Museo de Cuatro Vientos, Madrid, Spain

[gekho]

In 1948 the technical office of Iberavia was founded in Madrid. After the designs of a sailplane and the light plane I-11, Iberavio was absorbed by AISA and became its new projects' office. One of the I-11 prototypes made its maiden flight on 16th July 1951. A series of problems gave way to a similar plane named I-11B. Its official name 'Peque' was not popular. It was known as 'Vespa' on account of being so practical and agreeable to handle as the scooter Vespa. The plane was entirely made of wood and it differed from the I-11 in many aspects: The bubble cockpit was somewhat lower to lessen drag, it was fitted with a conventional landing gear instead of tricycle and it was a little lighter.

On 1954 mass production was started and the plane was operated by flying clubs, private owners and the Air Force alike. One of the first units ended up in Lleida with the family Irigoyen. The young Francisco won with it the 'Vuelta Aérea' in 1957. More than 200 units were produced, although 40 were destroyed in a fire in the AISA factory in Cuatro Vientos (Madrid).


The I-115 is a military trainer designed in 1948 by Iberavia, a company later absorbed by Aeronautica Industrial, S.A (AISA). It was designed by a team of engineers leaded by Juan de Campo Aguilera for the Air Force, in order to replace their obsolete trainers Bücker Jungmann. On account of a lack of raw materials the aircraft was constructed mainly in wood, thus making it notoriously heavy. Moreover it was also underpowered fitted with the only available engines; the national produced ENMASA engines. As a result the I-115 had a disturbing tendency to quickly enter in a spin.

After two prototypes, it entered the production lines in 1956. About 200 units were produced in the AISA factory of Carabanchel, which is close to Cuatro Vientos. The E-9 (its Air Force name) never fulfilled the mission it was designed for; So that the E-9 flew for many years along the Bücker, the plane it was supposed to replace. It was mainly used for basic training in instrumental flight and as re-trainer of pilots. At least it fully replaced the HM1, which was also a Spanish airplane designed by Pedro Huarte Mendicoa. The HM1 'enjoyed' even a worse fame than the Garrapata. Pilots joked saying that HM stood for 'Hombre Muerto', Dead Man in Spanish.

This airplane never received an official name. It is believed that it was nicknamed 'Garrapata' by the Air Force cadets because of the annoying tendency to stick to the ground during take-off, like a 'garrapata' (tick in Spanish). In 1976 they were retired and most of them were handed over to flying clubs. There is one unit still flying in the flying club of Menorca and the FIO owns an airworthy Garrapata as well. The flying club of Sabadell used to operate three of them, but they were retired after two accidents.

 

[Gnomey]

Good pics!

 

[gekho]

The Canadair CL-215 ("Scooper") was the first model in a series of firefighting flying boat amphibious aircraft built by Canadair and later Bombardier. The CL-215 is a twin-engine, high-wing aircraft designed to operate well at low speed and in gust-loading circumstances, as are found over forest fires. It is also able to land and take off from short, unpaved airstrips.

Arising from an earlier 1960s research study at the company, the original concept was for a twin-engined floatplane transport, that was altered into a "firefighter" as a result of a request by forestry officials in the Quebec Service Aérien (Quebec Government Air Service) for a more effective way of delivering water to forest fires. The preliminary design, the CL-204 was a purpose-designed water bomber that evolved into an amphibian flying boat configuration, powered by two 2,100 hp (1,566 kW) Pratt Whitney R-2800 piston engines, shoulder-mounted. The definitive design known as the CL-215 received a program go-ahead in February 1966 with its maiden flight on 23 October 1967. The first delivery was to the French civil protection agency (Sécurité Civile) in June 1969. Production of CL-215s progressed through 5 series ending in 1990.

 

[gekho]

The Do 27 was developed from the Do 25, an aircraft originally designed to a Spanish military requirement for a light utility aircraft. The Do 27 seated four to six and the original prototype first flew in Spain on 27 June 1955. Most production aircraft were built in Germany, the first taking flight on 17 October 1956. The remainder (50) were manufactured in Spain by Construcciones Aeronauticas (CASA) as the CASA-127. The German Luftwaffe (Air Force) and Heer (Army) ordered a total of 428 of the Do 27A and Do 27B (with dual controls).

