Noorduyn Norseman
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| Noorduyn Norseman | |
|---|---|
| Noorduyn Norseman "CF-BSB" still operating in 2006, in service for Edmund Lakes Lodge, Manitoba | |
| Type | general aviation aircraft |
| Manufacturer | Noorduyn Aircraft Ltd |
| Designed by | Robert B.C. Noorduyn |
The Noorduyn Norseman is a Canadian single-engine bush plane designed to operate from unimproved surfaces. Norseman aircraft are known to have been registered and/or operated in 68 countries throughout the world and also have been based and flown on the Arctic and Antarctic continents. The Norseman was the plane that Glenn Miller was flying in when it disappeared somewhere over the English Channel.
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[edit] Design and development
Designed by Robert B.C. Noorduyn, the Noorduyn Norseman was produced from 1935 to 1959, originally by Noorduyn Aircraft Ltd. and later by the Canada Car and Foundry company.
With the backbround of working on many ground-breaking designs at Fokker, Bellanca and Pitcairn-Cierva, Noorduyn decided to create his own design in 1934, the Noorduyn Norseman. Along with colleague, Walter Clayton, Noorduyn created his original company, Noorduyn Aircraft Limited in early 1933 at Montreal while a successor company bearing the name, Noorduyn Aviation, was later established in 1935.
Noorduyn's vision of a bush plane revolved around a few basic criteria: it should be an aircraft with which a Canadian operator utilizing existing talents, equipment and facilities could make money, it should be a high wing monoplane to facilitate loading and unloading of passengers and cargo at seaplane docks and airports and, finally, it should be an all-around superior aircraft to those in use in Canada. The final design layout looked much like Noorduyn's earlier Fokker designs with all-welded steel tubing fuselage structure and wood stringers were applied to it for attachment of a fabric skin. The wing was all wood construction and fabric covered except for the flaps and ailerons, which were made of welded steel tubing.
[edit] Production
The first Norseman was flight tested on floats 14 November 1935 and was sold and delivered to Dominion Skyways Ltd. on 18 January 1936. Almost immediately, the Norseman proved itself to be a rugged reliable workhorse but the production run may have ended at a few hundred examples if not for the advent of the Second World War. A total of 903 Norseman aircraft (Mk. I - Mk. V) were produced and delivered to various commercial customers. The Royal Canadian Air Force and the United States Air Force became the two largest operators, with the American military placing orders for 749 Norseman aircraft. The USAAF Norseman aircraft were used in North America (primarily Alaska) as well as other theatres of war, including the European.
In postwar production, the Canada Car and Foundary in Fort William, Ontario acquired rights to the Norseman design, producing a version known as the MK. V, a civilian version of the wartime Mk. IV. In order to exploit the market further, the "Can Car" factory designed and built the Mark VII. This version had a bigger engine, a new all-metal wing and greater cargo capacity but was fated never to go into production. With large Korean War commitments at that time, the company put it into temporary storage where it was destroyed in a hangar fire in September 1951.
In 1953, Noorduyn headed a group of investors who bought back the jigs and equipment from Canada Car and Foundary and started a new company called Noorduyn Norseman Aircraft Ltd. Bob Noorduyn became ill and died in in his home in South Burlington, Vermont on 22 February 1959 but the company he had created, provided support for operating Norseman aircraft and even built three new Mk Vs before selling its assets in 1982 to Norco Associates. Norco provided service only, as the manufacture of a new Norseman aircraft, being very labor intensive, made it very expensive.
The last Norseman built was sold and delivered to a commercial customer on 19 January 1959. Approximately 18 Norseman aircraft are still in use. Image:Norseman-museum.jpg Image:Noorduyn C-64 Norseman orange vl.jpg
[edit] Military Operators
- Royal Australian Air Force, Royal Canadian Air Force, Royal Norwegian Air Force, United States Air Force
[edit] Technical data
| General Specifications | |
|---|---|
| Length | 32.33 ft |
| Height | 10.08 ft |
| Cabin Length | 10.46 ft |
| Cabin Width | 4.21 ft (max) |
| Cabin Height | 4.46 ft (max) |
| Seats | Up to 10 |
| Wingspan | 52.67 ft |
| Wing Area | 325 sq ft |
| Wing Loading | 22.8 lb/sq ft |
| Standard Empty Weight | 4,240 lb |
| Max Takeoff Weight | 7,400 lb |
| Average Useful Load | 3,160 lb |
| Payload with Full Fuel | 1,825 lb |
| Fuel Capacity, Standard | 242 gal / 1452 lb |
| Oil Capacity | 23 gal / 172.5 lb |
| Powerplant | |
| Type | Radial piston engine |
| Make & Model | Pratt & Whitney R-1340 |
| Power Developed | 600 hp @ 2250 rpm |
| Power Loading | 12.3 lb/hp |
| Propeller | |
| Type | Constant-speed, 3 blade |
| Make | Hamilton Standard |
| Diameter | 108.75 inches |
| Performance | |
| Takeoff Distance Over 50' Obstacle | 1,645 ft |
| Rate of Climb, Sea Level | 591 fpm |
| Max Cruise Speed (10,000 ft) | 130 KTAS |
| Range, max (10,000 ft) | 810 nm |
| Service Ceiling | 17,000 ft |
| Landing Distance over 50' obstacle (no reverse) | 1,300 ft |
| Speeds | Knots Indicated Airspeed (KIAS) |
| Best rate of climb (Vy) | 87 knots |
| Maximum - Flaps extended (Vfe) | 94 knots |
| Maximum - operating (Vmo) | 130 knots |
| Stall, clean (Vs1) | 65 knots |
| Stall, landing configuration (Vso) | 59 knots |
| General | |
| Span (incl Navigation Lights) | 51 ft 8 inches |
| Length (overall) | 32 ft 4 inches |
| Height | 13 ft 9 inches |
| Height (tail wheel on ground) | 10 ft 1 inch |
| Fuselage | Including stubs unless otherwise noted |
| Width (max without stubs) | 53 inches |
| Width (max with stubs) | 99 inches |
| Height (max without radio mast) | 90 inches |
| Height (max with radio mast) | 108.5 inches |
| Length (without engine mount) | 307 inches |
| Length (with engine mount) | 321 inches |
| Wings | |
| Airfoil Section at root | NACA 2412 |
| Airfoil Section at tip | NACA 2412 |
| Chord at root | 87 inches |
| Chord near tip | 87 inches |
| Angle of Incidence | +3° |
| Dihedral (measured along front spar) | 2.5° |
| Sweepback Angle | 0° |
| Wing Area (less ailerons) | 296.3 sq ft |
| Aileron Area (total) | 28.70 sq ft |
| Flap Area (total) | 30.80 sq ft |
| Tail | |
| Horizontal Stabilizer Span | 13 ft 10 7/8 inches |
| Horizontal Stabilizer Chord | 2 ft 3 5/8 inches |
| Horizontal Stabilizer Area (including elevators) | 60.06 sq ft |
| Elevator Area (including trim tabs) | 31.56 sq ft |
| Elevator Trim Tabs Area (total) | 1.39 sq ft |
| Vertical Stabilizer Area | 14.68 sq ft |
| Rudder Area (including trim tab) | 19.04 sq ft |
| Rudder Trim Tab Area | 0.125 sq ft |
[edit] External links
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