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The Sikorsky S-434 is a light, turbine-powered helicopter. The S-434 is an improved development of the Schweizer S333. The prototype S-434 first flew on 18 December 2008 at Horseheads, New York. The S-434 evolved from the S-333, and has many features developed for the MQ-8 Fire Scout. It shares its cockpit layout with the S-333, which gives the crew very good visual capacities and handling characteristics. On June 15, 2009, Sikorsky announced the delivery of the first two S-434s to Saudi Arabia's Ministry of the Interior, the first of a total of nine. Variant S-434 based on improvements developed for the MQ-8B; powered by one Rolls-Royce 250-C20W turboshaft engine of 320 shp.

The Egvoyager Voyager 203 is an Italian ultralight aircraft, designed and produced by Egvoyager and introduced in May 2011. The aircraft is supplied as a kit for amateur construction or as a complete ready-to-fly aircraft. The aircraft was designed to comply with the Fédération Aéronautique Internationale microlight rules. It features a cantilever low wing, a two-seats-in-side-by-side configuration enclosed cockpit under a bubble canopy with gull-winged doors, fixed, or optionally retractable, tricycle landing gear and a single engine in tractor configuration. The aircraft is made from composites. Its 8.0 m (26.2 ft) span wing employs flaps. The standard engine available is a 100 hp (75 kW) Rotax 912ULS four-stroke powerplant. The basic model is the Voyager Fly, with the Voyager Club and the Voyager Style being models with options included as standard equipment. A light-sport aircraft category version is planned for the United States market. Variants Voyager 203 CF Fixed landing gear model Voyager 203 CR Retractable landing gear model, at an additional cost of €7000.

The XCG-16 was a military transport/assault glider ordered by the United States Army Air Forces (USAAF), from General Airborne Transport Co., for competition against the Waco CG-13A at Wright Field. The XCG-16’s preferred tow aircraft was the Lockheed Model 18 Lodestar. Design of the CG-16 evolved from the lifting fuselage theories of Vincent Burnelli laid out in U.S. Patent No. 1,758,498, issued on 13 May 1930, which advocated the use of "lifting fuselages" providing a high proportion of the total lift. To enter a competition at Wright Field for a new assault glider for the USAAF, Hawley Bowlus and Albert Criz designed a Burnelli style lifting fuselage assault glider as the Bowlus-Criz MC-1. To prove the concept and aerodynamic qualities Bowlus designed a 1:2 scale prototype, which flew successfully. The flight tests of the 1:2 scale MC-1 maintained confidence in the full-sized glider. A contract for three MC-1 gliders, two flyable and one for static testing, was given to the Airborne and General aircraft company, which had been formed by Bowlus and Criz. This company soon transformed into the General Airborne Transport company, which built the full sized MC-1 gliders with the military designation XCG-16. Flight tests of the full sized MC-1, registered to the Albert Criz company on 19 July 1943 as NX21757, commenced at March Field, California, on 11 September 1943, but tragedy struck on a demonstration flight with Richard Chichester du Pont, special assistant to Gen. Hap Arnold; Col. Ernest Gabel, another glider specialist on the staff of the Chief of Staff of the Air Force, and C. C. Chandler, thrice soaring champion aboard. Inadequately secured ballast came loose when the glider flew through the Lockheed C-60 tow plane's propwash, causing a catastrophic rearward shift in the center of gravity. The now uncontrollable MC-1A released from tow and entered an unrecoverable flat spin. Three of the crew and passengers jumped out, but only two survived the parachute jump. In spite of all the design problems and the MC-1 crash, a contract was approved on 13 November 1943 for two test flight articles and one static test article of the MC-1 glider designated as the USAAF XCG-16. Only one XCG-16, (44-76193), was manufactured and tested, demonstrating good flying qualities, but major issues with military equipment and procedures precluded the CG-16 from a production contract, as it did not meet military expectations as a combat glider. The contract for all remaining work on the CG-16 was cancelled on 30 November 1944. Variants Bowlus-Criz MC-1 half-scale A flying 1:2 scale model of the MC-1/XCG-16. Successful flight trials proved the aerodynamic qualities of the MC-1. After completion of CG-16 related flying the 1:2 scale MC-1 was converted to a flying wing by Don Mitchell, one of Hawley Bowlus' friends and a colleague at Bowlus Sailplanes. Airborne and General MC-1 The full-scale civilian prototype of the CG-16, destroyed on its second flight during a demonstration flight. General Airborne Transport XCG-16 Three prototypes of the military XCG-16 were ordered, but only one was completed as 44-76193. Trials revealed major deficiencies in the ability of the CG-16 to fulfill the intended mission, despite good flying qualities.