A later version with the same basic specifications but equipped with wider track landing gear was known as the Do 27Q-5. The aircraft was offered as a twin-float seaplane, the Do 27S-1, and with a larger engine (254 kW/340 hp Lycoming GSO-480-B1B6) and a three-blade propeller as the Do 27H-2. In addition to the military operators in Germany and Spain, a few were manufactured for other military and civilian operators. The Do 27 was notable for being the first mass-produced aircraft in Germany after World War II. It was appreciated for its relatively wide, comfortable cabin and excellent short-field performance.

 

[gekho]

The Do 28 was developed from the single-engine Do 27 at the end of the 1950s. The design shared the high-wing cantilever layout and the lift augmentation devices of the Do 27, together with the rear fuselage which seated six passengers. The most defining feature of the new design was the unusual incorporation of two Lycoming engines, as well as the two main landing gear shock struts of the faired main landing gear attached to short pylons on either side of the forward fuselage.

The internal space of the Do 28 was the same as the Do 27 and the company was given financial assistance from the German government to develop a larger STOL transport to carry up to 13 passengers. The type was designated the Do 28D and later named Skyservant. The Do 28D was a complete redesign and shared only the basic layout and wing construction of the earlier versions. The fuselage and engine nacelles were rectangular, unlike the rounded Do 28A/B. The aim was to develop a simple and rugged aircraft for use under arduous conditions, which could be easily maintained. With a crew of two pilots, the cabin accommodated up to 12 passengers; freight could be loaded easily through large double doors and with the seats removed the cabin gave 283 sq ft (26.3 m2) of unobstructed space. The first flight of a Do 28D took place on 23 February 1966.

A further variant of the Skyservant was the Do 28D-2/OU (Oil Unit). Two aircraft were fitted with radar and SLAR (Side-Looking Airborne Radar) to monitor oil pollution in the Baltic and North Seas. Painted in a white scheme, they were operated between 1984 and 1995 by MFG 5 of the Marineflieger, on behalf of the German Transport Ministry. These aircraft are easily recognised by the fuselage-mounted SLAR antenna and a radome under the cockpit. In 1991, both aircraft operated for several weeks in the Persian Gulf during the Gulf War under the control of the United Nations. These two aircraft were replaced by the Do 228 at the end of 1995. These Skyservants are preserved in the museum at Nordholz.

Like the Do 27, the Dornier Do 28 possessed a high cruising speed, excellent low-speed handling characteristics, as well as very short takeoff and landing (STOL) performance. The Do 28 was readily accepted as a natural progression from its single-engine forebear. With many of the same STOL characteristics, most Do 28 production was destined for military customers, notably Germany, although a small number were in service for commercial operators as a rugged, low-cost utility transport. The design proved remarkably adaptable and was developed into a number of progressively improved variants, from the original D, through the D1 and D2 to the 128-2, introduced in 1980. Each variant introduced a number of detail changes that enhanced its already versatile performance capabilities.

In 1997, the Hungarian engineer Andreas Gál developed a conversion based on a D-variant, that was intended to meet the requirements of skydivers. Instead of the Lycoming piston engines, Gál had two Walter M601-D2 turboprops, modified three-blade propellers and a skydiving kit installed by Aerotech Slovakia on seven planes. Although CAA, Hungary's aviation authorities, instantly certified the conversion, the JAA-certification could not be applied for before 2007, due to certification restrictions on the engines. In 2008, there have been three planes flying in Europe, all of them Hungarian registered, mainly at dropzones in Soest, Germany and Wiener Neustadt, Austria.

A total of 121 Dornier Do 28D-2s were built between 1971 and 1974 at Oberpfaffenhofen for the Bundeswehr (German Federal Armed Forces) where they replaced ageing Percival Pembrokes, they served until the introduction of the Dornier Do 228 in 1994, predominantly as a transportation and communications aircraft. 20 aircraft were transferred to the Marineflieger, 10 served from 1978 in the maritime reconnaissance role, additional underwing fuel tanks were fitted for extended endurance. The high noise levels and vibration in the cabin led to the type's replacement by the significantly quieter turboprop-powered Do 228. During the 20 years in German military service, only three aircraft were lost to accidents. The Do 28D was flown in 30 countries around the world and is still in service today. More than 150 aircraft were built. In the German Federal Armed Forces jargon, the Skyservant was called the "farmer's eagle" and was regarded as a reliable "workhorse". Turkey received two specially equipped SIGINT aircraft with the code name of 'Anadolou' as well as the normal transport version.

