The Lamson PL-1 Quark was an American
high-wing
A monoplane is a fixed-wing aircraft configuration with a single mainplane, in contrast to a biplane or other types of multiplanes, which have multiple planes.
A monoplane has inherently the highest efficiency and lowest drag of any wing confi ...
, single-seat,
glider
Glider may refer to:
Aircraft and transport Aircraft
* Glider (aircraft), heavier-than-air aircraft primarily intended for unpowered flight
** Glider (sailplane), a rigid-winged glider aircraft with an undercarriage, used in the sport of glidin ...
that was designed and constructed by
Philip Lamson, first flying in early 1965.
[Rogers, Bennett: ''1974 Sailplane Directory, Soaring Magazine'', page 45. Soaring Society of America, August 1974. USPS 499-920]
Design and development
Lamson designed and built the Quark in 1964 as a lighthearted
experimental aircraft
An experimental aircraft is an aircraft intended for testing new aerospace technologies and design concepts.
The term ''research aircraft'' or ''testbed aircraft'', by contrast, generally denotes aircraft modified to perform scientific studies, ...
project to create a
prone position
Prone position () is a body position in which the person lies flat with the chest down and the back up. In anatomical terms of location, the dorsal side is up, and the ventral side is down. The supine position is the 180° contrast.
Etymolog ...
-pilot glider. To this end the pilot was accommodated lying down with his head in the nose bubble.
The PL-1 is constructed from
fiberglass
Fiberglass (American English) or fibreglass (Commonwealth English) is a common type of fiber-reinforced plastic using glass fiber. The fibers may be randomly arranged, flattened into a sheet called a chopped strand mat, or woven into glass cloth ...
, with the wings made from a
balsa
''Ochroma pyramidale'', commonly known as the balsa tree, is a large, fast-growing tree native to the Americas. It is the sole member of the genus ''Ochroma''. The tree is famous for its wide usage in woodworking, with the name ''balsa'' being ...
-fiberglass sandwich that was laid up in a female mold. The wing was originally of span, but this was quickly increased to with tip extensions and finally the aircraft received a new three-piece wing. The
airfoil
An airfoil (American English) or aerofoil (British English) is the cross-sectional shape of an object whose motion through a gas is capable of generating significant lift, such as a wing, a sail, or the blades of propeller, rotor, or turbine.
...
was an Irv Culver modification to the
NACA
The National Advisory Committee for Aeronautics (NACA) was a United States federal agency founded on March 3, 1915, to undertake, promote, and institutionalize aeronautical research. On October 1, 1958, the agency was dissolved and its assets ...
0012. The
landing gear
Landing gear is the undercarriage of an aircraft or spacecraft that is used for takeoff or landing. For aircraft it is generally needed for both. It was also formerly called ''alighting gear'' by some manufacturers, such as the Glenn L. Martin ...
was a monowheel, with small
wing tip
A wing tip (or wingtip) is the part of the wing that is most distant from the fuselage of a fixed-wing aircraft.
Because the wing tip shape influences the size and drag of the wingtip vortices, tip design has produced a diversity of sha ...
skids.
Soaring Magazine
''SOARING'' is a magazine published monthly as a membership benefit of the Soaring Society of America. It was first published in 1937. The headquarters is in Hobbs, New Mexico. The magazine's article topics include safety issues and accounts of ind ...
described the aircraft as "purely a lark and a quirky lark at that". The designer described the performance as "somewhere between a Nimbus and a Rogallo".
Only one Quark was built and it was registered with the US
Federal Aviation Administration
The Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) is the largest transportation agency of the U.S. government and regulates all aspects of civil aviation in the country as well as over surrounding international waters. Its powers include air traffic m ...
in the ''
Experimental - amateur-built'' category.
Operational history
The aircraft logged about 300 hours in its wingspan version. The Quark was removed from the FAA registry on 13 August 2002 and the aircraft likely no longer exists.
Specifications (Quark)
See also
References
{{reflist
1960s United States sailplanes
Homebuilt aircraft
Prone pilot aircraft
Aircraft first flown in 1965