Heston Phoenix
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| Type 1 Phoenix | |
|---|---|
| Type | Five-seat touring monoplane |
| Manufacturer | Heston Aircraft Company Limited |
| Designed by | George Cornwall |
| Maiden flight | 1935 |
| Introduced | 1936 |
| Retired | 1952 |
| Primary user | Royal Air Force |
| Produced | 1935-1937 |
| Number built | 6 |
The Heston Type 1 Phoenix was a 1930s British single-engined five-seat light transport monoplane built by the Heston Aircraft Company Limited.
Contents |
[edit] Design and development
The Type 1 Phoenix was the first design of the Heston Aircraft Company Limited formed in 1934. The Phoenix was a single-engined high-wing monoplane of wooden construction. It was powered by a 200hp (149 kW) de Havilland Gipsy VI engine and had a retractable tail-wheel undercarriage. It was the first British high-wing monoplane fitted with a hydraulically operated retractable undercarriage. The prototype, registered G-ADAD, first flew at Heston Aerodrome on 18 August, 1935. One aircraft was sold in Australia, and the prototype was sold in Greece. The last three aircraft were fitted with an improved 205hp (153 kW) de Havilland Gipsy VI Series II with a de Havilland constant speed airscrew.
[edit] Operational history
The one Australian aircraft crashed shortly after delivery but the four British aircraft were used for charter flying. At the outbreak of the war all three surviving aircraft were impressed into service by the Royal Air Force. One aircraft survived military service to be sold in 1946 and mainly used for joyriding until destroyed in 1952.
[edit] Variants
- Phoenix I
- Fitted with a 200hp de Havilland Gipsy VI Series I engine, three built.
- Phoenix II
- Fitted with a 205hp de Havilland Gipsy VI Series II engine, three built.
[edit] Operators
[edit] Specifications (Phoenix II)
General characteristics
- Crew: One
- Capacity: Four passengers
- Length: 30 ft 2 in (9.19 m)
- Wingspan: 40 ft 4 in (12.29 m)
- Height: 8 ft 7 in (2.62 m)
- Wing area: 260 ft² (24.15 m²)
- Empty weight: 2,150 lb (975 kg)
- Gross weight: 3,300 lb (1497 kg)
- Powerplant: 1 × de Havilland Gipsy VI series II 6-cylinder inline piston engine, 205 hp (153 kW) each
Performance
- Maximum speed: 150 mph (241 km/h)
- Range: 500 miles (805 km)
- Service ceiling: 20,000 ft (6095 m)
- Rate of climb: 850 ft/min ( m/s)
[edit] See also
Related lists
[edit] References
- The Illustrated Encyclopedia of Aircraft (Part Work 1982-1985). Orbis Publishing.
- Jackson, A.J. (1988). British Civil Aircraft since 1919 Volume 3. London: Putnam. ISBN 0 85177 818 6.
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