 

[gekho]

The Douglas C-47 Skytrain or Dakota is a military transport aircraft that was developed from the Douglas DC-3 airliner. It was used extensively by the Allies during World War II and remained in front line operations through the 1950s with a few remaining in operation to this day. The C-47 differed from the civilian DC-3 in being fitted with a cargo door and strengthened floor. During World War II, the armed forces of many countries used the C-47 and modified DC-3s for the transport of troops, cargo and wounded. Over 10,000 aircraft were produced in Long Beach and Santa Monica, California and Oklahoma City, Oklahoma. The Oklahoma City plant produced 5,354 C-47s from March 1943 until August 1945.

 

[gekho]

The Douglas C-54 Skymaster was a four-engined transport aircraft used by the United States Army Air Forces and British forces in World War II and the Korean War. Besides transport of cargo, it also carried presidents, British heads of state and military staff. Dozens of variants of the C-54 were employed in a wide variety of non-combat roles such as air-sea rescue, scientific and military research and missile tracking and recovery. During the Berlin Airlift it hauled coal and food supplies to West Berlin. After the Korean War it continued to be used for military and civilian uses by more than thirty countries.

C-54s began service with the US Army Air Forces in 1942, carrying up to 26 passengers. (Later versions carried up to 50 passengers.) The U.S. Navy also acquired the type, under the designation R5D. The C-54 was one of the most commonly used long-range transports by the U.S. armed forces in World War II. 515 C-54s were manufactured in Santa Monica, California and 655 were manufactured in Chicago, Illinois. After World War II, the C-54 continued to serve as the primary airlifter of the new United States Air Force and with the United States Navy. 1949 stamp from West Berlin with a Douglas C-54 Skymaster over Tempelhof airport, Scott 9N57

In late 1945, several hundred C-54s were surplus to U.S. military requirements and these were converted for civil airline operation, many by Douglas Aircraft at its aircraft plants. The aircraft were sold to airlines around the world. By January 1946, Pan American Airways was operating their Skymasters on transatlantic scheduled services to Europe and beyond. Trans-Pacific schedules from San Francisco to Auckland began on 6 June 1946. On July 23, 1954, a Douglas C-54 Skymaster civilian airliner, registration VR-HEU, operated by Cathay Pacific Airways, en route from Bangkok to Hong Kong, was shot down by Chinese Communist La-7 fighters off the coast of Hainan Island, killing 10.

President Harry S. Truman signed the National Security Act of 1947, which created the U.S. Air Force, on board "Sacred Cow", the Presidential C-54 which is preserved at the National Museum of the United States Air Force. More than 300 C-54s and R5Ds formed the backbone of the US contribution to the Berlin Airlift in 1948. They also served as the main airlift during the Korean War. After the Korean War, the C-54 was replaced by the Douglas C-124 Globemaster II, but continued to be used by the U.S. Air Force until 1972. The C-54 was the personal aircraft of Franklin D. Roosevelt, Douglas MacArthur, and Winston Churchill (along with an Avro York). The C-54 was also used by the Royal Air Force, the Armée de l'Air, and the armed forces of at least twelve other nations.

Four former C-54Ds given to Spain by the USAF in 1959 were later supplemented by another 13 second-hand aircraft which included C-54, C-54A, C-54B, C-54E, C-54G and 5D-3s.

 

[gekho]

The Huarte Mendicoa HM-1 trainers were designed by the engineer Pedro Huarte-Mendicoa Larraga, a military man and teacher at the mechanic school. During 1936 he cooperated actively with the rebels, but the nationalist uprising surprised him at Madrid, being captured. In 1938 he managed himself to scape, joinning the nationalist forces and working as a test pilot and chief of mechanics.

When the new "Ejercito del Aire" was born at the end of the war, he joined the Aeronautical Engineers Corps with the grade of Commander. His first desing, the HM-1, fly for the very first time in april 1942. Six more prototypes designed by him got into production, being the main designer of trainning aircrafts of the Spanish Air Force.