The Piaggio P.108 Bombardiere was an Italian four-engine heavy bomber that saw service with the Regia Aeronautica during World War II. The prototype first flew on 24 November 1939 and it entered service in 1941. It was one of a handful of Italian combat aircraft that could match the best manufactured by the Allies. Four versions of the P.108 were designed, but only one, the P.108B bomber, was produced in any quantity before the armistice. The other variants included the P.108A anti-ship aircraft with a 102 mm (4 in) gun, the P.108C, an airliner with an extended wingspan and re-modelled fuselage capable of carrying 32 passengers, and the P.108T transport version designed specifically for military use. Only one P.108A and 24 P.108Bs were built. The combined total number of all versions (and prototypes) was at least 39, almost certainly more than 44. Most of the P.108Cs were subsequently modified for use as military transport aircraft and could accommodate up to sixty passengers.[5] Nine P.108 Ts were used by Luftwaffe transport units until the end of the war. Number built 36 + 1 prototype (P.108B bombers); 12 + 1 prototype (P.108T transport) For details of design and development of the variants, click here.

The Fiat CR.42 Falco (Falcon, plural: Falchi) is a single-seat sesquiplane fighter developed and produced by Italian aircraft manufacturer Fiat Aviazione. It served primarily in the Italian Regia Aeronautica in the 1930s and during the Second World War. The CR.42 was a development of Fiat’s earlier CR.32 fighter, powered by the more powerful supercharged Fiat A.74R1C.38 air-cooled radial engine and with improvements. It proved to be relatively agile in flight, attributed to its very low wing loading and a sometimes decisive tactical advantage. RAF Intelligence praised its exceptional manoeuvrability, further noting that "the plane was immensely strong", though it was technically outclassed by faster, more heavily armed monoplanes. While primarily used as a fighter, variants such as the CR.42CN night-fighter model, the CR.42AS ground-attack aircraft, and the CR.42B Biposto twin-seat trainer aircraft had other roles. During May 1939, the CR.42 entered service with the Regia Aeronautica; it was the last of the Fiat biplane fighters to enter front line service. By 10 June 1940, when Italy entered the Second World War, roughly 300 had been delivered; these defended metropolitan areas and important military installations at first. By the end of 1940, the Falco had been involved in combat on various fronts, including the Battle of France, the Battle of Britain, Malta, North Africa, and Greece. By the end of the war, Italian CR.42s had been used on further fronts, including Iraq, the Eastern Front and the Italian mainland. Following the signing of the Italian armistice with the Allies on 8 September 1943, the type was relegated to use as a trainer by the Italian Co-Belligerent Air Force, while some Italian CR.42s were seized by the Germans and used by the Luftwaffe for ground-attack operations. The CR.42 was produced and entered service in smaller numbers with the air forces of other nations, including Belgium, Sweden and Hungary. By the end of production, in excess of 1,800 CR.42s had been constructed, making it the most numerous Italian aircraft to be used during the Second World War. It has been claimed that the fighter had performed at its best during its service with the Hungarian Air Force, specifically during its deployment against Soviet forces on the Eastern Front of the war, where it reportedly achieved a kill to loss ratio of 12 to 1. Number built 1,817–1,819; First flight 23 May 1938; Retired 1948 For more details of development, design, operational history and 13 variants, click here.

