Girish Mahajan (Editor)

Spartan Three Seater

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Top speed
  
172 km/h

Length
  
8 m

Manufacturer
  
Spartan Aircraft Ltd

Wingspan
  
8.79 m

First flight
  
1930

Spartan Three Seater httpsuploadwikimediaorgwikipediacommonsthu

The Spartan Three Seater was a British three-seat biplane touring and pleasure-flying aircraft built by Spartan Aircraft Limited.

Contents

History

Built as a three-seat version of the Simmonds Spartan, the Three Seater was a biplane with a spruce and plywood fuselage. Although not many aircraft were built, the Three Seater was a mainstay of the pleasure flying business in the 1930s. The wings were designed to fold back easily, in order to be stored in a shed rather than requiring a dedicated hangar.

Following the first batch of aircraft, designated the Three Seater I, an improved version was built and designated as the Three Seater II. The six Three Seater IIs had improved visibility for the pilot and easier access for the passengers, and were powered by a 130 horsepower (97 kW) Cirrus Hermes IV engine.

One Three Seater II (registered as ZK-ARH) currently survives, owned by a private individual in New Zealand, having passed through British and Irish owners (as G-ABYN and EI-ABU) since its manufacture in June 1932.

Variants

  • Three Seater I - 19 aircraft
  • Three Seater II - 6 aircraft

    • Operators

    The aircraft was mainly operated by flying clubs and private individuals:

     Australia
     Republic of Ireland
     Iraq
  • Iraq Airwork Limited
    •  South Africa
     Tanganyika
     United Kingdom
  • British Airways Limited

    • Specifications (Three Seater II)

    General characteristics

  • Length: 26 ft 3 in (8.0 m)
  • Wingspan: 28 ft 10 in (8.79 m)
  • Height: 9 ft 8 in (2.95 m)
  • Wing area: 240 ft² (22 m²)
  • Empty weight: 1,030 lb (468 kg)
  • Max. takeoff weight: 1,680 lb (764 kg)
  • Powerplant: 1 × Cirrus Hermes I or II inline piston, 120 hp (90 kW)

    • Performance

  • Maximum speed: 93 knots (107 mph, 172 km/h)
  • Range: 226 nm (260 miles, 419 km)
  • Rate of climb: 750 ft/min (3.8 m/s)

    • References

    Spartan Three Seater Wikipedia
    (Text) CC BY-SA