Central Centaur IIA

infobox Aircraft
name = Centaur IIA
type = Biplane airliner
manufacturer = Central Aircraft Company Limited


caption =
designer = A A Fletcher
first flight = 1919
introduced =
retired =
status =
primary user = Central Aircraft Company Limited
more users =
produced =
number built = 2
unit cost =
developed from =
variants with their own articles =

The Central Centaur IIA was a British civil six-passenger joyriding biplane aircraft produced by Central Aircraft Company Limited of London.

History

Following the success of the earlier Centaur IV for joyriding, A.A. Fletcher designed a larger twin-engined aircraft. Designated the Centaur IIB the first aircraft, registered G-EAHR, first flew during July 1919 cite book |last= Jackson|first= A.J.|authorlink= |coauthors= |title= British Civil Aircraft since 1919 Volume 1|year= 1974|publisher= Putnam|location= London|isbn=0 370 10006 9 ] . The fuselage had an open cockpit for the two crew and six passengers. A second example, registered G-EAPC, was built. It had the same designation Centaur IIB but had an enclosed cabin for seven passengers. The second aircraft first flew in May 1920 .

The second aircraft was tested by the Air Ministry in the 1920 Commercial Aeroplane Competition . It was described at the time as old-fashioned and low-powered, another problem was that loaded with all the fuel required for the three and half hour test flight meant it was unable to carry passengers or pilots. The aircraft did not win the competition. The prototype was destroyed in an accident at Northolt Aerodrome in July 1919 , shortly after the competition. The second aircraft crashed in October 1920 at Hayes, Middlesex, with a loss of six lives . No further examples were built.

Aircraft

* Centaur IIA - "G-EAHR" - open cockpit version for six passengers, destroyed 1919.
* Centaur IIA - "G-EAPC" - enclosed cabin version for seven passengers, destroyed 1920.

Operators

;UK
*Central Aircraft Company Limited

pecifications (Centaur IIA)

aircraft specification

plane or copter?=plane
jet or prop?=prop
ref= British Civil Aircraft since 1919 Volume 1
crew=2 (6 passengers)
length main= 29 ft 3 in
length alt= 11.96 m
span main= 63 ft 8 in
span alt= 19.41 m
height main=
height alt=
area main=
area alt=
empty weight main= 4996 lb
empty weight alt= 2271 kg
loaded weight main=
loaded weight alt=
max takeoff weight main= 7,250 lb
max takeoff weight alt= 3289 kg
engine (prop)=Beardmore
type of prop= inline piston
number of props=2
power main= 160 hp
power alt= 119 kw
max speed main= 90 mph
max speed alt= 145 km/h
range main=
range alt=
ceiling main=
ceiling alt=
climb rate main=
climb rate alt=
loading main=
loading alt=
power/mass main=
power/mass alt=
armament=

References

*cite book |last= |first= |authorlink= |coauthors= |title= The Illustrated Encyclopedia of Aircraft (Part Work 1982-1985)|year= |publisher= Orbis Publishing|location= |issn=

External links

ee also

aircontent

related=

similar aircraft=

sequence=
Centaur IV • Centaur IIA
lists=

see also=