Parnall Heck

infobox Aircraft
name = Heck
type = Cabin Tourer
manufacturer = Parnall Aircraft Limited


caption =
designer = Basil B Henderson
first flight = 1934
introduced =
retired = 1950
produced =
number built = 8
status =
unit cost =
primary user = Parnall Aircraft
more users = Royal Air Force
developed from =
variants with their own articles = The Parnall Heck was a 1930s British four-seat cabin monoplane built by Parnall Aircraft Limited at Yate, Gloucestershire.

History

The Heck was designed by Basil B. Henderson originally as the Hendy 3308 Heck. The prototype was built by the Westland Aircraft Works at Yeovil, it was a single-engined, tandem, two-seat, low-wing cabin monoplane, built of spruce with a plywood covering. It had a manually operated undercarriage. The prototype, registered G-ACTC, first flew in July 1934. Parnall Aircraft Limited was formed in May 1935 when George Parnall and Company merged with the Hendy Aircraft Company and the armament engineering firm Nash and Thompson Limited. The Heck was redesignated the Parnall Heck. A number of problems with the undercarriage led to it being locked down and covered with trouser type fairings. The aircraft set a new record for the run from Cape Town to England of 6 days, 8 hours and 27 minutes in November 1936.

A small production line was started at Yate, Gloucestershire and the production version was designated the Heck 2C. The production aircraft were three-seaters and fixed spatted undercarriages. None of the aircraft were sold and four were operated by Parnall Aircraft as communications aircraft. When the war started the aircraft were camouflaged.

The fifth and sixth aircraft were used for trial installations of engines and armaments, including the development of the gun sight installation for the Spitfire and Hurricane. In March 1943 one aircraft was impressed into service with the Royal Air Force on communications and liaison duties.

A two-seat open cockpit version was flown as the Heck 3 in February 1939 but was not ordered. It ended its days as an ATC training device in Jones' West Monmouth School, Pontypool.

The last surviving Heck was the second production aircraft which was damaged beyond repair in a taxying accident in June 1950. The aircraft had just come 7th in the King's Cup Race at Wolverhampton (with a speed of 159 mph) when a landing civil Spitfire hit the rear of the Heck and demolished it.

Operators

Civil operators

;UK
* Parnall Aircraft

Military operators

;UK
* Royal Air Force

pecifications (Heck 2C)

aircraft specification

plane or copter?=plane
jet or prop?=prop
crew=3
length main= 26 ft 1½ in
length alt= 7.96 m
span main= 31 ft 6 in
span alt= 9.60 m
height main= 8 ft 6 in
height alt= 2.59 m
area main= 105.2 ft²
area alt= 9.78 m²
empty weight main= 1,750 lb
empty weight alt= 795 kg
loaded weight main=
loaded weight alt=
max takeoff weight main= 2,700 lb
max takeoff weight alt=1227 kg
engine (prop)=de Havilland Gipsy Six
type of prop=
number of props=1
power main= 200 hp
power alt= 149 kW
max speed main= 161 knots
max speed alt= 185 mph, 298 km/h
range main= 526 nm
range alt= 605 miles, 974 km
ceiling main= 16,700 ft
ceiling alt= 5090 m
climb rate main= 1,100 ft/min
climb rate alt=5.6 m/s
loading main=
loading alt=
power/mass main=
power/mass alt=
armament=

ee also

aircontent

related=

similar aircraft=

sequence=

lists=
List of aircraft of the RAF
see also=

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