The Towle TA-2 was an
amphibious aircraft
An amphibious aircraft or amphibian is an aircraft (typically fixed-wing) that can take off and land on both solid ground and water, though amphibious helicopters do exist as well. Fixed-wing amphibious aircraft are seaplanes ( flying boats ...
based on the
T owle WC built for a 1929 round-the world flight.
Development
Thomas Towle was an engineer that had been involved with many early aircraft designs. Having just co-designed the
Eastman E-2 Sea Rover
The Eastman E-2 Sea Rover, also called the Beasley-Eastman E-2 Sea Rover, was a light seaplane built in the late 1920s for business and shuttle use.
Development
The E-2 was designed by former Ford engineer Thomas Towle for industrialist Jim ...
and the
Towle WC, Towle found funding to create a new entity, the
Towle Aircraft Company to produce the TA-2.
Design
The TA-2 featured an corrugated
aluminum
Aluminium (aluminum in American and Canadian English) is a chemical element with the symbol Al and atomic number 13. Aluminium has a density lower than those of other common metals, at approximately one third that of steel. It has ...
hull. The wings were all metal with internal stiffeners, rather than ribs, based loosely on the
Ford Trimotor
The Ford Trimotor (also called the "Tri-Motor", and nicknamed the "Tin Goose") is an American three-engined transport aircraft. Production started in 1925 by the companies of Henry Ford and ended on June 7, 1933, after 199 had been made. It w ...
, which Towle worked on previously. The twin
Wright R-540
The Wright R-540 Whirlwind was a series of five-cylinder air-cooled radial aircraft engines built by the Wright Aeronautical division of Curtiss-Wright. These engines had a displacement of 540 in³ (8.85 L) and power ratings of around ...
engines sat on small pylons on top of the
shoulder mounted wing.
[ Two floats were mounted directly below the engine pylons which incorporated the hydraulically actuated landing gear. The prototype was originally designed for 165 hp Wright 540 engines.
]
Operational history
The TA-2 was tested in Lake St. Clair
Lake St. Clair (french: Lac Sainte-Claire) is a freshwater lake that lies between the Canadian province of Ontario and the U.S. state of Michigan. It was named in 1679 by French Catholic explorers after Saint Clare of Assisi, on whose feast day ...
on 7 November 1929 by test pilot George Pond and James Bradley. It broke up on takeoff and sank to the bottom of the lake.Lympne Airport
Lympne Airport , was a military and later civil airfield , at Lympne, Kent, United Kingdom, which operated from 1916 to 1984. During the First World War RFC Lympne was originally an acceptance point for aircraft being delivered to, and returni ...
, Kent
Kent is a county in South East England and one of the home counties. It borders Greater London to the north-west, Surrey to the west and East Sussex to the south-west, and Essex to the north across the estuary of the River Thames; it faces ...
, United Kingdom in February 1930.
Variants
* Towle WC The basis for the TA-2
Specifications
See also
References
{{Towle Marine Aircraft Engineering aircraft
Amphibious aircraft