The Messerschmitt Me 410 Hornisse (Hornet) is a heavy fighter and Schnellbomber ("Fast Bomber" in English) designed and produced by the German aircraft manufacturer Messerschmitt. It was flown by the Luftwaffe during the latter half of the Second World War. Work began on producing a successor to the Bf 110 in 1937, however, the resulting Me 210 proved to be unsatisfactory, leading to production being halted in April 1942. Various options were considered, including the ambitious Me 310 derivative. Officials favoured an incremental improvement which was represented by the Me 410. Although visually similar to the preceding Me 210, and was sharing sufficient design similarities that incomplete Me 210s could be converted into Me 410s, there were key differences between the two aircraft. Chiefly, the Me 410 was powered by larger Daimler-Benz DB 603 engines, had a lengthened fuselage, and automatic leading edge slats. During late 1942, the Reichsluftfahrtministerium (RLM) were sufficiently convinced by the programme to proceed with quantity production of the type, the first Me 410s being delivered during January 1943. Various models were produced, including the Me 410A-1 light bomber, the A-1/U1 aerial reconnaissance aircraft, the A-1/U2 bomber destroyer, and the A-2/U4 night fighter. Upon their entry to service, the type was promptly flown on night time bombing missions in the British Isles, where the night fighters of the Royal Air Force (RAF) typically struggled to intercept it.[2] The Me 410 was also used as a bomber destroyer against the daylight bomber formations of the United States Army Air Forces (USAAF); it was moderately successful against unescorted bombers through 1943, but proved to be no match in a dogfight with the lighter Allied single-engine fighters, such as the North American P-51 Mustang and Supermarine Spitfire. Following the Normandy landings, Me 410s were amongst the numerous Axis aircraft sent against the incoming Allied forces. From mid-1944, all Me 410s were withdrawn from Defence of the Reich duties and production was phased out in favour of heavily armed single-engine fighters as dedicated bomber destroyers. The final role of the Me 410 was aerial reconnaissance. Only two Me 410s have survived in preservation into the twenty-first century. Number built 1,189; First flight 14 March 1942; Retired 1945 Fpr details of development, design, operational history and variants, click here.

The Doman LZ-5 was a utility helicopter developed in the United States in the early 1950s by Doman Helicopters Inc. of Danbury, Connecticut. Despite the procurement of international manufacturing agreements, no series production of the aircraft ever occurred, and only three prototypes were built. Two of these were purchased by the United States Army as the YH-31, but eventually becoming VH-31. Like the preceding LZ-1 through LZ-4, the LZ-5 utilized designer Glidden Doman's unorthodox gimbaled rotor head system, which featured the elimination of rotor hinges and dampers and included blades of soft-in-plane dynamic design. The servo control system was entirely contained within the rotor head, with no external oil tanks or plumbing. The tail rotor was also hingeless and free floating to eliminate stresses in rapid tail rotor turns. In other ways, it had a conventional helicopter main rotor and tail rotor configuration. The pilot and co-pilot were seated over the engine, which was in the nose, and a six-passenger compartment was located behind them. The engine was cooled by exhaust ejectors, producing an energy saving that increased payload by 800 pounds. The aircraft featured wheeled quadricycle undercarriage, the main units of which carried dual wheels. The first prototype (registration N13458) flew on 27 April 1953, and by the end of 1955, two machines had been delivered to the Army (52-5779 and 52-5780). Eventually, the Army concluded that they had no requirement for an additional piston-powered helicopter model in this size category, and no further order was placed. After extensive flight testing and pilot training by the Army, one of the prototypes was taken over by the Navy for a helicopter flight research program at the Patuxent River Naval Air Test Center. Later that aircraft was re-purchased by the Doman company and used in its commercial sales efforts. Doman continued with development, building another LZ-5 aircraft in a joint venture with Fleet in Canada. The LZ-5 helicopters were simultaneously Type Certificated in the U.S. and Canada in 1954. The third helicopter flew extensively in Canada under Canadian registration CF-IBG and in the United States, France, and Italy under U.S. registration N812. It flew in the Paris Air Show in 1960. This aircraft was also modified with the installation of full blind flight instrumentation, which was demonstrated extensively in the effort to sell it as a trainer. The aircraft thus equipped was advertised as the D-10. The planned production version would have been modified with a turbo-charged engine and designated as the D-10B. Doman sold production rights for military versions to Hiller and for the Italian market to Ambrosini. Ultimately, none of these plans were to eventuate, and the LZ-5 never entered production. Variants LZ-5 (3 built) YH-31 - LZ-5 for military evaluation, Army designated VH-31 (2 built) LZ-5-2 - civil version, intended as prototype for production as D-10A (1 built) D-10B - Lycoming O-720 turbocharged engine; (proposed production version of LZ-5)

