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OMAC Laser 300

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Laser 300
Role Business aircraft
National origin United States
Manufacturer OMAC
First flight 11 December 1981
Status Abandoned
Number built 3

The OMAC Laser 300, originally named the OMAC I is a canard pusher business aircraft built in the United States in 1981 but which never saw production.

Design

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It is a canard layout powered by a pusher turboprop engine, and a high, swept wing carrying endplate fins on the tips.[1] Construction was of metal throughout. The cabin could seat six to seven passengers, and incorporated quick-change seating, allowing rapid conversion for freight.[2] Early in development, plans existed to produce a turbofan-powered version of the design,[3] but this did not happen.

Development

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The first prototype flew on 11 December 1981[4] and OMAC ("Old Man's Aircraft Company") hoped to obtain type certification by mid 1982.[5] This was delayed by a ground accident, and then a landing accident caused by the failure of an undercarriage locking pin.[5] A second prototype flew on 19 February 1983,[5] and certification was expected "no later than December 1984",[6] but in late 1983, the process had barely started.[7]

In the mid-1980s, it was tested at the Langley 12-Foot Low-Speed Tunnel to investigate its stability and control characteristics.[8] Special attention was paid to behaviour at high angles of attack and to stall and spin resistance,[8] and it was found to have poor longitudinal stability at high angles of attack.[8] The wing was modified, with extensions added to the trailing edge flaps, and a discontinuous, leading edge droop added to the outboard section of the wings.[8] Stall characteristics were good since the canard provided a nose-down pitching moment.[8] Changes were tested on the second prototype before the design was frozen in April 1985.[9] Additionally, production machines were to have a different fuselage with a round cross-section, a redesigned nose, and additional baggage space.[10][11]

OMAC relocated from Reno, Nevada to Albany, Georgia in January 1985, as Ayres Corporation was to manufacture them at their Albany plant.[5][12] Certification was then anticipated by mid-1986.[5] and by late 1986, a third prototype was under construction, incorporating refinements that had been tested on the second machine.[13] This machine was built alongside three other Laser 300s, together representing the first four of thirty aircraft that Omac hoped to build by the end of 1987.[14] The third prototype, and first production machine flew on 29 July 1987 and certification was now expected by May 1988. By now, production was running a year late, and projected costs had risen from $US 550,000 to $875,000.[15] The aircraft was displayed at the NBAA show in Dallas, Texas in October 1988, by which time 56 hours of flight testing had been carried out without incident.[16] Certification was delayed again, and expected by late 1989 or early 1990,[17][16] however, $20 million was required for certification and production,[18] but insufficient funds were raised and development stalled.[19] Omac continued to offer the aircraft as late as 1993, along with an improved version designated the Laser 360.[20]


Specifications (Laser 300 prototype)

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Data from Jane's All the World's Aircraft 1987–88 p.480

General characteristics

  • Crew: two pilots
  • Capacity: five passengers
  • Length: 29 ft 7 in (9.02 m)
  • Wingspan: 41 ft 6 in (12.65 m)
  • Height: 9 ft 10 in (3.00 m)
  • Wing area: 230 sq ft (21 m2)
  • Empty weight: 3,800 lb (1,724 kg)
  • Gross weight: 6,400 lb (2,903 kg)
  • Powerplant: 1 × Pratt & Whitney Canada PT6A-135A , 750 hp (560 kW)

Performance

  • Cruise speed: 290 mph (470 km/h, 250 kn)
  • Range: 2,165 mi (3,484 km, 1,881 nmi)
  • Service ceiling: 30,000 ft (9,100 m)
  • Rate of climb: 2,000 ft/min (10 m/s)

See also

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Aircraft of comparable role, configuration, and era

References

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Citations

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  1. ^ Taylor. 1989, p.938
  2. ^ Flight International, 3 April 1982, p.777
  3. ^ Fulton, 1980, p.158
  4. ^ Flight International, 26 December 1981, p.1887
  5. ^ a b c d e Jane's All the World's Aircraft 1985–86, p.474
  6. ^ Flight International, 28 May 1983, p.1538
  7. ^ Flight International, 22 October 1983, p.1093
  8. ^ a b c d e Chambers 2003, p.145
  9. ^ Jane's All the World's Aircraft 1987–88, p.479
  10. ^ Flight International, 12 October 1985, p.2
  11. ^ Flight International, 19 October 1985, p.15
  12. ^ Flight International, 5 January 1985, p.13
  13. ^ Flight International, 18 October 1986, p.16
  14. ^ Flight International, 6 December 1986, p.16
  15. ^ Flight International, 13 August 1988, p.18
  16. ^ a b Flight International, 29 October 1988, p.8
  17. ^ Flight International, 20 August 1988, p.6
  18. ^ Flight International, 11 February 1989, p.9
  19. ^ Sarsfield, 1991, p.34
  20. ^ Flight International, 15–21 September 1993, p.36

Bibliography

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  • "Ayres readies Laser 300 production". Flight International. 5 January 1985. p. 13.
  • Chambers, Joseph R. (2003). "Concept to Reality: Contributions of the Langley Research Center to US Civil Aircraft of the 1990s" (PDF). Washington D.C.: NASA. Retrieved 2024-02-01.
  • "Laser 300 shows changes". Flight International. 12 October 1985. p. 2.
  • "Making History". Flight International. 15–21 September 1993. pp. 34–36.
  • "OMAC 1". Flight International. 28 May 1983. p. 1538.
  • "OMAC 1 takes to the air". Flight International. 26 December 1981. p. 1887.
  • "Omac and Avtek progress". Flight International. 22 October 1983. p. 1093.
  • "Omac builds Lasers". Flight International. 6 December 1986. p. 16.
  • "Omac builds modified Laser 300". Flight International. 18 October 1986. p. 16.
  • "Omac displays Laser 300". Flight International. 29 October 1988. p. 8.
  • "Omac flies Laser 300". Flight International. 20 August 1988. p. 6.
  • "Omac freezes Laser 300". Flight International. 19 October 1985. p. 15.
  • "Omac hunts for funds". Flight International. 11 February 1989. p. 9.
  • "Omac ready for second flight". Flight International. 3 April 1982. p. 777.
  • "Production Laser 300 flies". Flight International. 13 August 1988. p. 18.
  • Jane's All the World's Aircraft 1985–86. London: Jane's Publishing.
  • Jane's All the World's Aircraft 1987–88. London: Jane's Publishing.
  • Sarsfield, Kate (2–4 October 1991). "Corporate Aircraft Buyer's Guide". Flight International. pp. 29–42. Retrieved 2008-12-29.
  • Taylor, Michael J. H. (1989). Jane's Encyclopedia of Aviation. London: Studio Editions.
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