The Eklund TE-1 was a
Finnish-built single-seat flying boat of the late 1940s.
Design and development
The TE-1 was designed in late 1948 by
Torolf Eklund
Torolf Eklund (13 April 1912 – 12 December 2000) was a Finnish aircraft designer, who worked at the Valtion lentokonetehdas between 1935 and 1962. He privately designed and built his own small single-seat flying boat, the Eklund TE-1, in th ...
, who was a Finnish aircraft designer for Valtion Lentokonetehdas between 1935 and 1962. The TE-1 was financed and built by Eklund as a private venture.
Operational history
The TE-1 first flew in February 1949 powered by a 28 h.p.
Poinsard engine. This powerplant suffered a crankcase failure, and as spare parts were no longer available, it was replaced by a Continental A40-5 engine.
[ At the time of its first flight, the TE-1 was claimed to be the world's smallest ]flying boat
A flying boat is a type of fixed-winged seaplane with a hull, allowing it to land on water. It differs from a floatplane in that a flying boat's fuselage is purpose-designed for floatation and contains a hull, while floatplanes rely on fusela ...
. The aircraft last flew in 1969. It is now preserved in the Suomen Ilmailumuseo ( Finnish Aviation Museum) at Helsinki Vantaa airport.
Variants
The following proposed derivatives were developed, but only the prototype TE-1 was completed and flown.[
*TE-1A with retractable four-wheel undercarriage
*TE-1B flying boat configuration
*TE-1B-S flying boat with skis
*TE-1B-G flying boat with breaching gear]
Specifications (TE-1)
See also
References
{{reflist
TE-1
1940s Finnish sport aircraft
Flying boats
High-wing aircraft
Single-engined tractor aircraft
Aircraft first flown in 1949