Spartan Arrow
| Arrow | |
|---|---|
.jpg) | |
| Spartan Arrow 1 G-ABWP built in 1932 at Kemble Airfield, Glos, in May 2009 | |
| Role | Tourer |
| Manufacturer | Spartan Aircraft Limited |
| First flight | 1930 |
| Produced | 1931-1933 |
| Number built | 15 |
The Spartan Arrow is a British two-seat biplane aircraft of the early 1930s, built by Spartan Aircraft Limited.
History
Built as a successor to the company's first design the Simmonds Spartan, the Arrow was a two-seat biplane with a spruce and plywood fuselage. The prototype G-AAWY first flew in May 1930 with Cirrus Hermes II engine. The 13 production aircraft that followed used mainly the de Havilland Gipsy II engine.
One aircraft was fitted with floats and evaluated as a seaplane in 1931, it was converted back to a landplane and later sold in New Zealand.
One aircraft G-ABST was built to test a new air-cooled Napier engine (later knowns as the Javelin). The second prototype G-AAWY was also used by Cirrus Aero Engines as an engine test bed. Production of the Arrow ended in 1933.
Production
Two prototypes and 13 production aircraft were built at Weston, Southampton, and after 20 February 1931 at East Cowes, Isle of Wight.
Survivors
G-ABWP a Cirrus Hermes II powered Arrow (constructor's number 78) survives in flying condition based at Redhill Aerodrome in England.
Operators
The aircraft was operated by flying clubs and private individuals:
Specifications
Data from Saunders and Saro Aircraft since 1917[1]
General characteristics
- Length: 25 ft 0 in (7.62 m)
- Wingspan: 30 ft 7 in (9.34 m)
- Height: 9 ft 6 in (2.90 m)
- Wing area: 251 ft² (23.3 m2)
- Empty weight: 965 lb (439 kg)
- Max. takeoff weight: 1,750 lb (795 kg)
- Powerplant: 1 × de Havilland Gipsy II inline piston, 120 hp (90 kW)
Performance
- Maximum speed: 92 knots (106 mph, 171 km/h)
- Range: 376 nm (432 miles, 696 km)
- Rate of climb: 830 ft/min (4.2 m/s)
Notes
- ↑ London 1988, p. 334.
References
- The Illustrated Encyclopedia of Aircraft (Part Work 1982-1985). Orbis Publishing.
- Jackson, A.J. (1974). British Civil Aircraft since 1919 Volume 3. London: Putnam. ISBN 0-370-10014-X.
- London, Peter (1988). Saunders and Saro Aircraft since 1917. London: Putnam. ISBN 0-85177-814-3.
External links
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Wikimedia Commons has media related to Spartan Arrow. |
- Simmonds/ Spartan Aircraft
- The Spartan "Arrow". A New Two-Seater with Good Climb. in Flight, 7 November 1930.