A Vlaicu II
| A Vlaicu II | |
|---|---|
|
|
| Type: | High - wing propeller plane |
| Design country: |
Romania |
| Manufacturer: | |
| First flight: |
April 1911 |
| Commissioning: |
1911 |
| Production time: |
1913 |
| Number of pieces: |
unknown |
The A Vlaicu II was the second aircraft designed by Aurel Vlaicu and built in Romania in 1910 .
The Vlaicu II, a propeller plane, was an improved version of the A. Vlaicu I. In April 1911, the first flight took place on the airfield in the Cotroceni district of Bucharest .
technical description
The single-seat machine, built as a high-decker , with an open cockpit and tail wheel landing gear, was 11.2 meters long and had a wingspan of 12 meters. The wing area was 30 m². The wing and rudder unit were only connected to the fuselage by struts and braced with wire ropes. The double rudder and central elevator were on the bow of the machine. At the stern there was a rigid, vertically mounted side stabilizer fin. The wing, fin and rudder were covered with aircraft silk.
The Vlaicu II was powered by an air-cooled 7-cylinder rotary engine of the Gnôme- Omega type with around 60 kW / 80 hp at 1200 rpm. The two twin-bladed wooden propellers by Giovanni Magnani , which were driven in opposite directions by chains and an auxiliary shaft with two gearwheels, had a diameter of 2.4 meters each. The front propeller was designed for pulling and the pusher propeller was located at the stern. The propeller drive shaft and auxiliary shaft were located above the cockpit below the wing. The sheet-metal engine was mounted in the fuselage in front of the pilot's seat.
The Vlaicu II was designed for a top speed of 110 km / h and reached a service ceiling of around 1000 m.
Trivia
During the Balkan Wars of 1912–1913, these machines flew reconnaissance missions in the Danube region. Aurel Vlaicu also won five prizes with the Vlaicu II: 1st prize in the air rally from June 23 to 30, 1912 in Aspern, Austria and four other placements against international competition. The Wiener Zeitung Neue Freie Presse reported on Aurel Vlaicu's successes, he received a prize of 7,500 Austrian crowns .
crash
While attempting to cross the Carpathian Mountains , Aurel Vlaicu crashed on September 13, 1913 near Câmpina with a Vlaicu II and was killed.
See also
Replica
Between 2004 and 2008, the Fundaţia Aerospaţială Română in Bucharest built a replica of the A Vlaicu II, which was shown and flown at various commemorative events.
Web links
Individual evidence
- ^ Constantin C. Gheorghiu: Aurel Vlaicu, un precursor al aviaţiei româneşti. Editura Tehnică, Bucharest 1960.
- ^ Wiener Bilder, June 30, 1912 Austrian National Library
- ↑ Personalități românești ale științelor naturii și tehnicii. Editura Științifică și Enciclopedică, Bucharest 1982, p. 408.