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{|{{Infobox |
{|{{Infobox aircraft begin |
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| name= |
| name= Batwing |
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| image=File:Stout Batwing airplane1 1918.jpg |
| image=File:Stout Batwing airplane1 1918.jpg |
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| caption=The first Batwing at Dayton, Ohio’s McCook Aviation Field circa 1918 |
| caption=The first Batwing at Dayton, Ohio’s McCook Aviation Field circa 1918 |
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}}{{Infobox |
}}{{Infobox aircraft type |
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| type= |
| type=Experimental |
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| national origin=United States |
| national origin=United States |
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| manufacturer=[[Stout Metal Airplane |
| manufacturer=[[Stout Metal Airplane|Stout Engineering Laboratories]] |
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| designer=[[William Bushnell Stout]] |
| designer=[[William Bushnell Stout]] |
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| first flight= |
| first flight= 13 January 1919 |
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| introduced=1918 |
| introduced=1918 |
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| retired= |
| retired= |
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'''Batwing''' was |
The '''Stout Batwing''' was an experimental low aspect ratio [[flying wing]] aircraft developed by [[William Bushnell Stout]].<ref>[http://www.coachbuilt.com/des/s/stout/stout.htm William Bushnell Stout (b.1880-d.1956)], coachbuilt.com (retrieved 28 November 2015)</ref> The aircraft used [[wood veneer]] construction and was an early example of cantilever wing design. The internally braced wing was also one of the first American aircraft designed without drag-producing struts. |
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The first was an experimental low aspect ratio flying wing. The aircraft used [[wood veneer]] construction and was an early example of cantilever wing design. The internally braced wing was also one of the first American aircraft designed without drag-producing struts. |
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The second was the [[Stout Batwing Limousine|Batwing Limousine]], a three-seat cabin monoplane with a conventional fuselage and high-mounted wing. |
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This article describes the first Batwing. |
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==Development== |
==Development== |
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During [[World War I]], William Bushnell Stout was employed by [[Packard]] in 1917 when he was appointed as a technical advisor to the War production board who |
During [[World War I]], [[William Bushnell Stout]] was employed by [[Packard]] in 1917 when he was appointed as a technical advisor to the War production board, who gave Stout a contract to develop an aircraft. Funded by the Motor Products Corporation, Stout developed the "Batwing" aircraft hoping to sell the aircraft to the [[United States Army Air Service]].<ref>{{cite book|title=Michigan Aircraft Manufacturers|author=Robert F. Pauley}}</ref> Stout first experimented with an all-wood flying wing glider, the "Batwing Glider", tested at [[Ford Airport (Dearborn)|Ford Airport]] in 1926.<ref>{{cite book|title=So Away I Went!|author=William Bushnell Stout, James Gilbert}}</ref> Stout's design was nicknamed "Bushnell's Turtle" (a reference to the unrelated [[David Bushnell]]'s ''[[American Turtle]]'' shape).<ref>{{cite magazine|magazine=Time|title=Transport Turtle to Batwing|date=September 25, 1939 }}</ref> |
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==Design== |
==Design== |
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The Batwing was designed with an unusually broad chord, thick section cantilevered wing with the [[tailplane|horizontal stabilizers]] set very close to the rear of the aircraft. |
The Batwing was designed with an unusually broad chord, thick section of cantilevered wing with the [[tailplane|horizontal stabilizers]] set very close to the rear of the aircraft. |
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The wings were covered with a |
The wings were covered with a three-ply wood veneer only 1/20 of an inch thick. The internal bracing consisted of hundreds of spruce struts. Nine spars tested to 1 ton of load each.<ref>{{cite book|title=Automotive industries, the automobile, Volume 43|pages=25}}</ref> Likely encountering a [[Junkers F.13]], Bill Stout abandoned wood construction for metal corrugated skinning over a metal frame.<ref>{{cite book|title=Waldo, pioneer aviator a personal history of American aviation, 1910-1944|author=Waldo Dean Waterman, Jack Carpenter}}</ref> |
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To reduce drag, the aircraft employed a [[cantilever wing]] without support wires or struts. This required a "thick" wing to build a spar deep enough to support the aircraft. To maintain the thin airfoil sections commonly used at the time, the chord also had to be longer as the wing became thicker. In the case of the Batwing, the chord was almost the entire length of the aircraft. Since the spar did not need to be as thick toward the tips to support the load, the chord decreased further out along the wing, forming an oval |
To reduce drag, the aircraft employed a [[cantilever wing]] without support wires or struts. This required a "thick" wing to build a spar deep enough to support the aircraft. To maintain the thin airfoil sections commonly used at the time, the chord also had to be longer, as the wing became thicker. In the case of the Batwing, the chord was almost the entire length of the aircraft. Since the spar did not need to be as thick toward the tips to support the load, the chord decreased further out along the wing, forming an oval-shaped wing. As ideal as this was, it caused significant engineering challenges.<ref>{{cite journal|title=SAE journal|volume=11|issue=6|author=Society of Automotive Engineers|year=1922}}</ref> |
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Further aerodynamic drag reductions |
Further aerodynamic drag reductions came from having the water-cooled engine embedded into the wing with retractable radiators.<ref>{{cite book|title=Aviation and aeronautical engineering, Volume 8|date=February 1, 1920}}</ref> |
