Harman Patil (Editor)

Dempsey TD 3 Beta Lightning

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First flight
  
September 14, 1969

The Dempsey TD-3 Beta Lightning is the second original homebuilt design from Thomas Dempsey.

Contents

Design and development

The TD-3 was built with the design goals of being strong, comfortable and fast. The twin boom, twin engine design was loosely based on the Lockheed P-38 Lightning planform.

The TD-3 Beta Lightning is a twin boom, twin engine, tricycle gear monoplane with side-by-side configuration seating. The wooden spar wings are fabric covered. The fuselage pod is all fiberglass. The landing gear mechanism is sourced from a Piper Aztec, with the retraction mechanism retracting rearward rather than forward as on the Aztec. Four wing fuel tanks are mounted internally. The fuselage and tail booms have a supported welded steel tube frame with aluminum stringers.

Specifications (TD-3 Beta Lightning)

Data from Sport Aviation

General characteristics

  • Crew: 2
  • Length: 21 ft (6.4 m)
  • Wingspan: 30 ft (9.1 m)
  • Height: 5 ft 6 in (1.68 m)
  • Wing area: 109 sq ft (10.1 m2)
  • Airfoil: NACA 65-415 tapering to a NACA 4412
  • Empty weight: 1,896 lb (860 kg)
  • Gross weight: 2,834 lb (1,285 kg)
  • Fuel capacity: 72 U.S. gallons (270 L; 60 imp gal)
  • Powerplant: 2 × Lycoming IO-320 horizontally-opposed piston aircraft engines, 160 hp (120 kW) each
  • Propellers: 2-bladed Hartzell Propeller, 6 ft 0 in (1.83 m) diameter

    • Performance

  • Maximum speed: 188 kn; 348 km/h (216 mph)
  • Stall speed: 72 kn; 134 km/h (83 mph)
  • Rate of climb: 3,000 ft/min (15 m/s)
  • Wing loading: 26 lb/sq ft (130 kg/m2)

    • References

    Dempsey TD-3 Beta Lightning Wikipedia
    (Text) CC BY-SA