Misplaced Pages

The Taylor Bird is a homebuilt aircraft that was designed by C. G. Taylor, the designer of the Taylor Cub.

Design and development

The part-built Taylor Bird was presented at the 1977 EAA airshow. The aircraft is a tandem seat, mid-wing pusher configuration design, with conventional landing gear. The fuselage is built with aluminum stressed skin. The aircraft features a unique entryway, mounting the entire nose and windshield on sliding rails that moves forward, allowing access to the cabin. The wingtips are slotted and wings are foldable. The engine features a custom propeller speed reduction unit that remained in limited production after Taylor production ceased. The prototype first flew on July 17, 1979.

Specifications (Taylor Bird)

Data from Jane's All the World's Aircraft 1980–81

General characteristics

• Crew: one
• Capacity: one passenger
• Length: 18 ft 0 in (5.49 m)
• Wingspan: 26 ft 0 in (7.92 m)
• Height: 5 ft 6 in (1.68 m)
• Airfoil: NACA 23015
• Empty weight: 560 lb (254 kg)
• Max takeoff weight: 1,000 lb (454 kg)
• Powerplant: 1 × Subaru with 2:1 gear reduction 1400cc water-cooled horizontally opposed piston automotive conversion, 65 hp (48 kW)

Performance

• Maximum speed: 109 kn (125 mph, 202 km/h)
• Cruise speed: 100 kn (120 mph, 190 km/h)
• Endurance: 4 hr

See also

Aircraft of comparable role, configuration, and era

• 3I Sky Arrow

References

1. ^ Barnett Flight International August 20, 1977, p. 535
2. Barnett Flight International August 20, 1977, pp. 535–536
3. "Wayne Sprigle's Mite-T-Mustang". Experimenter. March 2009.
4. ^ Taylor 1980, p. 552

• Barnett, Clive (August 20, 1977). "Oshkosh: Sport Aircraft Galore". Flight International. Vol. 112, no. 3571. pp. 532–536, 541.
• Taylor, John W. R., ed. (1980). Jane's All the World's Aircraft 1980–81. London: Jane's Publishing Company. ISBN 0-7106-0705-9.

• Homebuilt aircraft