 

[ppopsie]

An amazing collection of flying machines and nice pics. Thanks.

 

[Gnomey]

Good stuff!

 

[gekho]

In 1955, Hughes Tool Company's Aircraft Division carried out a market survey which showed that there was a demand for a low-cost, lightweight two-seat helicopter. The division began building the Model 269 in September 1955. It was initially designed as a fully-glazed cockpit with seating for two pilots, or a pilot and passenger, It also had an open-framework fuselage and a three-blade articulated rotor. The prototype flew on 2 October 1956, but it wasn't until 1960 that the decision was made to develop the helicopter for production. The original truss-work tailboom was replaced with a tubular tailboom and the cockpit was restructured and refined prior to being put into production, and Hughes successfully captured a large portion of the civilian helicopter market with an aircraft that would prove itself popular in agriculture, police work and other duties.

The Hughes 269 was created with a fully articulated, counter-clockwise rotating, three-bladed main rotor, and a two-bladed tail rotor that would remain as distinctive characteristics of all its variants. It also has shock absorber-dampened, skid-type landing gear. The flight controls are directly linked to the control surfaces of the helicopter so there are no hydraulic systems in the 269. There are generally two sets of controls, although this was optional on the civil 269A. For three-seat aircraft, the middle collective control stick is removable and a seat cushion can be put in its place for the third passenger.

 

[gekho]

The Wright brothers, Orville (August 19, 1871 – January 30, 1948) and Wilbur (April 16, 1867 – May 30, 1912), were two Americans who are generally credited with inventing and building the world's first successful airplane and making the first controlled, powered and sustained heavier-than-air human flight, on December 17, 1903. In the two years afterward, the brothers developed their flying machine into the first practical fixed-wing aircraft. Although not the first to build and fly experimental aircraft, the Wright brothers were the first to invent aircraft controls that made fixed-wing powered flight possible.

The brothers' fundamental breakthrough was their invention of three-axis control, which enabled the pilot to steer the aircraft effectively and to maintain its equilibrium.[4] This method became standard and remains standard on fixed-wing aircraft of all kinds. From the beginning of their aeronautical work, the Wright brothers focused on unlocking the secrets of control to conquer "the flying problem", rather than developing more powerful engines as some other experimenters did. Their careful wind tunnel tests produced better aeronautical data than any before, enabling them to design and build wings and propellers more effective than any before. Their U.S. patent 821,393 claims the invention of a system of aerodynamic control that manipulates a flying machine's surfaces.

They gained the mechanical skills essential for their success by working for years in their shop with printing presses, bicycles, motors, and other machinery. Their work with bicycles in particular influenced their belief that an unstable vehicle like a flying machine could be controlled and balanced with practice. From 1900 until their first powered flights in late 1903, they conducted extensive glider tests that also developed their skills as pilots. Their bicycle shop employee Charlie Taylor became an important part of the team, building their first aircraft engine in close collaboration with the brothers. The Wright brothers' status as inventors of the airplane has been subject to counter-claims by various parties. Much controversy persists over the many competing claims of early aviators.

 

[gekho]

Zlin Trener is a family of aircraft that was based on a basic training aircraft, the Z-26. The original Z-26 was designed in late 1940s and produced in 1946 by the Czechoslovakian company, Moravan to meet a requirement for a basic trainer to replace the Bücker Jungmann and Bestmann. It was a low-winged monoplane of mixed construction, with wooden wings and a welded metal tube fuselage, powered by a single four-cylinder piston engine, the Walter Minor 4-III. It first flew in early 1947, proving superior to the competing Praga 112, and was declared the winner, entering production in 1948.

 

[gekho]

This weekend I went to the Civil Aviation Museum in Malaga to see a couple of a very interesting aircrafts that this museum houses at its installations. Unfortunately this museum is very small and there is nothing remarkable with the exception of a DC-3, a Beechcraft 18, a Casa C-201 Alcotan and a couple of cabins, like the one where I am posing (a DC-4 I think). In any case this museum is very small to have its own thread, so I have posted all the pictures here. I hope you enjoy them.