Engineering:Alliance A-1 Argo
| A-1 Argo | |
|---|---|
 The sole surviving airworthy A-1 Argo biplane, 1929-built, at the Golden Wings Air Museum at Anoka near Minneapolis, Minnesota. | |
| General information | |
| Type | private owner biplane |
| National origin | United States |
| Manufacturer | Alliance Aircraft Corporation |
| Number built | 20 |
| History | |
| First flight | 1929 |
The Alliance A-1 Argo was an American-built two-seat biplane of the late 1920s.
Development
The Alliance Aircraft Corporation of Alliance, Ohio, was formed in 1928 by a reorganization of the Hess Aircraft Co. The firm designed the A-1 Argo as a sturdy two-seat open-cockpit biplane for operation by private pilot owners. The Warrior seven-cylinder engine was designed and produced in the same factory at Alliance.[1]
Operational history
Because of the difficult economic climate then existing, only 20 A-1 Argos were completed. Alliance Aircraft then went into bankruptcy in 1930, being reformed briefly as the Warrior Aeronautical Corporation before that organization also foundered later the same year.[1]
Several Argo biplanes continued in operation by private owners until curtailment of civil flying in the USA in 1941. Two aircraft survived in mid-2009 of which, NC2M (N2M) was rebuilt to airworthy condition by Greg Herrick's Golden Wings Air Museum.
The Ohio History Connection displays a static A-1 Argo on the plaza level of the Ohio History Center. This particular aircraft was constructed in August 1929.[2]
Specifications
Data from Manufacturer's Specifications on American Commercial Airplanes as compiled by Aviation[3]
General characteristics
- Crew: 1
- Capacity: 1 passenger
- Length: 20 ft 2 in (6.15 m)
- Wingspan: 28 ft 8 in (8.74 m)
- Height: 8 ft 0 in (2.44 m)
- Wing area: 203 sq ft (18.9 m2)
- Empty weight: 1,077 lb (489 kg)
- Gross weight: 1,615 lb (733 kg)
- Fuel capacity: 35 US gal (29 imp gal; 130 L)
- Powerplant: 1 × Hess Warrior seven-cylinder radial[4] , 115 hp (86 kW)
Performance
- Maximum speed: 125 mph (201 km/h, 109 kn)
- Cruise speed: 100 mph (164 km/h, 87 kn)
- Stall speed: 40 mph (71 km/h, 35 kn) (landing speed)
- Range: 425 mi (684 km, 369 nmi)
- Service ceiling: 16,000 ft (4,900 m)
- Rate of climb: 1,050 ft/min (5.3 m/s)
See also
References
- Notes
- ↑ 1.0 1.1 "Alliance A-1 Argo (Technical details and photograph of the Alliance Argo)". aerofiles.com. 7 March 2009. http://aerofiles.com/_al.html. Retrieved 2009-08-01.
- ↑ "Where is it now. Collections from the Former Ohio History of Flight Museum". Ohio History Connection. https://www.ohiohistory.org/learn/collections/history/history-blog/2015/august-2015/history-of-flight-museum. Retrieved 21 June 2017.
- ↑ Aviation, January 18, 1930
- ↑ "Aircraft Al to Az: Alliance". Aircraft of North America 1903–2003. Aerofiles. http://aerofiles.com/_al.html.
- Bibliography
- "Manufacturer's Specifications on American Commercial Airplanes as Compiled by Aviation". Aviation 28 (3): Inside front cover. January 18, 1930. https://archive.org/details/Aviation_Week_1930-01-18/page/n1/mode/2up. Retrieved April 29, 2021.
- Ogden, Bob (2007). Aviation Museums and Collections of North America. Air-Britain (Historians) Ltd. ISBN 978-0-85130-385-7.
External links
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