Rollason Beta

Infobox Aircraft
name=Beta


caption=
type=Single seat racing monoplane
manufacturer=Rollason Aircraft and Engines
designer=
first flight=1967
introduced=
retired=
status=
primary user=
more users=
produced=
number built=4 (factory-built)
5 (homebuilt)
variants with their own articles=

The Rollason Beta was a British midget racing monoplane developed from a competition to build a Formula 1 air racer in the 1960s in England. The Beta was first flown on April 21, 1967. The aircraft were successful air-racers in England during the late 1960s and early 1970s.

Development

The Beta was designed by the Luton Group (who were young technicians employed by the British Aircraft Corporation at Luton) in a competition for a racing aircraft, the Rollason Midget Racer Design Competition 1964. The original prototype Luton Beta was not completed. The design was built commercially by Rollason Aircraft and Engines and plans were available for homebuilding. The Beta is a fully-aerobatic wooden low wing cantilever monoplane with a cantilever tailplane with a single fin and rudder. It has a fixed tailwheel landing gear and an enclosed cockpit for the pilot.

Operational history

The first Rollason-built Beta (registered G-ATLY and named "Forerunner") won the Manx Air Derby in 1969 and the second Rollason-built aircraft (registered G-AWHV and named "Blue Chip") won the Goodyear Tropy air race at Halfpenny Green in 1969.

Variants

;Luton Beta:Prototype not completed.;B.1:Powered by a 65hp Continental A.65 engine, one built by Rollason later converted to B.2;B.2:Powered by a 90hp Continental C.90 engine, two built by Rollason and one conversion from B.1;B.4:Powered by a 100hp Rolls-Royce Continental O-200-A engine, one built by Rollason.

pecifications (Beta B.4)

aerospecs
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met or eng?= eng
crew=1
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length m=
length ft16=
length in=8
span m=
span ft=20
span in=5
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wing area sqm=
wing area sqft=66
swept area sqm=
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volume m3=
volume ft3=
aspect ratio=
empty weight kg=
empty weight lb=575
gross weight kg=
gross weight lb=850
lift kg=
lift lb=
eng1 number=1
eng1 type=Rolls-Royce Continental O-200-A
eng1 kw=
eng1 hp= 100
eng1 kn=
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eng2 number=
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max speed kmh=
max speed mph=185
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ceiling m=
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armament1=
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References

*cite book |last= Jackson|first= A.J.|authorlink= |coauthors= |title= British Civil Aircraft since 1919 Volume 3|year= 1974|publisher= Putnam|location= London|isbn=0 370 10014 X
* [http://www.flightglobal.com/PDFArchive/View/1967/1967%20-%202052.html?search=Rollason%20Beta Flight International 19 October 1967]
*

External links

* [http://www.britishaircraft.co.uk/aircraftpage.php?ID=766 British Aircraft Directory]