Aeronca Sedan

Infobox Aircraft
name=15AC Sedan


caption=
type=Light utility aircraft
manufacturer=Aeronca Aircraft
designer=
first flight=1947
introduced=1947
retired=
status=
primary user=
more users=
produced=1948-1951
number built=561
unit cost=
variants with their own articles=

The Aeronca 15AC Sedan is a four-seat, fixed conventional gear light airplane which was produced in the United States between 1948 and 1951. Designed by Aeronca for personal use, the Sedan also found applications in utility roles including bush flying. The Sedan was the last design which Aeronca put into production and was also the largest aircraft produced by the company.

Production history

Introduced in 1947, and entering production in 1948, the 15AC Sedan was Aeronca’s four-seat addition to its pair of two-seat airplanes, the Champ and Chief, both of which had entered production in 1946. The four-place design gave Aeronca a lineup similar to that of its competitors. Many other companies with two-place designs had been adding four-place versions. Among these four-place competitors were Cessna’s 170, Piper’s PA-14 Family Cruiser, Stinson’s 108, Taylorcraft’s 15, and Luscombe’s 11A Silvaire Sedan.

The Aeronca Sedan was produced from 1948 until 1951, when Aeronca ceased all production of light aircraft. The Sedan production line actually shut down in 1950, but Sedans were still being assembled in 1951 from the remaining stock of parts. The last Sedan, which was also the last Aeronca-built airplane to fly, left the factory on October 23, 1951.

Though Aeronca sold a number of its other designs after ceasing production, the company long maintained ownership of the Sedan. The HAOP-27 Krishak, built by Hindustan Aeronautics, shows some similarities to the Sedan. Some sources say that the Krishak was produced under license from Aeronca, though the differences are significant enough to call this into question.

Aeronca did finally part with the design in 1991, selling it to (according to Federal Aviation Administration records) “William Brad Mitchell or Sandra Mitchell”; in 2000, ownership of the design passed to Burl A. Rogers, owner of Burl's Aircraft."Aircraft specification no. A-802." Revision 24. (Aug. 31, 2000.) Department of Transportation. Federal Aviation Administration.] While no new aircraft have been produced by any of the later owners, Burl’s does provide parts and support to Sedan owners and operators.

On February 21 2008 Burl's Aircraft announced that the company is now building new Sedan fuselages and a new style fuel valve.Fact|date=March 2008

Design

Like those of other Aeronca designs at the time, the Sedan’s fuselage and tail surfaces are constructed of welded metal tubing. The outer shape of the fuselage is created by a combination of wooden formers and longerons, covered with fabric. The cross-section of the metal fuselage truss is triangular, a design feature which can be traced back to the earliest Aeronca C-2 design of the late 1920s.

In a significant design departure from previous Aeronca aircraft, the strut-braced wings of the Sedan are all-metal assemblies. Such combinations of construction types were not common, but not unheard of. (Interestingly, while the Sedan mated a fabric-covered fuselage to all-metal wings, the contemporary Cessna 170 mated an all-metal fuselage to fabric-covered wings.) Also unique to the Sedan, among Aeronca designs, are the single-piece wing struts.

The landing gear of the Sedan is in a conventional arrangement, with steel tube main gear, and a steerable tailwheel. Unlike its siblings the Champ and Chief, both of which employ oleo struts for shock absorption, the Sedan makes used of bungee cords to absorb landing and taxi loads.

The Sedan is powered by the Continental C-145-2 or Continental O-300-A engine of 145 horsepower; the Franklin 6A4-165-B3 and Franklin 6A4-150-B3, of 165 and 150 horsepower, respectively, are also approved for installation. The Sedan features an electrical system, including a starter, as standard equipment.

As it had with many of its other models, Aeronca certified a seaplane version of the Sedan, the model S15AC. While the standard Sedan was equipped with a single entry door on the right side, the seaplane version offered a left-side door as well.

Modifications

More than 50 Supplemental Type Certificate modifications are available for the Sedan, many of these intended to modernize the aircraft. One, sold by the current owner of the Sedan design, replaces many of the components ahead of the firewall with updated versions, including a Lycoming O-360-A1A engine of 180 horsepower, a constant speed propeller, a new engine mount, and a fiberglass cowling. A second modifiation from the design holder allows the removal of the oil cooler, which can break and for which there are absolutely no replacements available at this time.