The EDRA Aeronautica Super Pétrel is an amphibious pusher configuration biplane, seating two side-by-side, brought into production in Brazil in 2002 though with French parentage. It remained in production in 2011, in kit and flyaway forms. The design of the Super Petrel has its origins in the Tisserand Hydroplum, a single-seat, wooden amphibian intended for kit building first flown in 1983 and its two-seat, Rotax 532-powered development, the Hydroplum II, in 1986. The Société Morbihannaise d'Aéro Navigation (SMAN) acquired production rights to the latter in 1987, marketing it as the Pétrel, and passed them on to Billie Marine when SMAN ceased trading. In 2002 the Super Petrel 100 was developed by Edra Aeronautica. By 2014 the design was being produced by Scoda Aeronáutica of Ipeúna, São Paulo, Brazil. The Super Petrel is of mixed construction, though with much use of composite materials. The wings have tubular aluminium alloy spars combined with PVC foam ribs. The leading edges and wingtips are formed from glass fibre composite, with fabric covering elsewhere. The wings have constant chord and zero sweep, with angled winglet tips; the upper wing has the greater span, less dihedral (2° 13′ compared with 3° 26′). There is slight stagger. The Super Petrel is a single bay biplane with N-form aluminium interplane struts with an additional diagonal strut in each bay from the lower fuselage to the top of the interplane struts. The centre section is supported by a pylon or cabane which also contains the engine mounting. Ailerons are carried only by the upper wings; there are no flaps. The wings can be disassembled in about 30 minutes for transportation by trailer. The single-step hull is an epoxy/carbon fibre foam monocoque, with a carbon fibre boom supporting the all-composite, cruciform and wire braced tail unit. The rear control surfaces are balanced. The cockpit is forward of the central pylon and seats two side-by-side with dual controls. It may be flown open, with just a windscreen, or enclosed by the single piece, forward-hinged canopy. There is a baggage compartment behind the seating. The Super Petrel has a short legged tricycle undercarriage for land operation; the main units, which have hydraulic brakes, retract upwards through 90° into the sides of the hull with the wheels exposed but recessed into the underside of the lower wing. The steerable nosewheel retracts forward, leaving the tyre partly exposed as a docking fender. A pair of small, stepped floats on the lower wings below the interplane struts stabilise the aircraft on water. The Super Petrel is powered by a 73.5 kW (98.6 hp) Rotax 912ULS flat-four engine mounted in pusher configuration on the central pylon just below the upper wing. It drives a three-blade Airplast propeller, either a fixed pitch model 175 or an electrically controlled, variable pitch model PV 50. Seven Super Petrel appeared on the civil aircraft registers of European countries, excluding Russia in mid-2010. There have also been sales in North America, Africa, Australia and New Zealand as well as in Brazil where there were 50 registered by December 2009. Variants Super Petrel 100 Designed in 2002. Lowered engine line, revised undercarriage and controls. Structural alterations with more carbon fibre; wingtips with washout and winglets which increased the span of both wings; floats moved from tips to wing underside. Super Petrel LS Designed in 2009. 280 mm (11 in) longer and with a 25 km/h (16 mph) increase in cruising speed; greater fuel capacity; redesigned cabin and tail group. AAC SeaStar SP North American version marketed by Amphibian Airplanes of Canada (AAC).

The Duruble Edelweiss is a light utility aircraft designed in France in the early 1960s and marketed for homebuilding. It is a low-wing cantilever monoplane with retractable tricycle undercarriage and all-metal construction. The aircraft was designed for a load factor of 9. Two- and four-seat versions were designed. The aircraft's creator, Roland Duruble flew the first example, a two-seater designated RD-02 in 1962, and in 1970 began to market plans for a stretched version with a rear bench seat as the RD-03. Over the next 15 years, 56 sets of plans had been sold, and at least nine Edelweisses finished and flown. In the 1980s, Duruble marketed an updated version of his original two-seater as the RD-02A, and sold around seven sets of plans, with at least one aircraft flying by 1985. Variants RD-02 RD-02A Variant designed for homebuilt construction[2] RD-03A Two-seat variant with a 100 hp (75 kW) Continental O-200 engine. RD-03B Variant designed to have either a 135 hp (101 kW) Lycoming O-320 or Franklin Sport 4B engine. Utility variant with two seats or a normal variant with 2+2 seating. RD-03C Variant with a 150 hp (112 kW) Lycoming engine and increased fuel capacity. Utility variant with two-seats or a normal variant with 2+2 seating for four adults.