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The pilot sat in an open cockpit placed at the top of the aircraft. |
The pilot sat in an open cockpit placed at the top of the aircraft. Downward visibility was restricted by the wing. The Batwing was the first example of a cantilevered wing designed and built in the United States.<ref>[http://www.aerofiles.com/_stout.html aerofiles]</ref> |
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==Operational history== |
==Operational history== |
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The mockup of his first thick |
The mockup of his first thick-winged aircraft design was built at the Widman woodworking plant in [[Detroit]], [[Michigan]]. The 150 hp engine was acquired from [[Charles W. Nash]], who had an interest in the project.<ref>{{cite book|title=Airways the history of commercial aviation in the United States|author=Henry Ladd Smith}}</ref> |
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The first flight was in [[Dayton, Ohio]] |
The first flight was in [[Dayton, Ohio]], on 13 January 1919.<ref>Dayton Daily News (Montgomery County Library database reference)</ref> The pump shaft on the engine was broken, but the plane was flown anyway. Although the flight was successful, the test pilot Jimmie Johnson commented that the aircraft was too dangerous to fly because of the poor visibility. Stout later called the visibility "abominable". The test aircraft was put into storage. Soon afterward, Stout submitted British patent #149,708: a Batwing aircraft with the corners squared off rather than the oval design of the prototype. The updated aircraft was never produced. Stout went on to focus on more conventional aircraft featuring the advancement of all-metal construction but maintained that the airplane of the future would look like the Batwing.<ref>{{cite web |last1=Krauss |first1=Serge |title=Pre-Burnelli Lifting-Body, All-Wing, and BWB Origins |url=http://www.twitt.org/PreBurnelliPatents.html |website=The Wing Is The Thing |access-date=April 25, 2024 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210309202901/http://www.twitt.org/PreBurnelliPatents.html |archive-date=March 9, 2021 |url-status=dead}}</ref> |
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==Variants== |
==Variants== |
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Stout drew up plans for a scaled-up version of the Batwing, with a 100-foot wingspan. The larger aircraft may have solved the visibility issues |
Stout drew up plans for a scaled-up version of the Batwing, with a 100-foot wingspan. The larger aircraft may have solved the visibility issues but did not get past the planning stage. The all-metal "Batwing 11" was publicized as being capable of 200 mph with a forty-foot wingspan and magnesium construction.<ref>{{cite news|newspaper=The Milwaukee Sentinel|date=13 June 1920|title=Batwing Eleven, The Futurist Monoplane}}</ref> |
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Stout also used the term "batwing" in the name of future aircraft that used cantilever wings. |
Stout also used the term "batwing" in the name of future aircraft that used cantilever wings. |
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==Specifications (Batwing)== |
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{{Aircraft specs |
{{Aircraft specs |
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|ref=SAE Dec 1922<!-- for giving the reference for the data --> |
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|sink rate note= |
|sink rate note= |
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|lift to drag= |
|lift to drag= |
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|wing loading kg/m2 |
|wing loading kg/m2= |
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|wing loading lb/sqft= |
|wing loading lb/sqft= |
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|wing loading note= |
|wing loading note= |
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|see also= |
|see also= |
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|related= |
|related=<!-- related developments --> |
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*[[Stout Batwing Limousine]] |
* [[Stout Batwing Limousine]] |
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|similar aircraft= |
|similar aircraft=<!-- similar or comparable aircraft --> |
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*[[ARUP S-4]] |
* [[ARUP S-4]] |
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|lists=<!-- related lists --> |
|lists=<!-- related lists --> |
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==References== |
==References== |
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{{refend}} |
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==External links== |
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{{Stout/Ford aircraft}} |
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[[Category:Flying wings]] |
[[Category:Flying wings]] |
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[[Category:United States experimental aircraft |
[[Category:1910s United States experimental aircraft]] |
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[[Category:Aircraft first flown in 1919]] |
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[[Category:Single-engined tractor aircraft]] |
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[[Category:Mid-wing aircraft]] |
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[[Category:Stout aircraft|Batwing]] |
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[[Category:Aircraft with fixed conventional landing gear]] |
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Latest revision as of 03:31, 10 November 2024
| Batwing | |
|---|---|
| |
| The first Batwing at Dayton, Ohio’s McCook Aviation Field circa 1918 | |
| Role | Experimental |
| National origin | United States |
| Manufacturer | Stout Engineering Laboratories |
| Designer | William Bushnell Stout |
| First flight | 13 January 1919 |
| Introduction | 1918 |
| Number built | 1 |
| Developed from | Batwing "Vampire" |
The Stout Batwing was an experimental low aspect ratio flying wing aircraft developed by William Bushnell Stout.[1] The aircraft used wood veneer construction and was an early example of cantilever wing design. The internally braced wing was also one of the first American aircraft designed without drag-producing struts.
