Bird Wing Imperial

The Bird Wing or later, Bird Wing Imperial was a light sport biplane of the 1920s and 1930s.^[1]

Development

The first Bird Wing took McCrum and his assistants 63 days to build at a cost of US$12,000. The prototype flew over 5000 passengers over a period of 15 months. McCrum revised the plans for the Bird Wing again in the 1950s to install a 450 hp (336 kW) Pratt & Whitney R-985 Wasp Junior radial engine and a 3 inch fuselage widening to convert the design into an agricultural aircraft which never went into production.^[2]

Design

The biplane features welded steel tube fuselage with aircraft fabric covering and spruce wood spar wings.^[3]

Operational history

Among the many pilots who flew the Bird Wing were Hap Arnold and Charles Lindbergh. McCrum offered comprehensive flight training courses which included flight training in a Bird Wing as well as construction of the aircraft from scratch. The Bird Wing Imperial was tested to meet a 1931 requirement for a United States PT trainer. 50 orders were placed, then canceled at the beginning of the Great Depression.

Variants

• Bird Wing No. 2 - Upper and lower ailerons
• Bird Wing No. 4 - 180 hp (134 kW) Hisso powered
• Bird Wing Imperial - 1930 165 hp (123 kW) Wright Whirlwind R-540 powered. Max speed 118 mph (190 km/h)

Specifications (Bird Wing Model 1)

Data from Sport Aviation

General characteristics

• Capacity: 2
• Length: 23 ft 6 in (7.16 m)
• Wingspan: 31 ft 4 in (9.55 m)
• Wing area: 303 sq ft (28.1 m²)
• Empty weight: 1,275 lb (578 kg)
• Gross weight: 2,100 lb (953 kg)
• Fuel capacity: 35 gallons
• Powerplant: 1 × OX-5

Performance

• Maximum speed: 74 kn; 137 km/h (85 mph)

References