The Luscombe 8 is a series of high-wing, side-by-side-seating
monoplane
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 con ...
s with
conventional landing gear
Conventional landing gear, or tailwheel-type landing gear, is an aircraft undercarriage consisting of two main wheels forward of the center of gravity and a small wheel or skid to support the tail.Crane, Dale: ''Dictionary of Aeronautical Term ...
, designed in 1937 and built by
Luscombe Aircraft
Luscombe Aircraft was a United States aircraft manufacturer from 1933 to 1950.
History
Donald A. Luscombe founded the Luscombe aircraft company in 1933 in Kansas City, Missouri. Luscombe had already made his reputation as an aircraft designer wi ...
.
Development
Luscombe Aircraft closed in 1949, with its assets purchased by
Temco Aircraft
The Texas Engineering & Manufacturing Company (TEMCO), also known as Temco Aircraft Corporation, was a U.S.-based manufacturing company located in Dallas, Texas, USA. It is best known for eventually forming part of the conglomerate Ling-Temco-V ...
, also US-based.
[Gunston 2005, p. 294.] Temco built about 50 Silvaires before selling the rights to the Silvaire Aircraft Corporation in 1955.
Silvaire Aircraft Company: When TEMCO chose to discontinue production, the Luscombe tooling, parts and other assets were purchased by Otis Massey. Massey had been a Luscombe dealer since the 1930s. His new venture opened in
Fort Collins, Colorado, as Silvaire Uranium and Aircraft Corp. From 1956 to 1961, this firm produced 80 aircraft. The make and model for all 80 was Silvaire 8F, with "Luscombe" shown in quotation marks in company literature. N9900C, serial number S-1, was built in 1956. This first aircraft was constructed from spares or Material Review Board (MRB) parts that were serviceable, but remaining from TEMCO's prior production. TEMCO supplied enough inventory for the completion of approximately four aircraft. N9900C first flew on September 10, 1956 and was sold, according to the FAA aircraft database, to a dealer, Boggs Flying Brokers, in California the following spring. Six aircraft were built in 1957 (serial numbers S-2 through S7). Serial numbers S-2 and S-3 were shipped via C-46 aircraft to Buenos Aires, Argentina.
Variants
;Model 8
:Initial variant with a Continental A-50 engine.
![Luscombe UC-90](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/3/3b/Luscombe_UC-90.jpg)
;Model 8A Luscombe Master
:Model 8 with a higher power Continental A-65 engine.
;UC-90A
:One Model 8A adopted by the
United States Army Air Forces
The United States Army Air Forces (USAAF or AAF) was the major land-based aerial warfare service component of the United States Army and ''de facto'' aerial warfare service branch of the United States during and immediately after World War II ...
during World War II (s/n 42-79549).
;Model 8B Luscombe Trainer
:As Model 8A powered by a Lycoming O-145 engine. One impressed by the United States Army Air Forces during World War II as UC-90 (s/n 42-79550).
;Model 8C Silvaire Deluxe
:As Model 8A powered by a Continental A-75 engine.
;Model 8D Silvaire Deluxe Trainer
:As Model 8A with steerable tailwheel and other minor changes.
;Model 8E Silvaire Deluxe
:An improved Model 8C with increased gross weight and powered by an Continental C-85 engine.
;Model 8F
:High-performance variant with a Continental C-90 engine.
;Model T8F Luscombe Observer
:A tandem two-seat variant of the 8F for observation duties.
;Model 8G
:Was a proposed variant of the 8F with a tricycle landing gear, not built.
;Luscombe LSA-8
:Model for the US
light-sport aircraft category, produced by the
Luscombe Silvaire Company of
Riverside, California
Riverside is a city in and the county seat of Riverside County, California, United States, in the Inland Empire metropolitan area. It is named for its location beside the Santa Ana River. It is the most populous city in the Inland Empire an ...
and introduced at
Sun 'n Fun 2007. The LSA-8 is powered by a
Continental O-200
The Continental C90 and O-200 are a family of air-cooled, horizontally opposed, four-cylinder, direct-drive aircraft engines of 201 inĀ³ (3.29 L) displacement, producing between 90 and 100 horsepower (67 and 75 kW).''Federal Aviation Admini ...
engine of . The design is a
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 ...
accepted special light-sport aircraft.
[Bayerl, Robby; Martin Berkemeier; et al: ''World Directory of Leisure Aviation 2011-12'', page 64. WDLA UK, Lancaster UK, 2011. ISSN 1368-485X][Tacke, Willi; Marino Boric; et al: ''World Directory of Light Aviation 2015-16'', page 67. Flying Pages Europe SARL, 2015. ]
;Dair 100 testbed
:One Luscombe 8A was equipped with a
Dair 100
The Diesel Air Dair 100 is an opposed-piston diesel aircraft engine, designed and produced by Diesel Air Ltd of Olney, Buckinghamshire for use in airships, home-built kitplanes and light aircraft.Tacke, Willi; Marino Boric; et al: ''World Dire ...
two-stroke diesel engine as a
testbed
A testbed (also spelled test bed) is a platform for conducting rigorous, transparent, and replicable testing of scientific theories, computational tools, and new technologies.
The term is used across many disciplines to describe experimental rese ...
aircraft.
Specifications (Silvaire 8-F)
![luscombe](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/2/24/Luscombe.8f.g-bulo.arp.jpg)
Sub-Model T8F has tandem seating but is generally similar in dimension, Sprayer version approved for Restricted category operations can have higher Gross Weight with operational limits.
See also
References
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External links
Luscombe Foundation
{{USAF transports
08
1930s United States civil utility aircraft
1930s United States sport aircraft
Single-engined tractor aircraft
High-wing aircraft
Aircraft first flown in 1937