Engineering:Aircorp Bushmaster
| 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[lower-alpha 1] 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
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
- 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)
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
Footnotes
- ↑ 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
Bibliography
- 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". https://aeropedia.com.au/content/aircorp-bn-2-bushmaster/.
- 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.
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