Development
[edit]During World War I, William Bushnell Stout was employed by Packard in 1917 when he was appointed as a technical advisor to the War production board, who gave Stout a contract to develop an aircraft. Funded by the Motor Products Corporation, Stout developed the "Batwing" aircraft hoping to sell the aircraft to the United States Army Air Service.[2] Stout first experimented with an all-wood flying wing glider, the "Batwing Glider", tested at Ford Airport in 1926.[3] Stout's design was nicknamed "Bushnell's Turtle" (a reference to the unrelated David Bushnell's American Turtle shape).[4]
Design
[edit]The Batwing was designed with an unusually broad chord, thick section of cantilevered wing with the horizontal stabilizers set very close to the rear of the aircraft.
The wings were covered with a three-ply wood veneer only 1/20 of an inch thick. The internal bracing consisted of hundreds of spruce struts. Nine spars tested to 1 ton of load each.[5] Likely encountering a Junkers F.13, Bill Stout abandoned wood construction for metal corrugated skinning over a metal frame.[6]
To reduce drag, the aircraft employed a cantilever wing without support wires or struts. This required a "thick" wing to build a spar deep enough to support the aircraft. To maintain the thin airfoil sections commonly used at the time, the chord also had to be longer, as the wing became thicker. In the case of the Batwing, the chord was almost the entire length of the aircraft. Since the spar did not need to be as thick toward the tips to support the load, the chord decreased further out along the wing, forming an oval-shaped wing. As ideal as this was, it caused significant engineering challenges.[7] Further aerodynamic drag reductions came from having the water-cooled engine embedded into the wing with retractable radiators.[8]
The pilot sat in an open cockpit placed at the top of the aircraft. Downward visibility was restricted by the wing. The Batwing was the first example of a cantilevered wing designed and built in the United States.[9]
Operational history
[edit]The mockup of his first thick-winged aircraft design was built at the Widman woodworking plant in Detroit, Michigan. The 150 hp engine was acquired from Charles W. Nash, who had an interest in the project.[10] The first flight was in Dayton, Ohio, on 13 January 1919.[11] The pump shaft on the engine was broken, but the plane was flown anyway. Although the flight was successful, the test pilot Jimmie Johnson commented that the aircraft was too dangerous to fly because of the poor visibility. Stout later called the visibility "abominable". The test aircraft was put into storage. Soon afterward, Stout submitted British patent #149,708: a Batwing aircraft with the corners squared off rather than the oval design of the prototype. The updated aircraft was never produced. Stout went on to focus on more conventional aircraft featuring the advancement of all-metal construction but maintained that the airplane of the future would look like the Batwing.[12]
Variants
[edit]Stout drew up plans for a scaled-up version of the Batwing, with a 100-foot wingspan. The larger aircraft may have solved the visibility issues but did not get past the planning stage. The all-metal "Batwing 11" was publicized as being capable of 200 mph with a forty-foot wingspan and magnesium construction.[13]
Stout also used the term "batwing" in the name of future aircraft that used cantilever wings.
Specifications (Batwing)
[edit]Data from SAE Dec 1922
General characteristics
- Wingspan: 20 ft (6.1 m)
- Wing area: 480 sq ft (45 m2)
- Empty weight: 1,542 lb (699 kg)
- Powerplant: 1 × Hispano-Suiza 8 V-8 water-cooled piston engine, 150 hp (110 kW)
Performance
See also
[edit]Related development
Aircraft of comparable role, configuration, and era
References
[edit]- ^ William Bushnell Stout (b.1880-d.1956), coachbuilt.com (retrieved 28 November 2015)
- ^ Robert F. Pauley. Michigan Aircraft Manufacturers.
- ^ William Bushnell Stout, James Gilbert. So Away I Went!.
- ^ "Transport Turtle to Batwing". Time. September 25, 1939.
- ^ Automotive industries, the automobile, Volume 43. p. 25.
- ^ Waldo Dean Waterman, Jack Carpenter. Waldo, pioneer aviator a personal history of American aviation, 1910-1944.
- ^ Society of Automotive Engineers (1922). "SAE journal". 11 (6).
{{cite journal}}: Cite journal requires|journal=(help) - ^ Aviation and aeronautical engineering, Volume 8. February 1, 1920.
- ^ aerofiles
- ^ Henry Ladd Smith. Airways the history of commercial aviation in the United States.
- ^ Dayton Daily News (Montgomery County Library database reference)
- ^ Krauss, Serge. "Pre-Burnelli Lifting-Body, All-Wing, and BWB Origins". The Wing Is The Thing. Archived from the original on March 9, 2021. Retrieved April 25, 2024.
- ^ "Batwing Eleven, The Futurist Monoplane". The Milwaukee Sentinel. 13 June 1920.
External links
[edit]
Media related to Stout aircraft at Wikimedia Commons