Javelin Wichawk

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Wichawk
Type Sports plane
National origin United States
Manufacturer Javelin for homebuilding
Designed by Dave Blanton
Maiden flight 24 May 1971
Number built 14 by 1987

The Javelin Wichawk was a sporting biplane designed in the United States in the early 1970s and marketed in plans form for homebuilding. It was a conventional design with staggered single-bay wings of equal span braced with N-struts and fixed, tailwheel undercarriage. The pilot and a single passenger sat side-by-side in an open cockpit, but the plans made allowances for the aircraft to be built in two- or three-seat tandem configuration instead. The fuselage and empennage were of fabric-covered steel tube construction, and the wings were built from wooden spars and alloy ribs, again covered in fabric. Some 250 sets of plans had been sold by 1987, with 14 aircraft known to be flying by then.

[edit] Specifications

General characteristics

  • Crew: One pilot
  • Capacity: 1 passenger
  • Length: 19 ft 3 in (5.87 m)
  • Wingspan: 24 ft 0 in (7.32 m)
  • Height: 7 ft 2 in (2.18 m)
  • Wing area: 185 ft² (17.2 m²)
  • Empty weight: 1,280 lb (580 kg)
  • Gross weight: 2,000 lb (907 kg)
  • Powerplant: 1 × Lycoming O-360, 180 hp (134 kW)

Performance

  • Maximum speed: 140 mph (225 km/h)
  • Rate of climb: 1,700 ft/min (8.6 m/s)

[edit] References

  • Taylor, Michael J. H. (1989). Jane's Encyclopedia of Aviation. London: Studio Editions, 535. 
  • Jane's All the World's Aircraft 1987-88. London: Jane's Yearbooks, 672-73.