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Towle TA-2

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Amphibious aircraft
TA-2
Role Amphibious aircraftType of aircraft
National origin United States of America
Manufacturer Towle Aircraft Company
Designer Thomas Towle
First flight 7 November 1929
Introduction 1929
Developed from Towle WC

The Towle TA-2 was an amphibious aircraft based on the T owle WC built for a 1929 round-the world flight.

Development

Thomas Towle was an engineer that had been involved with many early aircraft designs. Having just co-designed the Eastman E-2 Sea Rover and the Towle WC, Towle found funding to create a new entity, the Towle Aircraft Company to produce the TA-2.

Design

The TA-2 featured a corrugated aluminum hull. The wings were all metal with internal stiffeners, rather than ribs, based loosely on the Ford Trimotor, which Towle worked on previously. The twin Wright R-540 engines sat on small pylons on top of the shoulder mounted wing. Two floats were mounted directly below the engine pylons which incorporated the hydraulically actuated landing gear. The prototype was originally designed for 165 hp Wright 540 engines.

Operational history

The TA-2 was tested in Lake St. Clair on 7 November 1929 by test pilot George Pond and James Bradley. It broke up on takeoff and sank to the bottom of the lake. The aircraft appears to have been rebuilt as a Towle TA-2 and was reported to have visited Lympne Airport, Kent, United Kingdom in February 1930. The wing from the prototype was salvaged and used on the next iteration, the Towle TA-3.

Variants

Specifications

Data from Flight, 14 February 1930, pp215-16.

General characteristics

  • Crew: 1
  • Capacity: 5 passengers
  • Length: 33 ft (10 m)
  • Wingspan: 47 ft 9 in (14.55 m)
  • Wing area: 292 sq ft (27.1 m)
  • Gross weight: 4,420 lb (2,005 kg)
  • Fuel capacity: 90 US gallons (340 L; 75 imp gal)
  • Powerplant: 2 × Wright R-540 radial, 165 hp (123 kW) each
  • Propellers: 2-bladed

Performance

  • Maximum speed: 117 kn (135 mph, 217 km/h)
  • Range: 600 nmi (690 mi, 1,100 km)
  • Wing loading: 15.15 lb/sq ft (74.0 kg/m)

See also

Aircraft of comparable role, configuration, and era

References

  1. Robert F. Pauley. Michigan Aircraft Manufacturers.
  2. E. R. Johnson. American flying boats and amphibious aircraft: an illustrated history. p. 324.
  3. ^ "An Interesting American Amphibian". Flight. No. 14 February 1930. p. 215.
  4. "Patent 188833" (PDF). Retrieved 6 November 2011.
  5. "AN INTERESTING AMERICAN AMPHIBIAN The Towle All-Metal T-2". Flight. 14 Feb 1930. p. 216.
  6. Skyways: 56. January 1999. {{cite journal}}: Missing or empty |title= (help)
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