Operational history

The Sedan was designed to be a docile airplane but also a good performer. Pilots found that the Sedan, with its large interior, had plenty of room for baggage and passengers. With its large wing, it had good takeoff performance, and was capable of short takeoff and landing operations. It found a niche as a capable personal aircraft and in commercial bush flying roles; it could also be equipped for agricultural work. Though the commercial roles have been largely taken over by more modern designs, many Sedans remain in use as personal airplanes. Their ongoing operation is aided by the availability of support from the current design owner.

Record flights

A Sedan was chosen by pilots Bill Barris and Dick Riedel for their attempt to set a time aloft record in 1949. Their flight was sponsored by the local chamber of commerce and the Sunkist growers association, the second sponsor accounting for the naming of the aircraft as the "Sunkist Lady". (The accompanying support aircraft, also a Sedan, was called the "Lady’s Maid".) Departing from the Fullerton, California, Municipal Airport on March 15, the flight crossed the United States to Miami, Florida, where bad weather forced the pilots to circle for 14 days before making the return trip to Fullerton. Along the way, fuel and food were passed from vehicles on the ground to the pilots during low passes over airport runways. Having reached Fullerton on April 11, the pilots kept flying around the local area until April 26, finally landing at Fullerton Municipal Airport and setting a record of over 1,008 hours, or 42 days, in the air.

The Fullerton record drew attention but was, in the end, short lived. Inspired by the flight at Fullerton, later in 1949, Yuma, Arizona, decided to sponsor its own time aloft record attempt. The city needed publicity as it was experiencing economic hard times due to the 1946 closure of Yuma Army Air Field. Pilots Woody Jongeward and Bob Woodhouse piloted the "City of Yuma, " a Sedan borrowed from local owners, modified for the flight and painted with the slogan, “The City with a Future.” The flight began on August 24, with the aircraft remaining in the Yuma area throughout, and ended after more than 1,124 hours, or nearly 47 days in the air, on October 10. In 1997, the record-setting airplane was located and returned to Yuma; made airworthy again, it flew on October 10, 1999, to commemorate the 50th anniversary of the end of the record flight.

Until a few years ago the "City of Yuma" airplane was still flown from time to time but unfortunately it's now been moved from the Yuma airport to a museum in the center of town, where it will probably remain. It is in fairly original condition and was flown to the Cactus Fly-in a few years ago which is held at Casa Grande, Arizona where it took second place only to a Sedan that has been in a single family since new and in immaculate condition.

pecifications (1948 15AC Sedan)

aircraft specification

plane or copter?=plane
jet or prop?=prop

crew=one pilot
capacity=three passengers
length main= 25 ft 3 in
length alt= 7.7 m
span main= 37 ft 6 in
span alt= 11.4 m
height main= 10 ft 4 in
height alt= 3.1 m
area main= 200 ft²
area alt= 18.6 m²
airfoil= NACA 4412
empty weight main= 1,170 lb
empty weight alt= 531 kg
loaded weight main= 2,050 lb
loaded weight alt= 930 kg
useful load main= 880 lb
useful load alt= 399 kg
max takeoff weight main= 2,050 lb
max takeoff weight alt= 930 kg
more general=

engine (jet)=
type of jet=
number of jets=
thrust main= lbf
thrust alt= kN
thrust original=
thrust more=
afterburning thrust main= lbf
afterburning thrust alt= kN
engine (prop)= Continental C-145-2
type of prop=
number of props= 1
power main= 145 hp
power alt= 108 kW
power original=
power more=
max speed main= 120 mph
max speed alt= 193 km/h
max speed more=
cruise speed main= 105 mph
cruise speed alt= 169 km/h
cruise speed more=
never exceed speed main= 139 mph
never exceed speed alt=224 km/h
stall speed main= 53 mph
stall speed alt= 85.3 km/h
stall speed more=
range main= 400 mi
range alt= 644 km
range more=
ceiling main= 12,400 ft
ceiling alt= 3,780 m
climb rate main= 650 ft/min
climb rate alt= 3.30 m/s
loading main= 10.3 lb/ft²
loading alt= 50 kg/m²
thrust/weight=
power/mass main= 14.1 lb/hp
power/mass alt= 8.6 kg/kW
more performance=

armament=

Citations

References

* "Aircraft specification no. A-802." Revision 24. (Aug. 31, 2000.) Department of Transportation. Federal Aviation Administration.
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External links

* [http://www.aeroncapilots.com National Aeronca Association]
* [http://www.aeronca.org/ Aeronca Aviators Club]
* [http://www.burlac.com/ Burl’s Aircraft]
* [http://www.n1331h.com/ Aeronca 15AC Sedan – N1331H]

ee also

aircontent
related=
similar aircraft=
* Cessna 170
* Piper Family Cruiser
* Stinson 108
* Yakovlev Yak-12