Folland Midge
The Folland Midge was a jet-powered fighter prototype made by the British manufacturer Folland Aircraft Limited .
General
As part of the planning of the Folland Gnat around an Armstrong Siddeley Viper jet engine with a thrust of 7.3 kN, the well-known aircraft designer WEW Petter developed a prototype called Folland Fo.139 Midge (little mosquito) to demonstrate the propulsion concept of the planned Gnat deliver.
The Midge's maiden flight took place on August 11, 1954. In the course of the following flight test, a dive was carried out at supersonic speed and thus the maturity of the concept was demonstrated. Various pilots from several air forces were given the opportunity to test the machine and found words of praise for the flight behavior and performance of the Midge.
The prototype crashed with its Swiss pilot on September 26, 1955, a fault in the machine could not be found.
The experience gained with the Midge during 220 test flights was helpful for Folland in the later development of the Gnat jet training aircraft.
Technical specifications
| Parameter | Data |
|---|---|
| length | 8.76 m |
| height | 2.82 m |
| Wingspan | 6.30 m |
| Wing area | 11.61 m² |
| drive | an Armstrong-Siddeley Viper jet engine with a thrust of 7.3 kN |
| Top speed | 966 km / h |
| Range | 1852 km (with two 300 L additional tanks) |
| Service ceiling | 12,190 m |
| crew | 1 pilot |
| Max. Takeoff weight | 2041 kg |
Individual evidence
- ↑ Photos at Flightglobal 1954 (pdf)