Thomas-Morse S4
Thomas-Morse S-4 | |
---|---|
Type: | Trainer aircraft |
Design country: | |
Manufacturer: | |
First flight: |
June 1917 |
Commissioning: |
1917 |
Production time: |
1917 to 1918 |
Number of pieces: |
about 500 |
The Thomas-Morse S-4 Scout was a single-seat training aircraft for fighter pilots from 1917.
development
The chief designer of the aircraft was B. D. Thomas, a former Curtiss employee . 100 machines of this type were ordered by the US Army Signal Corps , which wanted to use them for training advanced pilots. These machines were then called the S-4B and were powered by a Gnome Monosoupape engine. In January 1918, another 400 machines were ordered, powered by the weaker but more reliable Le Rhône 4C engine. This model was then called the S-4C. Immediately after the First World War , the type was taken out of service by the military. The machines were sold to the civilian sector and used there, among other things, as a racing aircraft.
Technical data (S4-C)
Parameter | Data |
---|---|
span | 8.01 m |
length | 5.82 m |
height | 2.73 m |
Empty mass | 426 kg |
Max. Takeoff mass | 603 kg |
crew | 1 |
Top speed | approx. 155 km / h |
Range | 2 hours of flight |
Engine | a Le Rhône 4C with 59.9 kW (approx. 80 PS)
with closed panel |
features | single-handled biplane
with wings of the same span |
particularities | Abrasive spur |
literature
- Tony Holmes (ed.): Type manual - classic military aircraft . Heel, Königswinter 2006, ISBN 3-89880-561-1 .