The Dyn'Aéro CR.100 is a French kit built single engine, two-seat monoplane, developed in the 1990s and intended as both an aerobatic trainer and a tourer, primarily for aero club use. The CR.100 was designed by Christophe Robin to provide a two-seater that could both provide competitive aerobatic training and be used as a tourer. Suitability for club use, particularly low cost and maximum utility, were prime considerations. It is produced in kit form for home assembly. The CR.100 is a conventional single engine, low-wing monoplane, with the large control surface areas and absence of dihedral expected in an aerobatic aircraft. The structure is mostly wood and fabric, though the main wing spar is a plywood and carbon laminate composite and carbon covered ply is an option for the wing surfaces. All the flying surfaces are straight edged and tapered. The ailerons take up about 60% of the wing's trailing edge. The ailerons have spades to reduce control loads. The remainder of the wing trailing edge is three-position flaps. The rudder and elevators are horn balanced and there is a fixed rudder trim tab. The width of the flat sided fuselage is determined by the side by side seating arrangement. Full dual controls, including a pair of left hand throttles, are fitted. A sliding bubble canopy covers the cockpit and is faired behind into a raised and rounded fuselage top decking. The wide track main conventional undercarriage has cantilever legs in fairings, with wheels usually in spats. The tailwheel is freely castoring. The CR.100T variant offers the alternative of a tricycle undercarriage. The CR.100 is powered by a 180 hp (135 kW) Lycoming O-360 flat-4 engine, driving a fixed pitch, two-bladed propeller. The CR.110 variant has a Lycoming engine uprated to 200 hp (150 kW). The CR.120 high agility version is intended to be competitive in the 200 hp class of the Doret Cup and also has the uprated engine. It differs from the CR.110 aerodynamically in having almost full span ailerons and a shorter span to increase the roll rate, at the cost of the flaps, and structurally in having an entirely carbon fibre airframe. The CR.120 was also intended for use as a military trainer. The first flight of the CR.100 was on 27 August 1992. The CR.120 flew in September 1996 and the CR.100T in November 2000. The RC.100 won the Championnat de France II, the national competition for two-seat light aircraft, in 1994 and 1995. By 2001, more than 35 kits had been sold. In 2010 13 CR.100s, 1 CR.100T and 2 CR.120s were on the French civil aircraft register. Two CR.100s flew with the l'Equipe Voltige de l'Armée de l'Air between 1995 and 1997; one of these was later registered in the UK,[8] the other is now a French civilian. Variants CR.100 Standard version. CR.100T As CR.100 but with tricycle undercarriage. CR.110 As CR.100 but with uprated engine. CR.120 As CR.110 but wingspan reduced from 8.50 m to 7.77 m, with full span ailerons, without flaps. Full carbon fibre reinforced wooden airframe. Standard landing gear configuration is conventional with tricycle gear optional.

The Davenport BD-2 Nuggit (sic) is an American biplane developed for homebuilt construction. The B-2 Nuggit is a single place biplane with conventional landing gear. The cockpit is covered with a sliding bubble canopy. The fuselage is welded steel construction with aircraft fabric covering. A round cowling covers the engine to appear like a radial engine installation. The wing uses a wooden spar with aluminum wing ribs.

The Culver Dart was a 1930s American two-seat light monoplane aircraft produced by the Dart Aircraft Company (later the Culver Aircraft Company). In the early 1930s Al Mooney was working for the Lambert Aircraft Corporation, builders of the Monocoupe series aircraft. He designed a small two-seat monoplane, the Monosport G. When the company ran into financial difficulties Mooney bought the rights to his design and with K.K. Culver formed the Dart Aircraft Company. The aircraft was renamed the Dart Dart or Dart Model G. The aircraft was a low-wing monoplane designed to be light with clean lines to enable it to use low powered aero-engines. It had a fixed undercarriage and a tailwheel. The initial version was named the Dart G powered by a 90 hp (67 kW) Lambert R-266 radial engine. That engine was in short supply, so the aircraft was fitted with a Ken-Royce engine and designated the Dart GK. The final version was the Dart GW powered by a Warner Scarab Junior radial engine. Two special aircraft were built with larger engines. In 1939 the company was renamed the Culver Aircraft Company and the aircraft was renamed the Culver Dart. Variants Dart G Initial production version powered by a 90 hp (67 kW) Lambert R-266 - ca. 50 built. Dart GC 125 hp (93 kW) Continental O-200 - 10 built Dart GK Variant fitted with a 90 hp (67 kW) Ken-Royce 5G engine - 25 built. Dart GW Final production version powered by a 90 hp (67 kW) Warner Scarab Junior - 8 built. Dart GW Special Two aircraft fitted with larger Warner engines, one with a 125 hp (93 kW) Warner Scarab engine, and the other with 145 hp (108 kW) Warner Super Scarab SS-50A engine. X-F 220 Super Dart An experimental variant modified with a 220 hp (160 kW) Continental R-670, 8 foot wing reduction and a 188 mph (163 kn; 303 km/h) cruise speed. Used by Rodney Jocelyn in national aerobatics.