Neha Patil (Editor)

American Gyro AG 4 Crusader

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First flight
  
1935

Manufacturer
  
American Gyro Company

The American Gyro AG-4 Crusader is a small twin engine aircraft. The aircraft was designed as the Shelton Flying Wing in 1933 by Thomas Miles Shelton.

Contents

Design

After wind tunnel testes, the AG-4 was developed. The American Gyro AG-4 Crusader is an aluminum skined four place low-wing twin engine aircraft with fixed conventional landing gear, twin tail booms with individual rudders, and a teardrop shaped fuselage. The wing uses trailing edge flaps and 25 gallon fuel tanks are mounted in each wing root. Retractable landing gear were also tested on the model.

Operational history

The prototype was painted copper colored with green leather seats. It was tested in 1935 at Denver Colorado. The aircraft was funded from stock issue in the Crusader Aircraft Corporation, a parent of the American Gyro Company. The company folded in 1938 under securities fraud investigations before the Crusader could go into production

Tootsietoy came out with a die-cast metal toy of the plane, No. 719 in its catalogue.

Variants

American Gyro AG-4 Crusader
American Gyro AG-6 Buccaner
A six place variant design powered by Menasco engines

Specifications (AG-4 Crusader)

Data from AAHS Journal

General characteristics

  • Crew: 1
  • Capacity: 3 passengers
  • Length: 21 ft 7 in (6.58 m)
  • Wingspan: 36 ft (11 m)
  • Height: 7 ft (2.1 m)
  • Wing area: 206 sq ft (19.1 m2)
  • Empty weight: 2,000 lb (907 kg)
  • Gross weight: 3,000 lb (1,361 kg)
  • Fuel capacity: 50 gal
  • Powerplant: 2 × Menasco C4-S Inline four cylnder piston, 150 hp (110 kW) each
  • Propellers: 2-bladed

    • Performance

    References

    American Gyro AG-4 Crusader Wikipedia
    (Text) CC BY-SA