers: 2-bladed fixed pitch
Performance
- Maximum speed: 55 mph (89 km/h, 48 kn) at maximum take-off weight
- Cruise speed: 55 mph (89 km/h, 48 kn)
- Range: 50 mi (80 km, 43 nmi) approximately
- Rate of climb: 300 ft/min (1.5 m/s) approximately
Notes
editReferences
edit- ^ a b c d e f Taylor, John W R (1970). Jane's All the World's Aircraft 1970-71. London: Sampson Low, Marston & Co. Ltd. p. 236.
- ^ "CAA registration documents for G-AXEI". Retrieved 25 August 2010.
- ^ a b Ellis, Ken (2014). Wrecks & Relics. Manchester: Crecy. p. 182. ISBN 978-08597-91779.
- ^ Ellis. Ibid. p. 287.
External links
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