Militär-Apparat MA-7
| Militär-Apparat MA-7 | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Role | Fighter aircraft |
| Manufacturer | K & W |
| Designer | August Häfeli |
| First flight | 1925 |
| Introduction | February 1926 |
| Retired | April 1926 |
| Primary user | Swiss Air Force |
| Number built | 1 |
The Militär-Apparat MA-7 was a prototype fighter designed by August Häfeli in Switzerland.
Design and development
Designed in response to a Swiss Air Force requirement for an indigenous fighter design, the MA-7 was a biplane of fabric-covered wood construction with N-shaped wing struts like the Fokker D.VI of 1918. The aircraft was built in 1925 and handed over for trials in February 1926.[1]
The prototype was returned to the manufacturer in 1926 due to unsatisfactory flight characteristics and performance. The manufacturer responded with the installation of a 400 hp (300 kW) LFW-12 X-1 engine. This engine, however, was too large and heavy for the frame and entire MA-7 project was subsequently discontinued.
Records
In April 1925, test pilot Max Cartier set a Swiss record of 9,800 metres (32,200 feet) above sea level with the MA-7.
Operators
Specifications
General characteristics
- Crew: One
- Length: 6.61 m (21 ft 8 in)
- Wingspan: 9.91 m (32 ft 6 in)
- Height: 2.79 m (9 ft 2 in)
- Wing area: 23.75 m2 (255.6 sq ft)
- Empty weight: 843 kg (1,858 lb)
- Gross weight: 1,213 kg (2,674 lb)
- Powerplant: 1 × Hispano-Suiza 8Fb HS-42 V8, liquid-cooled aircraft engine, 220 kW (300 hp)
Performance
- Maximum speed: 235 km/h (146 mph; 127 kn)
- Cruise speed: 255 km/h (158 mph; 138 kn) (econ cruise)
- Range: 300 km (186 mi; 162 nmi)
- Service ceiling: 7,600 m (24,900 ft)
- Rate of climb: 9.2 m/s (1,810 ft/min)
See also
- Aircraft of comparable role, configuration and era
References
- ↑ Urech, Jakob; Hunziker, Emil (1974). Die Flugzeuge der Schweizerischen Fliegertruppe seit 1914. Hrsg. von der Abt. der Militärflugplätze Dübendorf, Verlag Th. Gut & Co, 1. Aufl. Stäfa. p. 134.