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Aircorp Bushmaster

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
B2-N Bushmaster
Role Civil utility aircraft
National origin Australia
Manufacturer Aircorp[1][2]
Designer C. W. "Bill" Whitney[1][2]
First flight 28 October 1989[1][2]
Number built 1[1]

The Aircorp B2-N Bushmaster[a] is a prototype Australian light aircraft designed for aerobatic, touring, and utility use.[1][2][3] It first flew in 1989 and did not enter production.[1]

Design and development

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The Bushmaster is a high-wing, strut-braced monoplane of conventional design with fixed, tailwheel undercarriage.[1][2] It has two seats, side-by-side, in an enclosed cabin.[1][2] Fuselage construction is of welded steel tube, covered in fabric, and the wing is all metal.[1][2] It is powered by a nose-mounted engine driving a tractor propeller.[1][2] This engine was originally a Norton Aerotor 90 wankel engine, also intended to power production examples.[1][2]

The prototype, VH-BOI, first flew on 28 October 1989.[1][2][3] Certification for the original Norton powerplant was delayed, so it was changed to a Lycoming O-235 after this first flight.[1][2][4] The engine change necessitated some other modifications to the aircraft, including changes to the engine cowling and the undercarriage.[4]

The Bushmaster received its Certificate of Airworthiness in late 1990.[1] Production was to take place at Caboolture Airport.[1] However, by early 1992, Aircorp was under financial pressure, which led one of the original partners in the company, Peter Ferro, to buy it out to continue the project.[4]

By 1992, a range of models had been proposed, and the prototype was modified to make it comply with American FAR 23 regulations in preparation for marketing in the US.[1][2] Production examples were also to have redesigned wing spars, relocated fuel tanks, wings braced with I-struts instead of the V-struts of the prototype, and three-position flaps.[2] Flight testing of the four-seat B4-80 model was anticipated to start in late 1992.[4]

However, by 2007, no further examples had been produced and the prototype was sold off.[1]

Variants

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B2-N
Prototype VH-BOI. First flight 28 October 1989 (1 built)[1][2]
B2-16
Planned two-seat side-by-side production variant[1][2]
B2-16A
Planned variant with 2+2 seating[1][2]
B3-16
Planned variant with a single seat in front, with a bench seat for two passengers behind it[2]
B4-16
Planned four-seat variant with a stretched cabin[2]
B4-60
Planned four-seat variant with a stretched cabin and a 119 kw (160 hp) Lycoming engine[2]
B4-80
Planned four-seat variant with a stretched cabin and a 134 kw (180 hp) Lycoming engine[2]

Specifications (B2-N)

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Data from Lambert 1991, pp.2-3

General characteristics

  • Crew: 1 pilot
  • Capacity: 1 passenger
  • Length: 6.40 m (21 ft 0 in)
  • Wingspan: 10.00 m (32 ft 10 in)
  • Wing area: 14.00 m2 (150.7 sq ft)
  • Max takeoff weight: 811 kg (1,788 lb)
  • Powerplant: 1 × Lycoming O-235-N2C four-cylinder, horizontally-opposed, air-cooled piston engine, 87 kW (116 hp)

Performance

  • Cruise speed: 185 km/h (115 mph, 100 kn)

References

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Footnotes

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  1. ^ Eyre gives the prototype's designation as "BN-2", and that of other two-seat variants as "B2-xx". Jane's sources use the format "B2-N" for the prototype, consistent with the planned production models. This article follows Jane's.

Citations

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  1. ^ a b c d e f g h i j k l m n o p q r s t Eyre 2019
  2. ^ a b c d e f g h i j k l m n o p q r s t Lambert 1991, p.2
  3. ^ a b Taylor 1993, p.914
  4. ^ a b c d Carman 1992, p.11

Bibliography

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  • Carman, Gerry (June 1992). "Local aircraft builders need funds". Aircraft & Aerospace. Prahan, Victoria: Peter Isaacson.
  • Eyre, David C. (8 May 2019). "Aircorp BN-2 Bushmaster". Aeropedia. Retrieved 11 June 2024.
  • Lambert, Mark; Munson, Kenneth; Taylor, Michael J.H., eds. (1991). Jane's All the World's Aircraft 1991-92 (82nd ed.). Coulson, Surrey, UK: Jane's Information Group.
  • Taylor, Michael J. H. (1989). Jane's Encyclopedia of Aviation. London: Studio Editions.